Ch. 146..150

Chapter 146

Allison lowered her head. She had nothing to say about her father. Even her mother supported her father. She was unable to comprehend the fact that she had also turned her back on Ryan.

“Allison.” She turned to Teresa and saw her crying. “I am so sorry. I should have been with you.” Teresa said. Tears kept rolling down her cheeks. Allison smiled at Teresa sadly and hugged her.

“Don’t cry. I am happy that you are back to me. I was so alone at that time.” Saying that Allison could not stop her shuddering voice. She could not stop herself anymore. The two close friends comforted one another with hugs and tears as they sobbed together. After breaking the hug, Teresa held Allison’s hand and made her sit on the bed, then sat next to her.

“Allison, what you did was never your wish. What’s now? How will you live like this?”

Allison shook her head. “It’s been a while. Everyone has changed, including me. Currently, this is my life. There is nothing else that I can do at this time.”

“But-”

“Teresa, relax. I told you the truth because you are my best friend. Don’t tell this to others. All of this was in my past. My present and future are what I am right now.”

Teresa sat there without moving or uttering a word. It seemed as though she was in conflict with herself in some way. Then she asked, “How did you pass all those days?”

“By training.”

“So, are you ready to be this pack’s Luna?”

“What else can I do? Life never gave me the chance to let me live like I wanted. It broke my heart at first by rejection, and then when I tried to mend it, it broke me once again.”

Teresa had no words to console Allison. Where they came in was a really critical point in life.

“I think…” Teresa said but paused.

“What?” Allison asked as she turned her head to her. She saw that her head was down.

“I think he still loves you.”

Allison let out a chuckle as she rubbed the palm of her hand with her thumb. “No, I have seen hatred in his eyes. I deserve it. I am the one to blame for the animosity.”

“Don’t say that.” Teresa talked to her for a while, then she got a call from Max. “I think I should leave now.” Teresa pushed herself to her feet and stood up.

“So quickly?”

“Yeah. There is some sort of file that requires my attention right now.”

“You’ve turned into a businesswoman; not bad.” Allison remarked while chuckling to herself. “You have no idea how I am feeling at this very moment. I got my best friend back. I missed you a lot.”

“I also noticed how you were missing while making a new best friend.” Allison said and wiped her eyes.

Teresa smiled, but she paused for a moment. She gave a small shake of her head and said, “I swear. She will never be able to replace you in my heart. But it is true that she is a good friend.”

“I have nothing against her in my heart. But why did she let me last night in the club?”

“Come on. Don’t try to convince me that you were blind to what she did when you saw it. She succeeded in everything.”

“That’s normal for her. She’s obsessed with Ryan. When I first met her, I thought she was insane. But then I realized that she is not a bad girl, just obsessed with Ryan.”

Allison was silently listening. Teresa realized she was talking about another woman loving Ryan in front of Allison. Allison observed Teresa’s expression, then she gave her a faint smile and reassured her, “It’s okay, Tess. I am happy that he got someone who actually loves him. Just let me know when you will come to the pack house.”

“Now.”

“Why not today? I am not feeling like going anywhere. We’ll meet tomorrow.”

“Okay. Then see you tomorrow.” Teresa responded.

Allison went downstairs with Teresa to see her off to the door. When they headed to the door, Teresa stopped when she saw Allison’s father coming from outside.

“When did you come, Teresa?” He asked and glanced at Allison.

“Some time ago, Uncle. I am leaving now.” Teresa replied without any emotion, as she was really angry at him.

“Where are you going? I prepared a few meals especially for you.”

Teresa turned to him and declined, “I would have gladly agreed with her if she had known about the reality of the situation. However, after hearing all of the things that Allison said, I became very upset with both of you.”

“Right now, I have to leave. I am grateful that you prepared for me. Goodbye.” Teresa said to her. She eventually made her way out of Allison’s home after exchanging a brief embrace. She saw her car parked outside. She unlocked the car and got inside. She glanced at the house for the last time and then drove away in the direction of the pack house.

