In one of the rooms on the second floor, Esther, Garima, Rima, Maria, Gene, Ellie, Nyra, and Noah were sitting on the bed, sofas, and chairs, wearing grim expressions on their faces as they stared at Anna and Max.
Anna was clenching the hem of her sleeves as she kept her head down, an apologetic expression apparent on her face.
Sitting beside her, Max looked calm and unbothered. Even if he was worried, he couldn't show it on his face as he was the group's backbone and moral support.
"Anna…" Esther broke the silence and called out to her. Anna, however, didn't dare to raise her head and meet her gaze.
Esther sighed and stood up from the bed and walked over to her. She then raised Anna's head with her hand, forcing her to look into her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Aunt Es—" Anna began apologizing, feeling guilty, but Esther interrupted her with a small but proud smile on her usually cold and indifferent face.
