But the woman before him was nothing like the gentle Arlene. Her demeanor was cool, yet a hint of
mirth danced in her eyes. The pair stood inches apart, cozily leaning into each other. Augus gazed into
the camera, his eyes brimming with an affection that seemed on the verge of spilling over. The woman
didn’t hold his hand, but her eyes were brimming with intelligence and clarity. Dylan felt a jolt in his
spine as if struck by something, and he stumbled several steps backward. Once he steadied himself,
he let out a small breath. For a split second, he thought her eyes resembled another pair he had seen
recently, but he couldn’t place where he had seen them before. The woman in the photo bore no
resemblance to the current maternal figure of Arlene. Arlene had become the archetype of the
domesticated housewife, her life revolving entirely around her home. But the eyes of the woman in the
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtphotograph held a universe—ambition, aspiration, even a hint of the infinite. Her gaze was clear yet
worldly, indescribable—in its presence, one felt a jolt of awe. Dylan studied the photo for a moment
longer before slowly placing it back in Augus’s palm. The photo lay silent and still between his fingers.
A pang of discomfort washed over Dylan. He had planned to go back to Judith, but now his mind was
elsewhere. He decided to spend the night at the Sanders residence. When he awoke, his phone was
bombarded with over thirty missed calls—all from Judith. He hurriedly returned the call, and as soon as
she answered, her sobs flooded through. “Dylan, you didn’t come home last night, did you? Every time
I close my eyes, I see those men’s faces, and some people from the past sent me a couple of videos.
Why do they have those videos? Who recorded them, could it be Maja? Is she trying to ruin me in the
North American elite groups, to destroy me?” “I hate her so much, I just hate her! Why doesn’t she just
die! Someone like her shouldn’t even be alive!” Judith’s emotions had been a roller coaster these past
few days, waking up every morning cursing Maja. Dylan’s heart ached. His
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emotions had already been in turmoil the night before because of Beck, and he was beginning to
question his actions. But now, hearing Judith’s frantic state, he felt even more convinced that Maja
deserved punishment. “I’m on my way back now, Judith. Don’t be scared. I’ve already had those videos
taken down.” “But they’re still mocking me! They call me a tramp, say I’m frivolous! I don’t want to live
anymore; I’m going to jump off the building!” “Judith, don’t do anything stupid, I’m coming right back!”
After hanging up, he immediately called the house staff, instructing them to keep an eye on Judith, then
dashed downstairs to his car. But just as he reached the lobby, his phone rang again—this time it was
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmBeck. “Dylan, I’m ten minutes away from the Sanders place. I’ve got something important to tell you.
You have to wait for me.” Dylan was immediately irked. Beck had stood him up all night, hadn’t offered
a single apology this morning, and now he demanded Dylan wait? “Beck, because of that kick you
delivered, Judith had a terrible night and is now having nightmares. I suspect Maja recorded those
disgraceful videos just to ruin Judith! And yet you still side with that woman! I’m so disappointed.” As
Dylan spoke, he moved to get into his car, but Beck interrupted him. “Dylan, do you think the whole
world is out to get Judith? Do you think I’d harm her? Your favoritism towards her is excessive. I’m your
brother too, and Dad’s still sick upstairs, but all you can see is Judith!” A sharp pain struck Dylan’s
heart, and he quickly denied the accusation. “That’s not true, but Beck, Judith is a girl. Didn’t I tell you
that you have to be considerate towards your sister?” “But she isn’t!” Beck shouted, then caught Maja’s
gaze and lowered his voice. “I’ll be home soon. If you don’t wait for me, I’ll never acknowledge you as
my brother again.”