"Don't worry." Sean swore that he would protect Nikki this time. "Even if the cops are here, we have nothing to fear since we didn't do it, so…"Before Sean could even finish his sentence, the cops approached them and showed Nikki their identification badge. "Ms. Wheeler, we have evidence to prove that you've committed the crime of a murder attempt on Ms. Bonnie Craig, as well as raping Mr. Terry Simmons. We're authorized to arrest you. Please cooperate with us."Sean was flabbergasted to have heard this. He paused and looked at the cops incredulously and subconsciously stood before them, shielding Nikki. "H—Have you made a mistake?"Nikki was the victim, was she not? It was Jim who had hurt Nikki, and Terry was the one who had stolen Nikki's innocence, no?Why was the police saying otherwise?"Sir, without proper and solid evidence, we wouldn't arrest anyone," answered one officer sternly. "If you're the relevant party, then we're allowed to show you the evidence. Otherwise, plea
Jim paused upon hearing that voice. Sean might not know whose voice that was, but Jim was more than familiar with it.As Jim spaced out momentarily, Sean's fist slammed right into his face, and it was obvious how much strength was put into that swing. Sean had given his all.Blood oozed out of Jim's nose as he staggered a few steps back before he regained his footing."Jim!" Breaking free from Charles' support, Rosalyn ran toward Jim. However, her body was too weak to support herself, her legs failing her just after running for a few steps before she fell to the floor, her face slammed in the process.She got up on her feet soon after and ran toward Jim as though it did not even faze her."Jim! Are you alright?" asked Rosalyn.Assistant Coleman was there to support Jim, too.Jim's vision was slightly blurred, yet he could make out how Rosalyn ran toward him worriedly. His heart felt hot and humid, as though it was summer after a downpour."Let me see it." Rosalyn ran toward Jim
"You're much better than my father, I'll give you that."Sean then walked past Charles and was prepared to leave.Jim, who was quite far away, furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Sean.His heart began to race at that moment. He had not told Charles and Rosalyn about Lucy having survived the incident, despite everyone thinking she was dead. He was afraid that Sean would talk about Lucy and their familial status after telling Charles that Charles was better than his father.Sean, unexpectedly, said nothing else after that, but Charles grabbed Sean and squinted. "Your father isn't too bad, kiddo. Don't belittle yourself; you're too humble," spoke Charles, his voice gentle and sincere. "Something was special about you and your father that Lucy gave up on me and Jim."The hallway fell silent the moment these words were uttered. Both Jim and Sean looked at Charles with shock."Dad…" Jim gazed at Charles. "You…"Charles smiled. "Your mother and I found out about it. We know that all of
"But…"Sean looked at Charles and then at Jim, who was a little further from him. "Mother abandoned both you and Jim! If…"He pursed his lips. "If Mother had just faced you and Jim, if she hadn't hidden herself, perhaps the Landry family and the Lynch family wouldn't have suffered such terrible losses."From Samuel's conversation with the others, Sean finally understood everything. The fight and feud between the Landry and Lynch families were rooted because of his mother, Lucy Hamilton. If she had only sought her memory and faced it bravely, perhaps both families would not be embroiled in much bitterness and tragedy like they were at present.After so many years, both families had collided many times in their business, and Colin was dead because of it. His mother was partly responsible for everything that had happened.Even with all this, Charles decided to forgive his mother so easily?"The past is in the past," said Rosalyn gently, smiling as she continued to wipe the blood awa
"I'm sure Jim didn't mean to do this to you. Please don't hold this against him."Rosalyn handed the bottle of medicine she had been holding to Sean and added, "This analgesic is very good; I use it myself. If it still hurts after you get home, you should take a dose of this."A surge of warmth spread through Sean's heart at the sound of Rosalyn's soft, gentle voice. He paused for a moment before finally taking the bottle from her. "Thank… Thank you.""I hear that you and your sister live in a poor part of town." Charles let out a sigh. "If you don't mind, I'm willing to help you and your sister find someplace new to live, and I can help you find a new job too."After all, you're Lucy's son, and it would be a pity if you continue working as a mechanic."Finally, he added, "We also found out that your sister is sick, so if you ever need help in the future, feel free to come to us."Charles and Rosalyn's kind offer made Sean feel even more touched."This reminds me." All of a sudd
"Nikki would never lie to me," Sean declared confidently, then proceeded to turn on the recording device.He wanted to know what 'evidence' the Landry family had come up with to brainwash him into believing Nikki was a bad person!Just as he was about to press 'play', the butler stopped him. "Mr. Wheeler, I think it'd be better if you listen to this in private. This place…"He glanced at the doctors and nurses that kept passing through the hallway. "This might not be the best place to listen to this recording."Sean shot him a cold glance. "What's wrong with listening to it right here?"He did not believe that Nikki would have done anything wrong. He was sure of it.He wanted to play this recording in front of the members of the Landry family so he could expose their lies right then and there. This would show them that he was not the gullible fool they thought he was!At the thought of this, Sean shoved the butler away and played the recording.A woman's coy voice and the sound
Mr. Chapman had indeed sent a reliable man to help check on Nikki.Terry had been telling the truth; he had been coerced into this after all.Sean suddenly remembered the phone call he had received from Mr. Chapman, who had scolded him for being so cruel toward Terry when this had all been a misunderstanding.At that time, Sean had thought Mr. Chapman was a selfish man who was willing to twist the truth to help his favorite employee.He had said that this was not fair to Terry, but had it been fair for Nikki?At this point, however…Sean finally understood why Mr. Chapman had been so furious.It was because he had truly misunderstood Terry, and he had been blinded by Nikki's lies.He…He even allowed Luke Jones, the boyfriend of Bonnie's friend, to cut off Terry's private part.Sean closed his eyes and suddenly felt a weight on his heart, suffocating him and splitting his heart into pieces.The sounds coming out of the recording device were becoming more and more chaotic.R
Sean's words made everyone freeze in shock.Not only that, but even Sean himself seemed utterly stunned by this.It was undeniable that he envied Jim for having such a kind, loving mother, but…Rosalyn was Jim's mother, so how could he call her that?Even though he and Jim were half-brothers, Rosalyn was not related to him at all!After a moment of pin-drop silence, the first person to regain her composure was Rosalyn.She curled her lips into a smile, staring at Sean. "I heard from Samuel that Lucy passed away when you were eleven. It's one thing to grow up without a parent and another thing entirely to find out that your beloved sister, the only family you knew, had been lying to you all this while…"You must be very lonely, aren't you?"She held Sean's hand and added, "If you don't mind, you and Jim can both be my sons from today onward."I never had a son of my own, and my only child is Luna. Even though I didn't give birth to him, I see Jim as my son, and you can be, too.