I am the wife of the capital city’s esteemed tycoon. We were married in secret for three years. At the celebratory banquet, I was about to make our relationship public.

However, his first love, Juvelia Shaw, stumbled into the hall clutching her torn collar.

“Edwin, save me! Peri Sanders brought along her penniless brother. He just forced a kiss on me in the lounge!

“He says he’s your brother-in-law. If I want to get into the Gough family, I have to please him.... Argh! I have been defiled!”

The room fell deathly silent before erupting into a chorus of finger-pointing and curses. They accused me of forcing my brother to assault the esteemed tycoon’s woman just to secure his favor.

Edwin Gough’s eyes blazed crimson. He ripped off his coat and wrapped it tightly around Juvelia. Then, he flung a glass of red wine at my face.

Gritting his teeth, he glared at me.

“Peri, bring out that beast of a brother of yours!”

“Since his mouth is so vile, let’s pull out his teeth and cut his tongue off to feed the dogs! Otherwise, I’ll make the entire Sanders family pay with their lives!”

Amidst the crowd’s looks of contempt and disgust, I burst into laughter.

My brother had long since lost his voice. Three years ago, in a fire, he had inhaled excessive smoke while saving Edwin, which had destroyed his vocal cords. His tongue was gone too.

“What are you laughing at?”

Edwin Gough’s brows furrowed. His eyes were full of disgust.

I wiped my face and smiled even more calmly.

“I’m laughing at how blind and foolish you are. I’m also laughing at how Ms. Shaw spins tales without a single draft.”

“Peri Sanders! You’re done for, and yet you’re still talking back!”

Peri cowered in Edwin’s embrace. Tears were streaming down her face like rain. She pointed at me as her voice trembled.

“Edwin, look at her... She shows no remorse whatsoever!

“She’s jealous that I saved your life; jealous of the bond we shared growing up together.

“That’s why she sent her thug of a brother to ruin me... She said as long as I was defiled, you wouldn’t want me anymore...”

The surrounding guests erupted in an instant.

“How vile! How could this kind of woman become Mrs. Gough?

“Not only is she a lowlife herself, but her family members are also scoundrels!

“What good could come from that backwater village the Sanders are from? I hear her brother’s a good-for-nothing who loafs around all day.”

Edwin listened to the surrounding murmurs. His expression was as dark as a thundering storm cloud.

He raised his hand and seized my chin. His grip was so tight it felt like he was trying to crush my bones.

“Peri, make that animal of a brother of yours come here immediately.

“Make him kneel before everyone and beg Juvelia for forgiveness.

“Then, I’ll personally rip out his tongue, so he’ll spend the rest of his life knowing what it’s like to be silenced!”

Rip out his tongue?

I stared at Edwin’s face, the face I once loved with all my being, and felt nothing but bitter irony.

Three years ago, amidst a raging inferno just like this one.

My brother had rushed into the flames to save Edwin, who had been trapped in the fire.

Edwin was unconscious. My brother carried him on his back while inhaling toxic smoke and enduring scorching heat.

In order to rouse the unconscious Edwin and clear a path for him, my brother’s vocal cords were completely burned away. His tongue was necrotized and removed.

When Edwin awoke in the hospital, he saw only Juvelia by his bedside.

Juvelia claimed the credit and became the “savior” that he cherished deeply with all his heart.

Yet the one who truly saved Edwin was despised and reviled, just because he was disfigured and disabled. He was denied even the right to appear before him.

Did he actually dare to cut out the last bit of tongue from the man who saved his life?

“Why? Afraid to call him over?”

Edwin sneered coldly. His eyes were filled with unchecked malice.

“Since you won’t, I’ll have someone drag him here!

“That shabby Sanders residence? I’ve had it under surveillance for ages.

“Guards! Haul that beast, Efim Sanders, over here!”

“There’s no need.”

I cut him off while slowly pulling out my phone.

“I’ll call him myself.

“However, Edwin, how about we make a bet?”

Edwin narrowed his eyes. “What gives you the right to negotiate terms with me?”

“We’ll bet on whether Juvelia’s ‘forced kiss’ and ‘licking’ are true.”

My gaze was sharp like a knife. I met Juvelia’s panicked eyes.

“If my brother truly did it, not only will he be at your mercy, but I, Peri Sanders, will also leave with nothing and die immediately.

“However, if I can prove that Juvelia lied...”

I paused, and my voice was as cold as ice.

“I want every share of Gough Corporation under your name, Edwin Gough. And you will kneel before my brother and apologize to him!”

The room erupted in shock.

Everyone stared at me as if I were insane.

“Has this woman lost her mind? Betting Gough Corporation shares?

“Her penniless brother’s attempted attack is a done deal. How could Ms. Shaw risk her reputation like this?”

“Exactly! Ms. Shaw is Mr. Gough’s first love. She’s cultured and refined, nothing like this shrew!”

Juvelia’s eyes flashed at my wager.

She clutched Edwin’s lapel. Her voice was trembling. “Edwin, don’t take up her bet.

“She’s trying to swindle you of your shares... She wants to destroy the Gough family...

“I can endure some hardship, truly. Just don’t let her swindle you...”

She was feigning retreat to advance. She truly was a skillful strategist.

Edwin’s heart ached for her even more. The rage in his eyes felt like it was going to burn me.

“Peri, you greedy woman. You disgust me. Fine! I’ll take your bet!

