The bowl of minced meat sat innocently on the counter, pale pink mixed with white fat spots. It's been sitting there for a while since Jack took it out to thaw it for a fresh burger.

But as Sef passed by, he suddenly saw a broken foot lying in a pile of blood.

It hit him like a bag of hammers. He jerked back, every muscle contracting. His stomach twitched violently, and it made him know that he only had a moment left.

"I-I'm sorry," he stammered, slipping past Jack's chunk and escaping the kitchen. There were a few customers in the restaurant, so Seth didn't run past them. Instead, he pressed one hand on his abdomen and walked with difficulty.

Tripp looked up from the table he was wiping. "Sef?"

"Wait a minute," Sef said as he passed by. The bathroom is located in a short hall at the back of the dining room, with only one wall separating the bathroom from the kitchen. He picked up speed, pushed open the door, and walked straight to the men's bathroom. Saliva filled his mouth when the eyes began to tear, barely enough time to close the door of the cubicle, lean against the toilet, and then bitter bile rushed down his throat. Since I hadn't eaten all day, only a small amount of liquid spilled out of the bowl.

Eventually, there was nothing left, though his stomach was still fluctuating violently. Sef closed his eyes and leaned forward, one hand propped up against the wall. He held back a bitter scream and didn't make a sound.

All day, everything went smoothly. He managed to keep himself busy all morning, doing things like doing laundry and cleaning the apartment. Both of these are things he's not good at,

And then he got to work, which is even better, there is always endless work to be done.

All he has to do is focus on his work and pretend that everything is okay.

So why feet? After all this happened, why was he on the verge of collapse? It's not even true. Dislike-

No, don't think about it.

His throat burned and his stomach churned. Maybe he should stay home today. While to do that, he would have to call in sick and explain why, but he couldn't — he couldn't bring himself to talk about it.

Sef shuddered. He straightened up and grimaced, and the stars danced before his eyes. It's disgusting, but the worst of it is behind us. He grabbed toilet paper, wiped his face, and threw it into the toilet. The contents of the bowl stared at him, cloudy and pale.

He blinked. The bowl was filled with blood, thick and bright red.

He stumbled away out of breath, his back hitting the door of the cubicle. His heart raced in his rough throat, and noise filled his ears. Is there a mistake?!

His eyes must have been joking on him. There is no way. There is no possible way. He raised his trembling hand to his chest and pressed it hard against his sternum. He could feel his heart pounding.

Take a deep breath. Then he let himself look at the toilet again. There was no bloodshed this time.

He went limp and leaned against the side of the stall. I just saw something. Probably overworked. Maybe sick. He hadn't slept much in the past two days. Or eaten.

He knew it wasn't very healthy, but he didn't care. In any case, it doesn't matter anymore. Finn was the one who cared about it, but now he's gone. There is no one else and nothing else. What's the point?

Why did he come to work?

A knot appeared in his throat and his eyes began to sting.

"No," he whispered. "No, not right now. Stop it. ”

He wiped his eyes vigorously and flushed the toilet. Now is not the time to collapse. Jack probably wondered where he had gone.

At the sink, he stared at himself in the mirror. It.. Not pretty. His face was as pale as death, and his eyes were red. His usually round face looked a little sunken, as if he had been hungry for a week. He lowered his eyes and turned on the faucet.

Splashing cold water on his face by the sink helped calm him down, and after a few minutes, he felt calm enough to leave the bathroom shelter.

Tripp grabbed him at the kitchen door. The small man looked worried, his dark eyes scrutinizing Seif's face. Sef fidgeted under his gaze and couldn't look directly into his boss's gaze.

"Hey, kid," Tripp whispered so that nearby customers wouldn't come in and eavesdrop on their conversations. "Is everything alright?"

Sev shrugged and looked at a small patch of peeling paint on the wall next to the kitchen door. "Of course."

"There's something wrong with you this morning," Tripp asked. "Did something happen?"

The brain went blank. Any excuse he could spit out hadn't had time to disappear, and he was left standing silently. Noise filled his mind. He felt dizzy.

But he shook his head anyway. Why can't Tripp let him go back to work? That's what he wants. Let him go back to work and pretend that everything is fine.

Tripp looked at him carefully. "Are you sure?"

Sef nodded immediately.

How could he explain what had gone wrong? Tripp didn't care. Sure, he's a good boss, but still just a stranger. Besides, the last thing he wants is for his boss to see how pitiful and useless he is.

The doorbell rang outside the door. Tripp's gaze crossed over to Seif to see who had walked into the restaurant. He turned his back to the door and didn't want to turn around to greet a new customer. Friendliness and a smile are now beyond him.

He wants Tripp to leave him alone and deal with customers.

"So that's the place, huh?"

Her voice slammed into Sef's brain like an ice axe. He froze, his eyes widened, and his whole world stood still.

"It looks like a garbage dump." Every word was filled with contempt, as if she had just stepped into a rat's nest. The separation was tense, and every muscle in the back was tense. Her words made him feel ashamed.

There was no expression on Tripp's face.

"Miss, can I help you?"

The heels stepped on the tiles, getting closer and closer, and then she said in a light voice. "Oh, I don't think so. I'm not here to ask for help. I'm here to see my little brother. ”

Tripp's gaze turned to Sef, who hadn't moved or made any sound for the past minute. The little man's brow furrowed into a trace of concern. "Sef?"

Sef closed his eyes briefly. His hands clenched into fists, his chest heaving violently, his breath shaking. Then he stiffened his turn.

She looked exactly like he remembered, tall and thin, exuding arrogance. Every pore. They have the same brown hair and blue-gray eyes, but although he looks plain, she manages to look like a glamorous model. She dyed her waist-length hair a strawberry-colored blonde, and today she made it loose curls. The dark eyeliner and false eyelashes made her eyes appear lighter than they were, and he couldn't remember a day when she didn't wear red lips.