When she reached the pack house, she noticed that Elora had already arrived. Additionally, she was also outside.

“Where were you?” Teresa asked with a surprised look while coming out of the car. Because Elora was new here, she would lose her way if no one guided her here. So Teresa was worried for her.

Elora got out of her car, closed the door, and then threw the keys to the security guard standing nearby. “Park it for me.”

“Y-Yes, Madam.” The guard said, astonished by the woman’s rude manner.

Then Elora turned to Teresa and responded to her question, “I went to the club.”

“At this time?”

“Yeah.” Elora replied while avoiding her gaze, which confused Teresa.

“You are not allowed to act in such a manner toward my people.” Their ears were able to pick up Ethan’s voice. When Teresa turned around, she saw that Ethan was standing nearby with a few pack fighters. His words were directed at Elora. He did not like how she threw the car keys at the guard.

Elora rolled her eyes and crossed her arms before continuing, “I can do whatever I want.”

“My brother did a wonderful job of spoiling you.”

“Oh my gosh. What brought on this sudden realization that he is your brother? For what? Just because he turned out to be an Alpha with more power than you?”

“You-”

“Come on, guys. Stop arguing like new lovers and sort out the things between you, which we can’t understand. Everyone is sick of hearing you two argue with each other.” Teresa’s voice broke through the silence. Ethan was taken aback by her words. Elora also did not like it either. Therefore, she started to walk to the pack house, avoiding the other two. Teresa glanced at Ethan, and then she also went inside the pack house. However, rather than going to her own room, she walked to the very last room and knocked on the door.

“Come in.” She opened the door after getting permission.

“Alpha.” She said as she looked over at Ryan, who was seated on the couch. He was using his laptop, which was positioned on the coffee table in front of the couch, to do his work. A cigarette was gripped between his two fingers, while a bottle of wine and a half-filled glass were placed next to the laptop. He gave the door a glance before responding.

“Yeah.”

Teresa could see his mood was not okay since he was working. However, she steeled herself, summoned the fortitude, and said, “Alpha, I need to talk to you.”

“I am busy right now, Teresa. Talk to Max if you have any issues with any sub-Alphas.”

She shook her head and requested, “Alpha, it’s important. I want to talk about Allison.”

Chapter 147

The next morning, Allison went to school. Her friends kept asking her if she was okay.

“I am totally fine, guys.” She told them that she had to go a long way from the club since she went to drop Ethan off first, so she woke up late and could not come to attend the classes yesterday.

After classes, she left the school and headed to the pack house.

Once she arrived at the pack house, she saw that Alpha Neil and Ella were already on their way out.

Oh, Allison,” Ella said and went up to talk to her.

“Are you going out somewhere?” Allison questioned while taking a quick look at the vehicles.

“Yeah. Unfortunately, one of my close friends is ill. Therefore, Neil and I are going to pay her a visit.” Ella replied.

“Oh.”

Alpha Neil patted her head and smiled. “We will be back tomorrow. Take care of everything.”

“Yes.” Allison responded with a smile and nodded her head politely at

him.

Allison watched as they walked to the car and then drove away from the pack house area. Following closely behind them were cars crammed with pack fighters. She understood that Ethan had set them there for his parents’ safety. He was very concerned about them.

Allison turned around when every car left the area.

She walked to the pack house. She observed that there were only

maids working there. She made the assumption that the guests were in their rooms.

The maids slightly bowed to her, and she nodded at them.

“Where is your Alpha?” She asked one of them about Ethan.

“We have no idea. It was in the morning when he and Beta Wade left, and they had not yet returned.”

“Okay.”

Allison went upstairs and entered Ethan’s bedroom. She closed the door and walked to the closet. She reached into her closet. She looked for a dress and pulled out a long dress that was a dark maroon color.

er taking a shower and getting dressed, she exited the bedroom. ne headed in the direction where the head Alpha’s office was.

In the middle of the way, she called Ethan. But he did not receive the

call.

When she entered the office, the first thing she did was grab a few files, and then she went and sat down on the couch.

