-

Nearly exactly 16 years ago, you and everyone else who was close to your parents was mourning their tragic passing. You, as a little girl, so young and so naive, painfully unaware of the reality of the real world, had just lost the two most important people in your life, leaving you an orphan and with nobody to turn to. And worst of all, it happened on your birthday.

They died the night they were trying to rush to get back home to you, and lost their lives instead, because of you. It's all you could think about as a little girl. Your mind had convinced you that it had all been your fault because you were the one they were trying to get to in such a hurry, you'd made them hurry, and from that moment on, you'd never see them again and you knew you'd live with that guilt the rest of your life. You had nobody now, no one to stay with, no one to turn to, no other family members. You didn't know what to do.

Now, you were at a memorial center, sitting on the floor with your back against the wall, your knees close to your chest and your head buried in your arms that were propped up on your knees. You didn't want to look at anybody, you didn't want to talk to anyone, your cries had ceased a long time simply because of one realization you had when you attended the funeral just before this.

Just in the far wall in front of you were two pictures of your parents side by side, surrounded by flowers by people who were close with your parents and had left them there to pay their respects. Though, you were the only one who has stayed even after the memorial service was over. You didn't know where to go, who would come get you or if there was an angel up above who would make your sorrow go away.

You've kept your head down and remained up against the wall for a long time that you failed to see someone moving to stand in front of you, looking down at your small figure trying to make yourself smaller and imperceptible to anyone else. That person, was Grisha. He'd come to pay respects to your parents, because he knew them well, but he never met the daughter they talked about so much. As Grisha stood in front of you, holding himself steady with his cane on one hand, one of the workers at the memorial center noticed Grisha standing in front of you quietly, observing you, while you remained completely unknowing to his presence.

The worker quickly moved to stand next to Grisha, hoping this was someone you knew and who would come to pick you up to take you in temporarily. The worker noticed Grisha observing you and felt the need to explain what your situation was and why you were in that state, unmoving and unresponsive. "She's been like that the whole time. It's been hours," The worker whispered to Grisha, and he nodded understandingly. Not wanting to startle you, Grisha took small steps towards you, with his cane hitting the ground lightly every time he moved it forward.

And even as he'd gotten closer to you, you still didn't move. You didn't move your head up, you didn't flinch, you didn't say a word. You were frozen. Grisha decided he'd be the one to make the first move to talk to you, seeing if that would get any response. "So, it's you. You're their daughter I've heard so much about," Grisha said, and apparently that was enough, because when you heard a voice you've never heard before in your life, you looked up and saw a man with a cane, brown hair, glasses, black attire just like you, you tilted your head slightly in confusion. You've never seen him before. Could he have gotten the wrong person?

Grisha studied your face and his face creased slightly at what he noticed. You weren't crying, there were tear marks, but your face looked numb, devoid emotion. There was no spark in your eyes, no feeling behind them. Grisha continued to look down at you, seeing the features of both of your parents clear as day in you.

You were the one they spoke about so much, their pride and joy, and seeing you for the first time was conflicting. You looked like...your life had gotten sucked out of you. "You're not crying," Grisha said to you, pointing out the obvious, but after hearing that, you looked away from him and looked off to the side, remembering why you felt like you had no right to cry anymore. To feel sad about this.

Grisha saw the way your lips trembled and you let out a shaky breath, all the while you fiddled with your clothes. "I don't deserve to cry, or feel bad about this...it was my fault, I did this..." You muttered as your voice broke and you felt that familiar lump in your throat come back. But, you held it back, remembering the realization you had at the funeral. You had convinced yourself that if you were the one who did this, you had no right to feel sad about this, to cry like you so desperately wanted to, and to mourn the passing of the two most important people in your life.

Grisha's face fell slightly upon hearing your words, but was able to conceal his emotions well enough. But he saw that once your eyes had started getting glassy again as you looked up again, he knew that all it took is for one person to ask you what was wrong and the waterworks would come rushing out, despite how badly you wanted to keep it inside. "They died because of me....all because of me" You mumbled as your voice wavered and you pursed your lips, looking away, not wanting anyone to see you break your own pact you made with yourself.

"It doesn't matter if it was my birthday...I shouldn't have rushed them," You said, almost to yourself, all while still being aware that Grisha was right in front of you. You said that to yourself as if you were in a trance, finally voicing out your thoughts that you though you'd never say to anyone else, but once Grisha got you to talk. You didn't care if it was a complete stranger who you were spilling your regrets out to, but as long as you did, it didn't matter who.

Grisha took two more steps towards you, and then leaned down towards you. You slowly moved your head to look up at him. Your eyes had become redder and even more glassy, you could barely see through them. But what you didn't expect was what he said next. "Who do you think you are?" Grisha whispered to you, but not in an insulting way, more like a literal question to you. He still couldn't miss the way that your eyes widened when he asked that of you. You didn't know what to say.

