"Let him go!" Jemma screamed. They were beating her brother, Karl. Karl was the only family she had left since their mom died. Seeing him hurt made her heart pound with fear. Their mom had a bad heart and died without ever telling them who their father was. They tried everything to save her, but it wasn't enough.
"Well, well," a gruff voice said. The leader of the men, who Jemma guessed was in charge, looked her up and down with a dirty grin. "What do we have here? A pretty girl to make our day better." Jemma felt sick, but she glared back.
"Hey, kid," the man continued, squeezing Karl's jaw so hard Karl spat blood in his face. "Why didn't you tell us you had this beauty? We wouldn't have bothered you so much. Maybe after a night with her..."
"Jemma, go! What are you doing here?" Karl grunted through clenched teeth. Jemma knew he was in pain. Seeing him so miserable almost made her cry, but she couldn't. She couldn't show them she was scared. She didn't want to be seen as weak prey.
"I said leave him alone! You can't do this to him!" Jemma pushed one of the men, ignoring her brother's plea.
"Oh, yes, we can," the leader sneered, stepping between her and Karl. "Your brother owes us a lot of money. A lot. And until he pays, we're going to do worse." He paused, looking her up and down with a hungry stare. "But since you're here, we'll have fun with you first."
His men grabbed Jemma, holding her in place as he moved closer, his face twisted with hate. Jemma tried to pull away, but they were too strong. She felt helpless. "Run, Karl, run!" she screamed. But Karl was too weak to even stand. Even if he could, he would protect her, not run like a coward. All he could do was yell.
But before the leader could grab Jemma, a phone rang. The sound cut through the air, distracting him. He picked it up, his eyes still fixed on Jemma. The man on the phone ended his call. His eyes, held a cold glint. "The Kestrel wants us back. We need to return," he said to his men. Then, turning back to Jemma, he gave a chilling smile. "Such a shame we're leaving. We'll meet again, candy."
With that, they let go of Jemma and Karl and walked away, disappearing into the shadows. Jemma let out a shaky breath, relief washing over her. She immediately knelt beside Karl, helping him sit up. "Are you okay? Oh, Karl, what have you gotten yourself into this time? Who were those guys?"
Karl pushed her hand away gently, his voice rough. "I'm fine. This is nothing you should be involved in."Fine?" Jemma scoffed, her voice tinged with disbelief. "You can't even stand up. We're going to the hospital, and you'll explain everything there."
Karl stood up suddenly, wincing. "I said I'm fine! Leave me alone, and stop following me. I'm not a kid anymore!" he snapped. He started walking away, stumbling.
"Hey, wait!" Jemma grabbed his arm, pulling him gently toward their home.
Karl had changed a lot since their mom died. He wasn't the carefree guy she remembered. Now, he looked like the world's weight was on his shoulders. He often kept to himself, and Jemma was used to that. But lately, it was worse. He barely came home and was always with dangerous people. Jemma had felt she had no choice but to follow him today, and this was what she found.
She was angry with him, but even more angry with herself. Angry she couldn't be there for him, or be a better sister.
She sat him down on the couch and carefully treated his wounds with their small first-aid kit.
Jemma sighed, finishing up with the first-aid kit. "Done," she said softly, then sat beside him.
"Karl," she began, her voice gentle but firm, "you're the only one I have. Please, if anything, just tell me what's going on. We're responsible for each other. It hurts me more than anything to know you're going through so much, and I don't know how to help."
Karl leaned back, his green eyes staring up at the ceiling. For a moment, it looked like he might say something, but he stopped himself.
Jemma continued, her hope growing, "Who are those guys? And what did they mean you owe them money? Even if you do, tell me. I've saved up a lot. And I applied for a job at a big, famous company. If I get it, I'll get paid, and we can clear all the debts. So please, just tell me."
Karl finally looked at her, his gaze troubled. "You're asking too many questions, Jem. Don't worry about me. I can take care of everything. I have to go." He stood up to leave, his tall frame pausing at the doorway for a moment before he walked off.Jemma threw her head back onto the pillow and screamed. "This kid is driving me crazy!" Fine. If you're not gonna tell me I will figure it out herself. Determination hardened her expression.
Just then, her phone rang. She smiled when she saw who it was.
"Hey!" Akila's loud voice filled the line the moment Jemma picked up. "Did you see the news?"
Jemma tried to calm her down. "What? Slow down."
"Kestrel just blew up Jetson Corporation! It's on fire right now!"
"Kestrel?" Jemma frowned. "I think I've heard that name somewhere."
"Of course you have! He's everywhere. He rules the underworld. That guy is super dangerous!" Akila explained. "No one has ever seen his face; he always wears a mask. Just because they didn't agree with the Jetsons, he literally made them disappear and blew up their legacy. And no one can prove it was him."
"So, where is this guy?" Jemma asked.
"Nobody knows. But rumors has it he usually visits the Oceanville Club. Why do you ask, anyway? Did you send your application to CT Corporation?"
"Yeah, I'm waiting to hear from them."CT Corporation is the best and most famous company in the whole of Blossom view " Akila said. "And their CEO, Caspian Thorne? He's a rare beauty. Total eye candy. It only hurts that he's so cold. Everyone calls him 'the man whose heart doesn't beat". "I see then I wish I never cross paths with him what if I get on his bad side ''besides I really need this job. Karl is driving me crazy. I think he got himself into trouble jemma remarked. "Ugh, that kid," Akila sighed…don't you worry about him. You'll get the job. Let's meet up later, okay?"
"Okay ." She ended the call. She quickly took her diary and wrote oceanville club tonight meet kastriel .Those goons are probably from him and she would go to him to find out about her brother.