“I’ll make you lose so thoroughly you’ll have no choice but to admit defeat. Watch me cripple your useless brother until he becomes a lame dog!”

He summoned his lawyer, who drafted the agreement on the spot.

It was clear in black and white, and the document was sealed with a crimson fingerprint.

As I stared at that contract, the last shred of affection in my heart shattered completely with that vivid red seal.

“Call him!” Edwin roared.

I dialed the number I knew by heart.

The phone rang once before being picked up.

No sound came from the other end, only soft breathing.

I switched to a speakerphone. My voice was mostly steady, but it trembled slightly.

“Efim, come to Royale Hotel.

“Someone says you attacked her. They want to rip out your tongue.”

Silence hung heavy for two seconds.

Then, there was a faint tap.

Our secret signal.

One tap meant “Got it.”

After hanging up, the lobby fell deathly silent before erupting in raucous laughter.

“He can’t even speak? Maybe he’s scared out of his wits?

“He must be some creep with a horrid voice and an ugly face.

“Just wait! Mr. Gough’s going to see that blood is spilled tonight.

Seeing this, Juvelia seemed to gain confidence.

She released Edwin, clutching her collar as her sobs grew more pitiful.

“Edwin... just now... that beast pinned me down on the lounge couch...

“He stuck out his tongue. He was licking my neck... licking my ears...

“He said that this was the only way he could disgust you, and the only way he could exact revenge on the Gough family...”

As Edwin listened to those details, the veins in his forehead bulged, and his eyes turned bloodshot.

He kicked over the champagne tower beside him.

With a crash, shards of glass flew everywhere.

“Peri! This is what your dear brother did!

“Lick? He dares lick?!

“I’ll have his tongue sliced inch by inch, chopped to bits, and fed to the dogs!”

As I watched Juvelia’s tearful performance, I could not help but find it amusing.

I thought, ‘Juvelia, you should never have gone to such lengths to make up a lie that defied basic physiology just to make your story more vivid.

‘What part of my brother could have possibly licked you?

‘The severed stump of his tongue?’

I remained still as I quietly observed the farce.

“Juvelia, are you sure it was him who licked you?” I asked again for confirmation.

Juvelia shot me a venomous glare before nodding pitifully.

“Yes... that wet, sticky sensation... I’ll never forget it for the rest of my life...”

“Good.” I nodded with an icy expression. “Hopefully, you’ll still remember that feeling later.”

Ten minutes later, the banquet hall doors swung open.

A man clad in a black hoodie, a baseball cap, and a black mask stepped inside.

His frame was lean yet held rigidly straight, like an unbreakable pole.

Though his attire was plain, slightly worn even, his cool, aloof demeanor clashed starkly with the opulent surroundings.

It was my brother, Efim Sanders.

“It’s him!” Juvelia shrieked. She shrank behind Edwin, trembling. “Edwin! It’s that outfit! It’s those eyes! I’d recognize him even if he were ashes!”

Edwin patted Juvelia’s hand and strode purposefully toward my brother.

Bodyguards instantly surrounded him. Their stun batons crackled.

“Efim, is it?”

Edwin stood before my brother, looking down on him.

“You’ve got some nerve, going after my woman. Since you’re here, you won’t be leaving standing.”

My brother remained silent.

He merely raised his head. Only his eyes were visible above the mask—still as dead water.

He showed no fear and no panic. In fact, there was even... a hint of pity.

That look made Edwin completely infuriated.

“What’s that look for? Are you looking down on me? You’re a jerk who attacks women. You belong in the lowest rung of society, yet you dare look at me like that? Get on your knees!”

Edwin tried to aim a kick at my brother’s knees.

My brother sidestepped the blow with astonishing agility.

Edwin missed. He stumbled backward and nearly fell.

This time, Edwin completely lost his mind.

“So... you think you’re pretty good, huh?

“Beat him! Break his legs! Let’s see how he’ll dodge then!”

A dozen bodyguards swarmed forward.

My heart clenched violently, and I was about to rush forward.

However, instead of retreating, my brother moved forward.

Like a bolt of lightning, he darted through the crowd.

A grapple, a shoulder throw, a side kick—each move was crisp and decisive. He did not show the slightest hesitation.

In less than a minute, a dozen bodyguards lay sprawled on the ground, moaning in agony.

The entire venue fell deathly silent.

Everyone was stunned.

No one had imagined that this “penniless, pathetic brother” they had publicly vilified was secretly a martial arts master.

Edwin’s face turned ashen. He gritted his teeth.

“So, he’s trained in martial arts. No wonder he’s so cocky.

“But among the city’s elites, brute strength means nothing!”

He drew his gun. Its black muzzle was aimed squarely at my brother’s forehead.

“One more move, and I’ll blow your brains out!”

My brother froze.

He stared silently at Edwin with a complex look in his eyes.

This was the man he had once risked his life to carry out of a burning inferno.

That same man was holding a gun to his head.

“Edwin! Stop wasting your breath with him!”

Seeing this, Juvelia urgently stirred the pot.

“He forced me with this very level of violence just now!

“Make them strip him naked and cut out his tongue!

“He must pay the price!”

Edwin took a deep breath. His finger tightened on the trigger.

“Efim, take off your mask.

“Let me see what this attacker’s face looks like.”

My brother did not move.

“Take it off!” Edwin roared, jabbing the muzzle forward.

My brother slowly raised his hand. His slender fingers hooked the strap by his ear.

I closed my eyes. My heart ached.

That was the scar he was most reluctant to show anyone.