"Sir Ace..." Her voice wavered.
I sighed and leaned back against my desk
"You can call big brother when it’s just the two of us. I only asked you to call sir in public because I didn’t want the dia making up stories about us."
Right now, I was the hottest topic in the city so I needed to protect my image all the ti.
"B-Big brother..." Her hand never stopped moving. "C-Can I just... hide until my birthday? Please. Once I’m at legal age, I will cut ties with them completely. I don’t want anything to do with them anymore."
I tapped my chin, studying her.
"Hai-Min, be honest with . Why do you hate your family so much?"
Her lips parted but she never said a word.
I rested a hand on her head. "Don’t worry. I’m here for you. No matter what it is—I’ll be on your side."
She bit her lip hard, trying to keep it in, but my soothing gesture broke her walls.
"I... I told you this before, but..." She swallowed hard. "We were poor before my big sister awakened. Really poor."
"And during that ti... my mother was an alcoholic...She drank all day and spent her ti with bad people."
Her voice dropped even lower.
"My big sister got it good," she said. No bitterness—just a flat, tired truth. "She was with my father. So she didn’t have to experience it."
My fist clenched. I didn’t like where this was going. Not one bit.
"Hai-Min," I said carefully, loosening my hand before she noticed. "You don’t have to keep going if you don’t want to."
She shook her head gently. "It’s okay, big brother,"
"They never touched . But their looks... the way they smiled when my mom wasn’t watching. It scared ."
Her shoulders curled inward, like she was trying to make herself smaller.
"Did you ever tell your sister? Or your father? Even your mother... I’m sure she would’ve listened, at least. No matter how unreliable she was."
Hai‑Min sighed deeply.
"I did...Repeatedly."
Her fingers twisted together. "But they either ignored ... or just didn’t listen."
She took another deep breath before continuing. "My mother was still bringing other n into the house, like nothing had changed. I was tired of dealing with it. Tired of pretending it was normal so I left ho."
"My father barely looked at . Like I reminded him of sothing he didn’t want to rember."
"And your sister?" I asked.
"My sister moved to a different place. So we barely talked anymore."
What a toxic family.
Most people didn’t co out of that kind of environnt intact—let alone gentle. It was almost cruel how they treated her.
"I get the gist of it." My voice ca out steadier than I felt. "Thanks for being honest with . You can go now. I won’t force you to et your sister again."
Her head snapped up. "But what if she causes you trouble?"
I smiled. "Don’t worry. Who do you think I am?"
"Thank you." She let out a breath she been holding for far too long.
"Thank you again, Big Brother Ace. I promise I’ll repay this favor once I’m 18..."
She stopped herself.
"I—I didn’t an it like that," she blurted. "I just ant—when I’m older. When I’m more capable."
I chuckled softly and raised a hand, cutting her off before she could say any more embarrassing things.
"Relax," I said. "I know exactly what you ant."
She peeked at from the corner of her eyes, cheeks pink. "I really didn’t an it like that,"
"You don’t owe anything," I continued. "This isn’t a debt. It’s just what family does."
"...Family," she repeated, testing the word like it might break.
I nodded. "That’s right. We might not be related by blood, but I treat you like my own."
"So even if you were betrayed before by the people who were supposed to protect you—I promise you this." I spoke slowly, making sure every word landed. "It won’t happen with ."
Her eyes started to tear up. She blinked quickly, trying to hide it, but a few tears slipped anyway.
Before I could say anything, she bowed her head. "I’ll take my leave now,"
She probably didn’t want to see her like this—and I could understand why.
No one wants their pain exposed, not even to soone they trust. Not even to soone who promised to protect them.
Watching her back as she walked away, I felt a quiet satisfaction. I was glad I waited. Glad I hadn’t forced her or tried to manipulate her into sothing she wont like.
However, that didn’t change the fact that she got a trauma.
It was my responsibility to protect her. Not just as her big brother, not just as her boss... but as soone who might be her partner in the future.
And I would make sure that, no matter what ca, she would never have to face that kind of pain alone again.
’Now... ti to handle her big sister,’ I dialed the phone number Hai-Yen gave earlier.
The line rang once... twice... and then a familiar voice picked up.
(Hello?)
I straightened in my chair. "Hai-Yen, this is Ace rcer, guild leader of DEGEN GUILD."
(Did you talk to my sister?)
"Yes," I replied. "And I wanted to speak with you personally about her. Maybe we could grab dinner while we’re at it?"
There was a short pause on the other end.
(Alright,) she responded. (Send the ti and place.)
"Will do."
The call ended.
I lowered the phone, already knowing this dinner wasn’t going to be a simple conversation.
It could very well turn into a heated argunt. Sharp words. Tense stares. Maybe even a clash neither of us wanted but both of us were ready for.
.I run a hand through my hair.
I was ready to face it. Ready to make her understand. Ready to protect Hai-Min, no matter what.
.
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