Gabriel wasn't surprised by his half-brother's reaction, on the contrary. He expected it. For as long as he could remember, that guy had always been the kind to use violence and coercion whenever things didn't go the way he wanted, bullying the weak and playing dirty with the strong.

Unlike his mother, Jake didn't have a sweet, poisonous mouth, but even so, it didn't mean that he wasn't cunning.

On the one hand, he knew how to make use of his family connections. On the other hand, fate had gifted him with a handsome face and a tall and lean body.

From a young age, Jake had figured out that the best weapon was not necessarily his mother's schemes, but that face of his. He had never hesitated to use his appearance to his advantage, bewitching people before throwing them out. When it didn't work, he simply outright resorted to violence to obtain what he wanted.

In short, Jake was worse than sc.u.m.

Still, Gabriel didn't expect him to be so low as to vent his anger on a child, getting ready to beat him to a pulp. One look at his face and Gabriel could tell he was about to lose it, badly itching to hurt the thin, little boy before his eyes.

Really, that guy had no moral ground.

Just as Jake was about to pounce on Misha, albeit in a clumsy way because of the throbbing pain in his crotch, Gabriel forced his aching body to move, discreetly wincing as he did so. He then wrapped Misha in his arms, tightly holding his head against his c.h.e.s.t as he cried out:

"What are you doing! It's a child!"

Upon hearing the teenager's panicked voice, Jake stopped dead in his tracks, almost falling headfirst on the ground. Not knowing what to do, he reflexively glanced at his mother, wearing a wronged expression on his face.

Despite his small arms, the kid's punches were strangely heavy, and now his groin hurt like a bitch, so much so that he was staggering, looking like a newborn fawn. The pain drove him crazy, and all he wanted was to wring that boy's neck, forgetting everything else.

However, Angela gave him a warning look, making it clear that she wouldn't allow him to ruin her plan. Such a perfect opportunity wouldn't happen twice, and they shouldn't instill doubt in Gabriel's mind about their real intentions, at least for now.

Whether he liked it or not, Jake had no choice but to restrain himself, clenching his fists to keep calm. Nevertheless, he certainly wouldn't forget the humiliation, already planning to pay back the child one day or another.

That, Gabriel was sure of it.

"Excuse him," said Angela through gritted teeth. "The anger got the best of him, but you must admit that what that child just said is outrageous!"

"Outrageous?" snorted Misha, his eyes filled with disdain.

"Yes! What did your parents teach you!? You should reflect on your words and apologize!" requested Angela in a shrill voice, appearing quite offended by his senseless remarks.

Truthfully, there wasn't anything unusual about the way she reacted. It would indeed be inappropriate if someone dared to say such things to the family of a patient. Them being furious would then be entirely justified, but the problem was that Angela and Jake didn't care about Gabriel, even secretly wishing for his demise.

Although Misha didn't know anything about Gabriel's family circ.u.mstances, he could at least tell that the woman and the teenager had no good intentions.

Or maybe he simply didn't like them and thus perceived them as evils, no matter what they said or did. Who knows?

In any case, Misha had never been the kind to hold back, and the words freely flew out of his mouth.

"You're the ones who are outrageous! You were planning to stop the life-sustaining treatment in a week if Gabriel didn't wake up, and yet you still dare to show up in front of him, acting as if you never had such intentions! You're disgusting!"

As Misha spat out these words, he felt his blood boil, making his fists itch. Hitting Jake in the nuts wasn't enough. He wanted to castrate the guy and destroy the woman's hypocrite face, be it with his words or his fists.

However, Gabriel's arms seemed to be made of iron, and the boy was unable to escape from his embrace, no matter how much he struggled. In the end, he could only glance at the teenager in annoyance.

'Aren't you supposed to be super weak right now?' inwardly pouted Misha without realizing that among the two, he was still the one with the weakest physical constitution.

Well, his struggles did make Gabriel grimace as simply lifting his arms was painful.

When Angela heard the child's words, her heart skipped a beat, but she rapidly regained control over her emotions. She couldn't stop her act now, or else it would appear quite suspicious. Therefore, she quickly replied:

"How shameless! We would never do such a thing!"

"Stop pretending, old nag!" retorted the child as he moved about in the teenager's arms, making him look like a small, wild beast. "You clearly don't value his life, so shut your freaking mouth and get lost!"

