Chapter 71

Elise tightened her fingers around the box, growing uneasy. She and Mu had only known each other a short time. Why would he give her something this expensive? Even as a present for a friend, it was far too much.

She pushed it into his hands as quickly as though it might burn her. “This is too valuable. I can't accept it.”

Accepting a gift like that would leave her indebted to him. She had no reason to take it.

Mu hadn't expected her refusal. For a moment he simply stared; then amusement warmed his eyes. “Even if it's a gift from a friend?”

She nodded firmly. Something less extravagant, perhaps. This, no.

Looking straight at him, she said, “You don't have to give me things. I'll still be your friend.”

People called him ruthless. They envied his wealth and position, yet very few dared approach him. Perhaps he found it hard to make friends, and that was why he treated her so generously.

But friendship came from sincerity. She had felt his already, and that was enough.

Her voice was stubborn, her eyes faintly sympathetic. Everything in her expression promised that she would be a true friend to him.

Mu looked at her for a long moment. His throat moved in a slow swallow.

How could she make him want to cherish her so badly?

“All right,” he said, his voice softening.

Starting as friends would be all right, too.

Then something occurred to him. “You've probably heard some unpleasant stories about me. Since we're friends now, I'd like to explain them to you.”

He had never cared about rumors. Other people's fear usually suited him. Elise's willingness to spend time with him suggested she didn't believe them, but he still worried. What if she changed her mind one day and stopped seeing him?

She hadn't been thinking about the rumors at all. She nodded easily. “Sure.”

In the study, Daniel stood before Julian's desk and handed over the information he had gathered.

Julian raised an eyebrow as he read. The farther he went, the more surprised he looked.

“Mu's father suffered a stroke following an accident,” Daniel said. “He wasn't hospitalized because his son had enraged him into having one, as the stories claim. The commercial fraud case was a trap Mu Zhun laid for Mu Chuan. Mu Chuan turned it against him, and Mu Zhun ended up implicated himself. His mother went to prison after Mu Chuan exposed her involvement in bribery. The two other sons tried much the same thing: they acted against him, he discovered it, and he retaliated. We also found something else.”

Julian frowned. “What?”

“His mother's psychiatric symptoms were caused by drugs she was being given. Mu Zhun's mother was responsible. His father knew all about it.”

“I see.” Julian considered that. “And that's where the rumors about him ordering the care facility to mistreat his father come in.”

“Yes, sir.”

Julian spread the file across the desk, his expression still troubled.

Everything they had found behind Mu's reputation had begun with an attack against him. Outsiders heard only about the retaliation and decided he was merciless enough to destroy his own family. Mu apparently didn't care what they thought. He had never even bothered to explain.

If Julian put himself in the same position, he couldn't say he would have spared those people either. Mu had acted to protect himself.

That was good news, at least. His character seemed better than the rumors suggested.

But what a mess that family was.

“Why is the information so detailed?”

Daniel hesitated. “I thought that was strange, too. But I've checked every item. It's genuine.”

Julian was still considering this when footsteps sounded on the stairs. He opened the study door, and Elise stopped a little way away on the staircase.

“Julian?” She had startled at his sudden appearance. “You're still working?”

He glanced at Daniel, who withdrew. Once the butler had gone, Julian turned back to her.

“Come here.”

Elise was puzzled. Then she remembered the message she'd sent him about dinner with Mu. Was this going to be an interrogation?

She went in and sat obediently while he poured her a cup of coffee. Watching his back, she wondered why he seemed to be in such a poor mood. Was it because of dinner?

Julian pressed his lips together. The file accounted for every important movement of the Mu family, even their crucial conversations. There was only one plausible explanation for that level of detail: Mu knew he was being investigated and had supplied the information himself.

The man was far too calculating for a twenty-year-old. If he managed to win Elise over, she would be completely at his mercy.

Julian handed her the coffee. After a pause, he asked, “You had dinner with Mu Chuan?”

She nodded. “He gave me that auction invitation, so I treated him to dinner to thank him.”

Julian snorted inwardly. The nerve of him, letting Elise buy his dinner.

“Was that all you did? Did anything else happen?”

He would have liked a word-for-word account of their conversation. He held himself back. She was in high school; she needed some freedom. Questioning her about every detail would only make him tiresome. No teenager wanted a parent tracking every moment of their day.

The care he took with his questions left a trace of uncertainty in his voice.

Elise remembered his earlier warning to keep away from Mu. She knew he was worried about her and quickly explained, “We just had dinner. Afterward he wanted to give me a present, but I didn't take it.”

Julian's temple twitched at the mention of a present. It had to be that pink-and-purple diamond. Then her refusal registered, and he let out a long breath, his expression easing.

She hadn't accepted it. That meant she didn't like Mu that way.

“Mu Chuan can be ruthless, Ellie. He's a very calculating man.” Something flickered behind Julian's eyes. “I'd rather you kept your distance, if you can.”

