Her Rebirth.-Chapter 84

Sera, who had been crying to her parents on her phone, suddenly heard a knock on her door.

"I’ll call back later," she told her parents quickly before hanging up.

She opened the door to find Ray standing there, holding a small paper bag and looking slightly unsure.

Wasn’t it that small brat she had met during the fashion week, Amelia’s brother? What was he doing here?

She blinked, a small frown resting on her face. "What are you doing here?"

Ray rubbed the back of his neck. "I was looking for Amelia."

Sera leaned against the doorway, arms crossed as she looked at him suspiciously. If she could recall, Amelia didn’t really have a good relationship with her family, but it seemed like she had some sort of relationship with this annoying brother of hers, so Sera answered.

"She’s not here. She’s been staying with Kai."

Ray’s face changed instantly into surprise, then confusion, then full-blown panic. "With Kai? A man?!"

Sera nodded, wondering why he looked so scared.

Ray stepped back. "Shit. I have to go."

After what felt like hours, Ray reached the front steps of the small duplex house just as a silver car pulled into the driveway.

The door opened, and Amelia stepped out first, laughing at something Kai had said. Kai followed after, an indulging smile etched on his face. They looked relaxed, familiar, and really close.

Ray’s chest tightened. "Amelia," he called, forcing a smile.

"Ray?" Amelia looked surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Ray walked up awkwardly, nodding stiffly at Kai but not acknowledging him further. "I just... wanted to see you."

Kai raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything. Though inwardly, he was annoyed at this little brat who interrupted his precious time with Amelia.

Unlike what he had expected, Amelia smiled warmly at him and opened the door, gesturing at him to come in.

Ray followed awkwardly just behind her, but not before shooting a glare at Kai. Kai, surprised at the sudden resentment, chuckled in amusement but didn’t say anything. For Amelia, he was willing to ignore some things.

Inside the mansion, Amelia had barely hung up her coat when Ray pulled her aside.

"Why are you living with him?" he asked silently. "He looks... I don’t know, creepy."

Amelia blinked in disbelief at Ray’s sudden words. "Ray—"

"He’s shady. There’s something off about him. I don’t trust him. He can take advantage of you at any time... and... And," Ray stammered, unsure of whether to complete the remaining sentence, "you may not be strong enough to fight him."

"Excuse me?" Kai’s voice echoed from behind them. "That’s quite a bold thing to say in another man’s house."

Ray turned, face flushed. "I don’t care whose house it is. If you’re using Amelia—"

"Using her?" Kai laughed coldly. "If anything, I’m the one being used. She devours all of me. Willingly."

Amelia’s face flushed at that sentence, and she immediately stepped between them, visibly annoyed. "Stop!!!"

She turned and saw Ray looking at her with wide eyes and disbelief. "You... you..."

"We’ve done nothing of the sort."

Kai wrapped his arms around her shoulder and bit her ear softly. "I feel... hurt, my little butterfly."

Ray looked at them with horror in his eyes.

Amelia pushed Kai away and quickly said, "It’s not what you think!!!"

Kai chuckled and let go of Amelia.

After managing to placate Ray, Ray sat stiffly on the edge of the sofa, his jaw clenched as his eyes followed every move Kai made. Amelia had just brought him some tea and was sitting beside him, trying to ease the tension with light conversation, but the air was filled with hostility, though this hostility was one sided.

Kai returned from the kitchen, his sleeves rolled up, two glasses of wine in hand. He set one in front of Amelia and leaned down, his lips brushing her temple lightly. "Here, love," he murmured, deliberately letting his fingers trail down her shoulder.

Amelia flushed, glancing at Ray awkwardly. "Kai...stop it."

"What? Can’t I pamper my fiancée a little?" he asked innocently, settling beside her. He rested his arm on the back of the sofa, fingers stroking her hair idly while his eyes never left Ray’s, a smirk on his lips.

Ray’s grip on the teacup tightened.

Kai turned to Amelia again, cupping her jaw gently. "You’ve had such a long day, haven’t you? You should relax more." Then, slowly, he leaned in and kissed her gently.

