Chapter 1 My Boyfriend’s Brother Turns Out to Be Him

The underground parking garage was dimly lit.

In a corner, a black Benz was parked quietly.

The cramped car interior was filled with the natural heat of a young man’s body, mixed with a faint sports cologne—intensely aggressive and almost invasive.

“Baby…”

Ethan buried his face in Chloe’s neck like a clingy large dog, his burning nose brushing against her delicate skin.

“One more kiss… just one more.”

Chloe could barely breathe under his weight.

She pushed against the solid, iron-like body on top of her, but couldn’t move him at all.

This athletic “little wolf dog” really was too strong.

“Ethan! Are we going home or not?”

Her tone carried a hint of annoyance, though the end of her sentence softened slightly from lack of oxygen.

Ethan finally lifted his head.

He had a highly aggressive face—strong brow bone, deep-set eyes—but at this moment, his eye corners were slightly red, making him look both affectionate and innocent.

Yet those eyes were filled with unsatisfied desire, direct and unrestrained in the way only a college-aged man could be.

He grabbed Chloe’s hand and forced it onto his tight abdominal muscles.

Through the thin T-shirt, the sharply defined muscles beneath her palm felt burning hot.

“You’re so mean, baby.”

Ethan’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He deliberately shifted his hips slightly, making the sensation under her palm even more obvious.

“…But I like it.”

Chloe’s fingers trembled as if burned and tried to pull away, but he locked his fingers with hers and pressed her hand firmly against the leather seat.

Ethan licked the corner of his lips.

“You’re already coming home with me to meet my family, and you still won’t let me kiss you enough?”

“Ethy, stop it.” Chloe softened her voice, trying to reason with him. “Today is my first time meeting your brother…”

At the word “brother,” the desire in Ethan’s eyes faded slightly.

“Don’t worry. My brother dotes on me the most.”

Ethan lowered his head and helped her straighten her messy collar, his fingertips deliberately brushing over the skin that was still faintly red from kissing.

“As long as it’s someone I like, he never objects. And since you’re so good, he’ll definitely like you too.”

Chloe’s heart gave a sudden jolt of unease.

She didn’t know why, but ever since agreeing to meet Ethan’s family, her right eyelid had been twitching nonstop.

She turned her head away from Ethan’s overly direct gaze and asked casually, “You seem to really admire your brother. What kind of person is he?”

“My brother…” Ethan thought for a moment, every word filled with admiration. “He’s a bit cold, doesn’t talk much. But he’s the best person in the world.”

“Our parents passed away in a car accident when we were young. He raised me on his own. Back then he was only in his early twenties—handling the family business while also taking care of me. Without him, there wouldn’t be me today.”

His expression became especially serious as he said this.

“So the person I choose, I have to bring them to him first. Like a father figure, you know.”

Chloe’s heart softened.

She had always thought Ethan came from a privileged background and was a carefree, blessed young heir.

She had no idea he carried such a painful past behind his bright personality.

No wonder he always spoke of his brother with such trust and admiration.

“Alright, let’s go.” Chloe pushed him lightly. “We’ll be late if we delay any longer.”

Only then did Ethan reluctantly return to the driver’s seat. He fastened Chloe’s seatbelt for her, stole another kiss on her cheek, and finally started the car in satisfaction.

…

Half an hour later, the car entered The Blackthorn Manor.

The night was heavy. Massive wrought-iron gates slowly opened with a deep, echoing sound.

Inside, the manor was brightly lit—but eerily silent.

Chloe’s heart sank uncontrollably.

She knew Ethan’s family was wealthy, but this estate—stretching across half a mountain—far exceeded her imagination.

This wasn’t ordinary wealth. It was the kind of power and legacy built over generations.

A world she had decided to leave behind seven years ago.

The car stopped by a Roman-style fountain in front of the main building.

Ethan jumped out excitedly to open her door.

“How is it, baby? Not bad, right?”

