Jasmine shook her head, her voice soft and fragile. "It wasn’t my older brother. It was my sister. But I made her angry first, so it’s not her fault."
While putting on a convincing performance, Jasmine cursed inwardly: ’You psycho! Do you think everyone’s a pervert like you, getting off on their own adopted sister?’
’This damn system forced me to come seduce this pervert right after my classes ended.’
’What is this bastard looking at? What’s with that perverted stare? Why is he staring at my neck?’
’Don’t tell me he wants to choke me too?’
’Damn pervert!’
"Your sister? The one they brought back from the countryside?"
Ethan Payne’s cold eyes narrowed, and a frosty glint flashed through his dark pupils as they caught the shifting light.
’The Sinclair Family’s new returnee is pretty ruthless. A mark that deep will take at least ten days, maybe even half a month, to fade. To strike so viciously before she’s even found her footing... It seems this "true" heiress is quite the arrogant one. Looks like things are about to get interesting at the Sinclair household.’
"Mm."
Jasmine nodded.
"My sister... she doesn’t really like me yet."
Jasmine lowered her head, her voice tinged with loneliness. Then, she lifted her face, her vulnerable eyes now filled with determination. "But it’s okay. I’ll do my best to make my sister accept me."
"What a poor little thing. So desperate you have to grovel before the girl they brought back from the countryside. She treats you like this, and your two brothers don’t protect you?"
Ethan Payne let out a low laugh, a mixture of pity and scorn in his eyes.
Staring at the girl’s tear-rimmed eyes, Ethan Payne was reminded of that rainy night. Yara had looked at him with the same expression, begging him to let her go. Back then, he’d wanted to tarnish her, to break her, to lock her away where no one could ever find her. Then, she would belong only to him.
At this thought, Ethan Payne’s eyes darkened. A sinister desire surged through his veins, threatening to overwhelm his sanity. The pressure of his fingers digging into the girl’s nape grew stronger.
Jasmine’s hips were pressed against the desk, her hands clenched into tight fists behind her back. She fought with all her might to resist the urge to give Ethan Payne a huge slap across the face.
’Damn pervert! Does he think my neck is made of titanium? Just you wait, you bastard. Sooner or later, I’m going to lock you in a dark room, make you bark like a dog, and then whip you.’
Just as Jasmine was about to lose control, the office lights flickered on. In that instant, the hand on her neck released its grip.
The moment Caleb Sinclair flipped the switch, he saw his beloved little sister, and his eyes instantly brightened. All trace of exhaustion vanished from his face, replaced by immense surprise. "Jasmine, what are you doing here?"
"Mom asked me to bring you dinner."
Jasmine pointed to the food container on the coffee table.
Ethan Payne had already retreated to the window. He watched as Jasmine ran over, linked her arm through Caleb Sinclair’s, and rested her head on his shoulder, murmuring sweet nothings. She looked utterly adorable.
"Big Brother, why have you been working overtime every single day? Look at you, you’ve got dark circles under your eyes."
Jasmine pulled Caleb Sinclair down to sit on the sofa.
Caleb Sinclair dotingly ruffled his sister’s hair before shooting a resentful glare at Ethan Payne by the window. "And whose fault is that? We’ve got someone here playing taskmaster every day, not even giving me a chance to grab a sip of water. If I’d known it would be like this, I never would have taken this contract from Payne Industries. It’s not like Sinclair Corp is desperate for the money."
Ethan Payne didn’t respond. He just watched the pair’s affectionate interaction in silence as a bitter feeling churned in his gut.
’If only Yara could be this close to me. We’re both in the same situation—siblings with no blood relation. So why is Jasmine so close to Caleb Sinclair, while Yara is so cold to me? What went wrong?’
Jasmine glanced at Ethan Payne, who stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows with his fists clenched so tightly the veins on the back of his hands bulged. A mocking smile played on her lips.
’He’s getting triggered just from seeing how close Caleb and I are?’
’Heh. You pathetic man. Go on, be envious. Be jealous. Too bad for you, your precious Yara doesn’t like you.’
Gloating inwardly, Jasmine began taking the steaming dishes out of the insulated container and setting them on the coffee table. In a voice that was both sweet and demure, she said to Caleb, "Big Brother, you should eat first. You need energy to keep working."
"Big Brother, it’s all my fault. I’m so useless, I don’t know how to do anything. If only I could help you with your work, then you wouldn’t be this tired."
Jasmine said with a pained expression as she handed the cutlery to Caleb.
"It’s fine, I’m not tired."
Seeing his sister so concerned for him warmed Caleb Sinclair’s heart. All the years he had spent doting on her hadn’t been in vain. She was a little angel.
"Ethan, have you had dinner yet?"
Jasmine looked over at Ethan Payne, who was still standing by the window, and asked politely, "Would you like to have some?"
Hearing the girl’s soft, sweet voice sent a tingle through Ethan Payne. ’This little thing’s voice really is sweet.’
Looking at the girl smiling so sweetly at him, a faint, almost imperceptible smile touched Ethan Payne’s lips. His deep voice was laced with a hint of amusement as he replied, "Sure."
As Ethan Payne started walking toward her, Jasmine’s smile nearly faltered. ’I was just being polite! I didn’t think he’d actually take me up on it.’
’Even though I brought enough food for two, I have no desire to feed a rabid dog. The novel taught me one thing: pity a scumbag, and you’ll be miserable for life. It would be better if he just starved to death. Then I’d have one less target to conquer.’
’This stupid system is useless. This bullshit "conquest mission"... And damn Jessica Adler for writing so much trashy fiction and ruining people’s lives!’
Instead of sitting next to Caleb, Ethan Payne chose the spot right beside Jasmine. As he sat, the fabric of his expensive trousers brushed against her bare knee.
Jasmine discreetly scooted away, lowering her gaze to hide the scorn in her eyes.
’Heh. Men take the bait much faster than I expected. He’s already all over me. So cheap.’
Watching Jasmine put distance between them, Ethan Payne’s lips curled into a slight smile. ’The little thing knows how to scoot away now, does she? A minute ago, she was clinging to my waist and wouldn’t let go.’
"Jasmine, what happened to your neck?"
It was only after he’d eaten his fill that Caleb Sinclair noticed the alarming bruise on his sister’s neck.
"Oh, this? Rosalyn did it by accident during play rehearsal this afternoon."
’Of course I can’t tell Caleb that Clara did it. He’d definitely go and cause trouble for her. Then Clara would think I ratted her out on purpose, and all the affection points I worked so hard to grind would disappear. In that case, I’ll just have to let my "best friend" take the fall.’
’Anyway, in the book, Rosalyn Sullivan stabbed the original Jasmine in the back plenty of times. Like the old saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. If they were friends, it proves neither of them was any good. You can stab me in the back, so I can certainly let you take the blame.’
Caleb Sinclair frowned, looking at the deep bruise on his precious sister’s neck. "That doesn’t look like an accident," he said, his voice grave. "It looks deliberate."