I fell silent, unable to answer.
Ethan, though, just held his cigarette, calm and unconcerned.
Under Kyler's gaze, he even lifted it to his lips for another drag.
No intention of answering Kyler's question.
I was stuck.
How to explain this?
"Hey, I wandered into a fancy mall today, snuck into the men's restroom, and handed your brother a sanitary pad"?
Might make me look a little too dumb.
Hesitating, Kyler spoke again.
"Let's go."
He spun his wheelchair and left.
I hurried after, but as I passed Ethan, he spoke up.
"Nice smokes," he murmured.
"...Thanks."
That weird exchange over, I sprinted to catch up, grabbing Kyler's wheelchair handles.
Not stupid enough to forget who signs my checks.
Even if Ethan had way more money.
...
With so many Kylers around, it felt less like a family dinner, more like a high-class cocktail party.
I stood behind Kyler, hands on his wheelchair, smiling at everyone passing by—
But.
People came and went, no one stopping to greet Kyler.
Guess it wasn't just the inheritance he lost. His family status was practically nonexistent.
Kinda felt bad for him.
Kyler didn't seem to care, though—looked perfectly content with the peace.
He picked up a pastry from a nearby table.
Holding it in his left hand, he gestured me over with his right.
"Come here."
I leaned in, and he pinched my cheek, popping the fancy treat into my mouth.
Sweetness spread on my tongue.
Kyler clapped his hands, brushing off crumbs.
"Good?"
"Yeah."
He nodded. "We'll take some to go."
I froze, suddenly picturing old village banquets where aunties stuffed whole chickens into plastic bags.
Shaking it off, I gripped the wheelchair tighter.
Yep, Kyler's definitely low on the family totem pole.
Read enough romance novels to know—usually when a guy's date likes something, he'd snap his fingers:
"Have the chef make more."
Poor Kyler? Snaps his fingers:
"Bag it."
The family dinner was relatively uneventful.
Well, uneventful for Kyler's side. Around Ethan, it was bustling with people, lively as could be.
I couldn't help but glance over a few times.
But those people were all wasting their smiles on a cold fish. Ethan stood alone, expression indifferent.
Except for his female companion, he barely spoke to anyone.
Even at a so-called family dinner, there were clear hierarchies.
I got bored of watching and turned to chat with Kyler.
As I lowered my head, I happened to catch Kyler's gaze fixed on the distance.
He was also looking at the crowd, but—
It didn't seem like he was looking at Ethan, but rather... the woman beside Ethan.
Not surprisingly, that should be his soon-to-be sister-in-law.
In the two days I'd known Kyler, he'd always had that look, as if nothing in the world could pique his interest.
I often thought to myself, he had such a good-looking face with a world-weary air.
But the way he looked at that woman just now was clearly intense.
It seemed Kyler had special feelings for his future sister-in-law.
When Kyler looked away, I averted my gaze too.
As a qualified trophy wife, I knew better than anyone not to guess my sugar daddy's thoughts.
If I kept guessing, I'd end up out of a job.
I originally thought that Kyler and I could just hang out in the corner until the dinner ended, but trouble found us anyway.
Halfway through the dinner, a woman in a black dress came over. She looked about twenty-five or six.
Before she even spoke, I could tell from her face that she was no pushover.
Beautiful, yes, but with a sharp, mean look.
Sure enough.
The woman walked over, her gaze sweeping over Kyler's face, and said in a sarcastic tone:
"Kyler, how's the treatment for your legs going? I heard from Ethan that you might never walk again. Don't lose heart, though. Maybe there really are miracles in this world."
Her tone didn't sound like a noble lady, but more like a village aunt chatting gossip while cracking sunflower seeds.
What was Kyler's reaction?
No reaction.
He didn't even spare her a glance. Letting her bark on the side, he remained unperturbed.
But she wasn't going to give up.
She picked up two glasses of wine from the side, offering one to Kyler,
"I missed your wedding because I was busy. Come on, let's have a belated toast to your marriage."
However—
Kyler didn't take it.
The woman's hand holding the glass froze in mid-air, looking a bit awkward.
After a two-second pause, she looked at me.
She held out the unaccepted glass to me.
I glanced at Kyler.
Perhaps sensing my gaze, Kyler spoke faintly, not giving her an ounce of face.
"Mia, the old man's adopted daughter. She confessed to me privately."
...I felt a little awkward. Was that something he should say?
From Kyler's manner, I could tell he must have rejected her without mercy back then.
No wonder Mia was being so sarcastic just now.
It turned out to be the case of 'love turns to hate'.
Mia had been holding the wine glass for a long time, and some people had noticed what was happening on our side. Seeing that Kyler had no intention of stopping me, I reached out to take the wine.
Even if she was an adopted daughter, she was still a young lady of the Kyler family.
