Chapter 141

“I’m her godbrother now, so how am I supposed to stay away from her?” Frederick ignored Jonathan’s warning glare and smiled brightly. “Don’t look at me like that.” He stepped closer and patted Jonathan on the shoulder.

Jonathan instantly shook him off with obvious disgust, radiating cold hostility.

Frederick chuckled softly and sighed. “I was actually hoping to hear you call me big brother. Guess that’s not happening?”

“You think you deserve that?” Jonathan’s voice was icy.

Tension crackled between them; the situation felt volatile. My head ached. Genuinely worried they would fight on stage, I quickly steered the conversation elsewhere. “Isn’t this a charity birthday event? Aren’t there more activities to come?”

Jonathan finally looked at me but remained silent. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me away. Behind us, Frederick watched me leave with an unreadable expression.

Just as we were moving farther away, he raised his hand and cheerfully shouted, “Sis! If anything ever happens, come find me. I’ll always be here for you!”

His words were clearly meant for Jonathan, though everyone else heard them too. Jonathan’s face turned an ugly gray, but he said nothing and increased his pace.

I had a really bad feeling but was helpless. I tried pulling away, but he tightened his grip, dragging me down the hallway, away from the party's noise and chaos. I had no idea where he was taking me.

Watching how effortlessly he moved through the Zimmer residence, I gave a bitter, mocking smile. He’d probably been here more times than I could count.

Neither of us spoke. I didn’t ask where we were going, and he didn’t tell me. We walked in silence.

Eventually, we reached a room resembling a family cemetery. He stopped, shoved me inside, and the door slammed shut with a loud bang. The next second, I was pinned against it by him. “Elise,” he said, his voice low and tight with barely contained emotion. “Why didn’t you say a word on the way here?”

“What did you want me to say?”

“An explanation.”

So, that was it. He’d been waiting for my explanation.

I looked him straight in the eye. “What’s there to explain? You saw what happened. That’s all there is.”

His eyes narrowed sharply. He grabbed my chin hard. “Are you really going to be his sister now?”

“What else am I supposed to do?”

I let out a cold laugh. “He announced it in front of everyone. Was I supposed to embarrass him and say no?”

“Why not? Who is he to you that you care about saving face for him?”

I yanked myself away. “It’s my business. What does it have to do with you? You have an adopted sister. Why can’t I have an adopted brother?”

“Elise, you’re doing this to get back at me.” His dark eyes were locked on me, filled with untangleable emotion.

I turned away, avoiding his gaze. “It’s not revenge. But if you think it is, then maybe that means you know you’ve done something wrong.” If he thought what I did was unfair, then why did he do it? Or was it simply a double standard? He could do as he pleased, but I couldn’t?

He clenched his fists, his eyes stormy. I didn’t doubt he could explode at any second.

“It’s not the same.”

“How is it not the same?” I shot back. “Is it because Alicia’s different for you, or because Frederick is different for me?”