A suffocating silence filled the car. As one of the highest-end Rolls-Royce models available, the vehicle's soundproofing was exceptional. Not a trace of the night breeze could be heard.
Caroline held her canvas bag tightly. Her body remained tense as she sat on the wide leather seat. Only after she got inside did she realize that someone was already sitting inside the car. Across from her sat an unfamiliar young man.
He was dressed in a custom-made black suit that fit him perfectly. One leg rested casually over the other.
As the streetlights passed by outside, faint streaks of light swept across his profile. The brief illumination revealed a remarkably handsome face. His eyes were deep and sharp. His nose was straight and well-defined.
Without saying a single word, he carried the commanding presence of someone who had spent years in a position of authority.
Amanda was usually outspoken and fiery. Yet inside this car, she sat close to the door. Her fingers repeatedly twisted the hem of her clothing.
The nervousness on her face was impossible to miss. Noticing Caroline's gaze fixed on the man, Amanda swallowed nervously before finally speaking. "Carrie, let me introduce this gentleman to you."
Amanda raised her hand and pointed toward the man sitting opposite them. A slight tremor lingered in her voice. "This is your biological brother, Caleb Howard."
Caroline's thoughts instantly went blank. Her biological brother?
She became completely still. Shock widened her eyes as she stared at the man sitting across from her.
Ever since she was young, she had known Amanda adopted her from an orphanage.
For more than twenty years, she had imagined her biological family countless times. She had often wondered what her parents looked like. Yet now that the moment had finally arrived, she didn't know how to react. A brother connected to her by blood had suddenly appeared. And he was sitting directly across from her. Her mind was in complete disarray.
There was no excitement. What filled her heart instead was overwhelming confusion.
Caleb quietly observed her stunned expression. He noticed her reddened eyes. A trace of pain surfaced in his eyes.
Then, in the very next moment, he noticed her body give a slight involuntary tremble.
Caleb's breathing faltered for a moment. A sudden sense of panic flashed through him. He had frightened his younger sister.
At once, his thoughts returned to the countless reminders his personal assistant of ten years had repeated before he left.
"Mr. Howard! When you go meet your sister, you have to get rid of that intimidating gang boss presence! Stop walking around with that cold expression! Brothers in ordinary families are kind and approachable! If you look at your sister the same way you look at gang members during an interrogation, you'll scare her away before you even get to know her!"
The Howard family had established their wealth in Ylerton. For generations, their ancestors had been well-known figures in the underworld. Although the family had gradually moved into legitimate businesses over the years, the fierceness and aggression in their blood had never completely disappeared.
Before this journey, the entire Howard family gathered for a meeting. Everyone reached the same decision—under no circumstances could Caroline find out about their mafia background. Their true origins had to remain hidden from her.
The family planned to wait until she adjusted to life with them. Only after she had built a close relationship with them would they slowly reveal the truth at the right time.
With that thought in mind, Caleb immediately straightened his posture.
Taking a deep breath, he forced the tension from his face. At the same time, he suppressed the intimidating look in his eyes. Then he did his best to form what he believed was a warm and gentle smile.
"Carrie, don't be nervous." Caleb deliberately slowed his speech. His voice was low and gentle. "I'm your oldest brother, Caleb Howard."
Caroline looked at the stiff smile on his face. Even so, she noticed the careful anticipation and hope hidden deep in his eyes.
"Y-you're really my brother?" Caroline's voice came out slightly hoarse. Her fingertips pressed deeply into her palms. "But I've been away for more than twenty years. There are so many people in this world who look alike. Are you certain you've found the right person? I don't even have anything that can prove who I am..."
"There is absolutely no possibility that we've made a mistake." Caleb's expression stayed firm as he reached into his inner pocket, took out a document, and passed it to Caroline. "This is the DNA test report. Also, you have a red birthmark about the size of a coin below your left shoulder blade, don't you?"
Caroline's body stiffened in shock. Aside from her and Amanda, no one else knew about that birthmark.
The words Confirmed Biological Relationship were printed in bold black letters on the report, and they struck her sight at once.
All the hurt she had buried for years, all the confusion that had never left her, and all the coldness Isaac had brought into her life came rushing over her at the same time. Yet the warmth of blood ties slowly washed it all away.
