C16 Get away from My Brother!

On the roadside, Evelyn hailed a cab, intent on heading home to discuss her upcoming marriage. To her surprise, a sleek black Cadillac screeched to a halt in front of her. As the window rolled down, a pair of sunglasses framed a strikingly handsome face. Just a glimpse was enough to take Evelyn's breath away.

It was him—Marvin! The man she once idolized as her Prince Charming. But now, all she wanted was to keep her distance, aware that a future with him was out of the question. She turned to leave, but Marvin was quicker to speak.

"Evelyn, I'm warning you, stay away from my brother," he commanded, his tone far from friendly.

Evelyn faced him, her eyes meeting his for the first time with a newfound composure. "Why?" she inquired.

With a hint of annoyance, Marvin removed his sunglasses. "You know exactly what you are. Do I really need to spell it out?" he said, his voice laced with displeasure. "Even with my brother's injuries, he's out of your league."

"And another thing, I don't want to see you around me again."

Evelyn couldn't help but laugh at Marvin's words. She had always seen him as a kind and sunny young man, but his words now cut deep.

"What's so funny, Evelyn?" Marvin's irritation was evident as he raised his voice.

"I'm laughing at how foolish I've been, how naive. No one else cares for me, yet I foolishly fell for you," Evelyn replied, her tone light but her heart aching with a mix of emotions—affection, shyness, and longing—all once reserved for Marvin. But she knew those feelings were a thing of the past.

"You..." Marvin was at a loss for words, his anger rendering him speechless. After a brief silence, he scoffed, "They're right about you. You really have no shame."

Shameless? Evelyn knew Lucille had been spreading malicious gossip about her at school. As the saying goes, "Good deeds stay within walls, while bad news travels far and wide." But none of that mattered to her anymore. She was indifferent to the slander, having grown accustomed to it.

"Yes, I'm shameless," she retorted with a defiant grin. "I tried to seduce you two days ago, and now I'm supposedly seducing your brother. But it's all the same to you, isn't it? After all, you'll soon have to address me as your sister-in-law."

She couldn't be bothered to explain and simply tarnished her own reputation.

Those who trusted her would continue to do so.

Those who didn't would claim she was lying no matter what she said.

"Evelyn." His voice boomed as he called out her name, startlingly loud.

Evelyn was clearly in the wrong, yet she carried herself with an air of righteousness.

"Call me sister-in-law," Evelyn retorted, her voice rising sharply, her tone icy.

"In your dreams," Marvin dismissed with a terse reply before driving off, leaving nothing but a cloud of dust as if the confrontation had never occurred.

Evelyn stood frozen, her eyes slowly welling with tears.

Had she really done nothing wrong?

Then why did it feel like the whole world was against her?

...

Back at the Solis household, the stepmother was busy cooking.

Willard was on the couch, busily picking vegetables.

Neither of them looked pleased to see her return.

"Who's Leslie?" Willard inquired.

Willard and the stepmother were ordinary folks with regular jobs, not well-versed in the business world.

Like Evelyn, they had never heard of Leslie.

"My fiancé," Evelyn replied nonchalantly, settling into the sofa.

"I don't care who he is," Willard declared. "Without a dowry of two hundred thousand yuan, I won't consent to your marriage, period."