"You reckless little sadist brat! What were you thinking?!" Alec's hoarse voice was filled with a deep rage as he yelled at Mimi sitting lazily on the couch.
Mimi looked up and rolled her eyes, unaffected by his abrupt outburst. She had been peacefully watching an 'educational' film on her computer when her brother suddenly barged in and began lashing out at her, with no explanation what's so ever.
Mimi smirked and quirked up a brow, "Oh my, what's the matter, big brother? Did I do something wrong?"
Alec's tone suddenly turned even more serious. "I'm talking about last night! You got injured and didn't even think to tell me?"
Mimi was slightly stunned. She blinked a few times and then forcibly blinked a few more times, the top of her head creasing. Mimi stared over at her brother with narrowed eyes.
How could he know that? Besides, Shen Jue had said he destroyed the security footage, so how else could he get it?
Straight away, a certain thought surfaced in the back of her mind. Mimi could already guess who, as her brother's sources for uncovering things out like this was limited.
Also, he was an idiot.
"Well, what do you have to say for yourself?" The so-called idiot man had his hands on his hips, an expression of that of a lecturing parent.
Mimi's eyebrows slightly twitched.
She feigned surprise, "Oh? How did big brother find that out?"
Alec's eyes flashed a touch of anxiousness, but it soon subsided. Unfortunately, for him, Mimi saw her brother's reaction and couldn't help but frown. Sure enough, there could only be one person who could provoke such a reaction from her brother.
Tobias Itou.
Thinking about this, she inwardly grumbled. Somehow, whenever there was a matter concerning her wellbeing, the two men didn't hesitate to join together and band against her.
It was a little annoying.
Alec changed the topic and continued to scold furiously, "That doesn't matter. Mimi, why didn't you tell me you got hurt?"
Mimi looked at her brother before she sighed softly, proceeding to type something into her computer.
She calmly replied, "Because it wasn't that big of a deal. It's not like I was seriously injured or anything."
Alec's expression twisted upon hearing this. When he recalled the security footage Tobias showed him, he practically felt the urge to cough blood and laugh bitterly.
Not that big of a deal? The girl was hit from across the room and bled!
He was troubled by his sister's lack of care. It was as if her wellbeing and health were considered insignificant to her! At the thought of this, Alec's face burned, his whole body shook, chest heaving with the force of his frustration.
"Have you gone crazy? How can you do this to yourself? To go through such extremes, do you even care what happens to you?" His voice was slightly hoarse at the end.
Mimi did not answer, her head tilted down a little. Her face was shrouded in darkness, so Alec was unable to see her current expression. She clicked something on her computer and blinked expressionlessly.
As if all his complaints were ignored.
Unable to clearly understand her brother's sudden outburst of emotions, she frowned.
Why was he overreacting so much?
It was just a minor nosebleed, yet he acted as if she nearly died. Mimi felt more dejected when seeing Alec's 'righteous brother' expression.
Mimi's was annoyed as she grumbled in a sharp voice, "Why do you care?"
Alec was so angry that he felt his lungs were about to explode. "Because I'm your brother, damnit! We're family!"
Mimi, who was sitting lazily on the sofa, suddenly stiffened. Only then, did she turn to stare at her brother. Traces of her smiles were no longer present and replaced by cold hollow eyes. At that moment, her entire body felt numb - his words were like thunder rumbling through the sky.
Brother? Family?
To her, all those words meant were empty labels.
Since young, the brothers she had growing up treated her like foul air. Although Mimi harbored no animosity toward Alec, as he wasn't cruel like her other brothers, in the back of her heart she always felt a slight bitterness toward him.
Mimi often thought had she not decided to release herself from the household and reach out to Alec, no doubt would he even bother to take the initiative to speak to her. It was accurate to say, she would have spent the rest of her life in that cold, empty room.
Alone on her path to revenge.
As for family, in her mind, the meaning of that phrase meant nothing to her. What was a family? People who neglected and disowned her because she wasn't useful enough for them?
Where were they when she needed them?
The true meaning of the words brother and family, she no longer recognized.
Mimi gazed at the man for a long time. Alec noted the glassy look in her eyes and felt his heart clench. As if a sharp needle was jabbed into his heart, his face twisted with pain and regret. He felt so helpless and aggravated to see her like this.
In that instance, Alec understood the severity of the girl's state of mind.
"Mimi, I know you loved Emily, but this revenge of yours…can't you let it go?"
As soon as those words left his mouth, Mimi's face suddenly turned incredibly chilly, the air around the girl turned as cold as frost. Her generous mood at that moment had finally snapped.
A vicious sneer crept across her face, and she flashed a mocking look at Alec. "Let go? How could I possibly let it go when that bastard is still breathing and thriving?"
Her expression turned harsher, "Without revenge, what is even the purpose of my being here?"
