My sister has always been obsessed with me—in an overprotective kind of way.

When we were ten, she almost got kidnapped.

But I took her place. I climbed into the van instead.

They ransomed me back eventually, but not before they slashed up my face and shattered both of my legs.

After that, something in her changed. She threw herself into our father’s business, clawed her way through the wreckage, and built it back up from nothing.

To the rest of the world, she became a terrifying figure—untouchable, ruthless.

But to me? I was her everything. Her soft spot. Her one weakness.

Once, someone called me a freak. My sister stuffed the bastard’s head into a sack of rats until his face was unrecognizable.

Another time, someone mocked me for being a cripple. My sister ran over the bastard’s legs with a steamroller… and turned him into paste.

In San Diego, they called her the Queen of Hell.

But in our home, she was sweet like an angel.

She spent a fortune sending me to London—for reconstructive surgery, for physical therapy, for college.

Just before I came back to L.A., she sent me a wedding invitation.

[You’ll finally have a brother-in-law who’ll spoil you too] She texted me along with a picture of the guy.

But the moment I stepped into her villa, everything went to hell.

That same man—my so-called future brother-in-law—kicked the door down with a gang of thugs behind him.

He thought I was just my sister’s soft, foreign-raised brother—and he took it as permission to treat me like crap.

When my sister finally showed up, he pointed down at me, bruised and bleeding on the floor.

“You’re picking that damn freak over me?!” he shouted.

My sister’s eyes were glassy but burning with vengeance. “How many lives,” she asked, “do you think you’re worth compared to him?!”

——

A loud bang echoed when the floor-to-ceiling windows shattered into a storm of glass. A crew of dangerous-looking men stormed in, all muscle and menace.

As I scrambled back, stunned, my eyes locked onto the man leading them.

‘It’s… him! The guy from the photo my sister sent me a few days ago!’

Blade Durant.

My soon-to-be brother-in-law.

Before I could even speak, he slammed a metal rod across my face and a binding pain instantly exploded behind my eyes.

I touched my nose—there was blood!

My ears rang as I staggered back, feeling dizzy.

“Well, well,” he spat. “Finally caught you, you little leech. Thought you could hide abroad forever?”

He grabbed a golf club next—and started swinging.

Head. Ribs. Chest.

I tried to cover up, tried to crawl away, but I tripped and hit the ground hard.

“Y-You’ve got… the wrong… idea… I’m—”

But he didn’t let me finish.

He shoved the metal rod into my mouth and jabbed it. Twice!

Pain shot through my gums and my throat. I felt my blood pour down my chin.

“Wrong idea, my ass!” he barked.

“You think I don’t know you sweet-talked Dixie into buying you this villa?

“You knew we were getting engaged and came crawling back to ruin it. Even if you can’t break us up, you still want to cling on and mooch off her, right?

“Today, you’re gonna pay for messing around my woman!”

He kicked me again, harder this time.

The back of my head slammed into the coffee table. I felt it split open.

Blood filled my mouth as I coughed, forcing the words out.

“You’ve… You’ve got it all wrong! I’m her brother! I’m Dixie Sawyer’s… brother!

“She messaged me… just a few days ago… She asked me… to come back… for the engagement—”

He froze.

One of the men behind him leaned in and whispered something.

“I did hear the Queen has a younger brother who’s been living abroad… I think they’re twins. No one’s seen the kid, though.”

Blade stared at me.

“Twins? This guy doesn’t look anything like her at all.”

Just then, the front door burst open, and a man with a scar across his face stepped in.

‘Scarface! One of my sister’s oldest men! He’ll recognize me. He has to!’

“S-Scarface! I-It’s me… L-Luca!” I called, my voice cracking.

He stopped, staring at me like I was a ghost.

“Who the hell is this kid?” he said. “How does he know me?”

Scarface looked curious, but Blade raised his iron rod again—and slammed it across my mouth.

The pain exploded so fast I couldn’t even scream.

I could only clutch my face, blood pooling under my tongue.

“He’s the pretty boy I told you about,” Blade sneered. “Probably overheard you guys when you walked in.”

Scarface shook his head slowly.

“Something’s not right. I think… he said his name is Luca. That’s the young master’s name. No way an outsider would know that.”

He stepped closer and grabbed my face, squinting at me.

“This face doesn’t look anything like the young master’s though…”

My heart sank.

Of course he didn’t recognize me. He’d never seen my face after the surgeries.

Then something clicked for him.

“Wait a minute… the young master was sent abroad for reconstructive surgery. Your face—did you have work done?”

I nodded desperately, my eyes brimming with hope.

‘Yes. Yes, I’m the one! I’m your young master!’

But Blade scoffed from the side.

“What, a pretty boy getting plastic surgery is news? That’s half their job description.”

Scarface raised a hand to shut him up.

“Faces can lie. IDs don’t. Search him.”

Two of the goons stepped forward, grabbing me as I struggled.

Blade smacked me across the face. “Quit moving. Tie him up.”

They pinned me down, tying me up tight, and started patting me down while I seethed with humiliation.

Scarface glanced over warily.

“You beat the crap out of him. What if he is the young master?”

Blade just chuckled and offered him a cigarette.

“So what? I’m about to marry Dixie. Even if I hit her little brother a few times by mistake, it just proves how much I care about her. She’ll forgive me.”

