It's not over yet

"Tristin, dinner is ready!" Grandma shouted upstairs.

Hearing his grandma's voice, Tristin came down wearing shorts and a vest, looking like he's at the beach.

"Why did you dress so casually? Did you forget we have a guest in the house?" Grandma asked, her eyes narrowed.

"Sorry, Grandma, but after wearing a school uniform all day, I feel more comfortable like this," he said as he took a seat at the dining table.

"He's right, Grandma, school uniforms does feel a bit heavy sometimes," Buhle jumped in.

Grandma eased a bit after hearing Buhle's words.

"You guys have outdone yourselves," Tristin said, looking at the table filled with food. "Roasted chicken, rice, sweet potatoes, green salad, and a few other dishes. How are we going to finish all this?"

"Buhle did all that for you. I was mainly washing and peeling. Isn't she the best? Go on, have a taste," Grandma said, her eyes glowing.

"Huh, did all that for me?" Tristin raised his left eyebrow.

"Yeah, she wanted to showcase her craftsmanship to you," Grandma insisted.

"Cooking for a stranger, isn't that a bit much?" Tristin said, shaking his head.

"Grandma, I didn't just cook for him. I cooked for all of us," Buhle said with a frown. "This guy is really stubborn. How will I get to him?" she thought.

"Alright, alright, let's eat," Grandma said, gesturing for everyone to dig in.

"So, Buhle, which part of Bongsburg are you from?" Tristin asked as he started to eat.

"Actually, I'm not from Bongsburg. I just came here yesterday. I'll be starting at the University of Bongsburg next semester," she said, looking Tristin in the eyes since she sat across from him. "I can't lie to him; it will be easy for him to get all the info about me" she thought.

"You sure came early, huh? The next semester starts in about four weeks," Tristin commented.

"Yeah, I like to get a clear understanding of the city and get to know the people before I start at the university," Buhle stated.

"So you say, but there's more to it, right?" Tristin said, looking at Buhle while holding a chicken drumstick.

"What do you mean?" Buhle asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Tristin, Buhle has been nothing but a darling, and you've been bombarding her with questions. Why are you so suspicious of her?" Grandma asked, hitting the table with her hand.

"Why wouldn't I be suspicious of her? After all, her father is the president of the Ntuli Group, the biggest corporation in Goli, but she's here playing maid for an old woman and a teenage boy," Tristin said, his eyes fixed on Buhle.

"Tristin, why are you being like this?" Grandma asked, sobbing, tears about to fall from her eyes. "Buhle has already told me about her father. I know it's been hard for you these past few months, and a lot of people have broken your trust, but there are still a few good people out there. Buhle is one of them." Her eyes filled with tears.

"Don't cry, Grandma," Buhle said, standing up to comfort Tristin's grandma, gently rubbing her back. "Tristin is right to be cautious. He is also trying to protect you. Don't blame him." She gently hugged her. "He sure does move fast; he has already investigated me yet still asked questions" she thought.

Tristin watched as she comforted his grandma. "This girl laid out her information to Grandma, thus winning her trust. I guess I have to play along for now." he thought. "I'm sorry, Grandma. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Buhle is our guest, and I'll treat her like one from now on."

"You… you promise you'll be nice to her? She doesn't have anyone in this city, Tristin, and I also like her," Grandma said, sobbing a bit.

"I promise, Grandma. Don't cry. Let's eat. The food is really great," Tristin said, looking at Buhle with a smile. "Well, she already has Grandma wrapped around her finger." he thought.

As the three began to enjoy their dinner, Thomas's father was fuming in anger.

At the Ngobeni residence, a tall man about 1.92 meters with broad shoulders and a forehead marked with many parallel lines stood holding a glass of whisky in his right hand. He wore a black tuxedo, his voice calm yet deep.

"Lerato, are you trying to destroy this family?" he asked.

"No, Uncle, I have no intentions of destroying the family," Lerato said, her eyes fixed on the man before her.

"Sipho has told me everything that happened at school today. Why would you side with your cousin's enemy?" he asked again with the same tone, his eyes narrowed, the lines on his forehead fading a bit.

