Chloe Preston listened, then reached up to touch her small face. "Really?" Donovan Xavier nodded slightly. Hearing this, Jasper Hawthorne got up from the sofa and walked over to observe her closely. "How does she look like me? I don’t see it at all." Nathan Hawthorne looked up. After a few seconds, he let out a low laugh. "Hmm, she does resemble you a bit." "Anyone who didn’t know would think you two were siblings." Jasper Hawthorne walked back, leaned against the sofa, and scratched his head. "Is that so?" "Your eyes are similar," Nathan said warmly, "but hers are more beautiful. It’s like they’re filled with water—so soft and gentle." Chloe Preston remained silent, once again reaching up to touch her eyes, her pretty face wrinkling in a slight frown. Jasper Hawthorne noticed and straightened up, his brow furrowed. "Hey, what’s with that expression? You think looking like me is a bad thing?" "I’m so handsome I’m the dream man for countless women. Having some resemblance to me is a blessing, and you’re actually looking disgusted!" The moment he finished speaking, Nathan Hawthorne kicked him hard. He then looked at Chloe with an apologetic smile. "Please excuse him. My brother is just a narcissist." Jasper Hawthorne pointed to himself. "Narcissistic? I’m confident." Nathan Hawthorne gave a humorless smirk. "Heh. Delusionally confident." Jasper Hawthorne was speechless. Adrian Rhodes sat off to the side in silence, lazily leaning against the sofa. Shirley, sitting beside him, picked up a glass of red wine and handed it to him. "More?" Adrian Rhodes didn’t refuse and took the glass. Cecilia Miller, who was sitting to Chloe Preston’s right, glanced up before lowering her head again as her eyes secretly reddened. Shirley only had eyes for the man beside her. A sweet smile touched her lips as she tentatively reached out to touch his arm. Adrian Rhodes noticed. He glanced down at her, his expression turning cold. It was a clear warning: know your place, watch yourself, and don’t cross the line. Shirley’s hand froze mid-air. A moment later, she smiled again, her red lips parting. "Adrian, your hair is a little messy. Let me fix it for you." Adrian Rhodes was about to refuse. But Shirley was a step ahead, her hand reaching out to lightly touch the black hair on his forehead. From a distance, the gesture looked particularly intimate. Cecilia Miller’s hands clenched, a sharp pain piercing her heart. Unable to bear it any longer, she surged forward, grabbed Shirley’s arm, and pushed her aside. "Don’t touch my brother!" She had controlled her strength, not using much force at all; she just wanted to put some distance between Shirley and the man. But Shirley used the momentum to fall to the ground, deliberately making herself look miserable. Her knee was scraped, the pain sharp and real. Cecilia Miller was stunned. She hadn’t even pushed hard. Everyone around them was startled. Tears instantly welled in Shirley’s eyes. She looked up, a pitiful look on her face as she gazed weakly at the man. "Adrian, it hurts..." "Adrian, it really, really hurts..." Adrian Rhodes stood up, intending to help her. Cecilia Miller ran forward and grabbed his arm, her voice choked with a sob. "Don’t... don’t help her." A nameless fire ignited in Adrian Rhodes’s heart. Unable to control his temper, he flung her hand away. "Cecilia Miller, you’re being completely unreasonable!" "Shirley didn’t do anything to you, so why did you push her? This is ridiculous! How old are you? Can’t you be a little more sensible?!" "All I did was ask you to change your clothes! Is that worth getting this angry over? Even if you’re mad, take it out on me! What does this have to do with her?!" He then helped Shirley to her feet. "Are you okay? Cecilia is just immature. I’ve spoiled her, so please don’t hold it against her." Shirley shook her head and tried to lean against him. "It’s fine. Cecilia is just a little girl who hasn’t grown up yet. I’ll just treat it as if she were playing around." Adrian Rhodes subtly avoided her, letting go of her hand and creating some distance between them. Shirley’s expression stiffened slightly. Adrian Rhodes looked at the little girl standing before him, her eyes red and her face streaked with tears. "You’re the one who did the pushing, yet you have the audacity to cry first." "Come here and apologize to Shirley!" Cecilia Miller’s delicate face was streaked with tears. Her eyes were red, her lashes were damp, and her body wracked with sobs. It was a heartbreaking sight. She wiped her tears and looked at the man, her voice thick with emotion as she stubbornly refused. "I will not apologize to her." She’s trying to steal you away from me. How could I ever lower myself and apologize to her? Adrian Rhodes