Once I reached home and saw the black Bentley that was parked in front of the entrance, I couldn’t be sure if I were disgusted or infuriated.
John alighted from the ride as he greeted me with a courteous smile, “Hey! I have been waiting for you! Where have you been? Why have you switched off your phone?”
I stood right where I was statically and clenched my fists with all my might in order to suppress my emotions. “Why are you here?”
“I’m here to visit you… and the baby…” Once he finished his sentence, he stared at my tummy as though he was up to no good.
I disliked the uncanny sensation that he had often brought along whenever he showed up in front of me. “Fine! Since you’ve already met us, can you leave?”
If I had the choice to stay away from him for the rest of my life, I would accept the offer without a second thought.
I walked past him as I made my way into the villa. Nevertheless, he came after me, standing in my way as I was about to reach the house. He smirked viciously as he stated, “Scarlett, are you going to treat me in such a manner for the rest of our lives? I’m not your foe—I’m your beloved brother! We’re supposed to be each other’s strongest backing on this planet! Why have you pushed me away over and over again?”
For the last time, I tried my best to suppress my emotions as I asked, “Am I supposed to treat you differently? John, you’re aware of our relationship, aren’t you? Are we really siblings? Are you sure that I am the one who has pushed you away? How can you say this when you’re the one who has left me behind! It’s all your fault! You’re the reason that we’re no longer close! You have turned into a selfish, vicious, and cunning man over the years!”
Previously, when Grandma brought him back to R Province, I was thrilled because I thought that I finally had another sibling and someone to keep me company! However, as time went by, I noticed that I was wrong because his deeds had sent chills running down my spine!
When he heard my words, he replied with a bitter smile as though he found himself hilarious and pathetic at the same time. “Are you going to forsake me as well?”
I avoided the helpless man’s gaze as I murmured, “I have no intention of forsaking you, but…”
“Great! Letty, as long as you’re not going to forsake me, I believe that we’ll patch things up and return to the good old days soon!” His expression morphed as soon as he heard my reply. He returned to the car and brought me a basket of tomatoes.
Grinning, he repeated, “I am aware that you are craving for the fruits and vegetables that we used to have back in R Province! Do you remember that I had bought the plot of land? I have planted your favorite fruits and vegetables using the seeds that have been left behind by Grandma! I have brought you your favorite tomatoes and mangoes today!”
For a moment, I felt rather confused when I looked at him because he seemed to be different from his usual indifferent and blood-lusting self. I was clueless about the reason that had done all those things behind my back.
I couldn’t be sure if it were one of his attempts to deceive me again, but I couldn’t bear to turn him down when I saw the bright and innocent grin on his face.
In the end, he brought the basket of fruits into the courtyard of the villa and told me, “If you like it, I’ll occasionally drop by and hand it over to you! Also, if you feel like making a trip back to R Province, feel free to get in touch with me! Let’s make a trip together!”
I felt a prickling sensation behind my eyes because John seemed to have been alone all this while. I finally figured out that he wasn’t lying when he told me that he had been feeling alone.
In order to avoid weeping in front of him, I took a deep breath to calm myself and replied cheerfully, “Mmm! It’s getting late. You should return to where you’ve come from.”
Perhaps humans had always been social beings that had to rely on one another to get through the tough moments in life.
Since there wasn’t anyone that we could rely on, at the end of the day, we were just two lonely souls on this planet.
He stared at me in the eyes to express his joy. Before I could reciprocate his affection, he leaped over and held me firmly in between his arms. “Letty, I hope that our relationship will remain this way forever!”
I was silent for a few seconds, taking in the man’s embrace as I stared at the Jeep that was closing in behind him.
Ashton! Why is he back?
Ashton got out of his car and rushed over to my side swiftly, dragging me away from John before I could push the latter away. Thankfully, John’s car was nearby. Otherwise, I would have been sent flying by the powerful force.
As soon as I stopped myself from staggering, Ashton’s punch had landed on John’s face. It was a fatal blow, and John’s face turned swollen while his lips began to bleed.
Ashton pinned John to the ground and delivered him several punches in the face before he could even grasp the situation.
I rushed over to stop Ashton immediately, yet he turned around and stared at me with his bloodlust pair of eyes. “If you don’t want me to send him to hell, stay right where you are!”
Immediately, I brought myself to an abrupt halt. Thankfully, John had returned to his senses. He wiped the blood off his lips and started ridiculing Ashton in return. “Is threatening a defenseless woman all that you’re capable of? Ashton, why don’t you keep your words and send me to hell?”
“Are you challenging me and pushing your luck?” The moment he finished his rhetorical question, Ashton started delivering another few blows on John’s face.
I couldn’t bear it anymore because John was rendered defenseless by the aggressive Ashton. In another attempt to stop them, I yelled hysterically, “Ashton, stop it! He’s going to die for real!”
The scene of the incident that had occurred when we were children flashed back in my mind while I stood aside, witnessing the entire fight that had ended up with John being the defenseless victim. Back when we were younger, I was bullied and cornered by a bunch of delinquents. John rushed over to my rescue and took the beating on my behalf in the nick of time.
He was a man of few words, yet after he defended me, he comforted me and assured me, “Don’t worry! It doesn’t hurt at all! You don’t have to be sad!”
Nevertheless, the more he assured me that things would be fine, the more I wailed. Once we made our way home, he finally told us that his leg was broken during the intense fight. Grandma could barely suppress her wrath and she almost taught the kids a lesson on our behalf.
In order to keep me safe from the delinquents, he would ignore his injuries and make his way to my school because he was afraid that they would show up after school. Since he had brought along a knife with him, the delinquents were often intimidated by him and they soon decided to stay away from us.
Since Ashton showed no signs of stopping while John was about to pass out due to the serious injuries, I stopped hesitating and reached out for the baton that was available in the courtyard. I made up my mind and swung it in Ashton’s direction with all of my might.
