Chapter 63 The Heated Exchange

"Today, she proactively asked to meet you, so she must have something she wants to tell you. Since we're in the dark about her intentions, extracting information from her in person is the best approach for us," Curtis spoke calmly as if he could hear the questions in Sabrina's head. His reasoning made Sabrina uncomfortable. While getting the truth was important, she was more concerned about her safety. "Don't worry about your safety. I'll be there with you. If we don't sort this out, it'll be a headache for both our families. Trust me, we'll get to the bottom of this," he reassured her. Sabrina was taken aback. How did he know what she was thinking? "You wear your emotions on your sleeve. It's easy to read you. Try to keep your thoughts hidden. It'll serve you well in the long run," Curtis said with a smile, though he was internally concerned by her transparency, which could make her vulnerable. "I'm usually not this easy to read. People have said I'm complex." Sabrina replied defensively, though she immediately questioned the strength of her own assertion. Curtis merely glanced at her, deciding the comment was not worth addressing. "Remember, when you see your brother later, stay calm. Address the issues that alarmed you, and carefully observe his reactions." As they neared the hospital, Curtis gave the advice earnestly, and Sabrina listened intently. It was remarkable how someone in the position of an assistant could navigate human emotions with such finesse. "He’s your brother. If he doesn’t show concern, then there’s reason for suspicion. You'll need to figure out if he has acted against you," Curtis suggested, eliciting a silent nod from Sabrina. She clung to the hope that her brother had not been reckless enough to betray her trust. "Thanks for guiding me through this. Maybe if I hadn't lost my temper that day, we wouldn't be here right now," Sabrina admitted with a tinge of shame. "Even if you hadn't, you and your brother were bound to clash sooner or later, likely over Ada," Curtis reflected, and Sabrina could not deny it. He was right, as usual. Finally, they arrived at the hospital. Taking a deep breath, Sabrina psyched herself up, reminding herself not to lose her cool with her brother. When they entered his room, her brother had just woken up. He looked displeased and ignored Sabrina's presence. "If ignoring me is your choice, so be it. But what has Curtis done to you?" Sabrina challenged, unable to hold back. "Are you here to pick a fight this early in the morning? Fine, if that's the case, then you also need to explain to me what's going on with Ada. It's not just about you disliking her, why are you singling her out like this? She's already been through a lot coming here with me alone!" Barry fired back, steering the topic toward Ada’s predicament, despite Sabrina not mentioning it. Sabrina held her breath as she suppressed her anger. She was not going to let him provoke her like this. "Do you remember when I called you that day? I nearly ended up in the hospital myself," Sabrina recalled, deciding to play the pitiful card with Barry. Barry just snorted, not taking Sabrina's words seriously at all. "Is that so? Then why don't you come and keep me company now? All this talk about being hurt... You weren't injured, but Ada was assaulted by her ex-boyfriend. Why don't you have any sympathy? What's wrong with you, Sabrina? After all these years, I haven't seen you, and you've become so cold and selfish!" Sabrina felt uncomfortable hearing Barry's words, but she also sensed that something was off. Barry would not have spoken to her like this before. What had changed? "Don't you care at all about what I've been through? All you see is Ada. But what about me? I’m your sister!" "Well, I don't have a sister like you. No empathy, all selfishness. I've been taking care of Grandpa all these years without a word of complaint. You? I barely even see you. You're always 'busy with work.' Don't I have a job too?" "Why are we bringing up other matters again?" Sabrina's face turned pale, and her trembling lips expressed disappointment and sadness as she looked at Barry. Why did the conversation suddenly veer off course? Sabrina's face turned pale. Her lips quivered as she looked at Barry, whose eyes filled with disappointment and sadness. "So you're saying I'm in your way?" "Isn't it obvious? You went to college, good for you. But I could've gone too. I gave up that chance for you. And now, I finally found a girlfriend, and all you do is criticize her, even calling her a con artist. How dare you ask me to worry about you? The people who are actually hurt here are me, Ada, and Grandpa. Not you." Sabrina did not want to get into a heated exchange with her brother, but Barry's words deeply wounded her. What had happened to the brother she once knew? "Barry, I get that you want to stand up for Ada, but you need to understand that there's more to life than romance. There's family too. If you're going to pick a fight with Sabrina today, then we have nothing more to say to each other." Curtis stepped forward and pulled Sabrina behind him. He found Barry's reaction today both strange and infuriating.