His expression flickered before he forced a smile.
“Brother, let me explain. Emily’s lost her mind. She babbles nonsense all day, and she tries to bite people. I had no choice but to do this.”
My hand lashed out.
Smack!
He clutched his cheek, staring at me in disbelief. “Brother, why did you hit me?”
Martha panicked, shouting at me, “Alexander, what gives you the right to hit my son?”
I bared my teeth. “Because you hurt my sister!”
“She was fine before I left for my trip. What did you do to her?”
Daniel pulled out his phone, swiping quickly before thrusting it in front of me.
“See for yourself.”
A video began to play.
On the screen, a woman with Emily’s face was entangled with several men, laughter spilling wantonly from the speakers, stabbing my eardrums.
“Look closely. This is your sister’s true nature.” Daniel’s voice dripped with venom. “I tolerated her for a year. Then I couldn’t take it anymore and filed for divorce. But she refused. When this video leaked, she lost her mind.”
Martha leaned in, her heavily powdered face almost pressed against mine.
“Alexander, your sister is a shameless whore! She throws herself at any man she sees. She’s disgraced our family!”
I stared at the screen.
Yes, it was Emily—but her eyes were vacant, lifeless. Like a marionette on strings.
“There’s something wrong with this.”
My voice was sharp, chilling.
“Wrong?” Daniel widened his eyes in mock surprise. “Brother, I know it’s hard for you to accept, but facts are facts. Emily is nothing but a slut.”
Martha chimed in, smirking with spite.
“Exactly! My Daniel is such a fine young man—an Ivy League graduate with a bright future. Yet he ended up with her. If not for her rich dowry, we’d have thrown her out long ago. We wouldn’t even let her stay in the dog kennel!”
I turned toward the kennel.
Emily was hugging her knees, trembling.
Her once starry eyes were now filled only with fear.
She was so thin she looked as if she might snap in two.
The chain around her neck had rubbed raw wounds into her skin.
“If you despise her so much, why not divorce her?” I forced the question through clenched teeth.
“Of course I want to! But with her mental state, the court won’t grant it. And…” Greed flickered in Daniel’s eyes. “Her assets aren’t fully transferred to me yet.”
Martha quickly added, “That’s right! The jewelry and real estate should belong to my son. Do you know how hard he’s worked, taking care of that lunatic all these years?”
I looked them both over.
Daniel wore a custom suit worth thousands, a Patek Philippe gleaming on his wrist.
Martha was dripping with jewels. The jade necklace around her neck had been part of Emily’s dowry, left to her by our mother.
And Emily, in rags, chained like a dog.
“Brother, you must be exhausted from your trip,” Daniel said with a sycophantic grin. “Why don’t you come inside and rest? I’ll have dinner prepared…”
