I froze completely.

Blake... isn't my brother?


This realization left my mind completely blank.

When my mother married Uncle Foster and brought me along, I was still very young.

Blake was five years older than me, already a young boy, quiet and prickly.


Everyone told me he was my brother.

I had never questioned it.


No wonder... no wonder he always had a controlling desire toward me that went beyond siblings.

Not allowing me to wear short skirts, not letting me come home late, not permitting me to get too close to any boy.

I always thought it was his domineering personality, but now thinking about it, those behaviors seem to have a new explanation.

Blake ignored Howard who was shouting on the ground. He took my hand and turned to leave.

His palm was very warm, wrapping around my cold fingers, sending waves of shivers through me.

Even after sitting in that familiar Rolls-Royce, I hadn't recovered from the shock.

The tension in the car was thick enough to cut.

Blake didn't say a word, the lines of his profile as cold and hard as a blade.

I knew he was angry.

Angry that I had broken ties with him for Howard, and now called him with one phone call to clean up this mess.

In my previous life, I was terrified of him.

But now, my heart was only filled with relief from surviving a disaster and a trace of... something I couldn't quite name.

"I'm sorry." I said softly.

Blake finally reacted. He turned to look at me, emotions surging in his dark, deep eyes.

"Vanessa, have you had enough fun?"

"You've grown quite bold for Howard, hmm?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an icy edge.

I lowered my eyes, not daring to look at him.

"I won't... do it again."

"Won't do what?" he pressed on, step by step. "Won't cut ties with me again for another man?"

I bit my lip and nodded.

He suddenly leaned forward, his tall figure completely enveloping me.

The narrow space inside the car instantly became charged with tension.

I could smell the crisp cedar scent on him, mixed with a faint trace of tobacco.

He gripped my chin, forcing me to look up.

"Look at me, Vanessa."

"Remember what you said today. If there's a next time, I'll break your legs myself."

His gaze was fierce, yet there was a hint of pain and struggle in it that I couldn't understand.

My heart began to race uncontrollably.