My Brother, My Spouse

Chapter 6 Her Rejection

Selina said, "Relax, I'll help you out. Sylvia's life is pretty simple—attending classes, reading books, and... watching Vincent play basketball. Just keep up with those things, and you won't blow your cover."

"Vincent? Oh, Sylvia, I can't believe you have such terrible taste. You actually like Vincent?" Brian sneered.

Sylvia shot back, "Vincent is a gentleman, much better than you."

"Think what you want, but I'm warning you—I am not going to help you pursue Vincent." Brian's attitude toward Vincent was just as hostile as Sylvia's was toward Avril, like a sworn enemy.

"Fine, suit yourself," Sylvia replied, not expecting Brian to help her with Vincent anyway.

During lunch, Sylvia, Brian, and Selina sat under a tree, eating together.

Brian and Sylvia exchanged lunchboxes—there was no other choice; their tastes were completely different, and eating each other's food was unbearable.

"This is truly a miracle. I never thought I'd see the day when you two would sit down and eat together," Selina remarked.

"Wow, your lunch looks delicious! Can I join you?" A blonde girl walked up with a sweet smile.

Sylvia hesitated for a moment before responding, "Of course."

The blonde girl took a seat next to Sylvia, leaning in close to whisper in her ear, "I'm wearing something really hot underneath today. Don't you want to see?"

Sylvia almost choked, her face a mask of confusion. "What?!"

She glanced at Brian, who raised an eyebrow in amusement.

'Damn it,' Sylvia thought. 'I'm in Brian's body now, which means there will be plenty of women throwing themselves at me.'

The blonde pressed closer, her chest brushing against Sylvia as she murmured, "How about tonight? I promise you'll be in for a surprise!"

Unfortunately for her, Sylvia wasn't into women. Feeling awkward, she stammered, "I'm sorry, but I've already got plans with someone else tonight."

"What about tomorrow?" the blonde persisted.

"No, I don't have time then either," Sylvia replied, trying to sound firm. "I think I'll be busy for the foreseeable future. Sorry."

The blonde, realizing she was being brushed off, huffed in annoyance, flipped her hair, and walked away with her lunchbox.

"You're really popular now," Selina teased Sylvia. "If you don't mind, maybe we could—"

"Stop right there!" Sylvia interrupted, looking stern. "I'm not into girls!"

"Or guys, for that matter," Brian added with a smirk.

Suddenly, Selina spotted Vincent in the distance and squealed with excitement, "Look, there's Vincent!"

Vincent was surrounded by a group of girls. He was wearing a tailored suit that made him look every bit the part of the wealthy gentleman. He carried himself with an air of pride.

One of the girls beside him pointed out. "Isn't that Brian over there?"

Honestly, while Vincent was handsome, Brian had a charm that outshone him, especially with his deep blue eyes, as mysterious and majestic as the ocean. Not to mention, Brian was widely considered the most likely candidate to become the next Alpha.

With Brian being mateless, nearly every girl in school dreamed of being his date.

The attention of the girls shifted toward Brian, leaving Vincent visibly irritated, though he maintained his polite, gentlemanly facade as he approached to greet them. "Hello, Sylvia, would you like to have lunch with me?"

Vincent had always known that Sylvia liked him.

Though he didn't particularly care for her, the idea of attracting Brian's stepsister made him feel like he'd scored a point against his rival.

He was confident that Sylvia would say yes to his invitation.

Sylvia almost said yes, but Brian cut her off. "No, I can't."

Vincent's smile nearly faltered. Sylvia, who had always been eager for his attention, had actually turned him down!

"Are you sure? Alright, it was my mistake for being late to our last date," Vincent said, attempting to smooth things over. "I hope you'll forgive me, and I'd like to invite you to dinner. What do you say?"

Vincent thought that with this olive branch, Sylvia would certainly accept.

But Brian raised an eyebrow irritatedly and retorted, "I don't think you understand the situation. I don't want to go out with you. Now, kindly leave."

Vincent's face flushed with anger, but, constrained by his gentlemanly image, he had no choice but to turn and walk away.

"Hey, even if you're just classmates, that was pretty harsh," Sylvia remarked.

Brian shrugged. "Sorry, I have no interest in being Vincent's 'classmate.' And besides, I now have the right to reject people, just like you did with that blonde girl earlier."

"Fine, whatever," Sylvia relented, albeit begrudgingly.

*****

During gym class, Brian changed into his sportswear, only to notice the other students snickering and throwing him sideways glances.

Even Vincent wore a mocking expression.

It wasn't until the gym teacher pointed out that there was red ink on the back of his sportswear that Brian realized why everyone was laughing at him.

Brian saw Sandy giving him a smug look and instantly figured out who the culprit was.

"You little punk, this is your doing, isn't it?" Brian confronted him.

Sandy shrugged. "You can't just accuse me without proof."

Brian grabbed Sandy by the collar, smirking. "Maybe next time, clean up after yourself. You've got red ink on your collar."

Everyone turned to look, and sure enough, there was a small red ink stain on Sandy's collar—enough to prove his guilt.

"Oh my god, why would he do that?"

"He actually tried to bully Sylvia, the Alpha's stepdaughter!"

"Maybe he thought that since Sylvia and Brian don't get along, he could win Brian's favor by picking on her. Brian is, after all, the Alpha's only son!"

Brian's anger flared—so that was why Sandy dared to mess with Sylvia.

"Listen up. I won't tolerate you picking on me. If you try this again, I'll challenge you to a duel until you're flat on the ground," Brian growled, his voice a low rumble that sent shivers down Sandy's spine.

One of the boys near Vincent muttered, "Damn, Sylvia's pretty hot when she's mad. I like her."

Vincent stayed silent, but he couldn't deny that he'd been drawn to Sylvia's fiery attitude. He made up his mind right then—he wanted to go on a date with Sylvia!

It might seem like a crazy idea, but Vincent decided to go through with it.

"Hey, Sylvia, there's a basketball game this afternoon. Would you come watch me play?" Vincent asked.

Brian scoffed. "I'm busy this afternoon."

"With what?" Vincent pressed.

"I don't know, maybe an earthquake, a tsunami, a pack war—anything, really. I just don't have time to watch you play," Brian replied dismissively.

Vincent smirked. "But your brother's going to be there, too. Didn't you say you hated him? Wouldn't it be satisfying to watch me beat him on the court?"

Brother?

He must be talking about Sylvia.