Chapter 1167
Under the scrutiny of the crowd, Ian''s eyes were only on Maja.
Maja, puzzled and frowning, noticed Patric slowly descending the grand staircase.
He took the ring from the emcee, and solemnly ced it before Maja.
"Maja, I''m here to keep our promise."
Just as Maja was about to swat his hand away, he leaned in,ughing softly. He tried to slide the ring
onto her finger, but another hand intercepted him.
Following the hand, his gaze met Ian''s.
"Long time no see, Ian."
Ian abruptly pulled Maja into his arms, where she had no choice but to sit.
He didn''t care about any tricks or ns at this point.
If he allowed Eric to put that ring on Maja''s finger today, he''d be damned!
Maja wanted to struggle, but the feverish heat radiating from Ian immobilized her.
He was still running a temperature.
Ian held her hand tightly in his, not giving her a chance to put on that damn ring.
Patric watched him, and he watched Patric back. Their eyes locked in a silent battle.
The atmosphere in the room became eerie. One, Eric''s sudden appearance caught everyone off guard.
Then, it seemed like Eric knew Maja even before Ian did. Were these brothers in love with the same
woman?
The men were puzzled, the women jealous. The hall was filled withplex stares.
Ian''s hand rested on Maja''s waist, pressing her tightly against him.
Only then did Maja snap out of her daze, refusing to look at Patric.
"That''s not my ring. You''ve got the wrong person."
Patric wasn''t in a rush, slowly putting the ring back on his own finger. "I guess I came back toote."
His words twisted Maja''s denial, making everyone believe that she had gotten involved with Ian
because he hadn''t been around.
The sight of that ring was absolutely blinding to Ian. Pulling her head down, he kissed her lips in front of
everyone.
ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .
The atmosphere in the hall became even more awkward.
Ian knew this wasn''t the best ce for a kiss, so it was brief.
"Brother, my girlfriend isn''t feeling well. We''ll be leaving now."
He addressed Eric as ''brother'', but the intensity in his eyes was more suited for a nemesis.
Patric sat down at the side, a smirk ying on his lips.
"Ian, no need to get upset."
Ian couldn''t stay calm. He didn''t let go of Maja, but instead whispered fiercely into her ear.
"Come with me."
His hand held her tightly, not willing to let go at all.
Maja felt a strong sense of unease from him. Her mind was also reeling, because Ian had called Patric
''brother''.
She was stiff all over. Even though she had sensed something was off when Patric showed up, she
was still shocked when the guess was confirmed. It was as if she had been paralyzed.
Ian''s voice rang in her ears again.
"Come with me."
This time, he sounded even more threatening.
But to Maja, it felt like a bomb had exploded in her mind.
Patric was Eric. They were brothers. She had slept with both Ian and Eric.
The one who had a promise with her was Eric, and it seemed like Ian had known all along.
Suddenly, Maja felt a surge of embarrassment. No woman could ept being involved with two
brothers at the same time.
She felt a wave of nausea, and almost instinctively rose from Ian''sp and ran towards the exit.
"Maja!"
Ian called out to her, quickly giving chase.
Only Patric was left, sitting in the spot that was once Maja''s, gently watching the auction continue.
The hall was buzzing with gossip, especially among those families with closer ties to the top. When
they saw Eric, their eyes were filled with shock andplexity.
Everyone wanted the results of the experiment Eric had conducted years ago. The top had some
inkling that Eric was still alive and had been looking for traces of him. They didn''t expect him to show
up so soon.
They were caught off guard.