Seraphina Redgrave hit her head and was momentarily dazed.
What does he want now?
The mattress beside her sank down. Ethan Sterling lay next to her and ordered, "Hold me."
"..."
Hold you, my ass!
Seraphina moved away subtly, but Ethan pulled her back.
He impatiently grabbed her arm and shoved it under his neck, mumbling disdainfully, "Can't tell if you're a little lunatic or a little idiot, you can't understand human speech."
He rested his head on Seraphina's arm, turned his body to snuggle closer, and unabashedly stretched out his long legs to wrap around her.
"..."
Seraphina was utterly speechless.
Being hugged by a grown man in such a childish way, she couldn't even find the words to complain.
"Sis, Ryan Sterling came looking for me again today."
Ethan stared at her profile and suddenly spoke, his tone laced with disgust and sarcasm, "He asked me for money to support a woman. Can you believe it? A father plays around with women and then asks his son for money."
"He's barely holding on himself, yet he still dares to think about these things. Maybe I've been too kind to him?"
Ethan rubbed his forehead against Seraphina's cheek and said hoarsely, "If he dares to do it again, I'll throw him into the slums, okay?"
"..."
He made it sound like kicking his father out of the house was as simple as taking out the trash.
But a father who asks his son for money to support a woman might as well be disposable...
Just as Seraphina was lamenting this bizarre family, the man suddenly let out a bitter laugh.
The light in his eyes extinguished suddenly, and the arrogance from earlier was gone from his expression.
"You left when I was only ten. I couldn't do anything for you then, and now I'm twenty-five and still useless..."
He laughed bitterly, holding Seraphina even tighter, "I have everything now, so why aren't you here?"
Seraphina listened quietly.
She could hear the profound sadness in Ethan's words and his deep regret over his sister's absence.
Regret aside, could he not hold me so tightly?
These heavy long legs are one thing, but with some effort, she could still breathe.
But this iron-like arm around her neck was really about to strangle her!
Seraphina struggled desperately, but Ethan was completely oblivious.
He further demanded, "Sis, rock me to sleep like you did when I was a kid."
"..."
Seraphina didn't move.
Ethan realized she didn't understand again, so he instead grabbed the hand he was resting on and guided her to pat his back.
She was exhausted.
Seraphina roared internally, resigning herself to patting his back before her poor arm was mercilessly broken.
Her movements were rough and lacked any tenderness, clearly showing she was settling an old score.
But Ethan seemed quite satisfied, even snuggling closer to her.
He slowly closed his eyes, breathing in the scent beside him.
Seraphina was wearing clothes that belonged to his sister, each one subtly perfumed with flower petals.
With the gentle patting, it almost felt like his sister had really returned...
Who knows how much time passed as Ethan gradually fell silent.
His breathing became steady, gently brushing against Seraphina's face, causing a tingling sensation to spread to her lower back like a feather.
Seraphina turned her head to sneak a glance and found he seemed to have fallen asleep. His phoenix eyes were shut tight, thin lips slightly pursed, only his restless eyelashes fluttering now and then.
Growing up, this was the first time she shared a bed with a man.
And this man, gracefully dressed on the outside, was actually violent and rude on the inside, always forcing people to pretend to be his sister.
Though perverted, there was something pitiful about him.
As she continued patting, Seraphina felt her arm growing numb from his weight.
So she stopped, carefully trying to withdraw her hand.
But before she could gather enough strength, an annoyed voice shattered the silence: "Don't stop."
"..."
Damn!
...
It started snowing.
Fluffy snowflakes drifted down, turning the garden into a pristine white.
But soon, that clean white was disrupted.
A graceful young girl with loose hair stood in the center of the yard, exuding an aura of murder, a bloody knife in hand, several servants lying at her feet.
Blood splattered across the snow.
Screams filled the air.