Knowing the reasons for Mu's methods hadn't made him feel much better. The man had good taste, certainly, but he wasn't good enough for Elise. As far as Julian was concerned, nobody was.

She took a sip of coffee and smiled. “Those are just rumors. Don't tell me you believe them, too.”

His fingers went still.

She knew?

“What have you heard?”

“About his family.”

Julian fell silent.

“Mu told me. They were all waiting for a chance to hurt him. If he hadn't protected himself, he'd be the one in their position now!”

After hearing what his family had done to him and his mother, Elise felt indignant on his behalf. Rumors really couldn't be trusted.

Mu was her friend. She would have defended Jade or Nora in exactly the same way.

Julian didn't know what to say. He had hoped those stories might persuade her to keep away, only to discover Mu had already told her everything. And now she felt sorry for him.

The tea in Julian's cup had lost its flavor.

He could order her to stop seeing Mu, but then she might come to resent having such an overbearing brother.

Holding his teacup, he sank into thought. How was he supposed to keep some undeserving man from carrying his little sister off?

Back in her room, Elise took out her phone and found that Adrian's and Theo's presents had both arrived. Half an hour later, Adrian sent a photograph of the brooch she had bought at the auction.

Adrian: [Photo]

Adrian: What's this?

Adrian: Is it for me?

When she didn't answer, he sent several more messages asking whether she was home yet.

Elise smiled to herself and began typing.

Elise: It's a present for you.

Elise: Do you like it?

Adrian was sitting in front of a dressing-room mirror while a makeup artist worked on his face. At last she frowned, unable to take any more.

“Adrian, please hold your face still. I can't do your makeup like this.”

How was he supposed to do that? His little sister had given him a present!

He crossed his legs and typed, beaming.

Adrian: What made you decide to get me something?

Adrian: [Blushing face] [Blushing face]

Elise stared at the two blushing faces, speechless. If his fans knew he was like this, half of them might walk away.

Elise: Thank you for writing that song for me. I know how good you've been to me.

His broad smile disappeared. The makeup artist stopped with her brush in midair.

“Adrian?”

Was he about to cry?

Warmth filled his chest until he hardly knew what to do with it. He wanted to burst into tears. His sister was the best, most wonderful sister in the entire world. He could keep writing. He could write a hundred songs for her.

Then another thought struck him. The tearful look vanished, and his face grew solemn.

The makeup artist had run out of things to say. How many more expressions could he possibly fit into one sitting? That cool, aloof face his fans adored had to be an act.

Adrian: Did you only get one for me, or did the others get presents, too?

Elise's fingers stopped. He had gone straight to the crucial question.

She hurried to reply.

Elise: Only you. Because you wrote me a song.

Then she thought about it. If he got carried away and showed off to the others, her scheme to help Julian and Miles get along would fall apart. Every brother had received something.

She quickly added another message.

Elise: So you have to keep it secret. Don't tell the others. They'll be upset if they find out.

Elise: [Pleading face] [Pleading face]

Adrian: !!!

He could hardly stay in his chair. Only him! What else could it mean? Of all her brothers, he was her favorite.

He was special to her.

During their October trip, she had remembered all of Theo's preferences and none of his. He had been miserable about it for ages. Now she had chosen to give him a present alone. It was finally his turn.

He sprang up, making the makeup artist jump with her brush in hand. If he didn't settle down soon, she was prepared to find a few people to hold him in the chair.

Adrian sat again, looking even more pleased with himself.

He longed to post about it on his friends-only feed. But Elise had told him to keep it secret. The others would be furious if they found out.

Well, let them be furious. The more furious, the better. Just imagining it made him feel wonderful.

Still, he had promised her. He couldn't go back on his word.

He could leave most of them out of it. But Theo had been so smug last time. Remembering it still made Adrian grind his teeth.

After a long struggle, the urge to show off won. He opened his feed, nestled the brooch in its box and held it beside his face for several carefully posed selfies. He added a filter, then spent ages polishing the caption.

Finally, he set the post so that only Theo could see it and pressed Send.

He reassured himself that he hadn't shown off to everyone. Just Theo. Surely Elise would forgive him for that.

At SK headquarters, it was afternoon. Theo had only recently gotten out of bed when reception told him a package had arrived. Who would be sending him anything?

A message from Elise answered the question. His sister had bought him a present. He opened the package to find the cufflinks.

An amused smile lingered on his lips as he ran his fingers over them. The workmanship alone made it clear they had cost a great deal.

Was she finding another way to help her supposedly struggling brother?

Alger had followed him over out of curiosity. Pretending to pass by, he gave an exaggerated gasp.

“Boss, are those from your girlfriend? Since when have you had a girlfriend?”

He said it loudly enough that nearly everyone looked up from their computers and crowded around.

“The captain has a girlfriend?”

“Seriously?”

Theo lifted his eyes and gave them a lazy once-over. “Get lost.”

“Right away.” They scattered.

He looked back down at the cufflinks, frowning in thought. Did he own anything formal enough to wear them with?