Chapter 124 --124.
Kaya, on the other hand, stood frozen, utterly stunned. Not many had ever fallen for her—but those who did had always kept it quiet. This... this was the first time she’d seen that look on a man like him—a brute of a man, no less. It unsettled her in ways she couldn’t explain.
Her thoughts flickered to how ruthlessly he had treated others. She sighed, turning away from him, and began walking toward the people she had protected. But the moment her eyes met theirs—those worn, wary faces, gazing at her with a mix of fear and fragile hope—she stopped in her tracks. Her chest tightened, and oddly, the pain she had been carrying didn’t feel quite as heavy anymore.
She took a steady breath, eyes softening.
"Let’s go," she said simply.
The words hung in the air. For a second, the silence was so complete it was almost deafening. The people exchanged uncertain glances—like they still couldn’t believe what they had just heard. Then, slowly, the first child she had shielded stood up. Supporting an injured child beside him, he began to walk, step by careful step, behind Kaya.
And one by one, the others followed.
Then the twelve men—rough, scarred, yet silent—fell into line behind her.
When Kaya stepped out of the crowd, leading them all, murmurs broke out. The street quieted in stunned disbelief. People stared, trying to process what they’d just seen.
By the time they reached Rean’s shop, the sun was lower in the sky.
The warm orange light caught the dust still clinging to her clothes, highlighting every bruise, every mark.
Rean was bent over, tying up a cloth bundle near the counter.
When he looked up, he expected to see Kaya alone.