Amelia blinked in surprise, her hand instinctively grabbing his shirt. "Kai, Ray’s right here..."

Kai smirked against her lips. "Let him watch. It’s not like we’re doing anything wrong."

Ray stood abruptly, voice sharp. "Alright, I’ve seen enough."

Kai didn’t even blink. "Leaving already? But we were just getting comfortable."

Ray’s eyes burned. "You’re doing this on purpose."

Kai leaned back, resting his ankle on one knee, utterly relaxed. "Am I?"

Ray turned to Amelia, his voice filled with grievance. "Amelia...."

Amelia rubbed her temples and turned to Kai, looking at him sternly. "Kai, leave us for a moment."

Kai stood with a dramatic sigh and rose from the couch. "Alright, alright. I’ll give you two some time to talk but don’t take too long, Amelia," he said, brushing his fingers under her chin before walking off with a smirk.

Once the door clicked shut behind him, silence settled between the siblings.

Amelia let out a long sigh and turned to Ray, who was still rigid and visibly frustrated.

"How have you been doing?" she asked gently.

"I’ve been doing well, and you?"

"I’ve been doing pretty well too," Amelia replied, and once again, silence settled between them, both of them unsure of what to say.

Ray played with his fingers for quite a while before saying hesitantly, "Can... can you come live with me?" ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

Amelia blinked, surprised. "With you? I told you I’m not coming back home."

He paused for a second, then shook his head. "Not home, Amelia, with me. I left."

A small frown appeared on Amelia’s face. "Left? Why?"

Ray leaned back, staring up at the ceiling. "Let’s just say... I finally discovered Lilac’s true face. And Dad, he called me a disappointment for speaking up against her."

So that was it, huh?

She reached out, her voice low. "Where are you staying now?"

He managed a wry smile. "Remember that birthday party I had when I turned sixteen? They gave me that mansion out near the hills? Yeah. I’m living there now. All alone. It’s quiet."

Amelia remembered. They had gifted Ray a sprawling estate with white pillars and a private lake. Back then, Amelia Cosgrove had been so immensely jealous of this brother of hers.

"You’re really offering for me to come live with you?"

"I don’t want you in a place where someone could hurt you, Amelia," he said sincerely. "I can protect you. Please, just think about it."

Amelia gave a small smile and shook her head. "I like it here. With Kai."

Ray sighed, his lips pressing into a tight line. Looking at Amelia, it was obvious she was probably not going to give in. Besides, they weren’t so close that she would take his suggestion seriously. So he said, "Alright. I get it. But... just be careful, okay?"

She reached out and placed her hand over his. "I will. Thank you, Ray."

Ray hesitated, then looked at her. "Can I... get a hug? Or is that asking too much?"

Amelia blinked, momentarily taken aback, then her expression softened. She stood and opened her arms. "Come here, you idiot."

He stood slowly, almost as if he was afraid she’d change her mind. But when she wrapped her arms around him, he froze for a second in disbelief before melting into the embrace.

He hugged her tightly, his arms locking around her like he was afraid to let go. His voice was muffled against her shoulder. "I love you, sister."

She smiled, her chin resting on his shoulder but didn’t respond. She wasn’t Amelia Cosgrove, so she couldn’t speak for her.

When they finally pulled apart, Ray’s eyes were brighter, a faint grin on his face.

"I’ll visit again," he said, walking toward the door.

Amelia nodded. "You’d better."

As he stepped outside, he glanced back once more. "And tell your creepy boyfriend not to smirk so much. It’s unsettling."

Amelia laughed softly and closed the door behind him.

Then she heard Kai’s footsteps approaching behind her.

"You hugged him," he said with obvious jealousy.

She rolled her eyes. "Don’t tell me you’re jealous of my brother."

Kai leaned in, his lips brushing her forehead. "Of everyone, Amelia. Of everyone."

She then pushed him away, a stern look on her face.

"You really enjoyed provoking him, didn’t you?" Amelia said, not quite smiling.

"I did. Very much." He kissed her collarbone. "And it was fun, but you can’t blame me, he started it first."

"But still... "

Kai pouted " I’m sorry Amelia, you’ll forgive me right"

Amelia sighed, what choice does she have.