Chapter 4

The moment I saw my brother Zain, a wave of grievance surged through me. My voice caught as I called out to him.

Zain glanced inside, and when he saw my condition, he didn’t recognize me at first.

His eyes turned red instantly. He rushed over, pulled me into his arms, and began licking some of my wounds, trying to heal them.

Only when I leaned against him did I finally feel safe.

The onlookers, meanwhile, were entirely focused on the private plane my brother had arrived in, exclaiming in astonishment.

“The plane looks exactly like the model used by the Kaelaris family. That girl can’t really be old Mr. Kaelaris’s daughter, can she?”

“Have you heard the rumors? They say the entire Kaelaris family are vampires!”

“Oh my god, don’t scare people like that! There’s no such thing as vampires in this world!”

Lily, however, didn’t take it seriously at all. Oblivious to the danger, she strutted right up to my brother.

“So you’re this ugly freak’s brother? Your sister had the nerve to steal the wine I wanted and even attacked me. Tell me—how are you going to settle this?”

Zain lifted his eyes to look at her. “How do you want to settle it?”

Not noticing the veins bulging at his temples, Lily made her demands without restraint.

“That bottle of wine was the only one, and your sister broke it. You’ll compensate me ten times its price. She tripped me and slapped me twice—I want her leg broken, the one she used to trip me, and I want her to slap herself two hundred times!”

“Most importantly, this bitch’s engagement to Ethan must be canceled. As his stepmother, I do not approve of this daughter-in-law.”

As if bestowing mercy, she added, “If you meet all these demands, I might graciously let you off this once. Otherwise, don’t even think about walking out of this store!”

Hearing her outrageous demands, even my brother let out a short, incredulous laugh.

He gently patted my head in reassurance before stepping toward Lily, one step at a time.

“The engagement will, of course, be canceled—because Ethan is not worthy of my sister. As for everything else…”

Zain raised his hand and seized Lily by the throat, lifting her into the air with one hand. “Don’t even dream of it. None of you are leaving this place alive today.”

Lily clawed desperately at the hand around her neck. Only when she was on the verge of suffocation did Zain release her. She collapsed to the ground, gasping for air.

The bodyguards my brother had brought dragged her away, preparing to tie her to a large pillar behind them.

Struggling, Lily looked up at Ethan for help. “It hurts! Ethan, save me!”

Ethan gestured for his own bodyguards to act, but they were no match for ours. In the end, Lily was successfully bound, and Ethan himself was restrained and forced to stand before me.

Zain appeared behind Ethan in an instant and, without courtesy, kicked him sharply. Ethan dropped to his knees before me.

“Since childhood, my sister has been cherished and pampered—no one has ever dared treat her like this. You’re courting death! Apologize to my sister!”

Ethan shouted defiantly, “Apologize? You want the eldest son of the Norefax family to apologize to some wretched woman? I’ve been pampered my whole life too! Treat me like this, and you’re the one courting death!”

“You dared to lay hands on my sister—forget you, even if your father were here, I’d beat him all the same!”

The crowd grew even more astonished.

“His face is so pale, his strength so great, his movements so fast—and he talks like that. Who exactly is he?”

“Mr. Norefax used to be involved with the mafia when he was young. Later he washed his hands of it and founded the Norefax Group. In the Upper East Side, everyone gives him respect.”

“And now he’s provoked Mr. Norefax’s most beloved son. There’s no way he’ll get out of this unscathed.”

Zain paid no attention to their concerns. He gently cupped my injured face, his eyes glistening as if tears might fall at any moment.

“Elaine, your brother will avenge you.”