But either way, you continued to hear him speak, despite how the need to cry was growing with every passing second. "How could anyone die because of you? The world is just a cruel place. It's as simple as that," He said, and at this point, the lump in your throat was getting tighter to the point that you knew you wouldn't be able to say anything coherent if you spoke right now.

Your chest began heaving as you continued to listen to him."Is your goal to just feel sorry for yourself if you continue thinking like that?" Grisha said, being brutally honest, and at this point you were blinking back tears from falling. It felt like he was inside your head and voicing out the thoughts you were repeating to yourself for hours.

"Every one of us is like a speck of dust in this world," He continued, and it was becoming harder and harder to hold yourself back. You didn't know this man but he was laying out what he was saying in a way that felt like he knew exactly what you were thinking, but as a little girl and in the situation you're in, having your thoughts validated and voiced out by someone else felt like a hundreds of daggers in your heart."Which means, that a speck of dust floating around can't do anything to tip the scales or change how the world works," He concluded, but you'd had enough. Your emotions were on the edge and that was all you needed to snap.

You shot up from your spot on the ground as you started screaming and crying as you reached for Grisha, hitting him and grabbing onto his clothing weakly yet with so much vigor as your heart burned in your chest and your sobs reverberated across the room, catching other people's attention. You were still a little girl with such little strength left in your heart and your body to continue holding on.

The worker had rushed around Grisha and moved behind you to pull you away from him, holding you back as you continued to struggle against their hold and tears continued to free fall down your face, from not being able to hold them back anymore like you promised yourself. You didn't need someone to remind you of what happened or what you did. You just needed comfort.

You needed someone to rely on. Someone to hold you. You felt so alone and so lost. Like you had nobody to turn to. But your cries died down on their own when you were held back and sobs were interrupted by the sound of something clattering on the ground. Your sobs were reduced to small gasps and smaller cries as you looked down and saw that what had fallen were this man's glasses.

You gasped lightly and then looked back up at him to see that there were tears falling down his face too. His eyes were teary and red, like yours. Tears you couldn't see because of his glasses, but now that they were out of the way, you could see them clear as day.

But the moment, you saw him holding back tears of his own, you couldn't hold back yours anymore either. Tears that you tried to keep at bay were once again falling down your cheeks as you let out shallow and short breaths, followed by more sobs that were slowly starting to intensify once again.

You hung your head low now that your cries had come back full force, coming to the painful realization that whether it was your fault or not, your parents were gone for good and there's nothing you could do about it. Grisha sniffled once and looked away from you, feeling that it was far too painful to look at you cry because you'd only end up making him cry too.

The pain in his eyes grew the more he watched you be in so much agony and pain. He's trying to hide his own misery for your sake. He simply looked away from you and then turned to see that the worker had stepped away from you once you'd stopped fighting their hold and had reached down to the floor to reach for Grisha's glasses, handing them to him. Grisha took them back, put them on his face again with his free hand and started to walk away, leaving you behind, and all alone.

Once again. You watched the mysterious man walk away as you were left to cry on your own, not being able to keep your promise to yourself. You were crying for your parents, for what you were told, even when you felt like you didn't deserve it.

When Grisha was out of sight, you felt your legs give out on you as you dropped to the ground and buried your face in your hands, continuing to cry and letting out all of the tears you'd been holding since the funeral. Your sobs were filling the air and your gasps after every cry could shatter the heart of anybody walking by, even if they didn't know you.

They could just hear the grief and loss in your voice. "Mom..." You cried out and continued to let your head hang low. Your chest was heaving painfully and your throat was starting to hurt from how hard you were crying. "Dad..." You cried out, hearing your own voice crack from the anguish in your voice.

You just wanted them there with you again, you didn't want to be alone. Grisha was right and the world was tough, but you didn't want to go through it by yourself. You were scared to death to face the world alone without them by your side.

"I miss you so much..." You sobbed as gasps continue to interrupt your words. You couldn't even look up and look at their pictures because you'd only be reminded of what you lost and what you wanted to get back so badly. You knew from that moment on that you should prepare yourself for the cruelties you'd have to face with no one but yourself.

-

You blinked yourself back from that memory and you realized that everyone had dispersed from in front of Grisha's picture, including your family, and you were the only one left still standing in front of it. Everyone else had found something else to do at the memorial. What brought you back to reality was someone calling your name. "Y/n," The voice said it again, and this time they put a hand gently on your back, making you flinch since you were only just now getting your bearings back.

You turned your head to the side to see who the voice belonged to and you were met with a pair of baby blue eyes regarding you with so much softness and tenderness that it immediately calmed you down. Its exactly what you needed.

"Oh, Erwin, hey," You said as you crossed your arms in front of you, hugging yourself. You smiled at him gratefully, happy to have him with you and to bring you out of your trance. Erwin stood next to you and chuckled at how jumpy you were just now. "I tried to call you a couple times and you didn't answer. Sorry if I startled you," He said, using his hand to rub it up and down your back comfortingly, and it honestly really soothed you. You've been far too tense and Erwin was really helping.

