Henry thought that if he were to explain things to his big brother, then Michael would be less angry about it, even though it might be hard for him to let everything go.
Elena meant it when she said she did not want to return to Michael. Henry understood her concerns; she did not want him to suffer death for her again.
He looked at Michael and sincerely said, “The truth is that she likes you. You have always been the person that she loved. Even though she agreed to be with me, you would still be the person she keeps in her mind.”
“Big Brother, she thinks that she is not strong enough to stand by you.
You’ve nearly lost your life for her multiple times. Just ask any woman whether she is brave enough to keep coming back to you?”
“The only thing she can do is to stay away from you. She can’t think of a better way to keep you away from danger.”
Michael smoked his cigarette as he gazed into his second brother’s eyes. It seemed like the latter words had not moved him. Henry was unable to decipher his thoughts.
He was no longer the same Big Brother as before. He was more indifferent, more enigmatic, and harder to approach!
“Big Brother…”
“Are you done talking?” Michael flicked the ash with his fingertips. His unpredictable smile made everyone uneasy.
“You… You’re unwilling to believe all of that?” Henry’s face sank, and he was angry! “If you don’t believe it, go to the hospital and check the records! Whether she took the initiative to abort the child or was forced to do it because of a miscarriage. The hospital would have records of that.”
Johnny and Monty’s gaze was directed to Michael. If that was just a misunderstanding…
Even so, what about Second Brother? It was utterly unlike him to vent grievances on behalf of a woman! His feelings for Elena had run deep, indeed! His increased willingness to bend over backward for the woman worsened Johnny and Monty’s anxiousness.
A woman and two men—a saga that involved a love triangle would never have a good ending to it. Whether it was their big brother or second brother, neither were individuals who could fall in love easily. Once they fell in love, it would be difficult for them to relinquish those feelings.
Michael pressed the cigarette butt into the ashtray, picked up his glass, then drank the wine. He did not look at Henry. His indifferent gaze was colder than water, and there was not a trace of sorrow within it.
“With your capabilities, Second Young Master Sharp, how hard would it be to tamper with the hospital’s records?”
“Big Brother!” Henry was furious with the accusation. Michael neither believed Elena nor Henry!
Michael was not in the mood to look at him. He gently swayed the goblet in his hand and finally raised it to gulp the entire glass of wine.
His slender figure stood up and walked toward the door.
“Big Brother, are you… leaving?” Monty stood up as well. He still felt somewhat lost at the situation that had unfolded before him.
They had been brothers for so many years, but it seemed like they would end on bad terms because of a woman. They would not go so far as to kill each other, and even if Big Brother were angry, he would still come to help Henry if he needed it. However, the distance between those two meant that their interactions would not be as happy and as relaxed as before that.
“Let’s go.” Michael lit another cigarette for himself. He looked at Henry when he reached the door.
Suddenly, he curled his lips and smiled. “If you can accept that another man would play with your woman from time to time, then you can continue to be with her.”
“Michael!”
Henry tried to push Johnny away, but his fourth brother remained steadfast in front of him and gave him no chance to reach Michael.
Henry clenched his fists and growled, “Don’t cross the line!”
“Shouldn’t I?” Michael’s smile was bone-chillingly cold. “It’s just… I’m not bored of playing yet.”
The door of the private room opened, and the cold silhouette walked out of the room. Henry looked at Johnny. It was only then that the chill in Johnny’s eyes vanished.
“Don’t go against Big Brother. This time… he’s serious.”
Johnny did not understand anything that had to do with feelings, but his big brother’s behavior for that entire month made him know one thing—to ask Big Brother to give up on Elena was like to ask him to give up his own life.
Whether it was love or hate, he had done everything for that girl. How could he ever let her go?
“Move.” Henry did not want to fight Johnny, but Michael’s words terrified him—he said he was ‘not bored of playing yet’.
Johnny looked like he had something on his mind, and that gave Henry a chance to slip away. Henry’s slender figure immediately disappeared from the private room’s entrance.
Only Monty and Johnny were left in the room. Even the ever-chatty Monty had a gloomy face.
“Do you want to continue drinking, or should we call it a day?” he asked, unsure if the question was directed at Johnny or himself.
Johnny returned to the sofa and sat down. He picked up his bottle of unfinished wine and continued to drink away. The atmosphere in that room had always been lively whenever they got together, even if some of them refused to make conversation.
Everyone had talked that night, but each sentence was damned. Would they get back their friendship again?
…
Elena felt hopeless. She did not understand why she was unable to escape every single time! Instead of Ewan, she did not recognize the bodyguard who took her.
Before she could leave the KTV, someone had dragged her to the back entrance and shoved her into a waiting car. She knew it was Michael’s car because she recognized the smell of his favorite tobacco!
Sure enough, she saw his dreadful figure when the car door opened.
“What the hell do you want with me? Let me go!”
The sequence of events did not differ much from the previous time. Her hands were still tied above her head. The car’s luxurious design was like a carefully crafted golden cage. It was expensive, but also very impersonal.
“I told you, I’m not bored of playing with you just yet. Why should I let you go?”
Michael closed the car door and sat down beside her. The previous night’s scene returned to her mind again.
Elena trembled gently, and when his finger fell onto her shirt, she became anxious and angry. She roared, “I’m about to get engaged to Henry! Unless you don’t mind using a body that someone else had used—”
“Oh, it doesn’t matter. My tastes have become much more hardcore, didn’t you know?”
Michael lowered his head. His bright black eyes shone with a black luster that was unfamiliar to her. That kind of luminosity was like a wolf that lurked in the night!
She shook uncontrollably and watched helplessly as he unbuttoned her shirt.
“Why must you do this to me?” Elena choked, but she refused to cry.
Michael did not answer the question. It felt as though those words had no meaning to him. A chilly aura emanated from his body, and it made her slender figure tremble even more.
Michael’s falcon-like eyes locked onto her body. His long fingers slipped onto his belt, and he snapped it open…