Chapter 2

I remembered the first time I met her. She was as timid as a stray kitten.

I learned about her life from my parents.

Her parents died when she was young, her grandmother was half-paralyzed, and little Sera had to become the adult of the house.

She only slept five hours a day, waking up before dawn to care for her bedridden nana.

She had to cook and clean. Because she couldn’t reach the stove, she had to stand on a small wooden stool.

Her life was just too brutal.

I wanted to save her.

I begged my parents to use their foundation to sponsor her. Because of us, her grandmother was finally admitted to a proper hospital.

She used to look at me with those timid, fearful eyes, and I would just laugh and gently ruffle her hair.

Later, I took her to amusement parks, went shopping with her, treated her to nice dinners, and watched movies.

Everything was brand new to her, but whenever I tried to buy her gifts, she would always shake her head and refuse.

It only made my heart break for her more.

As the years passed, I spoiled her to the heavens, and she became more and more dependent on me.

She called my parents "Mom" and "Dad," but she never called me "brother."

I didn’t care. There seemed to be a silent, unspoken bond between us.

Until high school, when Julian Sterling suddenly confessed his love to her.

Julian was the son of my family's rival, a total spoiled playboy.

I didn't know if he was doing it just to spite me, but he constantly pursued her right in front of my face.

I thought Sera would ignore him, but under Julian’s relentless, romantic gestures, a smile finally appeared on her face when she looked at him.

Eventually, when he confessed again, she accepted his flowers.