She was skilled in administrative work. So when she noticed some problems, she again called Ethan.

This time, he received the call.

“Allison?”

“Where are you?”

“I came outside for a meeting. I did not want to do that in the pack house since Ryan and his officials were there.”

“Oh.”

“You have never called me like this. Do you have something important

to say?”

“Yeah, there is a problem in management in the third folder of the Crescent Moon pack.”

“When I get back, I’ll check on that for you.”

“Okay.”

Allison cut the call without saying anything further.

She spent the whole day in the office. Due to the fact that she was spending so much time there, maids came to serve her food a few times. It was important to them that they watch out for her.

Allison highlighted another line by encircling it in a circle with a red marker pen.

She began to feel tired. So she put the files aside on the table and leaned back against the couch for two minutes.

She had a headache. She massaged her head and sat up.

“I feel like I have been putting way too much strain on my eyes today.”

After putting those files in the drawer on the desk table, she left the

office. She closed the door behind her and went downstairs.

She made her way to the kitchen, where she heard the maids.

“I can’t believe I am going to be the one to serve him tea.”

“No, I will go.”

“Shut up and pay attention to what you were doing; I will go to his room. It’s my order.” It was the chief maid who spoke out.

Allison paused and looked at the maids. They turned their heads and were stunned by looking at Allison.

“What are you talking about?” She asked.

“Young Mistress, w-we were j-just talking about A-Alpha Ryan…” The chief maid replied. She paused, cleared her throat, and began to speak again.

“He asked for a cup of black tea.”

Allison observed their faces and said coldly,

“Go and inform Madam Elora about it.”

“She is not at the pack house.”

“Not here?”

“Yeah, she and Madam Teresa went somewhere a few hours ago.

“It looks like everyone has some work today.” Allison muttered to

herself.

“Madam Teresa asked about you.”

“What did she ask?”

“She asked if you were here.”

“What did you reply?”

“I told her that you were in the office. She said Okay.”

Allison frowned. ‘I thought everything was okay between us now. Why didn’t she come to talk to me?’ She thought, then felt, ‘Perhaps she has important work outside.’

She noticed one of the maids pull the tray from another, which contained the kettle and a glass with sugar cubes. It almost spilled

the tea from the kettle.

“Where are you going?’ She asked the maid.

“To Alpha Ryan’s room.” The one who was holding the tray replied.

“Give it to me.” Allison said as she held out her hand.

The maids were shocked by what they heard. However, the maid

didn’t hesitate to hand the tray over to her.

“I will give it to him. I was going back to the office room anyway.” She said and left the kitchen.

It was already evening. She could not realize the time. Her parents would never call her since they believed she was safe in the pack

house.

She went upstairs and stopped in front of the intersection of the two corners. She turned to the left and took a deep breath before starting

to walk there.

She halted in front of the last door. She lifted her hand but hesitated

to knock on the door.

She recalled that when she woke up yesterday morning, her wounds were already healed. So she wanted to ask him if he desired to give her pain, then what was the reason behind healing her?

She knocked on the door and waited outside.

“Come in.”

She entered the room but was stunned. He was only wearing a pair of black jeans. Allison guessed that he was searching for his shirt in the closet as he looked for something.

The black moon tattoo on his upper back was visible to her eyes.

That was the moment something hit her.

“B-Black Moon? The Alpha who rules the Black Moon pack?” She mumbled to herself as she tried to match the two things. Her eyes. widened.

When she first saw the tattoo two years ago, she was unable to process the information in her head. However, everything was starting to make sense to her now.

He turned her head as if he had heard her mumbling and looked directly into her eyes with his predatory eyes.

She gulped and looked away immediately.

“W-Why are you s-shirtless?”

He frowned and said. “Keep pretending innocent as if you have never before. By the way, what are you doing in my bedroom?” His as frigid.

locked here and there to avoid his gaze. ‘I came here to give it to u.” She quickly made her way to the coffee table in order to set the tray there. However, there were already a great number of files scattered all over, taking up all of the available space.

