Although Rafael was expressing his gratitude to Gerald, Hera interpreted his words differently. To her, it seemed like Rafael was thanking Gerald for not going straight to the police, thus preventing his sister from being persecuted without Rafael’s understanding of the situation. Hera feared that what Rafael was about to say might signal the end of their rtionship and her hopes for him to be a better, more honorable male lead than the one depicted in the novel.


    Without realizing it, Hera’s hand stiffened under Rafael’s grasp and even tried to pull away because she really didn’t like the unscrupulous Rafael who condoned his sister’s vindictive demeanor just like how he and his friends helped Minerva took down the Avery just because Minerva end up sending Hera to her death and was afraid of the Avery’s retaliation from her crime.


    Hera felt on the verge of a panic attack, but she steeled herself to listen to what Rafael was about to say.


    "I, along with my parents, have loved and pampered Minerva since she was little, and that’s all I know how to do," Rafael said, his eyes lowered as he seemed to reflect on the past. As he reminisced, Hera’s heart sank. Rafael’s firm grip on her hand prevented her from pulling away, and at the same time, she felt an overwhelming desire to distance herself from him. Negative thoughts were consuming her, making the situation increasingly difficult to bear.


    "Because of this, we failed to correct my sister’s thinking and actions, so some of her mistakes and choices are my parents’ and my fault. As a family, we’ve only recently decided to do the right thing for my sister," Rafael said. His words hit Hera like a bolt of lightning, leaving her momentarily dazed. Even Gerald was taken aback, as he had expected Rafael to deny the contents of the report and assume responsibility for cleaning up his sister’s mess as the older brother.


    Since the police wouldn’t have ess to those reports, they wouldn’t be able to identify who was connected to the crimes, and the situation would continue as if nothing had happened. Rafael’s words were a breath of fresh air, in stark contrast to his usual approach to handling issues regarding his sister. Unlike when he first tried to intimidate Hera and offered her a bribe to keep his sister’s actions hidden, his current response showed a new level of ountability.


    It was indeed surprising, and even more astonishing were Rafael’s next words, which left Hera dazed as she stared at his serious yet handsome face, now seeming to glow with a new light. "Initially, I nned to send my sister to a boarding school abroad to broaden her horizons and teach her how to conduct herself. I wanted her to experience the hardships of life and move beyond her obsession with a man who was clearly using her. My parents and I didn’t want her to sink further into the abyss and continue hurting herself. Since then, I have been keeping her confined to her room, preparing to send her abroad."


    "But after learning this, I was both profoundly surprised and deeply disheartened. I never imagined that my coddling of my sister’s actions would lead to this. At the same time, I still believed in the remnants of humanity within her and struggled with my decision. I had hoped she wasn’t at the point where she would resort to such crimes, thinking she would only exploit her birthright and use the Briley name to intimidate or oppress others." Rafael added.


    Gerald quickly countered with another point. "However, you seem to have forgotten that you also removed her control over her birthright and refused to let her use either yourpany or the Briley’s influence to aid her bullying. She even resorted to bribing trolls and marketing ounts using her own funds because she could no longermand your PR team or the Briley’s resources. Perhaps this is why she turned to such drastic measures? Without the family’s influence and power, she may have sought out a criminal group to exact her revenge and protect what she believed was hers."