Under the Veil of Night

"Have you never thought that if they didn't plan on giving Kanae a surprise on her birthday, your parents wouldn't have died?"

The question that Sakura threw at her caught her off guard. Laura's eyes narrowed. The day their parents died was also Kanae's birthday, to be exact, Kanae's fourteenth birthday. That day, their parents went out to buy a cake for her sister, but they never returned.

Laura gripped the hem of her clothes tightly.

It would be a lie if she said that she never thought that it was her sister's fault. She did, and she was ashamed for that. Their parents always celebrated their birthdays by buying a cake and giving them presents. It was extremely normal.

What was different from usual was that a fight between clans had erupted at that time. It was their parents' unfortunate luck to get involved when the clans were fighting. She understood this very well, so she shouldn't have blamed her sister. It was something that she would never think of, ever, again.

Her grip loosened and Laura looked at Sakura. Her lips curled up into a mocking smile. "Trying to drive a wedge between us?"

"I'm just stating the facts," Sakura said lightly. "You did think that, didn't you?"

"There's no need for you to know."

Sakura smiled slightly. "What if I tell your sister about it?"

"Just try," Laura challenged. The two of them cared about each other deeply. Sakura's words would never be able to achieve their purpose.

"Oh, we shall see," Sakura's smile was filled with evil intent.

Laura shook her head lightly. It was clear that Sakura was trying to drive a wedge between the two of them. Unfortunately, she was clear about her relationship with her sister and with Sakura. If her sister was someone whom she treasured, Sakura was someone whom she loathed from the bottom of her heart.

There were people who forgot about other people's kindness when they grew up and achieved a comfortable life, but not her. She would never forget what her sister did to make sure that she was safe. Her sister made a lot of sacrifices because of the Nali Family.

The incident with their parents was something that was out of their control. She was not that crazy to blame her sister just for an accident.

Kanae's position inside her heart was as high as the sky. The person whom she cared for the most was Kanae and that would never change. Kanae was her sister and the only family she had. As for the Nali Family, they could all go to hell for all she cared. Between Sakura and Kanae, she would never listen to what Sakura told her.

"Do you think that she's going to trust you?"

Sakura shrugged. "Why not? I'm just going to state the fact that you blame her for your parents' death."

"You're indeed only stating a fact, but you shouldn't lump me together with you. Those who sincerely care for me and those who put a façade are clear in my eyes. I'm sure it's the same for my sister. We're not blind, my dear cousin," Laura stressed the word 'dear' with a mocking tone. She would not make things easier for her cousin.

"You!" Sakura was enraged by Laura's tone. How dare this lowlife mock her?

Laura sneered when she saw Sakura angry. When she first got the scholarship, it was only a half-tuition scholarship, which meant they had to pay for the rest of the fee. As a member of the Nali Family, her parents asked the core members for help, and they initially agreed. However, they changed their decision because Sakura asked them to refuse.

Just because of their childish dispute, this woman nearly caused her to lose the chance to study overseas. Laura still remembered how she got angry and fought with Sakura the next day.

She was grounded because of that, but she didn't regret it. It was satisfying for her to be able to scratch Sakura's 'prized' face.

Her parents tried hard to collect more money because it was a rare chance to get a scholarship during Junior High School. They had to work harder as their income was not enough to support her study overseas. Even though they still had some earnings as part of the Nali Family, a branch family never received too much.

When they got into the accident, they still hadn't collected enough. The money they gathered for her was taken away by the Nali Family. Her sister might never tell her what had happened to their bank account, but she knew that their uncle took it for himself.

By that time, she already lost the hope for attending school overseas. Her sister had to skip school to take care of their living situation and earn money for their daily expenses. She didn't know how Kanae managed to earn money, but she was grateful that they had enough to eat.

In the end, they decided to let her study overseas. Her sister was the one who forked out enough money by selling this mansion to their uncle for quite a large sum.

Her eyes narrowed slightly. Since they sold this mansion to their uncle because of her, she would be the one to take it back from them.

"I'm what? You shouldn't try anything funny; you can't even come here without trespassing our area."

"You are a b*tch just like your sister! Both of you should go to hell!"

Laura's eyes narrowed. "I can take it if you want to insult me, but you're not allowed to slander my sister."

She took a step forward with her arm raised. Towards this ungrateful girl, she hoped for nothing other than slapping the other party. Before she could do what she wanted, her hand was gripped from behind.

"Don't fight, Laura," Kanae said cooly. She didn't even pay any attention to Sakura as she handed a small bag to Laura. "Help me carry this."

"O-okay," Laura took the bag as she calmed down. If it was an insult to herself, she could handle it, but whenever Sakura mentioned Kanae, she felt that her blood boiled even more fiercely. All she wanted was to beat up Sakura if that woman dared to talk bad about Kanae.

She glanced towards Sakura from the corner of her eyes, but she decided to not bother with the latter anymore. There was no need for them to argue with that annoying girl. That would only waste their time.

"Hey! You two should never return here! You're not welcomed!" Sakura yelled in indignation. She had not finished. "Kanae, do you know that Laura blames you for your parent's death?"

Laura's body tensed up when she heard that. Even though she put on a brave front just now, she was actually scared of what Kanae might think. After all, it was not a good feeling to be blamed by other people.

"Oh," Kanae replied shortly, not caring about what Sakura said.

The veins on Sakura's head bulged out in anger. "Hey! Are you deaf? Didn't you hear what I said? Come back here or I'll report you to my father!"

Kanae ignored the other party's threat as she walked away with Laura by her side. If Sakura wanted to report her, the former could do it as she liked. She wouldn't care in the slightest.

Kanae saw her sister clenching her fists tightly and she stroked Laura's shoulder tenderly. "Don't be angry. She's not worth it."

Laura looked towards her sister. All she could see was the warm and loving gaze that her sister always showed to her. "I didn't mean it."

"I know," Kanae replied. "Just ignore what she's saying, she's just someone who can only speak badly of other people."

Laura nodded. "I know, Sis. I'll listen to you and ignore her words."

"You don't have to endure for that long," Kanae smiled and patted Laura's head. "Be a good girl, okay?"

"Yes." With a faint smile on her lips, Laura enjoyed the tenderness her sister showed to her. The sentence that Kanae said to her also gave her a clue about her sister's plan.

"Sis, you're saying that we'll take back the mansion, right? Can I join in on the plan?"

Kanae was startled. "It's going to be dangerous."

"I want to help."

Facing her persistent sister, Kanae thought for a moment. Initially, she wanted to enact this plan alone because she didn't want to put Laura in danger, but she knew that her sister wouldn't stop pestering her.

"Do you know the location of the mansion's property deed?"

Laura's eyes widened. This was always the source of the conflict between them and their uncle because the deed was nowhere to be found. Because Kanae barely paid any attention in the past, only Laura knew the hidden place that their father prepared.

"I do. Do you want to steal it?"

"Not really steal it. It belongs to us, right?" Kanae smiled wryly.

"Yes, of course. So, what's the plan?"

"Let's talk when we reach the apartment."

"Okay!"