Chapter Thirteen

No sooner had the registrar called Monica Smithfield’s case than Sophia waved at Kayla from the witness stand. Kayla's eyes found Sophia, then Sophia used bodily signs to ask if her mother would win. Kayla looked away without offering her any hope. Sophia discerned Kayla's act meant ‘whatever you see, take it’, so her face fell.

From the moment Kayla stepped into the courtroom, the defendant, Alfred Seong-Hun, had fixed her with such death look she found offensive. The blackguard’s lewd and obviously spiteful stare beat at her comfort; bunt her mind into thoughts, not doubt she might flip her lid. She almost loured the instant she turned to the crowd and found Alfred's men all watching her like she was food.

Except for Alfred's gaze which she found annoying, the atmosphere in the room was yet another problem. Threatening. Come to think of it… according to Monica's story about the groups of untrue beings, wasn't she supposed to expect a man ten-times older than Alfred Seong-Hun? She'