But as Erwin did those up and down motions on your back and his hand settled on your shoulder, there were a couple of sharp steel eyes from afar with the rest of the guests who couldn't help but narrow his eyes with focus at what he took notice of.

It didn't get past Levi at all, and its not like Erwin was trying to hide it or anything, but Levi's eyes started darting back and forth between you and Erwin with suspicion. Why is that interaction catching his attention so much? Did he care that much?

Back with you and Erwin, you smiled at the blond and shook your head. "No, it's fine. I guess I needed that. I've been really out of it," You said, even if it was a major understatement. You haven't felt in control of yourself for days. Erwin nodded and kept his focus on you, taking in your words as best as he could. "Yeah, I could tell. But don't worry, we're all still trying to process it," He reassured, and you nodded in agreement. Everyone has just been off today, at least most people, and it's really hard to feel like things will go back to normal any time soon.

Seeing that you were still looking at Grisha's picture, solemnly and with nostalgia in your eyes, Erwin turned his attention away from you and towards the picture as well. The two of you stood in silence together, not knowing what to talk about next, but then, it suddenly came to you the more you took in the ambiance of this memorial.

This place was just full of reporters, cameras, and flashes. "Grisha hated taking pictures. Do you remember him saying that they never did him justice?" You asked with a pained chuckle as you crossed your arms over yourself a little tighter. Grisha used to trust you with taking his pictures because he knew you'd capture his essence, but with all of these reporters trying to capture him correctly, you knew they'd never capture the substance behind it. It wouldn't be genuine.

Erwin listened to your words and pulled his hand away from your shoulders so he could lightly gesture to Grisha's memorial picture. "He looks great in this one, though. Doesn't he?" He said, trying to see the bright side of what you were talking about, but he saw your eyes fell just a little as you continued to look at the picture.

You lightly shook your head and let out a small huff. "But they captured him in a way that's nothing like him. That smile on his face doesn't look as genuine as you and I have seen it hundreds of times before. It's not real," You said, and Erwin couldn't help but agree with you there. He had seen Grisha many times show the genuine and happy side of him that could easily replace the picture in front of the two of you.

"Funeral portraits are always meant to reflect how the bereaved want to remember those they lost. I guess its the picture the rest of the family chose to portray him," Erwin said, and you nodded in agreement. The person who picked it probably doesn't know that Grisha would much rather be shown in a different light. You turned your head to look around the party briefly and to see guests mingling, speaking to each other, making conversation, eating, drinking. It didn't feel real.

"Erwin," You started, and Erwin turned his head to look at you expectantly, waiting for what you'd say next. He could visibly see the hesitance in your eyes. "Has this felt...real to you at all? It all feels like it's some big joke and that Grisha will come out here any second now, having played a cruel, yet, very on brand joke on all of us," you chuckled bitterly as you realized that you still haven't truly accepted that he wasn't here, and your mind was fabricating the possibility that he wasn't truly gone. But he was. He really was, and you should let go of that shred of hope.

Erwin laughed lightly too as he nodded and turned his attention back to Grisha's picture. "That does sound a lot like him. Didn't he already do it to you once?" Erwin pointed out and you smiled when you realized that was just a couple days ago when that happened.

When you thought that you wouldn't lose him for a long time and that he still had years ahead of him. "Yeah, he did. We ended up laughing about it in the end. After I stopped being annoyed at him," You said, earning another chuckle from Erwin. You still remember how worried sick you were for Grisha after he sent you that text. But somehow you'd gotten past it and saw the intention behind it.

You stayed silent, continuing to hear Erwin speak, keeping your eyes held on Grisha's picture from afar. "He was such an eccentric and unpredictable person. I never knew what he was thinking. Bet you did, though," He said trying to joke, nudging you slightly on your side, knowing how joined at the hip you and Grisha were. But it only earned him a small glum smile from you, noticing your demeanor was starting to change again. Erwin quickly cleared his throat and decided to go with another route.

"I just thought that because of all of the opportunities in life that he gave us to be where we are right now, because of how much he tried to become a better role model for all of us...that his last moments would be just as special," He said, and you nodded in agreement, starting to feel your throat close up a little and heat gather behind your eyes once again, but you refused to let yourself cry again.

You were just having a conversation with Erwin and you didn't want to tarnish it. You completely agreed with his words. Grisha deserved a much more dignified way to go. He died alone, scared, panicked. He didn't deserve that. He was healthy, you don't get it.

Though, his next words were really testing your ability to keep it together. Its what you really couldn't wrap your head around. "I can't believe we lost him like that. To a heart attack of all things. Especially after his checkup having gone so well," Erwin pointed out and you felt yourself inhale sharply as he said that, looking down to ground for a second as you remembered that the death was said to be caused by a heart attack, but you didn't believe it for a second.

The doctor's said he was okay just days before, and it was just so hard to believe. You took a deep breath, looked up and blinked away stray tear build-up in your eye as you turned to Erwin. You desperately wanted to change the subject already. You wanted to focus on something else for a bit. Something to take your mind off of this for a while.

