Part 3Tea Master vs Green Tea

The police took all of us down to the station for questioning.

The officer in charge of my statement slams his hand on the table. "Who called this in? Who reported a public disturbance and illegal activities?"

I raise my hand timidly, my voice barely a whisper. "Officer, it was me."

The cop gives me a skeptical look, his brow furrowed. "Do you have any idea what the penalty is for filing a false report, young lady? This looks like a simple lover's quarrel."

I blink, my face a perfect mask of innocence and fear. "No, officer, it's not! I heard Penelope on the phone with my brother... she said they wouldn't let her leave unless she drank with them..."

I lower my head, twisting my fingers together as fat tears begin to fall. "I was so scared. I was scared for Penelope. And I was even more scared for my brother."

The officer's expression softens slightly. "Alright, alright. Even though it was a misunderstanding, you've given us a reason to keep a closer eye on this place." He then turns to lecture Penelope, telling her to sort out her romantic entanglements and not cause public disturbances by two-timing men.

His words make Penelope's face flush with a mixture of shame and anger.

In the end, it's Conrad who comes to pick her up.

I don't know what lies Penelope sobbed to him, but after he helps her into his car, he pulls up right in front of us. He rolls down the window, his gaze cold and menacing as it lands on me.

"Vivienne Sterling, is it?" he says, his voice dripping with venom. "I'll remember what happened tonight."

With that, his Maybach roars away.

Alistair just stands there, watching them go, looking completely lost.

I internally flip him the bird. So this is the novel's famous tyrant CEO? The one who's supposed to be so intimidating? He's nothing compared to my brother.

I turn and tug fearfully on Alistair's sleeve. "Brother... should I not have called the police?"

That snaps him out of it. He reaches out and ruffles my hair fondly. "It's okay, Vivi. None of this is your fault."

He sighs, pulling me into a hug. "It's for the best. Now I see things more clearly. Penelope... she has someone else to protect her now."

I thought the drama was over for the night.

But at three in the morning, Penelope posts to her private Instagram story, visible only to Alistair.

A photo of her wrist, with beads of blood welling up. The caption is pure melodrama:

[This world is so cold. Only pain makes me feel alive. If no one cares about me, maybe I should just disappear.]

Los Angeles at 4:30 AM might not have seen it, but my dear brother certainly did.

Once again, he starts pacing anxiously in the living room in the middle of the night.

I hear him and quickly emerge from my bedroom. "Brother," I call out softly. "Are you worried about Penelope?"

While he's still processing, I rush over and wrap my arms around his waist. "I was so scared today, brother," I whisper, my voice thick with fake tears.

"Conrad's eyes were so fierce. Does he think I was bullying Penelope?"

"Brother, did I cause trouble for our family?"

"But I was just so scared something would happen to you. You're the only family I have left."

"Mom and Dad are gone. If something happens to you too, how am I supposed to go on...?"

The more I "cry," the more genuine my sadness becomes. The loneliness from my past life bubbles to the surface. I thought I had just found a golden ticket, a meal plan for life. But after these past few days, I've realized how gentle, handsome, and kind he truly is. He shouldn't be a mere sacrifice for the main characters' grand love story.

Why should he have to be a supporting character in someone else's life?

Alistair feels the small, trembling body in his arms. After a long moment, he gently hugs me back.

"Vivi was so scared today," he murmurs, his voice filled with self-reproach.

"I promise you," he says, his tone firm. "Brother will never, ever let an outsider scare my Vivi again."