frowned. "Cecilia, can’t you be a little more sensible?" Cecilia choked back a sob. "Adrian Rhodes, you’re protecting her! I’ll hate you forever! You’re not my brother anymore!" After shouting, she turned and ran off, sobbing all the way up the stairs. Seeing this, Chloe Preston stepped forward, her hands clenched into fists as she glared at the man. "You don’t know anything!" "What?" Adrian Rhodes asked. Chloe Preston glared at him again. "You blockhead. You idiot." Even an outsider like me can see that Cecilia Miller is hopelessly in love with him, but he’s completely oblivious! Adrian Rhodes said nothing, his thin lips pressed into a tight line as he headed upstairs. Just then, a phone rang crisply. Donovan Xavier took out his phone, glanced at the screen, and answered. A dozen seconds later, he said sternly, "Got it. I’m on my way." Donovan Xavier hung up, walked over, and took Chloe Preston’s hand. "That was Liam Keane. There’s a problem at the company, so I need to head over." Chloe Preston nodded. "Alright, then you should go." "I’ll take you back to The Xavier Residence first," Donovan Xavier said. "I don’t feel right leaving you alone." Chloe Preston didn’t refuse. She had been feeling on edge lately, with the strange sensation of being followed wherever she went. The two of them left together. Nathan Hawthorne leaned against the sofa, gently swirling the wine in his glass. His gaze fell on Chloe’s slender back as she departed, his dark eyes deep and unfathomable. Jasper Hawthorne leaned in, his handsome face close. "Bro, why are you staring at her like that?" "Are you interested?" "Bro, she’s a married woman. Don’t get any ideas. If our eldest brother finds out, he’ll have your head!" Nathan Hawthorne turned his head and smacked him hard on his. "Where is your mind going?!" he chided. Jasper Hawthorne clutched his head, his face scrunching up. "Ow! That really hurt! Bro, you’re vicious!" "If you’re not interested in her, then why were you staring?" Nathan Hawthorne leaned back on the sofa without a word and quietly drank his wine. The liquid went down his throat, a pleasant buzz spreading through him. After a moment, he let out a slow breath and said in a low voice, "I was just thinking about our sister." "If she were still alive, she’d probably look a lot like her. She would have been beautiful." At these words, Jasper Hawthorne’s gaze fell, and he grew quiet. The next moment, he pulled a small, exquisitely crafted silver lock from his pocket and gently rubbed it with the pad of his thumb. Nathan turned his head and glanced at it. "That’s the longevity lock our sister wore when she was little, isn’t it?" A glint of moisture appeared in Jasper Hawthorne’s eyes as he spoke solemnly, "Yeah. I carry it with me always, like an amulet." "It’s as if, so long as I have this, our sister is still with us—still the most dazzling and brilliant Fourth Miss of the Hawthorne Family in Portdrey." "Second Brother, do you think our sister is dead? We’ve searched for so many years without a single clue!" "The year before last, we thought we’d found someone. The whole family was ecstatic, but in the end, she turned out to be an imposter. Mom was so furious that she fell ill and has never recovered!" "Alive or dead, we have to keep searching," Nathan said. "If she truly met an unfortunate end, we must bring her remains home to be laid to rest with our ancestors." Donovan Xavier drove Chloe Preston back to The Xavier Residence. The warm sun shone brightly in a clear, blue sky. At the main entrance, Chloe Preston was held tight in the man’s embrace, unable to move an inch. His body was too warm. Chloe Preston pushed against him gently, feeling a bit helpless. "Honestly, how long are you going to hold me?" "Didn’t you say there was a problem at the company? Why haven’t you left yet?" Donovan Xavier lowered his head, his nose brushing against her small face as he chuckled deeply. "What’s the hurry? Let me hold you a little longer." Just as he spoke, his phone rang again. "That must be Liam calling to hurry you along," Chloe said. "Mr. Xavier, don’t delay any longer. You should go!" Donovan Xavier pretended not to hear. He held her close, feeling a warmth spread through him as he breathed in the faint fragrance of her neck. Chloe Preston couldn’t stand his teasing and dodged backward. "Donovan Xavier, stop it." Donovan Xavier’s voice was husky. "Then give me a kiss." When she didn’t react, he leaned in closer, his lips brushing her ear as he coaxed her, "Baby, give your husband a kiss, how about it?" Official source is NoveI~Fire.net Chloe Preston’s cheeks flushed. She pushed him toward the car. "Go to the company first! As for everything else... we can talk about it in our room tonight!"