Scarlette stumbled back a few steps, finding herself pinned against the sleek


    ck car.


    "Nichs, that''s enough!"


    With a cut on his lip from her p, Nichs casually licked the blood away. "Scarlette, I heard you''re bringing Morgan to meet your folks?"


    Scarlette''s chest rose and fell as she clutched the car door frame.


    "This is my business, I don''t owe you an exnation."


    She took a deep breath, her voice softening. "We''re going to be family soon. Don''t look at him like he''s your enemy. You''re going to have to call him ''brother-inw.""


    Nichs chuckled darkly, his eyes clouded with intensity.


    Scarlette felt a hint of fear from his unpredictable nature and frowned. "And stop being so informal with me. Call me ''sister.'' If you keeping around like this, the Greenard family is going to give me a hard time. Nichs, stop acting like a kid."


    Before she could say another word, Nichs grabbed her wrist and pushed her into the car.


    Her head hit the seat, leaving her dizzy. Before she knew it, he was on top of her.


    "You y me like a toy. When you want to push me away, I''m just your ''little brother,'' but when you need me, you cling to me and call me ''husband.'' How many truths are you hiding?"


    The car door mmed shut, and in the cramped space, his presence felt overpowering.


    The car''s interior was roomy, but when Scarlette tried to get up, he pressed her down by the chest.


    She took a deep breath. "I''ve told you so many times, that night was a mistake, I was drunk."


    Nichs leaned in closer, his hand moving downward, parting her clothes.


    She gasped, trying to push him away, but he held her firmly.


    "Nichs!"


    He pulled back his hand, smirking as he examined his fingers. "You say one thing, but your body tells a different story. Is Morgan so useless he can''t satisfy you?"


    Before he finished, Scarlette pped him again.


    His head snapped to the side, five red marks blossoming on his cheek.


    Scarlette felt a pang of guilt and pain. They used to be so close, incredibly close. She thought his clinginess was just childhood affection, never expecting him to feel this way.


    That night, she really was drunk, but he wasn''t. Did he really not know whose name she was calling?


    She rubbed her temples, her heart softening as she gently touched his face. "Does it hurt?"


    They''d grown up together, and even if he were just a pet, there would be feelings. But to Scarlette, Nichs was like a brother. She never had any other thoughts. Nichs let out a coldugh. "Might as well p me to death."


    Scarlette knew his sharp tongue well. She rummaged around the car for a first aid kit but found none, so she resorted to using her hand to massage his cheek.


    Since that incident, she''d been avoiding him. But Nichs seemed to misunderstand, keeping a close watch on her, affecting her social life, and treating every man around her as a threat.


    When things fell apart, people around them couldn''t believe it. They''d say, "Isn''t Nichs just a doting little brother?"


    As she massaged his cheek, his hands wrapped around her waist, taking advantage of the closeness.


    Scarlette sighed in frustration. "Nichs, stop being so stubborn. We''re not kids anymore."


    It had been three years since that incident, and they both needed to move on.


    But Nichs refused. When she left the Greenard family, he deliberately made things difficult for her, using childish tactics to steal her clients.


    For those three years, she had been constantly on the run.


    Her position in the Greenard family was already awkward, and if anyone found out about their indiscretion, her reputation would be ruined.


    If she truly loved Nichs, she might not care about such things. But she didn''t love him.