Avery's cheeks flushed red.
The atmosphere in the car was silent but amorous.
She curled up into a ball in the passenger seat. Strangely, she felt safe with him beside her.
Avery thought long and hard about it before concluding that her sense of security stemmed from their
blood ties.
It was natural to feel safe when one was with one's brother. That was what normal siblings would do.
Gradually, Avery fell into a deep sleep.
She was satisfied to finally find a suitable position for herself. If she thought of him as her brother, they
wouldn't be going against the norms even if they were to spend time alone.
Cayden soon arrived at a toll. After passing the toll, he whipped his head around to glance at Avery,
who was curled into a ball in the passenger seat. For the past few days, she couldn't eat or sleep well.
She had even fainted. It was only then that she could finally rest for a while.
The black Land Rover drove on the road steadily. Cayden glanced at her every once in a while, and he
only felt relieved after making sure she was sleeping soundly.
Finally, they arrived at Livingsfill. There were potholes on the road.
Avery woke up with an aching body. She glanced around and belatedly realized where she was.
Holding his suit jacket, she shot an apologetic look at Cayden, who was in the driver's seat. “I'm sorry
for falling asleep.”
Cayden made a turn and drove the car in the direction of her house. He asked casually, “Why would
you need to apologize for falling asleep?”
Avery parted her lips but did not know how to respond to his question.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtHe drove back to Livingsfill late at night to help me find Grandpa. It was too long a journey, so he would
get bored for sure. It would be better if I was awake to talk to him. However, I fell asleep. It must be a
boring and difficult journey for him.
Back in Ackleton, Dylan spent the entire night partying and only came back home after midnight.
Toby was already asleep. He jolted awake when he heard the sound of a car driving into his mansion.
He nudged his wife who was sleeping beside him. “Wake up. Hurry, wake up!”
Talia woke up and shot him a dazed look.
“Is Dylan back? That b*stard. Look at the time!” Toby fumed. He couldn't really vent his frustration on
Dylan, for Dylan was already an adult. He wasn't strong enough to give his son a beating.
Talia sat up and glanced at the clock. It was indeed late at night.
Before Dylan went to jail, he had used to have fun all day and night. He would only come home after
midnight. As a result, he had landed in trouble and ended up in jail.
“I'll go downstairs. You should stay here.” Worried that Toby would get into a fight with Dylan, Talia told
her husband to stay put. She put on a jacket and house slippers before walking out of the room.
Sighing, Toby rested against the headboard and punched his pillow in frustration. He couldn't go back
to sleep.
Downstairs, Talia saw Dylan coming into the house.
After changing into house slippers, Dylan lifted his head to see his mother glaring at him furiously.
“What's wrong? Why are you still up at this hour? Won't you get your beauty sleep now that you're
old?” Dylan said sweetly as he prepared to head upstairs.
Talia remained unfazed despite his sweet words. “Stand right there,” she ordered.
Dylan halted in his tracks and turned at his shoulder to look at her.
As their gazes met, Talia started tearing up. She promptly poured her frustrations out. “Why did you
come back after midnight? Do you want to piss your parents off? No wonder Cayden looks down on
you even though you're his cousin. He didn't even agree to let you date his secretary! Besides your
good looks, what else can you be proud of? You don't deserve any respect!”
Since young, Dylan was more handsome than usual boys. Thus, Talia was proud of him.
Alas, his good looks made women flock to him. He ended up being a playboy and spent his days in
debauchery.
If Talia had a choice, she wished Dylan was born an ugly person!
Cayden was Allie's son, and Allie was Toby's sister. Talia knew Allie since young, but they weren't on
good terms.
Talia had never liked Allie, for the latter was known for being a gold-digger who would resort to
despicable means to climb up the social ladder.
She was still the same at this age.
As Talia didn't like Allie, she also didn't like Allie's son, Cayden.
Deep down, Talia knew she was jealous of Allie. She was jealous that Allie had a disciplined and
capable son.
What was more, Cayden had become the father of a pair of twins a few years ago.
“We're different beings who lead different lives. Why do I need his respect?” Dylan didn't drink any
alcohol that day and was sober. He frowned and stared at Talia in displeasure.
“Why do you need his respect?” Talia burst into tears in frustration. She pointed at the living room,
which was full of guests in the evening. “The upper-class society in Ackleton isn't big, so everyone
knows each other. This afternoon, Allie didn't come to our gathering, as she attended a stupid fashion
event organized by an entertainment company. Don't you know many are laughing at us behind our
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm
backs?”
Talia didn't dare pour her resentments out to her husband, for she was afraid her husband would
accuse her of being sensitive.
She had no choice but to tamp down her annoyance and hope Dylan could live up to her expectations.
Dylan saw the wrinkles at the corner of her eyes and knew how hard she had it. A brief silence later, he
said, “Go back to bed. I don't need others to approve of my marriage. I'll marry Ery for you.”
With that said, he turned and marched up the stairs.
Talia stared at his retreating figure and finally heaved a sigh of relief.
Back in Livingsfill, Cayden got off the car and tugged at the chain locking the gate.
No one had unlocked it for ages.
The wall was tall, and there was no ladder around.
The lights weren't turned on inside the house, too.
“Your grandpa didn't come back,” Cayden told her in a low voice.
Avery hung her head low and said nothing. The quieter she was, the more his heart ached for her. He
strode over to her and pulled her into his arms.
Planting a kiss on her forehead, he assured her, “Don't worry. We'll wait for the police to give us
updates.”
Silence ensued. Slowly, Avery started taking deep breaths quietly. Without warning, Cayden lifted her
face and realized she was indeed crying. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.
“Don't cry.” Cayden wasn't good at offering comforting words, especially when it came to comforting
someone of the opposite sex. He tightened his arm around her body and caressed her cheeks, head,
and shoulders affectionately. He wanted nothing more than to merge his body with hers.
Avery was afraid that Blake had gotten into trouble.