"Sir Ace…" Her voice wavered.
I sighed and leaned back against my desk
"You can call me big brother when it's just the two of us. I only asked you to call me sir in public because I didn't want the media making up stories about us."
Right now, I was the hottest topic in the city so I needed to protect my image all the time.
"B-Big brother…" Her hand never stopped moving. "C-Can I just… hide until my birthday? Please. Once I'm at legal age, I will cut ties with them completely. I don't want anything to do with them anymore."
I tapped my chin, studying her.
"Hai-Min, be honest with me. Why do you hate your family so much?"
Her lips parted but she never said a word.
I rested a hand on her head. "Don't worry. I'm here for you. No matter what it is—I'll be on your side."
She bit her lip hard, trying to keep it in, but my soothing gesture broke her walls.
"I… I told you this before, but…" She swallowed hard. "We were poor before my big sister awakened. Really poor."
