What’s he doing here?
And since when did he beco her brother?
Just then Ethan Barnes strode over. He stopped in front of Celeste Linden. "Little sis, why are you staring at so blankly? Don’t tell you don’t even recognize your own brother?"
"angel, how co you never told us you had a brother? Your brother is really sothing—so handso, and he helped us out so enthusiastically. Great character too. We didn’t even know how to thank him before, but now it’s perfect, we’re all one family." Dominic Reynolds’s parents were very fond of Ethan and didn’t hold back on the praise.
Looking at her innocent elders, Celeste felt a jolt of unease. She had no idea what trick Ethan was trying to pull this ti, but no matter what, she didn’t want to drag these two elders into it again.
"Little sis, what are you spacing out for? Are you not happy to see your brother?" As he spoke, Ethan casually put his hand on Celeste’s shoulder and pulled her into his arms without scruples. "Your brother missed you very much."
The words "missed you very much" breathed against her ear were like a snake flicking its tongue. Celeste’s body went rigid, every cell recoiling.
Just then a hand reached over, clamped around Celeste’s pale wrist, and yanked her back. Dominic looked at Ethan with a blank face. "Of course angel is very happy to see her brother."
Celeste was snatched into Dominic’s arms. Ethan’s narrow eyes narrowed a fraction, a hint of danger flashing there.
"angel’s brother, where are you staying right now? Dominic drove over, let him give you a lift," Dominic’s parents suggested kindly.
Ethan lifted a sharp brow. "I don’t have a place yet. I ca this ti just to see my little sister."
"That works out perfectly. Co stay with us then. Dominic and angel’s place is huge. Co live with us," Dominic’s parents said.
What?
Ethan is going to live with them?
Celeste was stunned and rejected it at once. "Dad, Mom, our place..."
Ethan nodded at that mont. "Alright, then I won’t be polite. Little sis, brother-in-law, you won’t mind your brother disturbing you for a few days, right?"
Ethan looked at Celeste and Dominic with a half-smile, half-not.
"What are you saying, we’re family. How can you call it disturbing? Co on, let’s go ho," Dominic’s parents said enthusiastically, taking Ethan and heading out.
Celeste’s mood had sunk to rock bottom. It wasn’t enough for Ethan to monitor her life; now he was using the elders to step into it. She could already imagine what kind of living hell she’d be in from now on.
Dominic’s expression was bad too, his lips pressed into a cold hard line. Still, if Ethan wanted to move in under his nose, so much the better. He wanted to see exactly what ga this Ethan Barnes was trying to play.
"Wifey, let’s go ho," Dominic said, putting his arm around Celeste’s shoulders as they headed back.
...
In the car.
Dominic was driving, Celeste sat in the passenger seat, and Dominic’s parents plus Ethan were in the back.
Dominic’s parents really liked Ethan, treating him like a second son. "angel’s brother, how old are you? Are you married?"
Ethan shook his head politely. "I’m thirty-two, not married yet."
"Not married? Then are you seeing anyone? With your conditions, there must be tons of girls who like you, right?"
"That I’m not too sure about. People who like don’t have anything to do with ." Ethan’s tone was cocky and cool.
"angel’s brother, then what kind of girl do you like? I don’t have a daughter, but I have plenty of friends whose daughters are all excellent. I can introduce them to you right away."
Celeste’s head started to ache. She hadn’t expected Dominic’s parents to get so enthusiastic about setting Ethan up with a girlfriend.
If Dominic’s parents knew Ethan owned an entire palace, filled with all kinds of top-tier beauties waiting every night for him to flip a naplate and favor them, she wondered what they would think.
Just then Ethan said, "Uncle, Auntie, thank you for your kindness, but there’s already a girl I like."
"A girl you like? What kind is she?"
"Mm... she’s clean and warm, always facing the sun, tough but decisive. She’s the best girl in the world. But... she’s already married." Ethan shrugged, looking regretful.
Dominic’s parents sighed along with him. "Such a good girl and you missed her. Forget it, angel’s brother, let’s not go for a married woman. There are plenty of good girls in this world."
Through the rearview mirror, Celeste glanced at Ethan, only to see him looking right back at her. She had no idea what was going through his mind.
Celeste was afraid he’d blurt out sothing crazy, so she quickly changed the subject. "Dad, Mom, this ti you’re here to have a good long vacation..."
...
The car pulled up on the lawn in front of the villa. Dominic took his parents inside first. Celeste deliberately fell behind and turned to Ethan. "What are you trying to pull this ti, pretending to be my brother?"
Ethan put his hand on her shoulder and lowered his voice with a laugh. "What do you an pretending? Am I not your brother? Aren’t you my little sister? A lover-brother and a lover-sister."
"..." Celeste shook his hand off imdiately. "Ethan, do you spend this much ti on other won too?"
Ethan said, "What are you trying to say?"
"Just now, when you talked about the girl you liked, were you thinking of , or that girl in your heart?"
Ethan pressed his thin lips together. He had always treated Celeste as a stand-in. But just now in the car, when he talked about the girl he liked, all that appeared in his mind was Celeste’s clean, stubborn face, her warmth, her goodness.
Celeste saw the hesitation and uncertainty in Ethan’s eyes. For a mont, the anxious pounding in her chest suddenly steadied. "Ethan, you’re not actually falling in love with , are you?"
"No. At best you’re just a substitute, sothing I use to pass the ti when I’m bored."
Celeste didn’t get angry. She just smiled brightly. "Good. Ethan, let warn you, you’d better not fall in love with . Otherwise, I promise you’ll die a very ugly death."
With that, Celeste walked into the villa.
...
Dinner was cooked personally by Dominic. The five of them sat at the table and started eating. Celeste said, "Dad, Mom, your room is all set, it’s right next to ours."
Ethan suddenly spoke up. "Little sis, then where’s my room?"
Celeste said, "...Next to Mom and Dad’s."
Ethan slowly cut off a small piece of steak and put it in his mouth to chew. "I see. Then is little sis going to sleep with big brother tonight?"
Sleep together?
The mont the words dropped, Dominic and his parents all snapped their heads over to look.
Ethan kept his expression unchanged and smiled. "Oh, didn’t you always sleep with big brother when you were little? You even slept in my arms. How co now that you’re grown up, you can’t sleep with your brother anymore?"
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