Revenge is best served cold

Levi shook his head under my and Byron's expectant gazes.

"It's not coming from this stage of production," he said. "There are some traces of heavy metals in the garment production line, but compared to the levels in those dresses, it's negligible."

Upon hearing this, Byron finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness. If this had been my factory's fault, no amount of explanation could have cleared my name."

Now that the tension had lifted, Byron finally spoke more candidly. "If my factory was really responsible for this, it wouldn't just be me in trouble. My workers would lose their jobs too."

Byrno was all smiles and even treated us to a meal as a token of his appreciation.noveldrama

Moved by his honesty and sense of responsibility, Levi and I quickly made a decision that we would sign a long-term contract with him.

By the time we wrapped things up and left Byron's factory, the sun was already beginning to set. I had planned to catch a ride back with Levi, but my phone rang just then. I didn't even need to look to know what this call was about.

"Jae, come home for dinner tonight." Mom's gentle voice came through the receiver. "It's been a while since you visited. Your dad and I miss you. I know you've been going through a lot lately. Come home, and we'll talk about it as a family."

The warmth in her voice made it hard to refuse. I swallowed the words I had been about to say and agreed.

...

When I arrived home and pushed open the door, I didn't see my parents right away. Instead, I first saw Elsa sitting on the couch, pouting like a spoiled child.

Beside her, Jack looked at her with obvious adoration as he carefully peeled an orange for her. He even took the time to remove every last bit of the white pith, making sure it was perfectly clean before handing it to her.

I cleared my throat loudly, cutting through the intimate atmosphere.

Elsa flinched so hard she nearly toppled straight into Jack's arms.

Jack's expression darkened instantly. He shot me a sharp look, and his voice dripped with warning "Don't you know to knock before coming in? Or do you not realize how easily scared Elsa is? If you frighten her into getting sick, I'll make sure you regret it."

Elsa tugged at Jack's sleeve and shook her head gently. "Jack, don't be like that. I'm fine."

Only then did Jack shift his gaze away from me, his expression softening as he reached out to ruffle her hair. "You're too kind. I bet she did it on purpose."

I had long since reminded myself countless times that Jack was unworthy of being my brother. But seeing the way he scolded me with such hostility while treating Elsa with gentle affection still senta pang through my chest.

It wasn't until I met Elsa's deliberately provocative gaze that I finally snapped out of it.

"Where are Mom and Dad?"

I had no intention of playing along with their little act, but after glancing around and not seeing my parents anywhere, I had no choice but to ask. Just as the words left my mouth, I heard their voices from upstairs.

"Jae, you're home!"

Looking up, I saw them descending the staircase, hand in hand.

I walked up to them with a grin, playfully slipping between them and hooking my arms around theirs. "You asked me to come home, but then you hid upstairs? Guess you didn't miss me that much."

Mom tapped my forehead with a helpless smile. "Listen to you, already picking on us."

Dad nodded in agreement. "Exactly. You're the one who never comes home, and we haven't even complained yet."

I blinked innocently and pouted. "I've just been super busy lately. But once

everything settles down, I'll be back all the time to visit you two."

Before my parents could respond, a cold snort cut through the warmth of the moment.

Jack scoffed, his voice laced with mockery.

"Yeah, right. I wonder if things are really 'settling down' or if all your money just went up in smoke."