Chloe took his hand and stepped out. The moment her feet touched the ground, she instinctively looked up—and her gaze was locked by a figure on the second-floor terrace.

Under the dim wall light, a man stood leaning against the railing.

He wore a simple white shirt, tall and lean, a cigarette between his fingers. The red ember flickered faintly in the night.

He seemed to sense the movement below and turned slightly to look down.

The distance was too far, the light too dim. Chloe couldn’t see his face clearly.

But even just a blurred silhouette, a cold and distant outline, made her heart suddenly tighten.

Too similar…

She stared blankly in that direction until her eyes stung.

No. Impossible.

She let out a self-mocking laugh.

The city was so big. How could it be this coincidence?

Seven years had passed. A man like him—proud as ever—must have long since followed his family’s arrangements and married a well-matched socialite.

Either he had already forgotten her… or he must hate her deeply.

There was no way he could be here.

So what was she even hoping for?

“Baby, what are you looking at? You’re completely frozen.”

Ethan followed her gaze and immediately raised his arm, waving enthusiastically.

“Brother! I’m back!”

The man on the balcony showed no reaction. He simply extinguished his cigarette in silence and turned, disappearing into the shadows of the terrace.

“Let’s go, baby.” Ethan took her cold hand, wrapping it in his large palm. “My brother just looks cold. He’s actually very nice.”

Chloe let herself be led inside, her steps slightly unsteady.

The chandelier hanging from the nearly ten-meter-high ceiling cast cold light across the black-and-white marble floor, dazzling and sharp.

Footsteps echoed from the staircase.

One step. Then another.

As if stepping directly onto Chloe’s heart.

“Why are you making so much noise? Have you forgotten the house rules?”

A low, magnetic voice came from above the stairs, carrying a chill that seemed to seep into the bones.

That voice…

Chloe froze.

She lifted her head abruptly.

A man stood at the corner of the staircase, casually adjusting his diamond cufflinks.

He wore a perfectly tailored black shirt, buttoned all the way to the top—restrained and distant.

As if sensing her gaze, he slowly raised his eyes and locked directly onto her face.

Time stopped.

It was a face so striking it felt unreal.

Deep, painted features. At the corner of his eye, a small dark red mole.

The man who once held her waist countless nights, kissing her fiercely while whispering in a hoarse voice that he wanted to die on her…

The man she had loved with everything she had, and then personally pushed away—

Tristan.

Seven years had changed him. The boyish youth was gone, replaced by something deeper, colder, and far more dangerous.

Chloe stared at him, shaken to her core. Her vision blurred with rising tears.

Ethan, unaware of anything, squeezed her hand tightly and said joyfully,

“Brother, this is my girlfriend—Chloe.”

“I want to marry her.”

Silence fell.

Tristan’s gaze finally shifted from Chloe’s slightly swollen lips to the tightly joined hands between them.

He raised a faint eyebrow, a subtle, unreadable curve forming at the corner of his mouth.

Ethan pulled the completely frozen Chloe a step forward.

“Baby, don’t be nervous. This is my brother—Tristan.”

Tristan descended the last steps slowly and stopped in front of them.

A familiar cold scent of cedar, mixed with faint tobacco, slipped into Chloe’s nose, leaving her mind blank.

He extended his hand.

Long, defined fingers. On his ring finger sat a worn plain band.

It was the one she had once bought for him at a street stall for twenty dollars.

She had insisted back then that it was a promise ring, and he was never allowed to take it off.

He had actually kept it.

Was it to remind himself how foolish he had been? Or to remember—every moment—how she once abandoned him?

A bitter ache rose in her throat. Chloe almost broke down.

“Ms. Chloe.”

Tristan finally spoke.

His gaze lingered on her pale face like a cold snake slowly sliding across her skin.

His voice was deeper and rougher than she remembered, carrying a cruel, almost teasing edge.“Nice to meet you.”