You swallowed and turned to look at Erwin, wanting to ask him something that you've had in mind for a bit. "By the way, did you just get here? You didn't come back here with us after the funeral," You asked as you turned to look at him. Hearing what you asked, a look of recognition crossed his face and turned his body to face you.

"Oh, yeah. Grisha apparently ordered for there to be an audit team to be formed before he passed away," He said, but your face twisted in confusion as you looked really taken aback by that revelation.

"It was put on hold but it resumed after he died, so I had to take care of some paperwork before coming here," Erwin concluded, and it took you a couple seconds to process what Erwin just said. Why would Grisha need an audit for? That came out of nowhere. He never told you anything about that.

"An audit team?" You questioned, and Erwin nodded at you, looking just as surprised as you were, knowing you had no idea about this. Usually Grisha always told you and kept you updated on what happened at the company, or anything about him, really. "Wait, who put it on hold?" You asked, and Erwin suddenly remembered that it wasn't too long ago that the process had been halted altogether, until now. "The board passed an emergency motion to pause it. I'm surprised you didn't know about it. I thought you'd been one of the first to know," Erwin said, and that alone left you at a loss. Why wouldn't Grisha tell you about that? Seems pretty important.

But just as you were beginning to get deep in thought, you and Erwin turned your heads when you heard footsteps approaching the two of you, followed by a familiar voice. Karina walked up to stand next to Erwin and you fought the urge to roll your eyes. "I think it's ridiculous that that they're doing at audit now of all times," Karina said, making you and Erwin exchange silent glances, wondering if she had been hearing your conversation from afar and decided to chime in.

You looked over to Karina and saw that she was looking back and seeing all the businessmen and associates of Grisha's that were invited to the memorial. Karina looked so bitter, and she wasn't even trying to hide it from you and Erwin.

"Look over there," Karina said as she gestured with her head over to the crowd of businessmen around Grisha around Zeke, and they looked like they were all having a pretty engaging conversation. Your eyes narrowed, either Zeke was hiding it very well and could hide his emotions about his father dying expertly or he already moved on and was taking this chance in the memorial to talk to all the closest people his own father was close to. He looked pretty happy and unbothered from the looks of it.

You couldn't tell which it was, or if it was neither of those options, but Karina just confirmed it. All that about Zeke 'turning a new leaf' didn't seem as credible as you thought. "All of Grisha's business partners are sucking up to Zeke. It's annoying," Karina mumbled, making Erwin turn his head to look back at what Karina was talking about, and then he turned his head back to look at you, giving you an expression that asked 'Are you seeing what i'm seeing?' and you nodded, looking not at all surprised.

"Him being the eldest son means nothing. Grisha never liked him anyway, so why's Zeke getting all the attention?" Karina said, practically talking to herself because you and Erwin remained quiet, giving each other brief and wide-eyed glances whenever she opened her mouth and decides to go off on tangents like that. Just when you two thought she'd gone silent, she spoke up again and you held back a sigh.

"Do you two remember when Grisha turned him in to the police for drunk driving? He never let Zeke forget it," Karina recalled, and you closed your eyes as you let out a soft exhale and Erwin shifted uncomfortably. Is there anything else to talk about?

This wasn't a moment to rehash old mistakes like that, but it would make sense if Zeke felt so hurt, neglected and resentful about every unforgivable mistake Grisha made him redeem himself for, like the drunk driving issue, that he might feel a little differently about this memorial, even if it was his own father who passed away. But then again, that might not the case at all.

Zeke may be really good at just being able to conceal his true feelings about his past and his relationship with Grisha. Maybe he's not as resentful as you thought he was. Maybe he is. You'll never know. You knew that even with all of the mistakes Zeke did, Grisha made him pay for all of them because he cared and wanted him to learn and start to act accordingly. That's the only reason you knew as to why Grisha turned him in to the cops.

As Karina spoke, since Levi was nearby, he didn't mean to eavesdrop but he was close in proximity to you, and by proxy, close enough to hear what Karina was saying. He was slowly starting to see the twisted side of your family that you'd mentioned to him before. Especially with that woman.

"I have a pretty good feeling that if Grisha was here...he wouldn't have done anything differently," Karina said, and you briefly looked at her. You wouldn't quite put it like that. There's tons of things Grisha thought that he wished he could've gone back in time for to fix them, but also a lot of his decisions that he wouldn't go back for and would leave them as they are. It's definitely a statement that you'd describe as two sides of a coin. Its complicated.

"Erwin! Come join us," Zeke suddenly called from afar, making all three of your heads turned to see that Zeke was gesturing over for Erwin to join him. No wanting to leave you alone just yet, Erwin turned his head to look back at you with a hesitant look on his face, silently asking if you'd be okay if he left for a bit. You simply smiled and nodded, gesturing lightly with your head over to Zeke. Erwin took in a deep breath, released it, and with reluctance, he walked away, heading straight towards Zeke.

