I was in a serious long-distance relationship with a guy I met online. Finally, we decided it was time to meet up in person. But when I arrived at the restaurant, the guy holding the rose bouquet at our designated table was my older brother! Well, my stepbrother, to be exact. In that split second, my entire world shattered. Before he could spot me, I crouched behind a decorative planter, pulled out my phone, and sent him a text with shaking hands: 【I don’t think this is going to work. We should break up.】 As the heir to a massive real estate empire, he had never been dumped before. Certainly not during his very first attempt at romance. He completely fell apart. For days, he just stayed in his room, totally devastated. I finally couldn’t take it anymore. I walked into his room and snapped at him, "Look, it’s just a breakup. Could you please pull yourself together?!" During our argument, his thumb accidentally hit the call button on his chatting app. The next second, the ringtone inside my pocket blast through the room, deafeningly loud. My brother slowly lifted his head. "...What?" Me: "..." Silence was the only thing left in that room. 1 I’d been seeing this guy online using a burner account for a while now. From what I could tell, he was sweet, loaded, and fit—basically the perfect golden retriever boyfriend type. The only mystery left was what he actually looked like. Other than that, he hit every single one of my specific preferences perfectly. We had finally agreed to meet up tomorrow. I was incredibly nervous about this first date. I’d been standing in front of my closet for over half an hour, trying to decide on an outfit, still completely lost. Ding-ding! My phone went off. It was him. BugsBunny: 【Bunny baby~ Tomorrow is finally the big day! I’m so excited!】 My screen name was Miss Bunny, so he decided to call himself Bugs Bunny. I giggled, grabbing my phone and flopping onto the bed. He sent three more messages in rapid succession: 【I am unfathomably excited to see you!!!】 【Are you excited? Are you?】 【Baby, you definitely want to see me right now too, don’t you?】 I could practically feel his hyperactive energy radiating through the screen. Of course, I was excited. This was my first real relationship, and since we’d been talking online for over a year, I had real feelings for him. But seeing how cute he was being, I got a sudden wicked urge to tease him a bit, just to see how he’d react. Miss Bunny: 【Hmm~ Actually, I’m not that excited.】 After I sent that, the other side went silent for a long time. I had no idea what he was doing. Could I have actually upset him?! I hurriedly opened the text box, ready to explain that I was joking. Ding-ding! Suddenly, he sent a photo. It was a shirtless photo of his abs, from the neck down. He was leaning back on a dark leather couch, his discarded black dress shirt thrown carelessly over one corner, revealing smooth, defined muscles. The most eye-catching part was his perfect six-pack. He looked seriously in shape. I stared at the screen, my heart doing backflips in my chest. He sent a casual follow-up message: 【Baby, how about now? Are you excited to see me yet?】 He was smart, I’ll give him that. He knew exactly what worked on me. Miss Bunny: 【EXCITED!!! Just wait until I see you. I’m going to kiss you to death.】 2 I was sitting there grinning at the photo like an idiot when my mom suddenly called me. She said she had made late-night snacks and told my brother and me to come down to the dining room. I have a brother, though we aren’t related by blood. He’s three years older than me, named Elias Walker. Four years ago, my mom married his dad, merging our families, and I moved into the Walker estate with her. Elias’s father is a finance mogul in the city, insanely wealthy, but surprisingly down-to-earth and affectionate with his family. He loves my mom very much and has always treated me like his own daughter. Elias, as the heir to the family business, usually manages Walker Group affairs overseas, so I rarely saw him. The few times we did meet, we were just politely cordial to each other, maintaining a slight, distant reserve. A few days ago, he suddenly returned to the States, saying he came back to meet someone very important. During this time at home, he was staying at the mansion. Both Elias’s father and my mom were thrilled about him being home. Especially my mom. She spent all day in the kitchen trying out new recipes, practically force-feeding Elias, insisting that since he was rarely home, he needed to feel the warmth of the family. I knocked on Elias’s door. "Hey, are you asleep?" I asked politely. Through the door, a cool, deep voice came from inside the room: "Not yet. Is something wrong, Chloe?" "Mom told me to come get you for some late-night food she made." "Okay. I’ll be down in a minute." After that brief, overly formal exchange, I was ready to walk away when I suddenly heard rustling sounds coming from inside his room. It sounded like he was... putting clothes on? Meaning he wasn’t wearing any just now! Well, I guess when your body is that fit, you don't really worry about the cold. 3 By the time Elias came down, I had already finished two bowls of Mom's chicken soup and let out a small burp. I have to say, Mom's cooking is seriously good. When I stretched my greedy hand toward the pot of chicken soup again, Mom was too quick. She smacked the back of my hand instantly. "Chloe, how much have you eaten already? Your brother hasn't had any yet." Elias was wearing a black dress shirt, looking tall and lean, with a formidable presence. He sat down opposite me and spoke with polite deferral. "If Chloe likes it, let her have more." Seeing how agreeable he was, Mom’s maternal instincts immediately went into overdrive, and she started piling massive scoops into his bowl. Elias stared at the chicken overflowing in his bowl, unsure of where to even start. I shot him a meaningful look with my eyes: 【Bro, if you can't finish that, I’ll gladly take some.】 