Chapter 22: "Episode"
Gael was staring intensely at something on the K-island, his expression unusually serious.
Leo followed his gaze, curious, then his eyes widened. "Oh shit, another episode," he muttered, realizing what Gael had seen: a few grains of rice spilled on the K-island's surface. He was about to wipe it with the towel in his hand when Gael moved faster.
Without a word, Gael shoved a hand into his pocket and pulled out a small tissue box and a travel-sized disinfectant. He placed both on the bar, calmly pulled out a tissue, and wiped the few grains of rice like they were a biohazard. Then he dabbed the disinfectant and began cleaning the entire island with intensity.
"You know, you might as well stop everything and become a professional cleaner," Leo snapped, clearly annoyed. "They'd pay you handsomely—you're damn good at it."Seriously? It's just three grains of rice, for crying out loud," he added, rolling his eyes.
Gael didn't even flinch. He kept cleaning, eyes focused.
"Damn it," Leo muttered. He wasn't even really mad, just frustrated."What are you five??:playing house with tissue paper?" Ivan's voice rang from the entrance.
Leo turned to see him standing in the same spot Gael had stood earlier. One hand casually in his pocket, Ivan smirked—clearly mocking Gael's intense cleaning.
Leo couldn't help but chuckle at the childish imitation.
Gael, unfazed, tossed the used tissue into the trash, marched to the sink, and began thoroughly washing his hands. Leo, standing beside him now, rolled his eyes at the dramatic hand-scrubbing.
"He might as well climb into the sink and take a bath," Ivan teased.
"Ivan!" Leo warned.
"What?" Ivan scoffed. "You two tease me all the time. Can't I return the favor?"
"Fine, fine. I'm sorry," Leo replied, giving a half-hearted windmill gesture of surrender.
"I'm sorry too," Gael muttered, drying his hands and moving to sit on a stool.
"Awnnn,how adorable", Leo let out a squeaky laugh.Ivan and Gael turned toward him at the same time, deadpan, and said in unison, "What are you, five?"
That was it.
All three of them burst into laughter again. For a few moments, everything felt light.Gael was the first to stop laughing. He sighed deeply, his mood dropping again. The other two noticed and immediately fell silent. Leo took a seat beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey," he said gently. "Talk to us. What's wrong?"
"Did Isabel say something?" Ivan added, his tone shifting.
"I swear, if she did, I'll wake up just to beat her—"
"Stop, Ivan," Gael interrupted, sighing again. "It's not her. It's… Melanie."
He paused for a second before continuing, voice lower. "Isabel said I don't take proper care of her… that she even got bullied today at the canteen. And she threatened to tell "Him" if it happened again."
Leo and Ivan shared a look. "Him".
"How dare she threaten you?" Ivan snapped, voice rising.
"I don't care about her threat," Gael said, jaw tight. "But she reminded me—if anything happens to Melanie, I'll be sent back to the mansion."
Ivan cursed under his breath. "That woman's too much."
They all knew who "he" was—Liam Alexandro, Gael's father. He had married Isabel, Gael's stepmother, and brought her and Melanie into their home seven years ago. The girl was already twelve when his father introduced her as his sister.
Gael was 15 years then.Even at that age, Gael was smart enough to connect the dots. The timeline didn't lie.His father had cheated on his mother while she was still alive.
And now, years later, that same man threatened to control his life again—this time through Melanie and it was not going to happen.
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