That left you alone with Karina. Knowing her, she'd try to make conversation with you and it would end in a dispute, like it always did, and you wanted to avoid that. You kept your arms to yourself, keeping them crossed over your body as you kept your gaze forward, keeping as much distance from her as you could.

And Levi noticed your clear body language from afar, seeing how separated you were from Karina in the first place, so in the back of his mind, he made a mental note to keep an eye out for you whenever you were around her. But if you knew what Levi was thinking about in that moment, you'd tell him that Karina was all bark and no bite. Not a real threat. She could just be a real nuisance sometimes, and that article incident proved it.

Though, no matter how much you tried to keep to yourself, it didn't stop Karina from wanting to get under your skin, as usual. She enjoyed poking at you, testing your patience over and over. And on top of that, just by the way she was walking, you knew she was very drunk. This would be interesting. "Hey, y/n. Can we talk?" She said as she took closer steps towards you, but you let out a small breath as you briefly closed your eyes, then opened them up and turned your head to look at her.

"You know, I'd rather not," You said as you looked at her dead in the eye, but as usual, she wanted to act all unbothered and calm, with a voice that was like a honeyed trap but you knew there was a permanent storm brewing inside her that makes her the petty woman that she is. You refused to fall for it. Reiner was here somewhere, and you just hoped that he would eventually listen to what his mother says on the daily.

"Ooh! As feisty as ever, aren't you?" She quipped with a smirk, clearly enjoying the tension she was building up all on her own and you rolled your eyes, taking a deep breath not turning for a second to look at her. If she's trying to get under your skin, she's definitely accomplishing her goal, but you wouldn't let her try to pick an argument now of all times. None of that was stopping her from pushing your buttons.

"Okay, what do you want? I know you're not here to make small talk," You said firmly as you turned your head to look at her, and saw how she put her hand on her chest and feigned an offended gasp, or at least what you thought was a feigned gasp. You could never tell with her, even if she was such an open book all the time.

Karian put a hand over her heart in mock offense, with her laugh being too loud to be sincered. "Don't get all worked up. I just wanted to talk about this...special bond you have with Erwin. Camaraderie between outsiders, isn't it?" Karina said, using that tone that was laced with that same venomous intent of trying to remind you that you weren't part of the family.

You know she's saying that because she's pointing out the fact that neither you or Erwin are part of it by blood but just from the fact that Grisha considered you both just as part of the family as everybody else, and she always opposed him. She respected Erwin a lot more than you, though.

But Karina's words only reaffirms your thoughts. You were just an outsider to her, to the others, or at least most of them, not all. No matter how much Grisha had tried to remind you that you were one of them, you'd never be anything but a walking reminder that you weren't. It was a painful reminder no matter who it came from.

"We've known each other since we were kids. We studied abroad together when we were students. We go years back, this isn't news to you," You said to Karina, with your voice steady, yet cold, unaware of the fact that Levi was nearby, listening to this. He assumes that Erwin is the same guy as before with the hand on your back.

He took a note of that in his mind. He wasn't sure why he needed to remember it, but he didn't question it. His eyes narrowed slightly at the way you mentioned Erwin, the way your voice softened when you spoke about him. Something about it made Levi pause, and think. He wasn't sure why it unsettled him. Maybe it meant something. Maybe not.

But, Karina didn't seem to care whatsoever about the history you have with Erwin, because there's clearly something else in mind, another point she was trying to get to. She wasn't interested in the past, and there was another goal she had in mind. It wasn't going to be pretty. She didn't need to hear about how you became so close with him, and there's only one thing she wanted you to keep in mind. "Don't delude yourself like that, y/n" She said, her voice becoming sharper than before.

Your head whipped to look at her with indignation. "Excuse me?" You said, raising en eyebrow in confusion and irritation bubbling together. You felt the tension in your body return, but you fought to keep yourself in control. "Oh, come on. You know what I'm talking about. Erwin may not be blood-related, and he does have a different background than the rest of the family, just like you, but you two are not the same," She said, and you fully turned to look at her as you felt yourself finding it harder and harder to keep your cool and your emotions in check. She was infuriating.

"What do you mean by that?" You asked, voice low and sharp, not wanting her to dance anymore around what she actually wanted to say. She simply shrugged and took another sip of her champagne, that was clearly influencing her behavior right now.

"Well, his family has close ties with ours. But you? Your background is just a little more...I don't want to say indecent, but-" She started, scoffing and waving around a dismissive hand in your face but you decided that you already heard enough.

"What's indecent..." You interrupted, as your voice became cold and biting all the while you looked at her dead in the eye. "...Is the way you think. Did you come all the way over here just to talk to me and about my family like that? Are you really stooping that low?" You asked her, hoping she'd come back to her senses.

She could insult you all she wanted, but once she stepped into the topic of your parents and your family, she'd crossed a line. The venomous amusement in her eyes made your blood boil.

Karina's eyes flickered towards you, but she didn't flinch by the way you were staring down at her. But instead, she chuckled and hummed tauntingly. "And you still have the nerve to talk back to me? Face it, Y/n. Grisha isn't here to take your side anymore. No one is," She said as her voice dropped and became taunting. Your gaze wavered slightly and it weakened a bit from her words, but you steadied yourself again.

