Chapter 2
Chapter 2
I reached the foyer and nearly walked straight into my second brother.
Gold-rimmed glasses, immaculate suit, broad shoulders, long legs.
“Going to class?”
He lifted my schoolbag with one hand and slung it over his shoulder.
“Come on. I’m headed to the hospital, so I’ll drop you off.”
From inside the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, I watched the plane trees lining the road stream past.
Feigning casual curiosity, I asked, “Second Brother, what illness does Big Brother actually have?”
When I was little, I used to cling to my big brother all the time.
But the year I came of age, when Big Brother was twenty-three, he was diagnosed with a rare condition and began spending long stretches overseas.
I’d barely seen him in the last three years.
Whenever I asked what exactly was wrong with him, everyone gave me vague answers. The whole family treated the subject as taboo.
My second brother steered with one hand through the crowded traffic.
“I wouldn’t dare reveal Big Brother’s private affairs.”
“Ask him yourself when he comes home.”
“Though I have no idea where he’s run off to this time. He won’t even answer my calls.”
I murmured an acknowledgment and twisted the hem of my shirt.
Peeking at him from beneath my lashes, I felt a familiar flicker of unease.
My second brother was the smartest person in the Li family. He’d entered university at fifteen, earned a doctorate in medicine at twenty, and now ran the family hospital.
I’d clung to our big brother since childhood. My second brother, on the other hand, had always intimidated me a little.
Just like now.
He lowered his gaze and met mine. His eyes tilted slightly upward at the corners, sharp both within and without. Behind those gold-rimmed lenses, they were like X-rays, exposing every secret I tried to hide.
He spoke softly.
“Do you think he really was kidnapped?”
“Big Brother served in a peacekeeping force. The only person who could abduct him would be someone he knew.”
“For example, the family member he trusted most.”
I shot upright.
The motion was so violent that the seat belt caught my throat and snapped me back against the seat.
My second brother raised an eyebrow.
“It’s only a hypothetical. Why are you so worked up?”
My heart hammered. I pulled my lips into a painfully stiff smile.
“Who would dare do anything to Big Brother? Ha. Ha.”
He turned the wheel and said with studied nonchalance, “I’ll drop you at school, then head to the hospital.”
“The hospital has partnered with the government to establish a wildlife rescue center. We’ve developed a batch of specialized restraints.”
“They’re light but extremely strong. When you’re dealing with a beast far larger than yourself, these are the hardest restraints to escape.”
I turned to look at him.
He kept his eyes on the traffic ahead. Behind the gold rims of his glasses lurked the faintest hint of a smile.
“They’re stored in the warehouse behind the hospital.”
The Cullinan stopped at the school entrance.
Silence filled the car.
I inhaled deeply and clenched my fingers.
“I have a seminar tonight. I’ll sleep in the dorm instead of coming home.”
“Oh?” My second brother drew the sound out. “Try to exercise some restraint.”
“What?”
His eyes curved with amusement.
“I mean, even young people shouldn’t overdo a late-night seminar. Take care of yourself.”
That evening, of course, I didn’t attend any seminar.
I went to the hospital warehouse first.
After that, I hesitated for ages before creeping into a convenience store like a thief to buy several other things.
Finally, I took a car to the outskirts of the city.
The villa there had been purchased in my name by my parents when I came of age.
They’d told me, “Our little princess is all grown up. Of course she’ll have her own secrets.”
“From now on, this villa will be our baby’s secret hideaway. Whenever you’re unhappy, you can come here and spend some time alone.”
They could never have guessed who I was hiding inside it now.
I descended all the way to the basement, drew a deep breath, and unlocked the door.
“Big Brother,” I called into the room.