She could feel his gaze on her. She ignored it and was about to bend down to set the file together so that she could place the tray there.

But before that, she felt a hand jerking her arm backward.

The unexpected pull startled her, and she let out a scream. However, she could not balance the tray. She noticed the tea had spilled out of the kettle and fell on a fair and hard chest.

Her eyes grew wider. She immediately put the tray on the couch before turning her attention to Ryan

“Your chest!”

Her voice was shaking as she could see the red and swollen skin like

a line instantly printed on the right side of his chest.

But Ryan did not let out a single word. As if he could not feel anything or as if this pain was nothing in front of him.

“Ryan, where is the first aid box? You need to put something on that spot to alleviate the pain.” She said while looking around to locate the first aid box in the room. She wanted to go to the bathroom to check

for it.

But he did not let go of her arm; in fact, he tightened his grip and pulled her closer to himself.

His eyes were sharp, and his gaze was so intense, which made Allison frightened.

“Why did you send your best friend to talk to me about you, huh? Do you think she is your lawyer? I am warning you. Don’t try to manipulate others. Because it won’t work on me.”

Chapter 148

Allison frowned at Ryan when she heard him.

She sent Teresa to him? When?

Allison came to the realization that her best friend had made an

attempt to solve the conflict that existed between them, which was now hopeless. She could not help but feel miserable.

‘Why did you tell those things to him, Teresa? You gave me your word that you would not tell anyone else. For the past two years, have kept all of this to myself as a secret. She thought and sighed.

“When you see you don’t have any chance now, you managed to get

her to talk to me.” Ryan said it with a cold tone.

“Stop accusing me of every single thing. I didn’t send her to you.”

“Really? Then why did she come to me?”

“I don’t know.”

Ryan scoffed at her and released her arm. “Get out.”

Allison gave him an angry look and said,

“Listen, I didn’t tell anyone to come to you and talk about me. And I will leave this room, but I want the answers to my questions. Why did you heal me the night we went to the club? You were the one

who hurt me. If you wanted to hurt me, then why did you remove my pain? How did you manage to get into my home?” Allison barraged him with a plethora of questions all at once. She paid close attention to the expressions on his face.

But he was indifferent.

“Done? Now get out.”

“I didn’t get my answer yet. I won’t leave this room before getting your

reply.”

“Fuck your answers.”

He then remarked before turning his back. He headed to the closet,

where he was looking for something.

Allison observed him pulling a black t-shirt out of the closet. He was about to put it on when she rushed to him and stopped him by grabbing the t-shirt.

“What are you doing?” He asked.

“You are injured. How can you wear it without applying something to it? Your skin is already swollen. If you don’t use any tonic, you are

going to end up with blisters.”

He let go of the t-shirt and it remained in her hand. She got the

chance and went to the bathroom. She found the first aid box and

returned. She saw him sitting on the couch while holding a file.

When he felt her approaching, he looked at her.

“Did I tell you that I want to treat it?” He asked.

She stared at his chest in the wounded area. The red line in his chest bulged up and turned a darker red shade.

She knew he was a stubborn man, and she was aware that she could

not see this man be in pain. Therefore, she mustered up some

courage and sat down next to him.

She knew that he could insult her once again, but she decided to ignore it this time.

He threw his file on the table, and she flinched. He glared at her when he saw her opening the box and taking out an ointment.

She closed her eyes and mumbled to herself,

‘Just for this time.’

She opened them and peered into his piercing eyes.

“What do you think you are doing?”

“Treating your wound.” She replied and placed the box over a file on

the table. She grabbed his shoulders with both of her hands and

turned them toward her.

“Now don’t move and let me do it.”

She thought he would oppose her again. But it surprised her when he kept quiet and let her do what she wanted to do.

She took a cotton ball and a tonic for the burn since the whole first aid box was full of tonics set up by Doctor Linus.

She applied a small amount of the ointment while hissing. She felt like she was the one who had been hurt, rather than him.

She blew a little while rubbing the tonic lightly.