Her words hit you a lot harder than they should've, like a slap in the face, confirming the thoughts you've been having. All the anger you'd been holding surged forward.

You felt your fists clench at your sides, but you swallowed down your fury that was growing deep inside you. Instead, you silently stepped forward, and your voice switched to becoming a low and menacing whisper. "You know, you should lay off the alcohol. Unless you want to end up making a bigger fool of yourself. You're clearly drunk, Karina, and you're about to show everyone here," You warned her, but she gave you a hollow, half-laugh. Even she was starting to realize how ridiculous she sounded.

"I can't get through funerals without it," Karina muttered, clearing slurring her words and they didn't have the usual bite that she thought she did. It was embarrassing to see a grown woman like her act like this. "Then maybe it's time you look inward, hm?" You shot back at her, with your voice low but lethal.

"You think not being able to get through one event without alcohol is your worst problem right now? Not even the family member we all just lost? That's not your biggest problem right now? All you want is to get it over with. You're drinking yourself through it and it's pathetic," You said, watching her every movement as you tried to put her in her place.

"You come here to pick a fight with me because your life is so damn boring and empty. I've endured far worse things in my life, and I did it sober. I think you'll live. Why can't you say the same?" You said to her face, not wanting this to become a competition of 'who's had it worse' because that's not what this is about, but you wanted her to realize why she was here in the first place. You were saving her ass right now from leaving her to wander alone and let her drunk state ruin everybody else's mood.

Karina narrowed her eyes dangerously at you, not having anything to say back to you, because for a moment, she was quiet. You thought that was more worrying than her actually saying something. But then, her lips curled into a sadistic smile, and your eyes widened a fraction. "I think I finally understand," She said, and your eyebrows furrowed in confusion. What was she talking about now? "Understand what?" You asked, preparing yourself for whatever verbal attack she had in store for you.

But you could have never braced yourself for what she said next. "Grisha was always so mean and heartless. I guess that's why the two of you got along," She said, words cold as ice, walking away and leaving you to process her words alone.

Your breath got caught up in your throat, feeling like her words hit you like a sucker punch. You'd expected her usual shallow insults, but she twisted Grisha's words into something so cruel that it left a cold, empty feeling deep in your chest as you watched her walk away.

You wanted to lash out, scream at her, tell her how wrong she was, and how insulting her words were, but you were sure she already knew that and this was a public setting. You'd be doing exactly what you'd be trying to stop her from doing. You needed to be the bigger person.

But even so, as the conversations of others became muffled and faded into the background, the only thing you were left with was the sting of her words. Not to mention her words were probably still filled with pettiness after you forced her take down that harmful article that almost destroyed your company's worth.

You stared at Karina as she walked away, with her back turned to you and not giving you a second glance. The silence after that felt suffocating and you hated that you were still the one who ended up hurt even after trying to defend Grisha's honor, and your own. Her words were so cruel and dismissive and it reminds you of the regular question you ask yourself. Why bother trying? As her footsteps faded, all you could feel was the weight of her judgement and the crushing loneliness that came with it.

You stood there with your fists clenched at your sides as your breaths started to come faster while you tried to hold it together. The heat behind your eyes started to build, and you instinctively tried to blink them away, not wanting anybody to see you like this.

But the pressure of the unshed tears wanting to fall was threatening to break through any second now. You bit the inside of your cheek hard, hoping the sting would ground you, not wanting her or anybody to see how much her words had cut you. You would never give her the satisfaction. Especially not now.

Levi had also been watching the interaction from afar, and even if he couldn't hear most of it, by the way you're reacting once she walked away, Levi's eyes narrowed on Karina's figure as she walked away briskly while you looked like you'd gone back to square one.

He tilted his head slightly, watching from afar, knowing he didn't need to hear every word to understand the weight behind what he was witnessing. Karina's stance, her venomous tone. There was no doubt that there was more to this than what he was seeing from where he was standing. Your silence after spoke volumes to Levi.

It's clear to him that the words being told to you were deeper than what was being let on, and he realized there was truly something toxic about this family that keeps you on edge. Why should Karina continue having this kind of power over you? Why couldn't the others see what he was seeing and notice how much it was hurting you?

Just how deeply did this go? The way Karina flung insults at you like that, the way you froze. It wasn't just about Grisha being gone, but about your 'family members' taking the chance to remind you how they really felt about you, with years of resentment and wounds that never healed, and that nobody would be around to stop them now.

Levi had witnessed all of it, and he already had an idea of what happened. His eyes went back to looking at you, seeing how tense and stiff you'd become with your fists at your sides and your head hanging low. He wanted this to be over already, and not because of him, but because of you.

You were taking too many hits from the people you were supposed to come together with and the opposite was happening. You weren't just dealing with Karina's taunts but years of bitterness.