"You! You!" Angela was so frustrated that she was at a loss for words. It was the first time she met such an unreasonable brat; she had no idea how to handle him. Everything she said seemed to go in one ear and out the other.

"Enough!" shouted Jake, griping the kid's upper arm to extirped him from his half-brother's embrace. "You're the one that's going to–"

His next words never came out, stuck in his throat forever. Just now, Gabriel had glared at him with such icy eyes that his whole body froze on the spot. It felt that if he were to utter anything more, his life would become a living hell.

Then Gabriel slowly opened his mouth, saying in a low, threatening voice, "Don't touch him."

His seething anger was palpable, leaving everyone in the room speechless. They all thought that they had an auditory hallucination, or that their eyes were too tired, playing tricks on them. However, even after blinking a few times, Gabriel didn't seem to be any less angry, on the contrary.

The teenager knew very well that acting this way was out of character, but he still couldn't help it, not when the little boy in his arms was trembling in fear. His frail, round shoulders slightly shook, whereas his breathing had drastically accelerated. It made his protective instinct surge, and Gabriel didn't resist it, throwing aside everything to protect the child without an once of hesitation.

The moment Jake had grasped his arm, Misha's trauma had flared up. It was still alright when the teenage boy only grabbed his collar, and Misha was able to pretend that everything was fine, barking with all of his might. But it wasn't the case when Jake's fingers were wrapped around his upper arm, clutching it like claws.

It made him feel trapped, bringing back many unpleasant memories that plunged him into a waking nightmare.

However, Gabriel's next course of action seemed to comfort the child, and his breathing slightly calmed down. Of course, the teenager's reaction also greatly surprised Misha, leaving a bitter-sweet feeling storming in the pit of his stomach.

In their past life, Gabriel had protected him in the same way, without a care about what others thought. The only time he saw him angry was when someone had hurt him or his sister. At such moments, Gabriel's usual gentleness was gone, and only merciless words were left. Each time, the calm, harmless, and kind man turned into a fury.

At the thought, Misha's eyes reddened slightly, and the boy snuggled against the teenager's c.h.e.s.t, wondering why he hadn't noticed such a thing sooner. Perhaps Gabriel had always worn a mask in their presence, hiding his true self for a reason he couldn't fathom, but it didn't mean Gabriel didn't hold them dear.

Until that fateful day, he had always protected him and his sister, no matter the price to pay.

Before long, the warmth of the teenager's body soothed his mind and his heart. The child felt re-energized, and he even dared to glance back at Jake, a smug smile stretching his lips.

Everyone had fallen silent as if they had all lost their tongue; even Jake had no words left despite the boy mocking him so openly. All he could do was to take back his hand and step back, unable to stand the look on Gabriel's face.

After a while, Yuki's calm voice finally resonated within the room, "You're disturbing the patient's rest. So, I will have to ask you to leave."

Only then did Angela snap out of her stupor, coughing slightly to hide her embarrassment. She would usually put such an insolent nurse in her place, but today, she gave her an excuse to leave, making it so that she didn't appear to be running away. Hence, she decided to leave her off the hook, standing up and agreeing to her proposition instead.

"Yes, it's getting late. We will come back tomorrow, ok?"

In response, the teenager slowly nodded, discreetly pinching the boy's waist to keep him from saying something he shouldn't. The child was then too busy rubbing his painful skin to bother with that woman.

"That kid may as well leave with us. We will escort him to the reception," proposed Jake with a tone that made it sound like it wasn't negotiable.

"It's not necessary. Since his parents should arrive soon, he can wait for them here," replied Gabriel with a politely smile that didn't reach his eyes.

In response, Angela dragged her eldest son to the door while Tristan obediently followed behind her like a duckling, glancing back and forth between the people in the room with curious eyes.

"Then, see you tomorrow," said Angela with an awkward smile before stepping out, to which Gabriel answer with a perfunctory 'see you.'

"I will also take my leave," announced Yuki, already walking up to the door.

"Thank you for your intervention, earlier," quickly thanked Gabriel before she disappeared into the corridor.

"You're welcome," replied the nurse without glancing back, carefully closing the door behind her.

In the silent room, only the teenager and the little boy were left. Gabriel finally consented to release Misha, who reflexively took a step back the moment he was free.

Before the teenager could say anything, the child lifted his bright blue eyes, thoroughly uttering his next words, "You have amnesia, huh?"

"…"

To this, should he say yes or no?