“You forgot that I am an Alpha.” He spoke out.

“Yeah, but no wound can be removed magically. It will take some time to recover, but until then, you will have to endure the pain.”

“Not everyone is a weak Alpha like your Ethan.” He mocked her.

She ignored his remarks and kept treating her wound.

She was a trained Luna. She learned many things in different sectors. She gained a lot of knowledge. Not only in the techniques of combat but also in aspects of medicine.

Because who knows when Alpha would get attacked by someone and in urgency she would have to treat his wound.

“You look like an expert. Perhaps you do this to him regularly.” He muttered under his breath.

His breath touched her forehead. She realized how close they were.

She raised her head and looked at him. “He never gets wounded.” She replied while looking into his eyes.

“How could he? He never goes to war like me. Do you know how many wounds I have to heal by myself?”

“How many?” Her tone came out as a whisper.

“You can’t even count. It’s not a movie where you go to war and come out without wounds, like a hero. In reality, every single wolf’s target is the head Alpha. They will jump on you together. But it will be your skills that determine whether or not you survive.”

As she attempted to grasp the meaning of his words, she blinked her eyes. Her thoughts flashed back to the battles that she had seen portrayed on film. She had no combat experience whatsoever. Since the pack had not been attacked by anyone, she was unaware of the situation. However, after going through the training, she knew the war was not a walk in the park. It was something disastrous. The passage of time allowed people to move on with their lives, but those who had suffered the loss of members of their family could only live with regret.

She felt his face getting closer, and at a distance of one inch, he paused and said,

“I could heal every wound in my body. But there is one wound that I haven’t healed yet. It is raw, and someone rubs salt daily over it. Do you know what wound I am talking about?”

“W-What?”

“The wound you gave me two years ago.”

Hearing him, her eyes widened as if she were lost in his eyes but had regained consciousness just now.

She immediately stood up from the couch and looked everywhere except at him.

“T-The things Teresa told you, that’s n-nothing. No one forced me or anything. Don’t take it seriously and leave it.” She said as she tried to remove the animosity toward her father from his head to keep him safe.

He was silent after hearing her. So she was about to walk towards the door to leave the room. But before that, he rose up and grabbed her hand. He turned her to him, and her body pressed against his.

“Do you think I’m a fool? Didn’t I ask you who was blackmailing you that night? I knew that man would create problems one day. My friends even told me to forcefully take you away from this pack.

But do you know what I felt that night? I realized how weak you are, You could not stand with a man who your parents didn’t like. You could not stand with a man who loved you more than his parents. You failed to stand with a man who was not powerful like the head Alpha.

I felt that night that you didn’t deserve to be my Luna.”

When Allison heard that he had always been aware of the truth, her eyes started to well up with tears.

All this time, she thought he did not know the truth, so he raised hostility in his heart for her.

She pushed him hard, which created a distance between their bodies, but his hand did not leave hers.

"It's your fault too. Why didn't you tell me who you are? Why did you keep it a secret? If you told me that you were an Alpha of another pack, maybe things would not have happened like this. Maybe no one opposed our relationship. Maybe your relationship with your parents would have also been good. Maybe we..."

She paused and bit her bottom lip to control herself. She could not say what she was feeling.

She was angry at him at the same time she was sad.

"Wow, Allison. Just wow. Always want to stay with convenience? Haven't you heard of it? Prosperity brings friends; adversity tries them." Ryan said and reaffirmed his hold on her to bring her closer to him.

She could not feel anything as her mind was lost. Her wolf was also whining for him.

"So if I were not the head Alpha of a pack, I didn't have any right to get you? And why would it have made a difference about who I was? Didn't you say you loved me the way I was? Or you changed your mind that night in greed to become a Luna, huh?"

She shook her head and lowered it. "I-I always wanted to ask forgiveness."

"Forgive?" He asked with shock and pushed her.

Because of the push, she came dangerously close to falling to the ground, but she managed to keep her balance by holding the couch.

She stood straight and turned her head at him. She saw him running his fingers through his hair in anger.