God, this was so hard. How did he know what was over stepping and what wasn't? Seeing you like this stirred something inside Levi. A sense of protection, and not just because he was your bodyguard. He knows that sometimes, stepping in wasn't the right thing to do, and he had his own battles to fight, even if he was on the job now.

You didn't need him to swoop in and fix things, because Levi believes how strong you really are. He was sitting this one out, even if it didn't sit right with him. He was trying to find the perfect moment in which he felt it would be the right time to approach you. He just...didn't want to cause you more harm than good. He wanted to be absolutely sure.

Though, as he felt his jaw tightened while watching you stand there, trying to hold it together, he continued to wonder if this was one of those times you did need help? What if he was wrong and didn't help in letting the wound heal? He didn't know the rules of this quite yet or where he should or shouldn't step in, but he's trying to get the hang of it.

Still, he couldn't deny how crazy he was driving himself over what was right and wrong. He knew he needed to get it together, and fast. For you. After everything he did for you that night, he knew he needed to know exactly what he needed to do. He'd promised his commitment and loyalty to you, didn't he?

Meanwhile, across the party, Erwin had joined Zeke and was now facing a group of executives that he's only heard about briefly because they were very close to Grisha in terms of business and are also high value partners, loyal to Eldia Group. For the most part since Erwin arrived at this small gathering, he stayed quiet and observed how these men kept buttering up Zeke, and even hearing the possibility of striking up new business deals between them.

They know that Zeke is Grisha's Eldest son, and that he's the CEO of a branch in the conglomerate as well. But what was shocking to Erwin, was never having heard a single condolence or mention of Grisha.

It was all business and Erwin decided to remain quiet as he continued to take it all in, not sure if he wanted to get involved in this. He's known Zeke to be arrogant, that much is true, but is Grisha's own son using his father's death to push himself into a position of power before anything is confirmed at all? Was it a stepping zone for Zeke's ambition?

"We've all heard great things from you Chairman Jaeger," One of the executives said to Zeke, earning nods from the others. Zeke simply gave them a bashful and humble smile, that to Erwin looked completely fabricated. Why did they just assume that Zeke was going to become the new chairman?

Grisha's will hasn't been announced yet and it seems like Zeke is flaunting it and accepting compliments when he hasn't even heard of his father's inheritance. Erwin doubts Zeke will be elected, considering that he knows that after how untrustworthy Zeke has proven himself to be to his own father. He has a feeling that Grisha wouldn't entrust his entire company to his eldest son just because he's the oldest. Zeke was obviously loving the idea of having the reigns be handed to him.

"It's far too early to call me that, It's not certain," Zeke laughed lightly as he raised a hand and waved off the idea dismissively, but just from that, Erwin could tell that Zeke was already expecting to be chosen, and he's practically saying that he doesn't want to be called that. Yet. Because he's already predetermined in his head that he'll be the next chairman of Eldia Group, and he was clearly loving the attention he's getting from it.

And it didn't end there, because after that, those businessmen turned to Yelena who had been standing next to Zeke that entire time and started congratulating her, for being Zeke's right hand, which automatically meant that she would also be going up in status and respect along with Zeke if he does end up being elected chairman.

All because she's associated with him the way that she is. Erwin watched her do the same thing; deny the congratulatory remarks towards her and insist it's not certain. It set off a suspicious and unusual feeling inside of Erwin that he couldn't shake off. Something wasn't right.

Erwin also couldn't ignore the fact that in the corner of his eye, he could see Floch standing off to the side across the party, all on his own, watching the interaction Zeke was having with the executives. Was he imagining it or was there a smirk on his face? He couldn't tell, he was too far away. The whole vibes in this memorial were weird, and in a way that made him wonder what the true intent behind this event was.

And he wasn't the only one who noticed it. Where you were, you were starting to catch on too. After a series of deep breaths and trying to remain as calm as possible before you spoke with anyone else in this event, you finally felt at ease again and tried to tell yourself over and over that Karina was just drunk.

Even if she meant it, her words should have no effect over you, especially when she's as bitter and petty as she is. For the sake of honoring Grisha the way he deserves.

Which, speaking of, made you take notice of something else. You were keeping your back to everybody else as you leaned against one of those tall, and smaller tables scattered around the memorial, because you wanted to get ahold of yourself first so nobody would ask any questions if they saw how out of sorts you were.

But then, you jumped in place when you heard the sound of children screaming and laughing, followed by the sound of splashing and gasps and shocked murmuring from guests.

You turned your head back to see that the ones who caused it were no other than Falco and Gabi. Everyone's attention was on them since they'd opened a bottle of soda too quickly and it splashed on them, causing guests to scream, so you watched as the two of them began to run around once they saw that their parents and Karina were the ones chasing them, laughing while the guests started to murmur in surprise amongst each other.

Gabi was the one holding the bottle as her and Falco ran around the place and headed towards the exit of the backyard and led back to the house, and it was the tip of the iceberg when it was their parents, along with Karina, the ones who began to chase them around. "Falco! Gabi!" Karina yelled out, clearly very irritated and annoyed that she and the other two sets of parents had to chase after them.

