When Karina was a child, Mr. and Mrs. Stone barely acknowledged her, and Kieran mostly treated her as a target for pranks. Back then, he was too young for the darker thoughts he would develop later. But even then, his behavior was hard to endure.

Some people didn't become awful as they grew up. They were terrible from the very beginning.

At the time, Kieran's pranks were relentless. Sometimes, he locked her outside on purpose. Other times, he "lost" her homework, leaving her unable to turn it in and getting her punished. Then, when she came home, Mr. Stone would scold her, calling her an embarrassment.

"They treated you like that?" Wilfred's voice was tight with anger.

Karina nodded slightly. "When I was a child, I didn't understand. It wasn't until I grew up that I realized it was because I wasn't their biological child." Wilfred scoffed coldly. "That's just an excuse. If they never planned to treat you well, why bother bringing you into their home in the first place?" Karina had no answer.

She found it strange too. For years, the question lingered in her mind. If the Stones didn't like her, why had they insisted on adopting her in the first place? Perhaps only they knew the real reason.

After her lengthy explanation, Wilfred rubbed his temples. Under the light, his pale face took on an almost porcelain-like quality, his long fingers clearly defined as he massaged his brows.

gaze lingered on his hands when, out of nowhere, Wilfred asked, "So, are you planning to keep entangling yourself with them? You're not their biological child. Have you ever thought about

and thought,

fingers on the desk. "Tell

up to Kieran's collapse. After a moment of reflection,

she finished, Wilfred's

he collapsed

that day were still a blur in her mind. If she, as a direct witness, couldn't figure it out, how could anyone

said with certainty, "It was caused by drugs. Your brother-or rather, Kieran-does

Karina's eyes widened. "That's impossible. Kieran might be

a sixty percent chance he's using drugs," Wilfred

sharp sensitivity to anything drug-related. It was this expertise that led him to pursue a career as

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