"Two years." He muttered and fell silent for some time as if recalling those days. Then he started,

"For two years, I have been waiting for you. Each and every day, I thought you would call off the wedding. I thought you would look for me or wait for me to return after canceling it. But what did I get in return? The woman

I gave the right in me the most never dared to stand up on her own feet?"

He turned to her with a pair of furious eyes. She could not be more shocked. She did know that he had been waiting for her to cancel the wedding.

"Do you want to know what more I got which rubbed my wound like salt?"

He clenched his jaw and asked.

She could see contempt in his eyes. But she could not take her eyes off him.

"That woman was becoming strong for another man. She was getting trained and learning life lessons to serve another man. She was preparing herself with every intensity to become another Alpha's Luna."

She was stunned by his every word. He had every news of her how she had spent her life in the last two years.

She avoided his gaze and said,

"I-I could not c-choose you over my p-parents. I-I am so-sorry." After stating that, she quickly started walking towards the door. She was well aware that if she continued to stay here longer, she would lose herself in front of him once again.

She grabbed the doorknob and realized that the door was locked. She recalled that she did not close the door but let it slightly open before entering the room. But when she came out of the bathroom with the first aid box, the door was closed.

Did he lock the door?

She was about to move the lock when she felt a hand turn her around. Her back pressed against the door.

"I-I think I-I should leave." She sobbed while evading his eyes.

She had been preparing herself to stand in front of him one day, but she broke down.

If he were to say that he detested her for the past two years, she would play along and let him live his life happily.

But he said he had been waiting for her. She had no idea how she would be able to confront the man who had once loved her so deeply.

Even though he was the most powerful Alpha leader and could have any woman he wanted, he still waited for her.

It pierced her heart.

She felt depressed by his words. She was cursing herself for not canceling the wedding and kept listening to her father.

She messed up everything.

Now there was no possible way to get back to the old life again.

She desired to die, just like she felt the night she broke their relationship with him.

It was more painful than that night. She was already living her life with guilt, but how was she supposed to live from now on?

"Please let me go now. I-I can't talk to you right now." She said and looked at him slowly.

Her eyes were red from crying; she was continuously sobbing. Her lips were trembling when she spoke.

Even if she wanted, she could not get a backbone for herself against this man. Because she was the main traitor in this situation. In front of her stood a devoted lover who had waited for her for so long.

She felt that she was the one who needed to get out of everyone's lives and move far away from them.

She did not want to be faced by the venom that shone from this man's eyes.

Her eyes were filled with tears as she begged him to let her go and give her the opportunity to hide the agony and guilt she felt.

"Let me go." She sobbed in silence as she uttered the words.

He lowered his head to come to her level and replied,

"You came here by your choice, but you can't leave until I want it."

Chapter 150

Allison stared at Ryan. She tried to see through his eyes to determine whether or not he still had feelings for her somewhere in his heart.

Not at all.

His piercing gaze was filled with vengeance. They were mocking her.

She rested her head against the door and closed her eyes. Tears streamed out of her eyes repeatedly

He was also silent. He did not move, nor did he talk to her.

“What do you want now, Ryan?” She asked without opening her eyes.

“A weak omega like you can’t give me anything.” He said and released her hands.

She opened her eyes and looked at him. “If I say I am regretting everything I have done, will you be able to forgive me?” She sniffed and wiped her eyes.

“Never.” He replied and turned around. He went to the couch and sat down.

Her eyes followed his every move. He lit up a cigarette and started

oking.

..hen his eyes met hers, she lowered her head and kept quiet.

She wanted to share her feelings toward her, but Elora’s face came to her mind, which stopped her heart totally. She was his future Luna; how could she break their relationship like that?

She remembered how Elora was crazy for Ryan. She loved him. She was a powerful lady. Indeed, she was the perfect Luna for him.

‘I am nothing but a useless woman who could not protect my love for him. He is right. I don’t deserve him. Allison thought.

“Revenge is something to which no one sees any relation. No matter if it is about your parents, your family, or the person you loved once.” Ryan broke the silence after exhaling the smoke from his mouth.

