Queenie and I exchanged glances, both of us speculating on the kind of person and incident that would make these typically indifferent individuals pause to discuss.Zara's unresponsiveness and absence from home intensified our worries about her safety, so I decided to call her again. This time, she picked up promptly. In the background, there was chaos—someone was sobbing, and faint sounds of an argument could be heard.Zara sounded flustered, explaining that she was at the hospital and the injured person wasn't her. She urged me not to worry and to stay put before abruptly ending the call.Given the circumstances, the neighborhood incident was likely connected to Zara.In Jinovy, besides me and Queenie, Zara only knew the Moyers. Considering that Winston and Zara weren't particularly close, we surmised that the troublemaker was Chris, the big jerk.I hastily threw my luggage into the apartment, washed my face, changed my jacket, and headed to the hospital.The emergency room w
Zara gestured toward a group of people and explained, "Those are Chris' uncles and relatives. They've been arguing since they arrived but haven't said anything worthwhile. "They're too scared to come over and confront me, so they're just bickering over there endlessly. The nurses have tried to quiet them down several times, but their pleas fell on deaf ears, and the chaos continued.""If they've got a problem, they should call the police. All this yelling is pointless. They're just cowards. It seems the entire family lacks decency. It's disgusting," Queenie chimed in. Her straightforward nature and sense of justice made her despise such behavior."Pointless? It's obvious they're doing it for one reason—compensation. Every word out of their mouths is about their injured family member and how they need to be compensated. It's all about the money. Their blatant greed is nauseating." Zara scoffed.I couldn't fathom their behavior. Andrew had mentioned that although the Moyer family di
As Zara recounted the events, her face contorted with disgust as if she had stepped on something vile. It was clear that Chris' behavior had thoroughly repulsed her.Not even I could imagine the usually cold and composed Chris resorting to such desperate and dramatic antics. He wouldn't have made those choices if he truly loved Zara as he claimed. To come crawling back now just seemed pathetic.I couldn't tell if Chris' suicidal threats were a misguided attempt to show love or simply regret upon realizing he had been duped. Either way, it was too little, too late. Zara was not a garbage bin for broken, discarded junk.Just then, the red light above the emergency room door went out. A doctor wearing a chief physician's tag emerged, and Chris' father stood up to inquire about his son's condition. The doctor mentioned that Chris had arrived just in time, as another five minutes could have made it impossible to save him. He instructed the family to take good care of Chris.Hearing th
In this battle between righteousness and malice, it was clear that righteousness held the upper hand. In my opinion, a significant part of this advantage stemmed from Zara's imposing uniform.Even the Moyer family, with all their bluster, seemed to hesitate in the face of Zara's unwavering presence. They knew better than to cross the line and face legal repercussions.Perhaps it was Zara's icy demeanor or the authority her uniform represented, but the voices of those who spoke against her gradually lowered, ultimately falling into a tense silence. Eventually, they turned to look at each other. Their faces still bore the marks of anger, yet no one dared to utter another word.I couldn't help but see them as a bunch of cowards who were just bluffing when they claimed to seek justice."Have you all finished?" Zara stepped forward, her eyes sweeping over the crowd.With a disdainful smile, she asked, "You all claim I am responsible for Chris' current state, but do you have any proof
Nonetheless, I didn't care if there was conflict. After all, it was their fault, to begin with, and I needed to speak up. Otherwise, they might think Zara was an easy target. That was what good friends were for—to show unwavering support when it mattered most.My words seemed to strike a nerve as Chris' parents' expressions darkened. Chris' mother, in particular, looked enraged. Her face was flushed, and her neck bulged as she raised her bejeweled hand to respond.Just then, a weak voice interrupted. Chris, who had just woken up, spoke hoarsely, his voice grating like rough stones rubbing together. "Dad, Mom, stop it. I don't want any compensation."His mother looked at him. "You foolish boy, look at what she's done to you! How can you not ask for compensation? If it weren't for her, would you be lying here suffering?""Mom, I did this to myself. Zara didn't hurt me. Zara, I'm sorry for everything. You can go home now. I'll come find you once I'm better." Chris struggled to raise h
"Yes, let's expose her completely! Post it in every group, friend circle, and social media platform. Let everyone know what she's done so she becomes a pariah," Zara said, rolling up her sleeves as if ready to charge into battle.If Jasmine were in front of her, Zara would probably unleash a relentless flurry of kicks upon her.Their fierce loyalty touched me deeply. However, as my father always said, "Patience is a virtue."After Jasmine's schemes, not only did Colin manage to thwart her plans, but we also spent our first night together. I reckoned her fury only intensified when he sought me out in the mountains. Being the scheming person that she was, Jasmine would never let things end there. She was bound to come up with more ways to torment us.As such, the evidence I had gathered against her must be wielded at the right moment. I needed to strike when it would hurt her the most, leaving no room for her to retaliate. The timing was crucial, and now wasn't the moment to strike
Nico yelped in pain, quickly stifling his laughter. He knew better than to make fun of me now.After the playful banter, we got down to business. Being professionals, we immediately adopted a serious and focused demeanor. In just over ten minutes, we decided to conduct an on-site investigation in Lagado two days later.With two days until our expedition, we needed to assemble a team, gather the right tools, and formulate a reliable action plan.Having been away for almost two months, opening the door to my house felt incredibly comforting. I couldn't help but collapse onto the couch before grabbing a pillow and hugging it.Zara began, "Luna, it's just you and me now. Tell me honestly, what do you really think about Colin? Jasmine is no pushover, and she's got a malicious streak. If she could drug Colin once, she could do it again. "Colin might have found you once, but what about next time? Or the time after that? You're miles apart. Even if he seeks your help, it might be too lat
Whether or not Colin replied to my message immediately didn't matter because soon, we would be breathing the same air under the same sky again.I hadn't had a decent night's sleep in days because I had been constantly worrying about Colin. However, as the plane climbed to a cruising altitude and stabilized, I was surprised to find myself falling asleep.The plane landed at Lagado Airport at 9:00 pm. The airport was brightly lit, while the night outside was cloaked in darkness. Colin stood at the exit, scanning the crowds for me. As I stepped out, he swiftly strode over, taking my suitcase and grasping my hand tightly in his other hand. "You must be exhausted. Are you cold? Here, take my jacket.""Not at all. I've been sleeping on the plane. I'm wearing a sweater, so I'm not cold. Colin, I missed you." For the first time, I openly expressed my longing for him.Colin tightened his grip on my hand, and his eyes sparkled with delight. The smile on his face reflected his joy as he rep