Chapter 3
On the last day, I found my brother Kieran at the bar.
Kieran never cared for school and spent his time with delinquents and troublemakers. Among them was Jorge Meyer, the very person who had taken those compromising photos of me.
As I approached, Jorge's eyes gleamed nastily.
“Well, if it isn’t Morgan Bell!” he sneered.
“Still got a good figure, but it’s a shame about your face. Otherwise, I’d ask you to hang out with us.”
Feeling repulsed, I shrugged off his gaze and turned to Kieran.
“Kieran, are you really going to stand there and let him treat me like this?”
Kieran sneered.
“Save the drama; it’s too late for tears now.”
Axel Long, the bar owner, appeared uneasy about the situation and suggested,
“Kieran, she’s your sister…”
But Kieran interrupted him.
“She’s not my sister. My only sister is Alaiya.”
I instinctively stepped back, fighting back tears. When we were kids, Kieran was the one who cared for me the most. Being nearly the same age, we often walked to school together.
There was a time when I was bullied by a group demanding money after school. When Kieran found out, he bravely faced three of them, scaring them away, though he got hurt in the process. I felt guilty then, but Kieran comforted me, patting my head.
“As your brother, it’s my job to protect you,” he said reassuringly.
“If anyone bothers you again, tell me. I’ll make sure they beg for your forgiveness.”
His promise echoed in my mind. He never imagined that one day he’d use the very tactics he despised against me.
Seeing Axel pity me, Kieran clapped him on the shoulder.
“Don’t feel sorry for her; she’s nothing but trouble.”
“You don’t know what she did. Three years ago, she bribed a thug to ruin Alaiya’s reputation.”
This accusation was why Kieran held such resentment towards me. Three years ago, Alaiya, seeing her chances with Calvin fade, secretly sought someone else. That guy tried to take advantage of her by spiking her drink. If I hadn’t intervened, Alaiya might have lost everything.
But when Alaiya woke up, she refused to admit her involvement with the man, accusing me of setting him up to harm her.
Victor and Milo, already suspicious of me, watched as Kieran’s disbelief turned into disappointment.
“Morgan Bell, so you really are as vicious as they say,” he declared.
From that moment, the Johnson brothers cut all ties with me.
Fed up with the conversation, I handed Kieran the final contract.
“If you want to settle this once and for all, why don’t you sign this contract?”
Reading the words, Kieran froze, his eyes unexpectedly moist.
“You think pretending to be sincere will earn my pity?”
I taunted him.
“Can’t I? Then why the hesitation, Kieran?”
Just as I expected, his anger flared, and he signed without a second thought.
“Morgan Bell, the harm you caused Alaiya is something I’ll never forget.”
“Instead of wasting time playing games, why not treat Alaiya better? Maybe then I’d reconsider my view of you.”
He chased me out of the bar.
Looking up at the clear blue sky, a smile of relief spread across my face. I no longer needed his approval. I was finally free.
The next morning, when no one was watching, I hurried into the Mercedes without a second thought.
Just before the engine roared to life, Jenna Nichols’ panicked voice reached me from afar.
“Oh no, Morgan is missing!”