His hands slowly curled at his sides.His eyes hardened.Though he said nothing, the storm inside him was obvious.Not far from him stood the governor’s uncle.Unlike the others, whose reactions were filled with relief and amazement, his first emotion was anger.Sharp, immediate anger.It flashed across his face before he was able to conceal it. For a split second, his expression darkened so noticeably that anyone paying close attention might have caught it. But he was quick. Very quick. In the next breath, he masked it with a look of relief and stepped forward with practiced ease.“Thank goodness,” he said, forcing warmth into his voice. “Thank goodness that you’re okay. Thank goodness that you’re back. I’m so happy.”His words were appropriate. His tone was careful. To anyone who did not know better, he looked like a concerned relative overcome with relief.But inside, he was seething.His mind was full of curses.He cursed the fool who had sold him the poison.He cursed the man’s f

Liam nodded in return and turned as if to leave.But just as he moved a step forward, something flashed across his mind.He stopped.The expression on his face changed—not dramatically, but enough for those watching closely to notice that he had remembered something important.The house, the house that Victoria and Benjamin had forcefully taken from him.The land that had once represented dignity, stability, and perhaps the beginning of something greater for his family.He remembered their threats.He remembered the arrogance with which they had spoken, the certainty in their voices when they said that in less than seventy-four hours, they would have the house demolished. He remembered how powerless the entire situation had made him feel—not because he lacked truth on his side, but because people like Victoria and Benjamin knew how to twist power, money, and influence to serve themselves.He had not yet gone to City Hall to file a complaint.He had planned to, but with everything else

At that moment, Liam turned his eyes toward the governor’s uncle and gave a small, controlled nod.“Well,” he said in an even tone, “thank you for believing in me, and thank you for giving me the opportunity.”It was the kind of response that sounded respectful on the surface, but it did not reveal anything more than necessary. Liam had already become careful—more careful than anyone in the room realized. The handshake had told him something important, something dangerous, and now every word had to be chosen with precision.The governor’s uncle smiled immediately, as though pleased by Liam’s courtesy.“Well,” he said, adjusting his posture with a kind of measured confidence, “I really want us to have a conversation someday. A proper one. At least, a very good conversation on a later day.”He spoke casually, but there was calculation under the softness of his tone.“Because there is something I really want us to talk about,” he continued, “and I think I am in the right position to have

Dr. Kai turned to her, his face still tight with anger. He looked her over with the sort of condescending expression that suggested he considered her interruption unwelcome and uninformed.“You seem very heavily interested in him,” he said.There was a sneer tucked into the sentence, one that carried implication as much as insult.“Well,” he continued, “where I come from, there is a law that governs everybody when it comes to a profession like this. A law that protects people from frauds, from quacks, from dangerous guesswork, from individuals who decide they can play doctor without training, without certification, without legal authority. And I am very sure that this place also has laws that guide and protect matters like this.”His voice grew more forceful the more he spoke, as though turning the issue into a legal principle somehow made him more righteous.“Don’t you see what he has done?” Dr. Kai pressed. “If word gets out that he treated someone like that without being licensed,

As soon as she said that, the tears came.Not dramatic tears, not the kind people summon for attention, but quiet, pained tears that spilled the moment the truth was finally allowed out into the open. She quickly raised a hand as if to wipe them away, but more followed, and soon there was no use pretending she still had full control over herself.“It has been so heartbreaking for me,” she said again, her voice breaking now. “You have no idea.”Liam remained silent, giving her space to speak.She swallowed hard and continued.“There are dresses I want to wear,” she said. “Certain clothes I really want to put on, but I cannot. I just cannot. There are so many things I no longer do because of this. So many things I avoid. So many moments I pretend not to care about, when in truth they hurt me deeply.”She looked down, ashamed and vulnerable in a way she clearly was not used to being in front of anyone, let alone Liam.“You would need to see my back,” she said quietly. “Only then would yo