She had truly found her real family.
Caroline took several deep breaths and forced down the tight feeling in her throat. Only then did she finally accept the truth in front of her.
Still holding the strap of her canvas bag in an awkward grip, she raised her head and asked softly, "Caleb, what about Mom and Dad? Why didn't they come with you today?"
The moment Caleb heard her call his name in that soft and careful voice, his heart skipped. Joy nearly overwhelmed him so much that he almost wanted to shout out loud to celebrate.
In the end, he held himself back.
"Mom hasn't been in good health. After losing you all those years ago, she grieved so much that she developed a long-term heart condition. She can't handle traveling far. Dad stayed in Ylerton to look after her," he said.
Caleb looked at her with rare gentleness in his eyes. "They both wanted to come, but I persuaded them to stay home. I came here first to pick you up. Your second and third brothers are away on business today, but they'll fly over tomorrow morning to see you right away."
"I have two more brothers?" Caroline asked in surprise.
"Yes. Lance Howard and Jaime Howard. You're the youngest." Caleb looked at her with open affection in his eyes.
Caroline gave a small nod. The uneasiness pressing against her heart eased a little. After hesitating for a moment, she glanced at the luxurious Rolls-Royce convoy around them and couldn't keep herself from asking, "Caleb, what kind of business does our family do?"
This level of wealth was shocking. Even Isaac had never traveled with such an exaggerated display.
Caleb froze for a second. There it was. This was exactly the question his assistant had warned him to prepare for.
He cleared his throat and lied with a completely serious face. "Nothing much. Our family just runs a small business."
"A small business?" Caroline asked.
"That's right. A small business." Caleb continued making up the story, his expression still perfectly calm. "We own a modest company, and I only handle some basic management work there. We happened to have a good year and made a little extra money. I didn't want your welcome to look too plain, so I rented this convoy for the occasion."
Then he continued expanding on the family story he had made up, saying, "Your second brother is a doctor working at a hospital, and your third brother works as a lawyer at a law firm. Our family is doing well financially, so you'll never have to worry about money."
Sitting beside Caroline, Amanda finally released a long breath. So the family was wealthy. That was good news.
Amanda patted her chest, relief written all over her face. Then she took Caroline's hand and held it tightly. "Oh, Carrie, I'm so glad I stood my ground all those years ago and insisted on sending you to that prestigious school with Isaac. You learned how to play the piano there, and you even became fluent in four foreign languages. I may be nothing more than a maid, but I never raised you to be rude or uneducated. Look at you now. You carry yourself so well. Once you return to the Howard family, you'll never embarrass them. With everything you've learned, nobody will dare look down on you."
Amanda's words struck a chord deep inside Caroline. In response, she squeezed Amanda's hand just as firmly. "Mom, it doesn't matter which family I come from. You'll always be my mother. Nothing will ever change that."
Across from them, Caleb listened quietly to their conversation. A slight frown appeared between his brows.
Isaac? That name sounded familiar. He had seen it before in the intelligence reports on Amanda. Isaac was the young heir of the Harvey family in Yeufield. His reputation for arrogance wasn't exactly a secret.
Caleb's eyes slowly moved downward. His gaze landed on Caroline's slightly swollen calf. A dark bruise was clearly visible there. It had been left behind when Deanna struck her with the suitcase earlier.
His eyes then shifted toward Caroline's reddened eyes. After that, he noticed the old canvas bag she was carrying.
The gentleness on Caleb's face disappeared. In an instant, the dangerous presence hidden deep inside him surfaced. The aura of a mafia leader seemed to spill out from his very bones.
The temperature inside the car suddenly felt colder.
"Carrie." Caleb's eyes turned frighteningly dark. He stared toward the direction where Harvey Villa had long since disappeared from view. His voice carried a dangerous edge. "Did they throw you out of the house just now?"
His hands slowly curled into fists. The force was so strong that his knuckles cracked. At that very moment, countless ways to throw Isaac into the sea and wipe Harvey Villa off the map flashed through his mind.
All it would take was a single nod from Caroline. If she agreed, the Harvey family wouldn't survive the night.