Wherever she goes, she turns heads, and this is no exception. Seif saw several customers staring at her, especially the young man sitting in the booth with his girlfriend.

He lowered his head and looked at the floor at her feet, his jaw muscles tensing.

"Hey Carly," he whispered. He didn't want to talk, but if he didn't say hello to her, things would have gotten worse. She hates being ignored the most.

"Sef Alexander," her smug voice made him flinch. "Do you know how hard it took me to find you?"

He remained silent and shrugged his shoulders, as if he could escape her gaze by making himself smaller. It doesn't work. But never. Either way, she always seemed to find him.

How did she know where he had moved? How did she know where he worked?

"Well?" She demanded suddenly, sternly, with one hand on her hip. He caught the movement of the peripherals, and she lost patience.

"Nope." He replied softly, his eyes still downcast.

"Of course you don't." She sighed, loud enough for the entire restaurant to hear. "You don't know anything. It's a miracle that you're able to get dressed every morning, although—" She gestured vaguely in his tone. direction, "can hardly be considered the correct dress." ”

He could feel the heat rush over his face again. Why would she be here, in front of everyone? There was silence in the restaurant, and the customers were undoubtedly watching the show. He didn't dare to look at his boss. I can only guess what the boss thinks of her.

Perhaps Tripp is regretting hiring Seth. When Carly talks about him, everyone listens to her. No matter how many lies she told, they believed her. Why is Tripp different?

It doesn't matter.

Anyway, Carly is only here because of him. If he wasn't here, she wouldn't have walked in and started causing a riot. Guilt came over him, and he lifted his gaze from the floor.

"Carly," he began, almost like a whisper. "I don't think—"

"Hah!" Her laughter interrupted him. "We've established that, little brother. Tell me what's new. Like...... "She taps her chin with her manicured fingers, which is the perfect mockery of someone's thinking." "Oh, I don't know, or you should start with the reason why you refuse to go home."

What? Was she kidding? His jaw clenched, and for a moment, he wanted to roar in front of her. He left because he couldn't take it anymore. Because of her. Because of how his parents encouraged her. Because they don't care.

The corners of her ruby-like lips turned upward, and she smiled smugly and haughtily. She lifted her chin slightly, looked at him with her nose down, and her eyes sparkled knowingly. I'm better in every way, her expression told him. And you- you're just a stupid little boy.

He collapsed. There was no way to fight her. Not when she always wins. This is the hard lesson he learned in his early years. "Why are you here?" He asked in a low voice, a look of despair on his face.

"I've been looking for you for a long time," she said sternly. "You can't really think this little trick of yours is going to last, do you? Do you know how sad mom is? You broke her heart. I'm going to take you home. ”

Sef shook his head. His bowels churned, and he pressed one hand on his stomach as if to suppress the feeling of nausea. Panic flutters inside like a nervous butterfly.

This can't happen. He couldn't go back. Before it was Uncle Finn who helped him escape and did a lot of things.

His eyes filled with tears.

She noticed, as usual. She radiated a triumphant glow, but it wasn't enough. She had to twist the knife further.

"Did you know we had a funeral for Uncle Finn yesterday? Of course you don't know because you refuse to talk to us. Did you know he died? He left nothing. It was a terrible accident, they say. Not even a wisp of ashes remained. She folded her arms and drew a hard, brutal arc on her lips.

"And you didn't even show your face. Everyone was shocked and knew how poor it was. ”

Ungrateful, they say. You should have heard everything they had to say. It's too cruel for you, you know? After all, that man did so much for you. ”

Sef's face turned pale. He opened his mouth to tell her that he had no idea that Lydia was the one who bothered to contact him. However, the only sound that came out was a slight hiss of the air breaking. He trembled, and an ugly, terrible mass of grief and pain bloomed in his chest.

The world became a blur in him, and the corners became dark. Breathing hurts. It hurts to blink. Tripp then pressed his shoulders with both hands, holding him firmly to the ground before Sef collapsed.

"That's enough," Tripp said calmly behind him. "You can go."

She laughed, a short, high-pitched, unbelievable laugh. "Excuse me?"

"You hear me."

"I'm not sure I did," she sniffed. "I'm talking to my little brother, not to you."

"Jack," Tripp shouted.

In less than a second, the kitchen door opened, and Jack's massive figure walked in.

Sef faced his sister and didn't see it, but he heard the door creak and the tiles creak under Jack's weight.

"It would be great if you could escort this girl out." Tripp has some importance for the girl. Although his tone is still very polite, it gives a subtle sense of insult.

Carly's eyes widened when she saw the behemoth of the restaurant chef. "You're kidding me." She said weakly, her face full of unease.

"I'm definitely not,"

Tripp told her calmly and politely. "You're not welcome here, and if you enter my restaurant again, you're going to be dealt with."

Before Tripp could finish speaking, Jack began walking around the counter. His proximity made Carly flinch, and she took a step back.

"Seif," she shouted, her eyes darting to him. She blinked, and suddenly tears widened her eyes, and her plump red lips pursed slightly. "Stop this stupidity! You're not going to let them kick me out, are you? ”

He watched silently as those big watery eyes instantly turned into pure anger, and then the fear when Jack approached her. Seeing that no one was helping her, she snorted and spun on her heels. Seeing that no one was helping her, she snorted and spun on her heels.

"I'll tell Mom," she growled, and pushed the door open. She stamped her feet out. With the rattle of glass panes, the door closed behind her.

Saitian held his breath and exhaled tremblingly. Instead of feeling relieved by her departure, I felt a sickly sense of fear. Now that she has found him, she must come back.

Her threats were never idle.