Alec's expression suddenly changed. He didn't fully understand the words his sister said but sensed something was off. It only took him a few seconds before Alec could grasp the hidden meaning within them and felt his blood run cold.
Alec paused and suddenly felt very aggrieved, "Mimi what do you…"
Mimi ignored his words and stood up, closing her computer - ready to leave the room.
Her patience at that point had already disappeared. If she stayed any longer, she truly felt she would no longer be able to show mercy to this brother of hers.
Alec frowned. A little angry and helpless, he said, "Wait a minute Mimi, I'm only saying this because I care about you! Sooner or later you'll seriously get hurt! And what do you mean by…"
Alec swallowed his words when witnessing the girl's expression. It was detached and void of any emotion. Completely unfamiliar from her usual teasing and lighthearted appearance.
Mimi's indolent gaze suddenly turned bone-piercingly cold, "Then I'm willing to pay the price for my retribution. Big brother, because you've taken care of me so long, I'll forget the words you've just said. However, don't speak about matters you don't understand. Our father...that man has done more than take her away from me."
That monster took away her entire meaning in this sinful life.
"Don't try and test my patience again."
With those words, Mimi turned and left the apartment. Alec stared at the girl's small back and suddenly realized how desolate it looked.
So empty and cold - like a shell.
What did she mean by what was the purpose of her life without revenge?
Does that mean without revenge she would...
Alarm flitted before Alec's eyes and his face turned deathly white. He looked back at where the girl left and felt his heart clench.
"Mimi…"
…
Henry Hirogori silently lowered his head and glanced at the report in front of him. The young man standing in front of him noticed his father's lips quirk into a slight sneer.
"I see, so Yu Feng went missing? As expected, pathetic waste like him was not to be depended on."
A cold glint flashed across his eyes. Leaning into his seat, he smirked, "Not that he was from the beginning. Gutter trash like him was only meant to draw in the enemy. The man could be dead for all I care. At the very least, we now know the power the other side holds."
Kenji silently stood and listened to his father, his back straight. Henry Hirogori observed his eldest son's silence, looking carefully, he could see the slight wrinkle in his brows.
"What is it?"
The corner of Kenji's mouth curved upward slightly, "Nothing, father."
Henry Hirogori's eyes narrowed, "Don't lie to me. You can hardly conceal the distress in your face, work on that. No matter what, all emotions must be concealed or erased to avoid disadvantages among enemies. Do you understand?"
Kenji's eyes dulled and he nodded his head. His father released a pleased grunt, then coldly spoke up once again.
"Now tell me, what were you thinking just now?"
Kenji didn't dare deny his father's words this time and said, "The matter with Yu Feng and the security footage at the nightclub, I can't help but find it unusual."
Henry Hirogori wrinkled his brows. At the time of receiving the report, his intuition also told him something wasn't right.
He looked at his son darkly. "Don't stop, continue."
Kenji pursed his lips and resumed speaking, "The other side clearly would not think to show up as himself, so why the need to cover up his tracks and all the security footage? Everyone who was involved in the matter, including Yu Feng, was permanently removed."
After Kenji finished speaking, he quietly stood motionlessly. At that moment, Henry Hirogori's lips curved into a sneer. If everything Kenji said was true, then there could be two possibilities—the first being their opponent was still fearful of them learning their identities from the security footage or Yu Feng, so they eliminated both.
Though prideful and arrogant, Henry Hirogori wasn't foolish enough to believe that the other side was so coy.
That left only the second possibility…
Kenji raised his head to glance at his father and noticed his calm, indifferent face staring back at him.
At last, Henry Hirogori leaned forward and asked with a somewhat menacing voice, "Are you suggesting it's someone we know?"
Kenji stared at his father for a moment before saying with sincerity, "Yes."
Henry Hirogori's eyes darkened, and he laughed grimly, "Hah! Then so be it! Listen here my son; these are the reasons you rely and depend upon no one."
"Those in the Hirogori family…" He sneered coldly. "We have no room to trust and allow incompetent people to stand alongside us."
Kenji blinked emotionlessly, his eyes casting to the side. At that moment, his lips slightly curved into a sly smile. "Yes."
…
After discussing a few words, Kenji dismissed himself.
Walking down the hall with long, noiseless steps, the phone in his pocket suddenly rang. He glanced down. Upon seeing the caller ID, the emotionless look in his eyes fluctuated, tinging with a painful suppressed emotion.
The words of his father echoed in his head.
We have no room to trust and allow incompetent people to stand alongside us.
Kenji pursed his lips and did not answer the phone, allowing it to ring continuously. After a while, the ringing ceased and his dark eyes returned. Straightening himself, Kenji proceeded to walk down the hall.
A Hirogori had no room for useless, trivial emotions.