"Thomas's enemies are his and his alone…" Before Lerato could finish, the door burst open. A middle-aged woman about 44 with heavy makeup rushed in, wearing a crimson dress that showed her figure and curves. She had maintained herself well.

"Oh, my poor son, who did this to you?" she cried, holding Thomas, who was sleeping on a queen-size bed with blankets printed "Ngobeni" in italic gold fonts. The room was even better than a five-star hotel room.

Seeing Thomas fast asleep, she shook him a bit, but he didn't wake up. She looked at the man who was talking to Lerato. "Themba, who did this to our only son? How can you let someone do this to him? I want that person brought to me right now. I don't care who he is; he needs to pay," she said, screaming, pointing her slim finger at her husband, Themba, the head of the Ngobeni family.

After nearly dying from giving birth to Thomas, she and her husband decided not to have other kids. As a result, she had been spoiling Thomas too much since he was the only child she would ever have.

"Phumzile, calm down. Thomas will be fine. Grandma Mnisi has already healed his injuries; he's just resting now," Themba said, placing his left hand on her shoulder.

"Thomas is all I have. You need to find the bastard who did this to him. He must pay with his life," she sobbed, looking at Themba with teary eyes.

"Don't worry, dear. I wouldn't let him go even if the sky turns red," Themba said as he gently wiped the tears from her face.

"Uncle, you can't hurt Tristin. It was a duel issued by Thomas himself. You can't blame others for his weakness," Lerato said, stomping her feet, folding her arms, and narrowing her eyes.

"What did you say…?" Phumzile gave a loud slap to Lerato. With her martial arts skills, Lerato was aware of the coming slap but decided not to dodge or use her qi energy to repel it.

Seeing this, Themba was shocked. As a man who had opened the sixth qi channel meridian Chiao, Themba knew that Lerato could easily dodge or defend against that slap.

"This is the last and only slap you will get. Next time, I'll forget the family relationship," Lerato warned, her narrowed eyes fixed on Phumzile before she left the room.

"Are you going to let her talk to me like that? Aren't you the head of the family?" Phumzile asked Themba.

"Don't worry, I'll talk to her father about this," Themba reassured.

"Who did this to you, Lerato?" a man younger than Themba, about 42 and bearing a resemblance to Themba but looking a bit younger, bumped into Lerato in the corridor and saw the five-finger print on her cheek.

"It's nothing, Dad. Don't worry about it," she said, passing him and going to her room.

Seeing the anger in his daughter, Lerato's father pushed the door to Thomas's room open hard and entered. "Big brother, did you lay your hands on my daughter without my permission?" he asked, looking at Themba with narrowed eyes.

"No, Josh, I didn't. But you need to understand, your daughter is out of control. Her boyfriend injured Thomas so badly and took his car as he trashed the Ngobeni name in public. Yet your daughter still sided with him against Thomas," Themba said, looking into Josh's eyes.

"Lerato has a boyfriend?" Josh asked, frowning.

"Yes, and since you spend most of your time training, you haven't paid attention to her. From what I heard, her boyfriend is a lowborn orphan who just transferred to St. Ntuli High School," Themba said, repeating everything that Sipho had told him.

"Are you saying that lowborn orphan is stronger than Thomas? As long as he is strong, I don't mind," Josh said, looking at Thomas, who was sleeping peacefully on his bed.

As a cultivation-obsessed man, Josh only respected the strong, regardless of their background.

"This is not over, Josh. I have already talked to Raymond and asked him to send his guys to teach Lerato's boyfriend a lesson tomorrow. No one dares mess with my son and get away with it. And also, since Thomas doesn't have a car, Lerato won't be allowed to drive either," Themba said, pointing his finger at Josh.

"Are you trying to punish my daughter for your son's weakness?" Josh asked with a frown.

Themba frowned a bit. "Thomas is good at almost everything, but his talent for martial arts is worse than Lerato's," he thought. "If Lerato were a man, she would be the best candidate to be the next head of the family."

"No, why do you think Thomas had to fight that guy? It all started with Lerato, so she also needs to be punished for siding with the enemy," Themba replied.

"As the head of the family, you do what you have to do for the sake of the family. But as a father, if your gang of crooks harms my daughter, I won't let you go. And that goes for your wife too," Josh said as he left the room.