For a moment, the air seemed to freeze.

Through the swirling snow, Kylie Walsh gazed anxiously into Roman Rhodes’s eyes, as if searching for an answer to the obsession that had defined the first half of her life.

The next second, however, Roman looked directly at Kylie and said slowly, "I already have someone I like. So... I hope you won’t waste your feelings on me, and please stop saying things that could be misunderstood."

Roman’s words were like a bomb, instantly detonating in Kylie’s heart.

Kylie’s face went pale. She staggered back a few steps, as if only now truly realizing that it had all been nothing more than her own wishful thinking...

’She couldn’t accept it!’

Tears swimming in her eyes, Kylie stubbornly demanded of Roman, "Who is it? ...Who the hell is it? ...I’ve had a crush on you for so many years, and you never gave me a chance... Now you’re telling me you have someone you like? Who is that woman?!"

Seeing this, Roman frowned and shook his head. "That has nothing to do with you," he replied.

But Kylie acted as if she hadn’t heard him. Her eyes filled with bitter resentment, and she pressed on through gritted teeth, "Who is it? Is she the daughter of some prominent family? ...Is her family background better than mine? She’s younger than me, isn’t she? Why do you like her? Tell me!"

Roman looked at her, sighed helplessly, and stated flatly, "None of this has anything to do with you. As for Zara Walsh’s situation, you all can stop struggling. Instead of wasting your time, you should try to convince her to confess for a lighter sentence. Maybe she can still get a reduced penalty."

With that, Roman got in his car and drove away.

Kylie stood alone in the snow for a while, until she was nearly frozen stiff. Only then did she get back in her car and drive back to the Walsh residence, utterly dejected.

Seeing Kylie return, Zara’s father—Kylie’s older brother, Shane Walsh—hurried over, grabbing her arm. "How did it go? Is Roman willing to help? With his current status, if he’s willing to put in a word with the higher-ups, this whole thing can be resolved easily..."

Kylie, however, just shook her head dazedly and mumbled, "No... He won’t help..."

Kylie still hadn’t recovered from the blow of learning Roman had someone he liked. She sat blankly on the sofa, staring at the ceiling. ’Who is that woman? ...’

Shane didn’t notice Kylie’s strange behavior. His brow was deeply furrowed as he said worriedly, "I called Paige, but I can’t believe even she won’t help! She told us to wait for the official outcome!"

Not only that, but Paige had also indirectly berated Shane, implicitly and explicitly accusing him of failing to raise his daughter properly, for her to do something like withhold disaster relief supplies.

And don’t even get started on Bernard Simmons. Because Paige was in the middle of a divorce lawsuit with him, demanding a large portion of their marital assets, he got annoyed just hearing the name Walsh.

The moment Shane called him, he hung up immediately, making it clear he had no intention of helping the Walsh family.

Shane also tried asking the family elders for help, to see if they could think of a solution, but they were powerless too, leaving Shane alone and at his wit’s end.

What Shane couldn’t figure out most was this: it was just an ordinary public accusation made under a real name. There were plenty of those these days, so why had this particular one escalated to such a degree?

He couldn’t wrap his head around it. He had a nagging feeling that someone was pulling strings behind the scenes...

*****

Meanwhile, watching Colin Summers, Grace Sutton, and Melody Summers wheel in a pile of supplies, Cameron Summers was so moved he burst into tears on the spot.

Cameron rubbed his red, swollen eyes, grabbed Colin’s hand, and said repeatedly, "Big Brother, Sister-in-law, Niece, thank you! Thank you for saving our family of three..."

Before Cameron could finish, Colin shoved his hand away and slapped him across the face.

A bright red handprint immediately appeared on Cameron’s face. He lowered his head, not daring to make a sound. He knew he deserved it; after all, he had once caused his older brother endless heartache.

After the first slap, Colin paused, but still felt it wasn’t enough to vent his anger.

He grabbed Cameron by the collar, yanked him back, and yelled, "You listen to me, you punk! We haven’t forgiven you! We brought this stuff for your wife and kid, not for you!"

Cameron nodded frantically, repeating, "Yes, yes, I know, I know. It’s all my fault..."

Before Cameron could finish, Colin barked, "And you remember this: take care of your wife and kid! If I ever catch you gambling again, I’ll throw you out the window myself and let you freeze to death in the snow!"

Cameron immediately swore to the heavens, promising, "Big Brother, don’t worry, I’ve really changed this time! I’m done with gambling!"

Seeing this, Grace Sutton quickly pulled Colin back and tried to mediate. "Alright, alright, Cameron has turned over a new leaf. Don’t be so hard on him... Jade and Clark are here. At least let him save some face..."

Colin snorted. "He’s changed? You’re the only one who’d believe that. How many times has he ’changed’? Has he ever meant it once?"

Cameron had promised countless times before that he would never gamble again, but each time, he’d be back at it within a couple of days.

One time, after losing a bet, he mortgaged the family’s ancestral home. Colin was so furious that he impulsively grabbed a kitchen knife and chopped off Cameron’s pinky finger!

They got him to a hospital in time, and his pinky was reattached, but even that didn’t stop him from gambling again...

Incidents like this happened repeatedly over the years. Colin had absolutely no trust left for his younger brother.

If he wasn’t concerned for Cameron’s wife and child, he would never have brought him any supplies. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Cameron knew his actions over the years had broken his family’s heart. He could only prove his remorse through his actions.

He looked at Colin with a sincere expression and said, "Big Brother, I’ve really changed this time. I’ve been working to pay off my debts for the last few years. I’ve already cleared the loans I owed, and as soon as this disaster is over, I’ll get back to work and pay back the money I owe the family, too!"

Hearing this, Colin just snorted, noncommittal.

Grace helped them set up the folding beds and lay out the bedding. The two beds were just enough for the three of them to sleep on.

Melody Summers placed the coal stove and charcoal by the window. Then she turned, surveyed the empty room, and said, "Uncle Cameron, there’s a community group chat for buying and selling used furniture. If you need anything else, you can buy it there later."

Cameron waved his hands. "This is more than enough! We have beds, quilts, and coal. We’ll be able to survive the winter with this!"

Jade Rowan bent down and touched the sacks of rice, which weighed dozens of pounds. She asked emotionally, "Big Brother, Sister-in-law, are you really giving all this rice to us? This must have cost a fortune... If you give us all this, will you have enough for yourselves? Why don’t you take some of it back..."

Grace Sutton walked over and patted her hand reassuringly. "It’s fine, you keep it. Clark is too thin. He needs to eat more."

Then, Grace opened a cardboard box that was sitting on top of the rice. Neatly arranged inside were some sausages, chocolate, Lao Gan Ma, and chili sauce.

Seeing all this, Cameron’s family of three was utterly dumbfounded.

Jade Rowan’s voice trembled as she asked, "This... is all this for us too? This is far too valuable!"