Chapter 65: Chapter 65- so monstrous"He’s a devil, Janet. There’s nothing Derrick wouldn’t do."

    Manfred’s voice was cold, almost reverent in its hatred.

    He didn’t just know Derrick—he had studied him.

    Back in America, that name was burned into his memory like a scar.

    He made it his mission.

    So that one day... August could step over Derrick’s bones, smiling, while Derrick wept in ruin.

    Janet’s fingers clenched. Her breath caught in her throat.

    "So... you and August..." Her voice trembled, but her gaze was clear. "You approached me with a purpose. Didn’t you?"

    She wasn’t stupid. Not anymore.

    She remembered the way August had hinted at the truth in the elevator—that night she married Philip, it had been Charles beside her in bed. August had known. He’d known everything.

    Every time she was around them, she could feel it—that hostility behind their eyes. That unspoken tension between the brothers.

    And Charles... he’d warned her over and over again to stay away from August.

    He wasn’t just being possessive. He was trying to protect her.

    Janet could feel it now—Charles’s feelings for her had always been real.

    But still... when she thought of August, when she remembered what he had suffered... her heart couldn’t help but ache for him.

    Even if, at some point, he had wanted to use her for revenge...

    Could she really blame him?

    After all, she was an Elwin. Charles’s woman. Part of the family that destroyed him.

    But how... how could she stop this? How could she break the chain of hatred that bound them all together?

    She didn’t want August’s life to be defined by vengeance.

    Hadn’t he already suffered enough?

    And Derrick... that man. How could someone be so monstrous?

    She didn’t even remember how she got home.

    All Janet knew was that by the time she returned to the East City villa, Charles was already out of his mind, searching for her.

    The moment she saw him, she ran into his arms, holding him tight.

    He was Derrick’s son.

    But his heart—his soul—was so much kinder.

    Everything he’d done for her and Philip... she felt it all now, clear as day.

    "Where were you?" Charles gripped her tightly, burying his face in her hair.

    When he got the call from the driver saying Janet had been taken, his heart nearly stopped.

    He hadn’t even needed to guess—it had to be Derrick.

    But then... Manfred had intervened.

    And Charles didn’t know whether to feel relieved or more afraid.

    Because to him—Janet was probably safer in Derrick’s hands than Manfred’s.

    "Charles... are you planning to go after Manfred? Please... let him go."

    Janet’s voice was low, hesitant. What she really wanted to say was August.

    Everything Manfred had done—it was all for August.

    But Charles... Charles was the man closest to her.

    She didn’t want to see him blinded by hatred.

    And yet, she... she could do nothing.

    Charles froze. His arms tightened before he abruptly released her.

    He gripped her shoulders, hard enough that she flinched in pain.

    "What did he tell you?"

    His voice was sharp, dangerous. Janet looked into his eyes—and saw it.

    The fire. That bitter, relentless flame of hatred.

    He hated them too.

    "Nothing! He didn’t say anything!" Janet protested.

    "Charles... I just don’t want to see you hurting. August and Manfred... they’re not bad people. Please, don’t hold such a deep grudge against them..."

    She hesitated.

    Should she tell him what August had been through?

    If the hatred between them came from some past betrayal... then what of Charles?

    What made him hate August with such cold certainty?

    Was it all under Derrick’s orders?

    Could that man truly be so heartless—to turn against his own family?

    Charles’s expression darkened. "What’s between me and August isn’t your concern. You just need to remember who you belong to."

    The chill in his tone made Janet shiver.

    How long had it been since she last saw this side of him?

    That cold, ruthless part of him only came out in the presence of Manfred or August.

    And now, it was back.

    "From now on, you’ll stay here. You’re not going anywhere."

    Charles shoved her aside and turned to leave.

    Janet rushed to follow—but two bodyguards appeared in front of her, blocking her path. sea??h thё N?velFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "You can’t do this!" she cried out, reaching for him.

    But he didn’t stop.

    Didn’t even look back.

    Damn Manfred.

    What the hell did he say to her?

    Charles slammed the steering wheel in frustration as he climbed into his Bugatti, speeding toward Snowpeak Villa.

    Why was she suddenly defending them?

    He didn’t want to use force with her—he never wanted to.

    But until he could guarantee her safety... he had no choice. She would just have to endure it for now.

    "You skipped work again?"

    Derrick’s voice was sharp and biting the moment Charles stepped through the door.

    "You left a mess behind, vanished overseas, and now you show up acting like you don’t give a damn?"

    Not a single word of welcome. Not even a glance of approval.

    Just cold-eyed fury.

    "If you weren’t constantly interfering in my life, maybe I would be working harder for Black Rock Co.," Charles snapped, stepping up to Derrick without a trace of fear.

    He was sick of the man standing in front of him—a boss who only knew how to control, never how to be a father.

    "You don’t need to bother looking for Janet anymore," Charles said, his eyes dark and unreadable. "She and Philip are already divorced."

    That name—Janet—always had a way of twisting something deep inside him.

    Why was it always the ones he couldn’t let go of who made everything so damn difficult?

    "What did you say?!"

    Derrick’s fury exploded. His eyes blazed like a storm of blood and steel.

    "You bastard!"

    He raised his hand to slap Charles—but it never landed.

    Charles caught his wrist mid-air.

    Firm. Unyielding.

    The sharp crack of bone echoed in the room.

    "You’ve lost your mind!" Derrick growled through clenched teeth.

    But the pain shooting through his fingers told him the truth:

    The son he always dismissed... had grown stronger than he’d ever imagined.

    The air was thick with unspoken war.

    And then—

    "I’m serious. I don’t want Janet anymore."

    Philip’s voice cut clean through the tension as he stepped into the room.

    Charles released Derrick’s arm, the storm in his gaze settling—barely.

    Derrick staggered back and collapsed onto the sofa, the blow of Philip’s words far heavier than any physical strike.

    "Philip... do you even know what you’re saying?"

    Derrick’s chest heaved as he stared at his younger son. His throat moved with difficulty, the betrayal lodging like a bone he couldn’t cough out.

    Philip and Charles had always been close.

    Too close—sometimes even more so than a father and son.

    Everything I’ve done... Derrick thought, was for their own good. Wasn’t it?

    "Dad, why are you so determined to force Janet onto me? I’ve told you—I don’t want her. She’s Charles’s now. If you keep interfering with them, I see no reason to continue with your treatments. I’m not going to get better anyway!"

    Philip’s deep sapphire eyes shone with a rare, sincere light—only Charles could make him care this much.

    "Philip!" Charles was shocked. He never expected Philip to use his health as leverage against their father. Derrick’s only weak spot was Philip. He could be ruthless toward Charles, but never toward Philip.

    "You two..." Derrick looked at the two brothers sitting in unspoken solidarity. He was out of breath and couldn’t find the words.

    His silence was a concession—he wouldn’t gamble Philip’s body like that. Philip was his last hope, and Derrick was desperate for him to recover.

    After that day, Janet didn’t see Charles for several days. It felt like she was trapped, locked inside the villa, unable to step out. And Charles... seemed to have vanished, not returning for days.

    Janet’s heart ached. She wanted to see him but was afraid to. After much thought, she decided she had to tell Charles everything about August’s tragic past. They were cousins—there shouldn’t be any grudges between brothers.