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Chapter 73 Will a Woman as Bright and Pure as Her Really Be Moved by Him?
Chloe froze. “What, you don’t want to be Daniel’s younger brother?”
Ethan lowered his gaze slightly. “You’re the only person allowed to treat me as their younger brother.”
Chloe chuckled, but didn’t push it. “Fine then. If you don’t want to, you don’t have to.”
“Then what about you? Have you always only seen me as a younger brother?” Ethan asked after some
hesitation.
Looking at the man before her, who had already shed his boyish youth, Chloe replied, “Not just a little brother. You’re also my comrade–in–arms.”
Even though they had both retired now, in her heart, they would always be comrades.
A glint flashed in Ethan’s eyes. Comrade and brother–that was all he was to her.
He couldn’t help but ask, “Then what about Brian? What’s he to you?”
“Brian?” Chloe frowned. “Why bring him up?”
“I just want to know how you see him.”
“He’s the person I’m currently tasked to protect.”
“That’s all?”
“What else could there be?” Chloe asked.
Ethan pursed his lips. Brian clearly saw Chloe in a different light. In particular, when Brian had hooked pinkies with Chloe, he had looked like he was gazing at someone he liked.
“Chloe, do you like Brian?” Ethan suddenly asked.
Chloe choked on her water. “What kind of nonsense are you saying?”
Ethan said in a serious tone, “Plenty of women like Brian in Corvessia. His face alone is enough to make their hearts race. So I’m worried you’ll fall for him too. But Brian isn’t someone you should be falling for. There’s something twisted about the Steeles. They’re abnormal to the core.”
Chloe thought of the scars on Brian’s back and of his murmured cries when he had nightmares. For some reason, a strange feeling stirred in her chest.
“People are shaped by their environment. I don’t believe he’s abnormal,” Chloe replied.
Ethan protested, “That’s just because you haven’t heard the rumors. If I told you that he once-”
“Rumors aren’t always true,” she cut him off. “Compared to hearsay, I’d rather believe what I’ve seen with my own eyes!”
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Ethan’s expression shifted slightly. He wanted to argue more, but he suddenly fell silent. Then, his gaze. shifted past her to the figure behind her.
Chloe immediately turned, only to see Brian standing not far away. Not knowing when he had appeared,
she didn’t know how much of their conversation he had overheard.
Just then, the system called out Chloe’s number. She got up and walked toward the service counter,
leaving Ethan and Brian to stare each other down.
“What a coincidence, Mr. Steele. Are you here for business as well?” Ethan stepped forward.
“It’s not a coincidence,” Brian replied. “I came here specifically for Chloe.”
Ethan frowned. “Who allowed you to get so close to her?”
“She did, of course,” Brian said calmly. “And I just learned that you like talking behind people’s backs, Mr.
Hughes. It seems like you’re quite familiar with the rumors about me.”
Ethan glared at Brian. “If it makes her more cautious of you, I don’t care how many times I have to play
the villain or repeat those rumors!”
“Araid she’ll fall for me?” Brian sneered.
“You little-” Rage surged in Ethan’s chest. But then he laughed coldly, “How could a woman as bright and
pure as her ever like someone who skulks in the shadows? Brian, others may not know your family’s filth,
but don’t forget, my mother is an Earlhart.”
The Earlharts were the most renowned family of lawyers in Corvessia. They naturally knew plenty of
secrets about the upper circles and their families.
Brian’s expression darkened. “So what is it you want to tell her?”
Ethan pursed his lips. He had intended to warn Chloe about how dangerous Brian was and about the
mess within the Steele family. But since she refused to listen to rumors, Ethan let it rest.
But now, facing Brian, Ethan didn’t want to appear weak. He smirked and said, “Naturally, I’ll tell her what you least want her to know. Brian, your whole family is insane. Do you really think Chloe would fall for a
madman?”
There was a glint of savagery in Brian’s eyes as he suddenly raised his hand, ready to grab Ethan by the
throat.
But the next moment, he froze. If he harmed Ethan here, Chloe would turn on him instantly.
Ethan was startled by Brian’s restraint. He had expected them to fight.
Brian said slowly, “Just as you said, she’s bright and pure. You think she’ll believe your rumors? In the end, you’ll just look like a petty man.”
The two of them stood facing each other in a silent confrontation.
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Then, Chloe returned, her paperwork finished. She walked over and asked, “What’s going on with you two?”
“It’s nothing, we were just chatting,” Brian replied. “Are you done? I need you to come with me for
something.”
“Alright,” Chloe agreed easily. After all, she was his bodyguard.
“Let’s go then,” Brian said.
Chloe turned to Ethan. “Sorry, I was planning to treat you to a meal after this.”
“No problem. I can eat with you anytime,” Ethan said. As they parted, he even pulled Chloe into a bear hug.
Chloe returned it naturally. It was common to embrace like that among comrades.
But while Ethan hugged her, he shot Brian a deliberately provocative glare.
Brian’s expression darkened, lips pressed into a thin line.
After that, Chloe left with him.
In the car, she asked, “So what do you need me for?”
“There’s a banquet tomorrow night. I need you to come with me,” Brian replied.
“I see,” Chloe responded. “And now?”
“Now, we’ll pick out a dress for you to wear tomorrow.”
“Dresses aren’t convenient for moving around,” Chloe pointed out.
“Then find one that allows you to move,” Brian retorted.
Fine, then. In the end, she was protecting him right now. In some sense, he was her employer.
Chloe didn’t say anything else as she turned to look out the car window.
Brian’s gaze, however, lingered on her.
He hadn’t expected to overhear her conversation with Ethan earlier.
When Ethan said that the Steele family was abnormal, she disagreed. Even when he tried to tell her the
Steele family’s hidden scandals, she refused to believe rumors.
Just like Ethan said, Chloe was too bright and too pure. Compared to her, Brian, no matter how polished
he seemed on the surface, felt like a monster skulking in the shadows.
He knew that he was a madman in the eyes of many. Even if he wasn’t mad now, it was only a matter of
time.
Out of nowhere, he broke the silence inside the car. “Do you really not want to know what the rumors around my family are?”
