"Mr. Shaw, come downstairs and have some fruit," Tori called up to him from downstairs with a warm and loving smile.
She had put the mangoes on a separate plate because she knew Alex was allergic to them.
Tori said, "Don't take it to heart, Mr. Shaw. Mr. Hugh has only just returned, so it's only natural that Ms. Eva would dote on him a little more."
Just then, the sound of trees being chopped down came from the yard.
Following the noise, Alex saw workers cutting down the peach trees. At the same time, several others were planting mango trees.
The yard had originally been filled with mango trees. Three years ago, Eva had ordered every single one of them cut down and replaced with peach trees.
Alex had been overjoyed back then. He'd thought it meant Eva cared deeply about him and had removed the mango trees because she was worried about his allergies.
But now, he finally understood.
Hugh had married someone else, and Eva had been heartbroken. She'd had the mango trees cut down because seeing them reminded her of him and brought back painful memories.
Alex suspected that Eva's proposal to him all those years ago had also been connected to Hugh's marriage. If Hugh hadn't gone abroad and married someone else, perhaps Eva would never have married him at all. Maybe she would have spent her entire life waiting for him.
Alex wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and took a deep breath.
Fortunately, the truth about who had saved him had finally come to light. He no longer had any reason to cling to Eva. From then on, he wouldn't shed another tear over her.
Eva walked into the yard. "Alex, why are you standing out here? I've been looking everywhere for you."
When Alex looked up, he noticed a fresh, red mark on her fair neck, just above the neckline of her dress. He was sure the mark hadn't been there when she'd returned home earlier.
"Hugh likes your villa. Transfer it to him. I'll buy you a new one later."
Just as her words fell, she handed him a property transfer agreement.
It was for Starry Villa, the gift Eva had given him on the day of their engagement. The villa was worth a staggering 32 million dollars.
"Eva, is Hugh really that important to you?" Alex asked.
She was giving away the villa as casually as if it were nothing.
"He's my younger brother. Of course he's important to me," Eva replied.
Then, she took Alex's hand. "Even though Hugh isn't biologically related to the Laurent family, we grew up together. I've always treated him like my brother."
Alex scoffed. "Your brother?"
Would a sister sleep with her brother?
Alex swallowed the words that had almost escaped his lips. He decided to let them do whatever they wanted. He was leaving soon anyway.
Without the slightest hesitation, he signed his name on the agreement.
"My husband is as considerate as always."
Eva rose onto her tiptoes to kiss him. Alex instinctively leaned away, so her kiss landed beside his ear instead.
In the past, he would never have dodged one of her kisses.
Eva assumed he was upset about the villa and tried to placate him. "There's an auction tomorrow morning. Let's go together."
"Don't bother." Alex stepped back, putting some distance between them.
Eva took his hand again. "You have to come. That painting you like will be featured in the second session. I'll buy it for you."
When they arrived at the auction the next day, Eva brought Hugh along as well.
"Hugh wanted to come and see what all the excitement was about," she explained.
As she spoke, her fingers remained interlaced with Hugh's.
Alex looked away and replied frostily, "Whatever."
In the past, he would have been consumed with jealousy.
Even when they were dating, Hugh had constantly been the third wheel in their relationship. Whenever Eva reminded Alex that Hugh was her younger brother, he couldn't even argue back. He would silently swallow his grievances and wonder if he was being too sensitive.
Now, he was much calmer. He neither argued nor made a scene.
Eva noticed the change in him and was about to ask what was wrong when Hugh pulled her away.
"Sit here, Eva. This seat is perfect," Hugh urged.
During the first half of the auction, Alex took a liking to two items, but Hugh outbid him for both.
Hugh taunted, "Alex, you're not going to compete with me, are you? I like this one, too."
And Eva's response was always the same. "Let Hugh have it. I'll get you something even better in the next session."
During the first half of the auction, Eva spent 180 million dollars buying 38 items for Hugh. She showed no intention of stopping during the second half.
Over the course of the four-hour auction, she spent a staggering 580 million dollars.
Everyone present knew that Hugh was Eva's precious younger brother. Once he set his sights on something, no one else stood a chance of getting it.
In the lounge, everyone looked at Hugh with envy.
"Mr. Hugh, Ms. Eva is so good to you. She spent billions on you without even batting an eye!"
"I know, right? I'm so jealous. I wish I had a sister that generous, too."
"She dotes on her younger brother so much that I bet he gets the final say in everything at home."
"Of course! Didn't you see how Alex got put in his place?"
"Alex is nothing but a country bumpkin. He has no class or taste. So what if he married Ms. Eva? He's just a husband in name and nothing more."
Sitting just outside the lounge by the window, Alex heard every word and couldn't help laughing.
The Shaw family was wealthy and influential, and he was its future heir. How had he ended up being called a country bumpkin?
He'd kept a low profile all these years, and now anyone thought they could walk all over him.
Alex picked up a glass, ready to confront them. However, Eva approached from the side.
She pressed down on his wrist. "Alex, they're only joking around. There's no need to get angry."
Alex looked at her and asked pointedly, "If Hugh were the one they were making fun of, would you tell him to just put up with it?"
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