Katrina froze at his direct response. Staring at the sweet smile on his face; she shook her head and muttered, "What.. What did you just say? I must have heard wrong. She's your biological sister. You are blood related! You can't hurt her!"
She protectively wrapped her arms around Shirley while using her own body as a shield. Bryan rolled his eyes, crossed his arms and leaned comfortably onto his right leg. As he stared at the mother and daughter duo, he scoffed in such a despicable manner.
Though the entrance was far from where they stood and the air conditioner was off, the horrific chills he sent to their spine was inevitably cringing; dead silence filled the air. Like the shadows in the dark that seeps through one's worst fear, his gaze penetrated their bloodstreams and froze every nerve signal in their body; numbing them. Local blood flow in their body diminished as they felt blood cells rushing in reverse order; emitting danger alerts everywhere.
Bryan broke the silence as he caught a glimpse of his mother's quivering pale lips. At the sight of her fragile figure, he forced a crooked smile. "I won't repeat myself twice. As you've heard me the first time, you should stay out of this and have her suck up responsibility. She is a grown adult, not a five-year-old. Even if she was a five-year-old, she would be one whom everyone would disown."
"First of all, I've never once acknowledged her as my sister. Be it that she shares the same blood in her body as me or not; I don't care. From the very beginning, I only have one sister, and her name is Selina Gu. Second of all, this bitch schemed this whole conspiracy to cheat out my sister and push her to death point. This is called karma. If she never did what she did, then right now we wouldn't be having this talk."
"Of course, it wouldn't be considered a talk. After all, I'm only here to simply take back what she owed my sister. As for you? You're a failure as a mother and shouldn't even be one. From the moment you've joined with your biological daughter to plot against Selina and me, I've already given up on you."
Katrina stuttered broken words out with tears drenching her cheeks. "I...I didn't...I.."
"You didn't do what? Are you going to say you didn't gift me this cellphone with a bug in it to betray me? Or are you telling me you've never tried harming me with the lame excuse of making things up to your blood-related daughter? If I have the choice of draining out every drop of blood and taking out all my genes to replace it with a strangers', I would. But I can't do that. So, I can only live while facing the fact that a mother like you actually exists."
"Oh, you're doing this for her, but neglected Selina your entire lifetime right? How blind are you? Selina made all the effort for your selfish needs, yet you have no conscience at all. Since you love hurting Selina so much, then you can hug Shirley Han for the rest of your life. Have her care for you the way Selina and I used to."
"B..Bryan! No! Forgive mother.. Forgive me! Forgive your sister. It was my fault. I shouldn't have switched my own child with the Han family's newborn at the hospital! But with our financial condition back then, I couldn't have raised Shirley with the best resources. I switched them, but immediately regretted! But they've already left the hospital and I couldn't switch them back."
Katrina's words sounded credible, but only Bryan could catch the split second of hesitation in her eyes. With the bit of suspicion, he had, he continued inquiring in an interrogative tone. "Is that all you have to say? Difficult situation to raise a child? Then what about Selina? Was she not alive until you guys forced her to breaking point? Who are you kidding? That's not the whole truth, is it?"
His sharp, observant eyes were scalpels shredding layers of her story until it reached the last bit of her soul. She sighed, "Your father used to send us money, but because of that bitch. Tracy Han! She was a seductress, a jinx! Having a wealthy husband wasn't good enough to satisfy her desires. She took your father from our family. So, why is her child allowed to have all the luxuries, while my child suffered?"
"The more I thought about it, the angrier I became! So, I switched Selina and Shirley purposely. For all these years, I've tortured their daughter while they raised mine. They doted and spoiled Shirley like a pearl in their palms. All protected. Hahahaha, but who would have thought such a disgusting woman could give birth to a lovely, filial daughter like Selina?"
Her laughter sounded cruel as she wept and tightened Shirley to her embrace. "Bryan! I won't let you hurt my daughter. I haven't fulfilled a mother's responsibility since the start. So, I'll make it up to her. You must let her leave today! You've already injured her chest! It's already enough!"
Raising his voice by a tad, he lectured the contradicting woman on the floor. "Then have you ever thought about Selina even once? For all these years, like you've said yourself; she was a lovely, filial daughter! What did she ever do wrong to deserve your treatment?"
"If you hate Tracy Han, then go look for her! Don't ruin an innocent child with your filthy hands. Selina does not owe you nor Shirley anything. Rather, it is you guys who owe her more than you could ever repay!"
"Since the damage has been done already, I can only avenge for Selina. I've mentioned it before, but you've never processed my words. I'll repeat them today. Anyone who hurts Selina will be my enemy. Blood relation is nothing but liquid to me. You've failed to separate right from wrong, so talking to you is useless."
"The moment Selina jumped down the bridge, I went with her. You didn't lose one, but two children. Whether you've ever treated her wholeheartedly even once before, it doesn't matter anymore. Today, I must have Shirley pay for everything she's done, and you can't stop me." He declared with unwavering determination in his eyes.