Scarface puffed and nodded. “I guess that makes sense.”

They soon found my ID. Blade snatched it and burst out laughing.

“See? Told you he was faking.”

Scarface leaned in, reading aloud, “Eli Hale.” Then he flipped open my diploma. “Damn.”

“Definitely fake,” he confirmed. “The young master’s name is Luca, and he didn’t go to Argentina—he went to London.”

Just like that, I felt the ground vanish under me.

After the kidnapping years ago, my sister had removed me from the family registry. Changed my name. I took our mother’s surname.

She hadn’t told anyone. Not even Scarface.

All to keep me safe.

‘She hid everything so well. Now, it’s going to… it’s going to get me killed!’

I could feel my heart race faster as Scarface’s expression turned cold.

“This bastard dared pretend to be the young master! Beat the hell out of him!”

To his words, the other men threw me to the floor and started kicking and punching me.

My phone fell from my pocket and landed screen-up.

As the display lit up, Scarface caught a glimpse—and froze.

“Wait!”

He snatched it off the ground, his face pale.

The wallpaper was a photo of me and my sister, arms around each other and smiling.

His hands trembled as he held it up.

“This phone… Is it yours?”

I nodded frantically.

On the side, Blade sneered.

“Come on, Scarface. It’s just a photo. He probably Photoshopped it!”

I jerked my head, signaling Scarface to open the phone and see for himself.

He got the hint, held it up to my face to unlock it, and started scrolling.

Then he saw it.

My messages with my sister.

“He calls her ‘Big Sis’ in his contacts. It’s real,” Scarface gasped.

But Blade snatched the phone from him.

“Don’t fall for it! That’s exactly what gold-digging little leeches like him do—call rich women ‘Big sis’ so they can cozy up to them!”

He scrolled up once, twice—then stopped cold, his face twisting with rage.

“Oh, really? She gave you a whole villa? She calls you baby? Says she never wants to be apart from you again?”

I wanted to explain, but the pain in my mouth flared up so bad I couldn’t even speak.

My sister’s the only family I’ve got. She never wanted me to stay abroad forever.

Growing up, no one ever laid a finger on me. And now, look at me—beaten to a pulp by her fiancé, can’t even get a word out.

Even her people didn’t recognize me. ‘Dixie… It hurts so bad!’

The thought made me cry silently. Scarface frowned when he saw it.

“This kid’s got the same vibe as the young master—can’t handle a bit of pain, cries real easy,” he said. “Should we double-check? The Queen really spoils her little brother. If he is the one, we’re screwed.”

Blade nodded. “Alright, I’ll make a call and ask. If he really is Dixie’s brother, I’ll take the fall. No one else gets dragged in. But if he’s not…”

His face twisted into something monstrous.

“If not… then I’ll make this pretty boy wish he was never born!”

He told one of the big guys to shut me up and pulled out his phone to call my sister.

“Hey, boo. Didn’t you say your brother’s coming back for our engagement party? What day exactly is he arriving? I wanna prep a little welcome gift for him. That’s why I’m asking.”

Dixie’s cheerful voice came through the phone, “Aww, that’s so sweet of you! He said he’ll be home tomorrow night.”

My heart sank.

‘Shit…’

I’d changed my flight to surprise her—got here today instead.

Blade’s eyes turned cold and calculating as he looked at me.

‘If he hangs up now, I’m done for!’

I opened my mouth and bit down hard. The guy covering it yelped in pain and let go.

“Dixie! Help me!”

I screamed with everything I had.

Blade’s face twisted, and he quickly kicked me to the floor, slamming his foot over my mouth.

On the other end, my sister hesitated. “Did… someone just scream for help?”

Blade forced a laugh. “Ah, that? Just the TV. Anyway, since your brother’s arriving soon, I better prep that gift. Talk to you later.”

He… hung up.

And just like that, my last sliver of hope disappeared.

Pain exploded in my face as he pressed down harder with his foot.

“You little bastard. Thought you could fool me, huh? Almost got me!”

I started crying from the pain, but he wasn’t satisfied.

He looked down at my tear-streaked face, and I saw something dark flash in his eyes—jealousy.

“This is the face you used to hook Dixie, isn’t it? She’s already agreed to marry me, and she still went and bought you a freaking villa!”

One of the guys behind him tried to calm him down.

“Honestly, it’s not that weird. Big shots like the Queen always have side lovers. If she likes him, maybe we just let it slide? I mean, you’re the one marrying her. Why not turn a blind eye?”

Even Scarface chimed in, “Yeah, you’re the main guy. He’s nothing next to you, man.”

Blade wavered, like he was actually thinking it over.

Meanwhile, I was about to explode from how unfair this all was.

‘I’m her real brother. And they’re treating me like some random toyboy punching bag?! My sister has the worst taste in men. When I see her, I will make her call this damn engagement off!’

Blade must’ve caught the anger in my eyes. He’d been softening, but that look lit him up with rage again.

“You’re still glaring at me, pretty boy? I won't kill you today, I’ll at least ruin you.”

He yanked his foot away, pulled out a knife, and slashed it toward my face.

“No! Don’t—Ahhh!”

I screamed in agony, but he just carved faster.

“If you look like a freaking monster, then I’ll be the only one Dixie will always be looking for!”