“If you want, you can kill me. Like this, everyone will be happy.” She mumbled while looking down.

She could hear his chuckle. “I have planned something big for you, baby. Killing you is nothing in front of that.”

Allison experienced a trembling sensation across her entire body. Concerned about the future he had in store for her, she experienced feelings of dread. The terror of the unknown began to consume her. She did not want him to give her pain; rather than this, she wanted to

die.

“But before we get to that, I have plans for two different people.” He

said and smirked.

Allison slowly lifted her head and looked at him. She could see his maniac grin. She could not help but ask,

“W-Who?”

Your Ethan and his lovely father-in-law.”

As soon as she heard him, her eyes widened. “Please, don’t do anything to them. Let them go.”

“Let them go? Yeah, you are right. They did nothing. They are saints.” He said and scoffed.

She observed his movements. Everything about him, from the way he smoked his cigarette to the way he flicked the ash off/of it and the. way he let the smoke escape from his mouth, fascinated her. She felt

*

that he had never known this man.

In the past, he had a tender heart and would joke around when he was around her. However, the consequences of her actions completely severed his feelings for her.

She took a few slow, deep breaths in an effort to settle herself down. She balled her hands into fists and started walking toward him.

He kept smoking while looking at her. She stopped in front of him and stated,

“I know what they did was wrong. But you have moved on in your life. You have a giant pack to rule. You have a Luna who is very perfect for you equesting it. Please let others live a normal life. Don’t

y problems. Everyone around us is happy.”

m not happy to see them happy. For me, my happiness is important than theirs. I am not like you, who is the greatest son in the world and can do anything to make others happy.”

She gulped as he spoke so sharply. She could see his furious face.

His heart was filled with venom for Ethan and her father.

“How can I be so careless with the man who has been after my belongings ever since I was a child?”

Her brows narrowed as she tried to explain it to him. “He is not after your things. What yours was also his from the beginning. He is your brother. Why do you still keep in mind that he is not your real brother but your cousin? Just accept him as your own brother. When your parents adopted him, they accepted him as their own son. Can’t you see how he is, working daily just to prove to his parents that they did not make any wrong decisions to show him love?”

As she defended Ethan, he shot her a glaring look in her direction. He. did not like it.

“Looks like he is an actual hero in your eyes.”

She shook her head and looked away from him.

“It seems that I am the actual villain here in all of your lives. If I had never entered either of your lives, perhaps the two of you would have a healthy relationship.”

He got on his feet, and she stepped back. He moved one step closer to her, at which point she retreated one more step.

“Keep talking about that man. I will make things more difficult for him. I will cause him the kind of suffering that he has never even imagined in his wildest dreams.”

She gazed at him sadly. She had no way to convince the man in front of her. She did not want any clashes in this family.

“And about Elora…” He paused and smirked.

“She is my loyal woman, and even if she dies, she will make sure to ask for my permission first. She is a thousand percent better than you. I have never made a decision that turned out to be wrong, with the exception of the one that is in front of me right now.”

She quickly shifted her sight away from him and then turned around. When he referred to Elora as his woman, it made her feel

uncomfortable. Even though he insulted her by comparing her to Llora, the fact that he called her his woman was the thing that hurt her heart the most.

“Do whatever you want. I can only try to convince you not to hurt them. I don’t have anything else in my hand anyway.” She muttered and wanted to leave the room since she thought there was nothing to talk about. She did not want to break down again and again.

However, when he walked up behind her and got close, she felt her. heart stop beating. He leaned down close to her ear and said, “What

about you? Will you not inquire as to what kind of punishment I have in store for you?”

She shut her eyes as her lips trembled. Tears rolled down from her close eyes.

This time, she did not think of anyone. She would break down in front of him anyway.

How long would she restrain herself from getting closer to him?

So she ignored all the ties that were keeping them apart.

She turned around and hugged him, leaving him stunned.

Her teary face pressed against his bare torso as she embraced him tightly.