Chapter 140

"Indeed, the perpetrators must be severely punished without any leniency!" Yuwen Xi said with an air of effortless indifference, and then added in a remarkably gentle tone, "Am I right, my—dear—little—sister?"

For some reason, upon hearing those final words, a slight shudder ran through Avril, and she felt a sudden chill. At that exact moment, she clearly perceived a fierce and biting coldness emanating from Yuwen Xi!

Along with an intense, burning hatred!

A sharp pain pierced Avril's heart, filling her eyes with overwhelming sorrow. She gazed at the handsome man before her, rushed forward a few steps, and tightly grabbed his hands with her own. With tearful eyes, she pleaded, "George! Please don't be like this, don't treat me this way, please, George!"

Seeing Avril grasping his hands and continuing to utter these words of revulsion, Yuwen Xi knitted his brows tightly. The moment she finished speaking, he ruthlessly flung her hands away. He then pulled a handkerchief from the breast pocket of his suit with an expression of utter disgust, meticulously and repeatedly wiping every single finger she had touched before casting the handkerchief aside. Coldly, he spat out, "Stay away from me!"

Flung violently by Yuwen Xi, Avril crashed against the bedside table near the window. The hard, sharp edge slammed heavily into her knee, sending a wave of excruciating pain through her leg and causing her to collapse onto the floor. Avril looked up, gazing sadly at Yuwen Xi's cold, averted profile, a deep resentment festering in her heart. Crawling abjectly to his feet, she wrapped her arms tightly around his slender legs, tilted her head back, and let out pathetic, bitter tears. Agonized, she cried out, "George, please don't act like this, don't treat me this way. I love you, I truly love you so much, and you know it!"

The disgust in the depths of Yuwen Xi's eyes intensified. Watching Avril in this pathetic state, he felt his stomach churn. He forcefully tried to shake off the arms embracing his right leg, but fearing he would push her away, Avril only clung tighter.

Realizing he could not shake her off, Yuwen Xi looked down at her and slowly squatted. Fixing his ocean-blue eyes on her with profound loathing, he bit out every single word: "Do you know why I refused to come back all these years?"

Seeing Yuwen Xi suddenly squat down and close the distance between them so much that she could feel his warm breath, a blush crept onto Avril's face, and she grew slightly shy. "Could it... could it not be... because of Father?"

A scornful laugh escaped Yuwen Xi as he watched Avril's bashful display. Without a trace of mercy, he continued, "The reason I refused to return for all these years wasn't just because of him—it was also because of you. Because you make me sick, do you understand? Even back then, when you were just a child, how could you harbor such filthy thoughts? At such a young age, you actually took advantage of when I was asleep to sneak a kiss—to secretly kiss your own biological brother! Do you have any idea how repulsive that felt to me? Do you know that because of that single incident, I vomited for a whole week? Do you have any idea how utterly nauseating you are?"

Under the crushing weight of Yuwen Xi's cruel and relentless words, the flush of shyness on Avril's cheeks drained away instantly, leaving her face deathly pale. Her eyes were filled with an incredulous, despairing sorrow!

How could he? How could he be so cruel and heartless? How could he?!

So he had known all along. Yet, even though he knew, he deliberately chose to inflict this pain upon her. How could he trample on her heart in such a manner?!

Yet, as if unsatisfied, Yuwen Xi sneered and went on, "Do you have any idea how much I detest you? If you were the only woman left in this entire world, I would rather become a monk!" Watching Avril's trembling eyelashes and the endless stream of tears, he delivered the ultimate, cruel blow, "Oh, do you know what a monk means? It means celibacy for life! Completely devoid of earthly ties, completely devoid of love!"

Avril's body suddenly went limp. Her arms dropped lifelessly to her sides, and she slumped onto the floor devoid of all vitality. Her face was frighteningly pale, her lips completely drained of color, and her eyes hollow. Had it not been for the faint rising and falling of her chest, she would have looked entirely like a broken marionette.

Satisfied to see that Avril had finally released her grip on his leg, Yuwen Xi turned and walked toward the door. When he reached the threshold, he paused for a fraction of a second, glanced back once more to survey the room—a fleeting flash of reluctance crossing his eyes—and then walked out without a shred of lingering attachment.

Alone on the floor by the window, Avril sat motionless, devoid of a soul. After an unknown length of time, the window curtains billowed violently as a chilling night breeze swept into the room. A shiver finally shocked Avril back to her senses. Her previously hollow eyes gradually darkened, replaced by a sinister and ruthless malice. Slowly, the clarity in her ocean-blue eyes vanished, replaced by a bloodshot haze. A chilling, twisted smile crept onto her lips as she whispered, "Since I cannot find happiness, don't even dream of finding it either! Don't you love her? Don't both of you love her? Then even if I am dragged down to hell, I will drag her down with me, to suffer alongside me in hell! Hahahahaha..."

The horrifying laughter echoed throughout the entire room, sounding exceptionally eerie in the stillness of the night.

---

The white room was washed entirely in white, so pristine and immaculate that one dared not touch anything casually, fearing that leaving a fingerprint would mar its absolute purity.

