Chapter 10 My Sister Is Not Someone to Be Bullied

After hanging up the phone, Samuel sat in his chair, staring blankly ahead. He remained lost in thought for a long while before finally standing and leaving the study. He paused outside the bedroom door, unable to summon the courage to push it open. The door felt like an invisible barrier, separating him from Kaia, who lay inside. She had brought this upon herself—he knew that. Yet his heart still ached with a dull, suffocating pain. As he hesitated, a helper hurried over. "Mr. Larson, Ms. Wendy's birthday celebration is about to start. You should head over now." Samuel hesitated, casting one last deep glance at the bedroom. Then, he silently turned away and followed the helper. In the banquet hall, Wendy stood surrounded by guests, radiant like a princess under a spotlight. She stood before an extravagant cake as everyone sang "Happy Birthday" in unison. When the song ended, she took a deep breath and blew out all the candles. In an instant, balloons and confetti burst into the air. The hall erupted in cheers of "Happy Birthday!" to Wendy. Samuel stood among the crowd, looking at the beaming faces. His mind kept drifting back to Kaia, pale and frail in bed. He tried to smile, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't. The others gathered around the cake, laughing and sharing pieces of it. Samuel retreated to a corner by the champagne tower. He grabbed a glass and downed it in one gulp. The alcohol spilled from the corners of his lips, soaking his collar. Unfazed, he poured another drink. Then another, as if battling the guilt and anguish gnawing at him. Before long, his steps grew unsteady, his balance wavering. The voices and laughter around him blurred into distant noise. With the last shred of his fading consciousness, he staggered out of the banquet hall. Before he reached the bedroom, nausea hit him hard. He rushed to the bathroom, gripping the sink as he vomited. After emptying his stomach, he gasped for air, his foggy mind finally gaining some clarity. He turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on his face. The shock cleared his mind. With his hands on the sink, he lifted his wet face and met his gaze in the mirror. In the reflection, his hair clung damply to his brow. Beads of water slipped from the strands. His sharply defined features appeared even more stark. "I did nothing wrong," he muttered bitterly. "Why am I torturing myself? I must be losing it." Just then, his phone rang. He took it out and saw it was his secretary, Silas Nolan. Samuel wiped the water from his face before answering. "Hello." "Mr. Larson, I've looked into everything you asked." "Go ahead." Samuel's voice was icy. Silas hesitated. Samuel frowned. "What is it?" "Well... Mr. Larson, you might want to brace yourself." Silas' tone was unusually grim. Samuel's chest tightened. He knew whatever Silas was about to say would be brutal, but he steeled himself. "Go ahead, tell me." On the other end of the line, Silas took a deep breath before recounting Kaia's ordeal in prison. "Mr. Larson, Kaia had a rough time there. She's beaten up almost every day—slapped around, forced to drink toilet water. They won't let her sleep, make her kneel, and humiliate her. If she resists, they stab her with needles..." Samuel's grip on the phone tightened, his breath uneven. Through gritted teeth, he demanded, "How the hell did they get needles in prison?" "Because Ms. Kaia was learning embroidery there, so..." Veins bulged on Samuel's forehead as he struggled to hold back his rage. "Keep going." "The worst beating Ms. Kaia endured was when the inmates broke six wooden batons—each as thick as a grown man's arm—over her legs. They beat her so badly that her leg was fractured, and she had to be hospitalized." Samuel felt as if his heart were being ripped out. The pain was so intense that his entire body trembled; his eyes burned red. "Mr. Larson, I also found out someone ordered those inmates to specifically target Ms. Kaia. And every single one of them got their sentences reduced afterward. "About a year ago, Ms. Kaia was hospitalized again. I couldn't find out exactly why, but it must have been serious because, after that, she was moved to a single cell. She was never beaten again after that." This time, Samuel's rage was overwhelming, no matter how hard he tried to contain it. "Who?" Silas had been with Samuel since he became CEO—he knew his employer better than anyone. He immediately understood what Samuel was asking. "It was... Mr. Graham." It was Caleb Graham, Lily's older brother and Wendy's betrothed fiancé. Or rather, he should have been Kaia's fiancé, as she was the true scion of the Larsons. The air seemed to freeze. The silence stretched unbearably long. Silas' cautious voice came through, "Mr. Larson?" "Terminate all cooperation with Graham Group. Launch a full-scale assault on their operations." Samuel's voice was hoarse and icy, sending a shiver down Silas' spine. "B-but, Mr. Larson... If we do that, Larson Group will suffer, too." "Do as I say. And one more thing—I don't want to see those who hurt Kaia walk out of prison unscathed." "Understood." Samuel slowly lowered his phone, his hands dropping limply to his sides. His mind was filled with images of Kaia struggling desperately under the blows. Once, she had been an innocent girl with a radiant smile. Now, she was barely recognizable, broken beyond measure. Yes, she had made mistakes—but the law had already sentenced her to five years in prison. That should have been punishment enough. She didn't deserve to be tormented like this. After a long silence, he stepped out of the bathroom. He stood before the bedroom door again, bracing himself before pushing it open. But before he could even enter, Kaia's faint, pleading whimpers reached him. "I was wrong... It's my fault... Please don't hit me..." Each word was like a knife, piercing Samuel until he dared not take another step. He slammed the door shut to block out the sound, retreating in panic to the study. Late into the night, the study lay in complete darkness. Samuel's phone rang incessantly, echoing unanswered until it eventually stopped. On the other end, Benedict, who had been sound asleep, was awakened by the phone's ringing. He fumbled on the nightstand, finally grabbing his phone. "Yeah?" The person on the other end said something. Benedict, who had been drowsy just a second ago, suddenly sat bolt upright in bed. "What?" His shout startled Amethyst awake. "What the hell are you yelling about in the middle of the night?" Benedict's face flushed red with fury. "That bastard Samuel just cut ties with Graham Group. Overnight, they've lost billions!" "No way." "How is that not possible? Caleb himself called asking for an explanation." Benedict threw off the covers and stormed out of bed. He marched straight to Samuel's room, kicking the door open with a fury.