"Dad," Thea said. "I'm fine."

A voice called, "Who's there, Benjamin?" Gladys appeared, her face darkening at the sight of Thea.

"You cursed girl," she said coldly. "Why are you here?"

"Mom," Thea replied.

"Don't call me Mom. I have no such daughter." Gladys looked disdainfully at Thea's heavily bandaged face. Gladys's kidnapping and mistreatment were Thea's fault. Luckily, Trent was dead; otherwise, the Callahans would have been ruined.

After Lex returned, he flew into a rage, stripping Thea of her position, casting her out of the family, and publicly announcing she was no longer a Callahan.

"Gladys, what are you doing?" Benjamin frowned.

"Dad may have cast her out," Gladys retorted, hands on her hips, "but she's still our daughter!"

"Who dares defy the old man's orders?" she said coldly. "Don't forget you live on Eternality's salary. Make him angry again, and you'll lose your job. Then how will you pay the mortgage?" She pointed at Thea. "Go! Leave! I have no such daughter. You're a curse, a jinx! You've disgraced your father! Look at Howard and John! Their children even own Eternality shares and live comfortably on the dividends!"

Gladys slammed the door. Tears welled in Thea's eyes, rolling down her cheeks. She knew she was a disgrace, but she hadn't expected to be barred from her home. Kneeling at the door, she begged, "Dad, Mom, I'm sorry. Please open the door"

James, heartbroken, tried to comfort her. "Thea, why don't you get up? It's their loss, not yours."

Thea remained kneeling, crying and knocking. The door opened again, and Gladys unceremoniously tossed out some suitcases. "Get lost! Leave!"

A well-dressed man in his mid-twenties appeared. "Mom," he said, "Thea's been through enough. You can't turn her away just because Grandfather stripped her of her position. James is a poor, retired soldier with no job and no money. If you don't take her in, where will she go?"

It was Thea's younger brother, David, who worked at Eternality Group but lived downtown after his marriage. He'd returned temporarily due to the family's troubles.

"Mom, please don't turn me away," Thea pleaded, tugging at Gladys's pant leg.

"Get lost!" Gladys kicked Thea away and slammed the door.

James helped Thea up. Wiping her tears, he cradled her face. "Darling, let's go to the House of Royals. My friend won't be back for a while. We can stay there for now. We'll return when Dad and Mom are feeling better."

Thea, however, remained inconsolable. She blamed herself for her family's disgrace, burying her face in James's chest and crying. "I'm useless! I'm a disgrace! I hate myself! Why did I run into the fire all those years ago? I regret it! I regret it so much!" The incident ten years ago had led to her current situation. James, feeling immense guilt, hugged her tightly, apologizing repeatedly. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."