Chapter 1: Sister, are you going to abandon me?
In the height of summer, a torrential rain poured down.
The glass window reflected two figures in an intensely ambiguous embrace, their rapid breaths intertwining in a maddening, sensual rhythm.
Isabella, her eyes clouded with intoxication, straddled the man, her lips grazing his throbbing Adam's apple.
His large hand rested on her slender waist, his head tilting slightly backward to avoid her lips. “Miss Isabella, I told you three years ago—ten years, 680 million, and we’re square.”
“Do you understand what being square means?”
Beneath his restrained voice lay a potent blend of love and hate, burning like molten lava.
“I don’t like it when you call me that.” Isabella, her emotions a tangle of confusion, gazed at him with a longing that traced the sharp lines of his face. Her full red lips pressed against his, her voice low and coaxing: “Be good, call me ‘sister.’”
“You’re only exploiting my love for you.”
An itch in his throat, veins rising in the back of his hand, he could no longer restrain himself. Grabbing her chin, he accused: “Isabella, you have no heart.”
“You started this today. Later, if it hurts, bear it. Crying won’t help.”
The rain grew heavier, its relentless patter against the glass echoing, seeping into their hearts.
The corners of Isabella’s eyes reddened with unshed tears. “Ben…”
“Say you love me.”
“I love you.”
“Sweetheart.”
His fingers tangled in her hair, passion swelling within him as he spoke with a dangerous intensity: “Say my name.”
Isabella’s voice cracked, her words broken and fragmented as she could only respond, “Ben…”
~~
Three years ago, in City A.
The heat slammed into her as she stepped out of the banquet hall.
Isabella felt dizzy, hastening toward the black car parked at the entrance, dismissing the voices desperately calling her back.
Isabella rarely attended such banquets.
This time, she had come specifically for the land in the southern part of the city.
In City A, no one dared to offer Miss Isabella a drink.
She had lost track of time while conversing with others, and before she knew it, she had drunk more than she intended.
Her tolerance for alcohol was low, and a few sips would already color her cheeks.
The usually cold, ice-queen beauty had been melted by the strong liquor, her cheeks flushed, her eyes clouded with an intoxicating allure—she had unknowingly become the object of many admiring gazes at the banquet.
Seeing no progress, Isabella decided to take her leave, intending to pursue another method later.
Miss Isabella was a rare presence at such events—who knew when the next opportunity would come?
Two men in well-tailored suits, still unwilling to give up, chased after her, hoping to escort her home, but they were stopped by two bodyguards in black who had appeared out of nowhere.
Isabella slid into the car.
As the car started, a respectful voice came from the front, “Miss, Young Master hasn’t eaten all day.”
Isabella, who had been resting her eyes, frowned upon hearing this and opened her eyes with displeasure, “Why am I only hearing this now?”
“Sorry, I only just found out.”
Isabella instructed, “Drive faster.”
Twenty minutes later, the car pulled up in front of the villa.
The housekeeper, Mia, had been waiting at the door. As soon as she saw Isabella, she hurried over, her face anxious. “Miss, you’re finally back. Young Master… I don’t know what happened today, but he refuses to eat no matter what.”
“Mia, where is he?”
Mia took the bag from Isabella and pointed behind her. “In the backyard, by the pool.”
Isabella sighed, unsure of who had upset the young master this time to make him so angry that he wouldn’t even eat.
She quickly made her way inside. “Tell the kitchen to prepare a few of his favorite dishes.”
Mia hurried to catch up, explaining, “They’ve been prepared, but we didn’t dare send them to him, afraid he would get upset. Only you can approach him when he’s like this.”
Isabella shook her head helplessly. “It’s fine. I’ll take it to him.”
At the backyard pool, a tall figure swiftly cut through the water, seemingly trying to vent some emotion, his movements causing splashes in every direction.
Isabella placed the food on the table and walked towards the poolside.
The click of her high heels echoed, the hem of her dark green dress swaying with each step.
The shimmering water reflected her face, her emerald earrings swaying lightly, accentuating the flawless whiteness of her neck and shoulders.
With every movement, she radiated an almost intoxicating allure.
The person in the water paused, briefly surfacing to cast a surprised glance at her, his eyes filled with admiration.
“Sister, you look beautiful.”
Wait.
Was she wearing that to the banquet?
So many disgusting men there.
The youthful anger and gloom in his eyes flickered for an instant, gone so quickly that even he didn’t notice.
Isabella’s lips curled into a soft smile as she watched him. Her voice was indulgent and affectionate. “What’s the matter? Who upset our young master?”
“Tell me, and I’ll get revenge for you.”
The boy stared at her for a moment, then, with a suppressed pout, suddenly dove back into the water, swimming away.
Isabella: “???”
“Ben?”
No answer.
He was clearly in no mood to listen.
After waiting for two minutes and seeing no sign of him coming up, Isabella lowered her voice, calling out again.
“Ben, come here.”
That single word, “Ben,” seemed to possess some kind of magic. The boy turned, swimming obediently in her direction.
He leaned against the edge of the pool, looking up at her, his dark eyes shimmering with the reflection of her face.
He looked utterly dejected, like a little drowned puppy.
Isabella couldn’t help but recall the first time she had brought him home.
Bruised and wounded, solitary and silent, his guard up at all times.
Whenever someone came near, his eyes would turn vicious, ready to strike.
Like a little wolf cub.
Now, he seemed much tamer.
Isabella crouched down, gently stroking his wet head, her voice softer than she had ever allowed it to be in public. “I heard you haven’t eaten all day. Are you hungry?”
Ben tilted his head, rubbing his head against her hand like a spoiled child. “Hungry.”
“Then why didn’t you eat?”
He grumbled, “You weren’t here. I didn’t have an appetite.”
“Excuse,” Isabella teased gently. “I’m often not home.”
She paused and asked again, “What’s really going on?”
Ben remained silent.
Isabella repeated, “Ben?”
He stared at her for a long moment before, with a quiet sadness, he asked, “Sister, are you going to abandon me?”