Eva had woken up, yet she found herself in yet another unfamiliar place; this was no longer the Vetting Castle. Sitting up in bed, she quietly swept her gaze across the room, a faint look of bleakness flashing through her eyes.

Lately, it seemed that every time she woke up, she found herself spirited away to a brand-new location, as if she were nothing more than a useless piece of baggage being tossed back and forth by everyone. Yet she seemed to have found a balance amidst this drifting existence—learning to be content wherever she was.

Sniffing gently, she caught the faint scent of flowers drifting through the air. Eva scanned the room once more until she finally located the source of the fragrance behind the white sheer curtains on the balcony—a cluster of potted violets swaying gracefully in the gentle breeze.

Eva's brows relaxed, and a soft smile curved the corners of her lips. Throwing off the duvet, she padded barefoot across the creamy-white shaggy carpet and walked out onto the balcony. A breeze laden with floral fragrance brushed against her face. Closing her eyes, she spread her arms and drew in a deep breath.

At that moment, she decided that the years were quiet and peaceful.

"You're awake?" A clear, melodic male voice broke the silence from behind Eva, accompanied by the sound of light footsteps.

Eva's outstretched arms froze. She slowly lowered them, turned with practiced composure, and looked toward the newcomer.

A slender young man was walking in from the doorway. Dressed in casual white loungewear, he looked remarkably relaxed. Most distinctively, he possessed a pair of violet eyes identical to Eva's, set into a delicately refined face. What made him instantly approachable were the deep dimples on either side of his mouth that etched themselves into his cheeks whenever he spoke.

At this moment, a gentle smile played on his lips, and his dimples deepened.

"Are you the master of this place?" Instead of showing warmth upon discovering someone with eyes so similar to her own, Eva remained entirely composed, asking the young man with aloof indifference.

Hearing this, the young man raised an eyebrow, his smile deepening as he spoke with amiable warmth, "Yes, I am. Do you like it here?"

Mimicking his gesture, Eva raised a brow and replied lightly, "What if I like it? And what if I don't?"

A chuckle escaped the young man as he stepped onto the balcony, coming to a halt directly across from Eva. With a touch of familiarity, he said, "If you like it, I'll give it to you. How about that?"

Eva cast a glance at him without rushing to reply. Instead, she turned, squatted down, and gently brushed her right hand over the delicate violet petals. Continuing in her calm tone, she said, "If you give it, I will take it."

"You certainly don't stand on ceremony!" the young man remarked meaningfully, his gaze resting on Eva with a heavy dose of fondness and affection.

"Do you need me to stand on ceremony with you?" Eva leaned in closer and inhaled the fragrance of the petals, her tense mind finally relaxing at the scent.

Seeing her comfortable expression, the young man could not resist reaching out to ruffle the top of her head just as one might pet an animal. Chuckling, he said, "Indeed, you really don't need to stand on ceremony with me."

"Hey, I am not a puppy you keep, so stop patting my head like that," Eva muttered, her voice tinged with slight embarrassment and annoyance.

To her surprise, the young man furrowed his brows and said with faux distaste, "I detest animals with fur."

Startled for a second, Eva glanced out the window at the "mini moat" surrounding the house and teased, "Is that why you live on water?"

Seeing her adorable expression, a warmth bloomed in the young man's chest. Nonetheless, he straightened his face and feigned displeasure. "So what if I do?"

"Heh, nothing much. It certainly keeps things clean, though." Eva said those words aloud while silently appending a mental postscript—

*So you're a clean freak after all!*

The young man said nothing further, simply leaning quietly against the window frame and gazing at Eva with tender eyes.

Noticing that he remained silent for a long while, Eva finally asked, "What is your name?"

"Only thinking to ask me now? Don't you think that's a bit late?"

"I assumed I wouldn't be staying here for long, so I didn't think it necessary."

"Does that mean you intend to stay here permanently now?" A hint of playful mockery laced the young man's voice.

Looking slightly exasperated, Eva glared at him. "And what's that supposed to mean? That you're going to send me away right this second?"

"Well, do you want to leave right now?"

"If I wanted to leave now, would you pack me off immediately?"

"No."

*Good grief, communicating with this man is utterly exhausting!* Eva felt a sudden impulse to punch the floor in frustration!

"What? Are you angry?" The young man looked slightly perplexed. *Was she really getting mad over something like this?*

Clenching her fists and silently reminding herself to practice patience, Eva forced a smile and replied, "No, why would I be angry?"

"Your smile looks quite ugly," the young man observed, studying her somewhat "distorted" smile with clear aversion. "Don't smile like that anymore; it puts me in a bad mood when I look at it."

*Seriously, what on earth do you want from me? Getting angry is wrong, and smiling is wrong too.*

A multitude of cross-shaped veins instantly throbbed across Eva's forehead.

"Heh," the young man chuckled, reaching out once more to ruffle the top of her head. "You really are adorable."

Lifting her head, Eva shot him a resentful glare. Completely ignoring her grievance, the young man looked straight into her eyes and spoke with sudden seriousness, "Wipe your tears."