When my best friend and I held hands and called him "Brother," Kian's expression cracked like shattered glass.
"You adopted another one?" he snapped.
The moment he learned I was just a foster child with no inheritance rights, he relaxed a little, his arrogance returning.
"I'm warning you—don't you dare bully my sister. Otherwise, don't blame me for being rude!"
I immediately ducked behind my best friend, clutching her sleeve with trembling hands, speaking in timid voice.
"Carmela, why is your brother so biased? If he'd protected you like this back then, you wouldn't have suffered in the orphanage all these years..."
The implication was clear—you lost your real sister, made her live like an orphan, and now you're acting high and mighty defending the fake one?
Sure enough, Uncle John and Aunt Laura's faces darkened instantly.
Kian opened his mouth to retort, but before he could speak, I pinched my friend's waist sharply.
She got the message right away and burst into tears, covering her face dramatically.
"Since Brother doesn't like me, I'll just go back to the orphanage! Come on, Yanna, let's go!"