Karina and the other parents chased after the kids, their faces flushed with frustration as they apologized to every guest they passed. Karina, in particular, seemed desperate to smooth over the chaos the children had caused. It was almost comical to you considering she'd been so quick to tear you down earlier, and now she's the one putting on a show for the rest of the guests. But as soon as her, Gabi, and Falco's racket had faded out, suddenly everything else became very apparent to you and clearer than ever. Your eyes began to scan the crowd.

Everybody was laughing, looking like they were having the time of their lives and that little outburst from the kids seemed to be what they needed to forget what they were really here for. For a moment, that very laughter felt genuine, a sharp contrast to the rehearsed politeness that had defined this memorial. That chaos was fleeting now.

It's what they all needed to liven up this memorial, but did it need to liven up? Were they all here to have fun? To take advantage of the guests present to make new business deals and new contacts? For personal gain? The world began to slow down for you the moment you began to analyze everybody around you. The laughter felt far too loud.

The sounds around you began to become muffled as every sensation in your body began to amplify once you started to realize what was happening. People were laughing, having a good time, drinking, almost as if the reason they were here in the first place began to slip their minds. Or maybe it didn't and this is exactly how they saw this memorial as. A party.

This memorial wasn't for them to mourn Grisha. To them, it was just another opportunity to rejoice the fact that they can get ahead in their lives. They didn't care about Grisha. Just the fact that Erwin had witnessed Grisha's closest associates were already turning to Zeke to take the position of chairman so soon after he died just says it all. This is a farce. It was opportunistic behavior and you didn't know why you were surprised at all.

You weren't the only one who noticed, because just like you and Erwin did, Levi analyzed the situation around him just like you'd been doing, and he didn't need to know any of these people to know that this wasn't a memorial. This was a party. They're all more twisted than he thought, and for a second Levi thought that was supposed to be his job, wasn't it?

He was starting to understand more and more why you distance yourself from this part of your life. Witnessing the purpose of this memorial be tarnished was all the proof he needed to know that most people here were present to do everything but mourn.

His eyes flickered to you for a moment, noticing the tightness of your posture and your shoulders. The way you were standing, so closed off and as if your mind was going a thousand miles per minute, he knew that this memorial had gone far past it being about Grisha's passing. It was something far deeper at stake that no one else seems to care about.

Your chest had tightened with every forced laugh, every casual conversation around her. It felt like walls were closing in on you even if you were outside. Your vision began to blur and you knew you needed to escape.

Erwin had also started to look around and his eyebrows furrowed when the same exact realization came to him. Eren, Mikasa, and Armin had kept to themselves this entire memorial, but they also didn't fail to notice that the moment an opportunity of chaos arose, nearly almost all guests here flipped a switch. It gave them the opportunity they were looking for. Hange, your employee's; Connie, Sasha, Jean. They all noticed it.

Once the realization came crashing down, you realized one thing; you needed to get out of here. Everything was pressing on you, the laughter, the conversations, the subtle tension in the air. You couldn't take it anymore. You needed to go somewhere far. Somewhere quiet, anywhere that you could breathe properly.

You needed a break. You needed to gather yourself, you needed to hear yourself think. This was all far too much. Your breathing got so ragged and short and you put a hand over your chest, and got your feet to move. You didn't know where you'd go, but any place was better than here.

You turned on your heel and started walking away, and Levi immediately took notice. If he was wondering before when it would be a good time to intervene, it was now. Levi didn't waste a second to start following after you, knowing that now, more than ever, it was time to intervene before all of the hits you'd been taking exploded on you.

As you walked, thinking of only one place where you could possibly go and with Levi following after you, there was a pair of baby blue eyes who noticed you walking off in clear distress and who was about to follow after you, to comfort you and be there for you.

But then stopped himself when he saw your bodyguard beat him to it, making him stay right where he was as his eyes followed you until you were out of sight. You also didn't notice a certain security guard standing nearby, that had been watching you the entire time since the memorial started, yet, always staying close enough.

You had too much in your head to look at anybody else or be aware of your surroundings, so you walked past him and walked out of the area of the backyard, oblivious to the fact that he was exactly the person you'd hired a bodyguard to protect you from. His eyes locked on you, but walked past you and remained in the shadows.

You were surrounded by threats in this memorial, and you didn't even know it.

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Hi! This is my first update in 2025 and it feels surreal to me- I can't wait to continue this book in the next few months! This chapter is just a small preparation for the chaos that's coming in the next chapter and Im so excited!

This is a really intense part of the book and things are going to unravel lmao. I hope you guys are enjoying the book so far and there's so much more coming! I can't wait for you guys to see it! <3

But, anyway, I'll see you guys on Sunday! Im hoping to do double updates this week because of the fact that I want these chapters to be close together since there's so much going on in these upcoming parts of the book and I don't want too much time to pass in between! Either way, I love you all so much, and thank you for reading! See you next time! :,) XO

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