in this world,” suzy sobbed, her you said you’d take care of me in
“I’ve already lost three brothers. You’re the last one I have words coming out in broken gasps. “You promised me their place. How can you go back on that now?”
Through her tears, she kept talling, barely malding sense. “The company’s project is about to launch soon. That’s your family’s legacy–do you really want to leave that all to me? You know how exhausted I’ll be, and you’ve always hated to see me work too hard…”
As she spoke, she pulled out her silver needles, desperate to keep him alive. She’d saved so
TIL before, pulling them back from the brink. She was convinced that if she kept
going, Claude would make it too.
But with each attempt, he grew colder, his life slipping further away.
Finally, he took his last breath, and Suzy felt her heart shatter. “Claude… please…”
She clutched his hand, calling out to him over and over, but his eyes never opened again. Even as she continued the acupuncture, hope fading with each motion, nothing changed.
“Claude…” she whispered, clutching her chest as waves of grief choked her, almost as if she couldn’t breathe.
He wasn’t her biological brother, but after losing her real ones, he’d become family in every way that counted. Staring at his lifeless body, memories swept her back to the summer when they first met.
Claude was the same age as her oldest brother, and that day had happened to be her brother’s birthday. He’d invited the whole class over for a party, including Claude, who was the new kid at school.
As the new transfer, Claude was an easy target, and one boy took the chance to bully him.
Suzy, only three years old at the time, saw it all happen.
Without hesitation, she’d flung her slice of cake straight at the bully, catching everyone by surprise.
At only three years old, Suzy’s bravery had its limits.
As soon as she realized the boy was about to cry, she turned and ran as fast as her little legs would carry her. The sound of footsteps chasing her only made her sprint harder, using every ounce of her energy, but soon she felt a hand grip her shoulder from behind.
Certain it was the boy she’d pelted with cake, she instinctively swung her tiny fist as she turned–only for it to be caught by a larger, gentle hand.
Above her, a calm, soft voice spoke. “It’s me.
11
Chapter 0131
She looked up to see the boy she’d defended, and a wave of relief washed over her. “You scared me!”
Claude smiled and introduced himself. “I’m Claude Harlow. Thanks for helping me back there.”
Suzy beamed, her eyes sparkling like a doll’s. “Oh, it’s nothing! I’m Susanna Frost.”
Back then, she hadn’t yet changed her name.
Suzy assumed she’d never see Claude again–he was just her brother’s classmate, after all But to her surprise, only a few weeks later, his family moved in next door.
With him being close to her brother’s age, Claude became a regular visitor, often bringing her treats and doting on her as if she were his little sister. He was more like family than she could’ve imagined.
But when tragedy struck her family, Suzy was sent to a secret organization by her aunt. Those early days were full of terror and harshness, with grueling training that left her feeling she’d never survive.
One scorching summer evening, still overwhelmed and adjusting to her new reality, she was assigned a brutal task by her instructor: facing off against a wild beast.
