Chapter 396


    Ian’s statement wasn’t a question, but an assertion.


    His deep-set eyes were fixed intently on Brodie, as if trying to see right through him.


    The room fell into an unnerving silence, so profound you could hear the sound of each other’s


    breathing.


    It was only after a pregnant pause that Brodie chuckled lightly, “When did you figure it out?”


    Thatugh made something heavy settle in Ian’s chest.


    Discovering a brother who shared his blood, seemingly out of nowhere, was a feeling Ian couldn’t


    quite articte.


    He had always been guarded around Brodie. Partly because of his mysterious past, and partly


    because of his feelings for ra.


    Ian had considered many possibilities, but the notion that Brodie was his half-brother had never


    crossed his mind.


    It took a few seconds before Ian found his voice again.


    “It doesn’t matter when I found out. What matters is that you’ve known all along. You suspected


    Sierra was behind your mother’s framing and you’ve been investigating in the shadows, haven’t


    you?”


    Brodie didn’t bother to hide it. “Yes, I took one of your things for a DNA test the first time I saw you. I


    also knew Teo was the scumbag who abandoned my mom. If it weren’t for ra, do you think I


    would have left him untouched for so long?”


    Hearing this, Ian raised an eyebrow at him. “Does Katherine know about this?”


    “She doesn’t. But you’ve noticed. She holds a soft spot for your dad.”


    “That’s your father too.”


    “He’s not. If it wasn’t for him, my mom wouldn’t have been hurt. We wouldn’t have spent years being


    hunted. He’s responsible for all of it.”


    “You call him father because he gave you a life of wealth andfort. What he gave me was a


    lifetime of narrow escapes from death. I believe my mom wasn’t the kind of person to knowingly get


    involved with a married man. It must have been your father who deceived her, then turned a blind


    eye after she got pregnant, leaving her to fend for herself.”


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Brodie was usually the epitome of calm and decorum, but now, speaking of the past, there was a


    trace of emotion on his face. His dark eyes were tinged with a subtle crimson.


    His hatred for Teo was palpable.


    The thought of his mother, pregnant and alone, nearly perishing in a fire, enduring excruciating pain


    to save her child without medication, it cut him like a knife.


    Ian looked at him with a meaningful intensity. His voice was a shade huskier. “This isn’t as simple as


    you think. Maybe my dad was also a pawn in someone’s game. I’m investigating, and if Sierra is


    behind this, I won’t let her off the hook for her crimes.”


    “I hope you’ll keep your word. If Sierra troubles my mom again, I won’t be gentle.”


    “She won’t. She can’t escape my watch.”


    Ian’s words were firm and final.


    He extended his arm and pulled a stunned ra into his embrace. There was a cryptic smile


    ying on his lips.


    “Is it hard to swallow that your dear Brodie has be my brother?”


    Before ra could respond, Brodie cut in, “I haven’t acknowledged you. My rtionship with ra


    won’t change because of you.”


    Ian was undeterred. “Acknowledged or not, I’m still your brother. And ra will be your sister-inw.


    You’d better show some respect and not address her informally. It’s only proper.”


    “Ian!” Brodie gritted his teeth. “ra will always be ra, the one who used to tag along behind me.


    Don’t forget, back when she and I were together, you were off ying in the mud somewhere.”