Chapter 3

Caleb was awake. He had climbed out of the tub himself, but his legs gave out and he fell awkwardly to the floor, his heavy body unable to stand.

This was Julian’s goal: to use the drug to restrict Caleb’s mobility. Afterwards, he would arrange for a few men to come, take some compromising videos, and then he would lead others to "accidentally" walk in, witnessing Caleb’s humiliation and exposing it to the public.

This would completely ruin the golden boy.

Once the scandal broke, no company would dare to invest in Caleb’s products, no one would collaborate with his company, and Caleb would have no chance of rising again, only to be forever suppressed and forgotten.

Julian was on the verge of succeeding.

Unfortunately, Seraphina, with her System’s special power-ups, appeared and changed everything.

She found Caleb in advance, took him out of the dangerous room, and used her body to help him detox. Julian’s plot was foiled, but Seraphina and Caleb’s entanglement began then.

Only this time, I wouldn’t give anyone else a chance.

I was going to change my own destiny. Even if I was just cannon fodder, I wouldn’t die a tragic death.

“Caleb, I’ll take you out of here.” I grabbed Caleb’s arm, trying to pull him up from the floor, but I’d severely overestimated my own strength. After several tries, he just pulled me down with him.

“Anya.” His breathing was ragged, his bloodshot eyes, strained with effort, looked at me, wet and shimmering. There was even a hint of barely suppressed hurt in his voice.

“Didn’t you… not want me anymore?”

“If you didn’t want me, why did you come looking for me?” His petulant words held a hidden choke in his voice.

But clearly, his eyes still concealed a restrained joy.

My heart twisted.

Damn it, the old me.

How could I have repeatedly hurt this man who loved me more than life itself, all for a bastard who didn’t treat me like a human being?

“How could I not want you? You’re my most important brother!” I said seriously.

When I was abandoned at the orphanage, Caleb’s parents wanted to adopt a daughter. They were actually looking at someone else, but Caleb insisted on choosing me.

Later, when our adoptive parents’ jobs changed and they were often away, Caleb was the one who raised me, cooked my meals, and helped me with my homework. He even bought my first pad, blushing as he showed me how to use it with instructions.

From childhood, Caleb and I had always been so close.

So close that I couldn’t stand to hear anyone say anything to hurt him, or do anything to hurt him.

But I don’t know when it started, I changed. I began to resent Caleb. I hated him for paying too much attention to me, hated him for meddling in my life, hated him for not approving of my feelings for Julian.

The hatred came so inexplicably, just like my inexplicable love at first sight for Julian.

A promiscuous playboy.

He was definitely not my type.

It was the book’s narrative, forcing me onto this path, pushing me to hate Caleb, turning me into someone I didn’t even recognize.

Caleb’s eyes darkened upon hearing my words, devoid of joy.

I suddenly remembered how I’d used the exact same sweet-talk to trick him into showing me his product design plans, only to immediately steal them and hand them over to Julian as a gift.

Later, two tech products were released one after another. Caleb’s was the second, causing him to be branded a plagiarist and nearly bankrupting his fledgling company.

Now, his company's reputation was in tatters, and a large part of that was my doing.

“Anya, you need to go. Leave here. I don’t want to hurt you.” Caleb’s breathing became more rapid, his entire face flushed a deep, alarming red, like he'd been boiled alive.

Julian’s drug was potent; he was at his limit.

I knew Caleb couldn’t wait any longer.

Just as I was about to call, a frantic knocking echoed at the door.

“Caleb! Caleb, are you in there?!”

“Open up! If you don’t open the door, you’ll die!”

It was Seraphina.

She had returned, and the System must have given her Caleb’s exact location.

With her System’s special power-ups, a mere security guard couldn't stop her.

I reached out and touched Caleb’s trembling face, then tore off a bath towel and wrapped it around his wet, transparent clothes, tying it securely.

*Humph*, Caleb was mine, and only I could see him like this.

Done, I stood up, intending to open the door.

Caleb frantically reached out and grabbed my hand.

His eyes were terribly red.

His voice was broken.

“Are you… abandoning me again?”

His consciousness was already hazy.

His reactions were mostly subconscious.

I knew exactly how to soothe him.

Better than anyone.

I gently leaned down and pressed a kiss to his slightly cold lips. “Caleb, I would never abandon you. I’m just going to open the door.”

A flicker of starlight seemed to pass through Caleb’s eyes.

He hesitantly released my hand.