Under the Veil of Night

Hospital

Looking at the expression of the girl before him, Kevin felt rather complicated. The girl whom he met before was completely different. She didn't wear glasses, and her hair was tied loosely. Her clothes were completely new and came from a well-known brand, showing the fact that she came from a wealthy family.

Even though she was soiled with blood and dirt, his eyes still recognized her clearly.

The current Kanae changed so much from that time. She no longer wore expensive items. Even after reacquiring the mansion, she still used moderately-priced items, not too expensive but not too poor either.

"I see, we've already met before," Kanae murmured. She had never recalled that short meeting because her life turned very turbulent right after that incident. She had completely forgotten about it as she simply didn't have the time to think about it.

Besides, recalling her parents' deaths only pained her heart. She didn't want to think about them too much from the pain it brought her every time she did.

Kevin raised his hand and tucked the loose hair falling onto Kanae's face behind her ear. His dark pupils stared at the girl before him deeply.

"I'm sorry."

Kanae looked back at him for a bit before a smile broke out. "It's fine. Things like this are normal in this city, and itt was never within your control, either. Both of us were victims in that incident."

"Yeah," Kevin smiled gently.

Kanae put her hand on top of Kevin's hand. "I was their target too, and your appearance only covered up their real purpose."

Kevin's eyes widened. If he recalled correctly, he did remember that several gunshots had aimed at Kanae. He had thought that they were only coincidental shots, but that didn't seem to be the case.

"I see," Kevin gripped Kanae's hand. "Do you want to…"

"Not now."

"Ok."

Kanae looked at Kevin for a moment as she thought about something. "You're not staying by my side because of pity, are you?"

Kevin was stunned when he heard her question. Nonetheless, he shook his head immediately. He had already fallen for her by the time he found out about her past. Those were not the feelings of pity, but rather, affection.

"That's good."

The two of them stayed like that for the next few minutes. Neither of them knew what to say. After several minutes, Kevin released his grip from Kanae's hand.

"I'll be going now. Rest well, Kanae."

"You shouldn't overwork either, Kevin," Kanae pointed at Kevin's face. "You already have dark circles under your eyes. Remember to catch some sleep too."

Kevin smiled tenderly. "Alright."

After Kevin walked out of the room, Kanae leaned back on the pillow. How long had he known about her parents' death? From what she knew, the Nali Family covered up the incident, so she never worried about it being leaked out. Unfortunately, he had found out about it and made the wrong assumption.

The door opened.

Jason glanced at the young lady on the bed. He sighed as he took a seat near the girl.

"Kevin seemed like he had just gotten a load off his shoulders."

"Did you see him?"

"He passed by me just now, but it didn't seem like he realized my presence," Jason pointed his thumb backwards at the hallway. "How's your condition? I heard that it was quite bad for you."

"Not really," Kanae shook her head. "It's just some light wounds. Kevin is overreacting."

Jason crossed his arms. "That just shows how much he cares about you, Kanae. You should have realized it by now, right?"

Kanae raised her head and locked her gaze with Jason's. She lowered her head again after a few seconds and nodded lightly. If he didn't care for her, there would be no way he would protect her with his own body. Even if he was strong, he wasn't completely invincible.

Trying to block the rubble from the collapsing building was the same as suicide. Thankfully, nothing huge fell down on the location they took refuge in.

"I suppose, it's also the same for you."

Kanae glared at Jason. "Don't you try to tease me, Brother Jason."

"I'm not teasing you," Jason rolled his eyes. If he wanted to tease her, he would do that some other time. Right now, he had something more important to tell this little lass. "I want to ask, what are you going to do now that you know that?"

"What I'm going to do?"

Kanae looked at her arm, which was bandaged because of the scratches that she got earlier. The wounds she had right now proved how dangerous it was to stay with him. She had known that a long time ago, yet she still harbored feelings that went past friendship for him.

She herself didn't understand the reason, but she wanted to stay with him even more as time passed.

At the same time, she knew that it was totally unfeasible. First of all, she didn't have the status to stay with an important figure like Kevin. Secondly, she had always pursued the life of a normal person, which would be completely impossible should she decide to stay with him. Lastly, she couldn't leave her sister alone.

"I won't do anything," Kanae answered.

Jason frowned. "I thought that you're going to chase after him after realizing that you both have mutual feelings. I guess I was wrong then."

Kanae frowned at Jason. "Brother Jason, don't challenge me. You don't have someone that's important enough for you to sacrifice other things, do you?"

Jason opened his mouth, but he decided to shut it again. What she said was not completely wrong. He knew it himself that he didn't have someone whom he cared for more than anything in this world until very recently. In addition, his own family were like complete strangers to him.

"It's a hard decision to choose between someone whom I've already treasured for the longest time in my life and someone whom I might spend the rest of my life with. I care very much for them both, but at the same time, I can only pick one of them," Kanae replied in a low voice.

"You can try to convince one of them," Jason suggested.

Kanae looked at Jason as if this man was the biggest idiot in the world. "What makes you think that it'll be possible? They're from completely different worlds; how do you expect them to accept each other?"

Jason thought about it as he sighed. What Kanae said was true. If he should say, the two of them were like fire and water, unable to mix at all.

One side offered danger while the other side offered peace.

One side offered a tough life full of difficulties, while the other side offered a leisurely life without much worry.

One side offered the possibility of losing each other, while the other side guaranteed each others' safety.

Jason sighed to himself. "Whichever side you pick, the other one will surely be hurt."

"I know," Kanae said calmly. "That's why I'm going to stay with my sister for now. I can't leave her alone since she's my little sister that I love very much."

Hearing what Kanae said, Jason didn't say anything else. He glanced at the door for a moment before taking out his laptop. The weight of her choice was heavy, but it was never his right to interfere with her life. He could only give advice, and the rest was her own choice.

"Let me stay here for the time being. I'm bored."

"It's up to you."

Outside the door, Laura leaned on the wall while gazing straight at the wall on the opposite side, as if she wanted to capture everything before her eyes.