He completely ignored me. Hmph. I knew that polite deferral was just for show. Elias’s father looked at him, slightly curious and a bit gossipy. "Elias, I heard you came back this time to see... someone important?" Hearing that, Elias suddenly stopped sipping his soup. I don't know who he was thinking of, but his face went instantly red. He managed a low, "Yeah." Then he buried his head in his bowl and drank the soup furiously, attempting to use the huge bowl to hide his rapidly reddening face, not realizing it was a completely futile gesture. Because even his neck was bright red. Elias was... blushing?! Oh my god. My jaw practically dropped into my soup. Even though I hadn't spent much time with Elias over the years, I knew he was a very cold, composed person. Probably because he took over the company at such a young age, he had been through the wars of corporate politics, so he was much more calm and collected than most people his age. He always seemed completely unflappable. So, forget blushing—I’d almost never seen him show any strong emotion at all. But! Right now! He was actually blushing over this "important person"? My intuition was shouting at me: I'm about to get a sister-in-law! 4 Seeing Elias’s reaction, Mom and his father exchanged a knowing smile. "Well, looks like you've got a situation going on!" Elias didn't respond, just kept drinking his soup with his head down, his face redder than a fire engine. Mom and Elias's father had been worried that Elias was going to end up alone. Even though he was gorgeous, well-educated, and basically the definition of "highly eligible," he had one problem: his personality was too cold. Growing up, women had always tried to get close to him, but he always maintained a polite, icy distance. They were worried his personality would either drive women away or that he just wasn't interested. Who would have thought he had quietly gotten into a relationship on his own! Seeing that everyone was focused on Elias, I made my move on the chicken leg. "Congratulations, Bro," I teased, aiming the chopsticks at the pot. "When are you bringing my future sister-in-law home for dinner?" While talking, I very naturally and casually grabbed that massive chicken leg I’d been eyeballing and dropped it into my bowl. I had just taken a massive bite out of the chicken leg. Mom: "Eat, eat, eat, all you do is eat. Why can’t you be like your brother? When are you going to bring home a nice guy for me to meet?" I didn't answer. My jaw kept working, but in my head, I was thinking: 【How do you know I haven't already?】 Since we hadn't met in person yet and the relationship wasn't stable, I hadn't mentioned it. But hmph. Once we meet, I’m bringing him straight home to give you a massive surprise! 5 Today was finally the big day: meeting my online boyfriend in person. I was sitting in my car and took a photo of the massive rose bouquet I had bought, sending it to him. 【I’m almost there! Look, I even got you your favorite flower!】 The photo didn't show my face. According to our agreement, we wouldn’t show our faces until we met, to keep the surprise. The shot only showed a bit of my pink dress and the beautiful, lush bouquet. Almost immediately, he replied: 【Baby looks so beautiful! You’re practically an angel! 【I love roses the most! Thank you, Baby! Kiss-kiss-kiss-kiss-kiss! 【I’m already at the place, waiting for you!!!】 He had picked the location. The Ritz-Carlton. The most luxurious spot in the city. A single meal could easily be six figures. It was the top choice for high-society galas. I followed the signs up to the fiftieth floor. He had reserved the entire rooftop lounge. By the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, a man was sitting quietly on a couch. He was wearing a cream-colored suit, tall, looking incredibly elegant. The sunlight poured through the glass, enveloping him in a warm, distant halo. His back view alone was enough to make my breath catch. Even just seeing his back, I knew he was a stunning man. I held my bouquet, standing just around the corner of the entryway, my heart hammering so hard I thought it might burst. Taking a deep breath, I was just about to walk over to him when he happened to turn around. I was suddenly staring directly at his face. A face that was identical to Elias Walker’s. !!! It felt like I had seen a ghost. I instantly pulled my head back behind the corner. Oh my god. My online boyfriend is my stepbrother! Is my life a terrible soap opera?! I could never have imagined that the romantic, clingy, sweet-talking guy on my phone and the cold, distant, hyper-professional Elias Walker were the same person. Then I remembered what he said about coming back to the States to meet a very important person. At the time, I was thinking, I’m about to get a sister-in-law. Now I see... I’m the sister-in-law?! My mind completely crashed. This whole situation was too insane. I didn't know how to even begin processing it. Just then, the phone in my pocket vibrated with a text he had just sent: 【Baby, is that you? I thought I heard a noise by the entryway.】 6 I stared at the messages on my phone, my feelings a chaotic mess. After a long moment, my hands shaking, I typed out a single sentence: 【I don’t think this is going to work. We should break up.】 The instant I sent the message, Elias, who had been sitting on the couch anxiously waiting, suddenly stood up. He was staring at the breakup text on his phone with a look of pure shock, as if he couldn’t believe what he was reading. After standing there stunned for a long time, he started frantically tapping on the screen, sending a flurry of messages: 【Are you kidding, Baby? 【I really don’t think that’s a funny joke. Let’s not say things like that, okay? 【Baby, reply to me. Why aren’t you talking?】 My mind was completely blank. This whole thing was way too messy, and I truly didn't know what to say. Seeing no reply from me, Elias was on the verge of a breakdown. His hands were shaking so much he could barely type: 【You’re really doing this? 【Did I do something wrong to upset you? Tell me, I’ll fix it immediately. Just please don’t do this. Okay? 【I don’t want to break up. 【I don’t care what you say, I don’t agree to this. 【Where are you right now?】 I watched the chat window overflow with messages, completely lost. I decided I had to get out of there first. If Elias saw me, there would be no way to explain this. I began to tiptoe away, ready to leave. But just at that moment, the phone in my pocket started blasting my ringtone. It scared the absolute life out of me. It was Elias.
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