"No, Jasmine, you can’t think like that. If you’re kicked out of the Sinclair family, you’ll have nothing, and Zachary will break off your engagement because you’ve lost your value for a marriage alliance."
Rosalyn Sullivan panicked the moment she heard Jasmine. ’I was so successful at brainwashing her before, making her completely hostile toward Clara Sinclair. How could this idiot change her mind after just one night?’
"How could I end up with nothing? At the very least, I’ve had the love of my mom, dad, and brothers. I’ve had over a decade of happiness, and that’s enough. Besides, I believe Zachary truly loves me. He wouldn’t break off our engagement just because I’m not the young lady of the Sinclair family anymore."
Jasmine Sinclair said with an air of sweet innocence.
’They say domineering CEOs love a sweet, simple girl, but what people don’t know is that the heroines of "strong female lead" stories like them even more. And a girl who’s both a two-faced schemer and a sweet simpleton? They love that most of all.’
Rosalyn was on the verge of losing her mind. ’If I weren’t secretly seeing Zachary myself, I would’ve told this idiot the truth. "True love" my ass! Zachary’s just a cheating scumbag, and the person he’s cheating with is me! Get a clue, you complete moron!’
’My jealousy for Jasmine is growing by the day. She has nothing going for her besides a pretty face, but her luck is just insane. We came from the same orphanage, yet she got adopted by the wealthy Sinclair family while I ended up with a pair of ordinary office workers. The world is so unfair!’
Leaning against a tree, Clara Sinclair sipped from her half-empty carton of milk. A faint smile touched her lips as she heard what Jasmine said.
’The little schemer might be brainless, but she doesn’t seem truly malicious. Her friend Rosalyn, on the other hand, is a deep one. Who knows what she’s really after? Every word she says is meant to sow discord between me and Jasmine. I’ll have to investigate this Rosalyn.’
’If her intentions truly aren’t pure, I’ll make her disappear from Jasmine’s life. I can’t let her be a bad influence.’
The city’s neon lights flowed past the floor-to-ceiling window, forming a fractured river of stars. A man stood at the edge of the light, his dark, ink-like eyes staring at the disconnected call on his phone screen. His knuckles, wrapped around the device, had turned white.
His fingertip hovered over the familiar number. Just as he was about to press dial again, a pair of arms snaked around him from behind, clinging to his waist like vines creeping in the dead of night.
Her warm body molded perfectly against his tense back, her exquisite curves pressing into him through the thin fabric of his shirt, a searing heat against his skin.
"Brother..."
She buried her face in the hard planes of his back, her voice dripping with honeyed sweetness.
At the sound of that single word—"Brother"—Ethan Payne froze. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and his body reacted almost instantly.
’The shameful desires he had buried for so many years were like an awakened beast, clawing frantically to break free from its cage.’
Ethan slowly lowered his phone. As the screen went dark, it mirrored the churning darkness in his eyes. He didn’t turn, simply letting those arms tighten around him.
After a moment’s trance, Ethan’s composure returned. His voice was a low, harsh warning. "Let go."
’The person behind me isn’t my Yara. My Yara would never call me ’Brother’ so sweetly, and she would never hug me on her own. My Yara only ever runs from me, looking at me with disgust in her eyes, as if silently accusing me of being a beast for desiring my own adopted sister.’
But Jasmine didn’t let go. Instead, her arms around Ethan’s waist only tightened.
When she ignored his warning, Ethan grabbed the slender, pale wrist and forcefully pulled her arms from around his waist.
As he spun around, his eyes met a pair of innocent, almond-shaped eyes. Ethan’s breath hitched, his heart giving an involuntary tremor.
Her amber pupils were like honey dissolving in a clear spring. Her lashes were long and dense, casting fan-like shadows on her eyelids when she looked down. A flutter of her lashes scattered the light into tiny fragments. The natural downward curve at the corners of her eyes gave her an air of inherent innocence. Every blink was like a butterfly’s wing brushing against the softest part of one’s heart, making it impossible not to yield to her.
The sweet smile on Jasmine’s face froze the moment she saw the man who had turned to face her. Her lovely eyes flew wide. She bit her lip, stammering for a moment before finally getting the words out. "E... Ethan... W-w-w-why is it you?"
Ethan found her terrified expression rather amusing. Neon lights from the opposite building streamed through the window, casting shifting shadows across his handsome profile. A slow smile spread across his lips, but his eyes were terrifyingly cold.
Jasmine instinctively took a half-step back, seemingly frightened by his dark smile. Her lips moved silently for a moment before she managed to explain, "Ethan, I didn’t mean to. I thought..."
"You thought I was your older brother?"
Ethan finished her sentence, the smile on his lips deepening.
He wasn’t laughing at Jasmine. He was laughing at himself.
’Look how affectionate other girls are with their brothers. And then there’s my sister, who treats me like a monster every time she sees me, keeping me a thousand miles away. If only Yara could hug me like Jasmine just did... how nice that would be.’
As Ethan advanced on her one step at a time, Jasmine retreated until the small of her back hit the cold edge of an office desk.
Ethan planted his hands on the desk on either side of her, trapping Jasmine between his body and the desk. He leaned in, closing the distance inch by inch.
His gaze fell on the bruise on her neck. The dark mark stood out against her pale skin, looking almost seductive—an invitation to sin.
Ethan couldn’t resist. He raised his hand to her neck, his thumb tracing the edge of the bruise as if trying to rub the lurid color from her pale skin.
Jasmine bit her lower lip, allowing the man before her to torment the sensitive skin of her neck. A tingling numbness spread from where he touched, making her shiver and instinctively tilt her head away.
But this simple movement seemed to displease Ethan. The finger that had been caressing her skin suddenly pressed down hard.
Jasmine winced, her brows knitting in pain. On the surface, she remained pliant, letting him do as he pleased. Inwardly, however, she was cursing Ethan Payne. ’What a bastard! How could he be so rough with a delicate girl like me? He has no idea how to treat a woman gently!’
’If the System hadn’t ordered me to ’capture’ this bastard, I wouldn’t waste a second glance on a mad dog like him, no matter how handsome he is. This book is full of good-looking guys. I’m not into the crazy ones.’
"Did your older brother do this?"
Ethan’s gaze was ice-cold as he stared at the red mark on Jasmine’s neck, his voice low and raspy.
Her neck seemed even more slender than Yara’s. It gave him an impulse to snap it in two.