When a young lady offers a toast, how could I refuse?
But—
The moment I took hold of the glass, Mia let go in advance.
Before I could react, the glass fell onto... Kyler.
Red wine soaked his suit, and the white shirt underneath was stained with red marks.
He looked extremely embarrassed.
The glass rolled on Kyler a couple of times and then fell to the ground.
With a crisp sound, the glass shattered, and fragments splashed onto my foot, causing a sharp pain.
Mia's face changed instantly. She frowned and shrilled at me—
"I toasted you out of respect for Kyler. If you don't want to drink, that's fine, but what do you mean by dropping the glass?"
After successfully attracting everyone's attention, she didn't forget to add a sentence to elevate the meaning of this little incident.
"If you're resentful that no one attended the wedding, just say so. But this is a Kyler family dinner. Do you mean to challenge the Kylers by dropping the glass in public?"
I frowned at her.
What a big hat she's trying to put on me.
I wanted to refute, but I was considering Kyler. I glanced down at him. He still had that indifferent look, but...
When I looked at him, he raised his eyebrows slightly.
I wasn't sure if I was misunderstanding, but what I got from it was—
Go ahead and fight back.
I've never been one to hold back, so I really fought back.
"Ms. Kyler, no need to label me as challenging the Kylers. It's my first time at the Kyler residence, and I'm abiding by the Kyler rules. I have no intention of making trouble. It was indeed an accident just now, but if you insist on finding a reason—"
"Then let's just say I don't like you."
After saying that, I feigned surprise and continued in a voice loud enough for everyone in the banquet hall to hear.
"But Ms. Kyler, you wouldn't think I'm holding a grudge because you confessed to my husband privately, would you?"
After the words fell, I suddenly covered my mouth, "Is that something I can say?"
Mia's face turned from blue to white.
"What are you talking nonsense about! Kyler is my brother, how could I confess to him?"
"Besides, he's just a cripple, what does he have to deserve it?"
She was extremely angry. It seemed that her private confession to Kyler was something she couldn't mention in public.
After all, on the surface, they were both children of the Kyler family.
I shrugged and looked at Kyler, my face full of grievance.
"Kyler, am I talking nonsense?"
Kyler didn't look at me, but the corner of his lips clearly curled up a little.
As if he was smiling.
Fortunately, Kyler's response was very supportive. He spoke faintly, his tone affirmative.
"No."
Two words, showing Kyler's attitude.
At the same time, he turned to look at me. He was speaking to me, but his indifferent voice reached everyone's ears in the banquet hall.
"I still have the video of the confession. If you're interested, I'll show it to you when we get back."
I looked at Mia's face and said with a smile:
"Okay, I'm quite curious to see what it's like to confess to one's own brother. Ms. Kyler, no wonder you're so open-minded after studying abroad."
Mia, whose secret had been exposed, couldn't hold it together anymore.
We were only a step or two apart. She suddenly took a step forward and raised her hand to slap me—
Her hand came crashing down—but never hit me.
One high, one low—two hands clamped tightly around Mia's wrist.
After a silent second, gasps erupted around us.
One hand belonged to Kyler.
Sitting in his wheelchair, arm raised slightly, he'd blocked Mia's swing.
The other hand? That's what shocked everyone—
Ethan's.
The same Ethan who'd been icy since entering, ignoring all greetings.
He gripped Mia's wrist, voice cold:
"Disgraceful."
Four words, sharp with rebuke. Mia fell silent instantly.
The same woman who'd mocked Kyler earlier now stood rigid, barely daring to breathe.
Ethan said no more.
Then again, with his status, four words were enough.
His gaze flicked past Mia, lingered on my face a beat, then turned to leave.
But the red-dressed woman from Ethan's side stepped over.
Unlike Mia's arrogance, she nodded politely to Kyler first, then faced me.
Pale hand extended: "Hello. I'm Vera, Ethan's fiancée."
I hurried to shake it.
Vera.
Name didn't match the woman.
Such a soft name for someone so striking—her makeup flawless, smile enough to make me stare.
This was the kind of beauty that stopped traffic.
No wonder she stood beside Ethan.
Quick chat, then Vera left too. I noticed Kyler's gaze stayed fixed on her the whole time.
Never wavered.
Who knew? The guy was a secret romantic.
After Vera left, Kyler stayed silent but started ordering me around for drinks.
One after another.
Brow furrowed, like he had a lot on his mind.
Finally, I couldn't stand it, murmured something about drinking being bad, moderation, etc.
But—
Kyler shot me a look, fished in his pocket, pulled out another card.
"Shut up."
Stared at it two seconds, about to ask the balance when Kyler said:
"Fifty grand. No PIN."
"Yes, sir."
Took the card, instantly quiet. Twirled it in my fingers.
Is this guy a card dealer?
How does he keep pulling out random cards with varying amounts?