Chapter 201: Shouldn’t you be upset?
A faint glint crossed Adelyn’s eyes when she finally heard everything from Karl.
"So you mean your brother invested in that production only because of that actress?"
Karl almost nodded instinctively, but the moment he realized what he was about to agree to, he stiffened and quickly shook his head.
"No—my brother is a businessman —a shrewd one. He must have invested in that production because he believed in its profitability."
He had carefully and deliberately narrated everything in a way that made his brother look innocent. He had done what he could to preserve their relationship, yet he still wasn’t entirely sure if he had handled it the right way.
So, when Adelun asked it, he made sure his words didn’t slip the wrong way.
However, Adelyn still raised a brow at him, as though she could easily see through the thin layer of manipulation he had wrapped around his words. Very clearly.
"But didn’t you say he has never invested in film productions before?"
Karl nodded. "Yes, he hasn’t. But maybe this time Jasper presented it in a way Big Brother simply couldn’t refuse. After all, he has always been good with words."
He paused —then, without hesitation, shifted all the blame.
"Sister-in-law, trust me, it’s Jasper. He’s the one with ill intentions. He made that contract sound like pure business and profit, but I know he’s only trying to pave the way for that actress from his company."
He exhaled before adding more firmly,
"As for Big Brother, he probably couldn’t see through it. If he had, he wouldn’t have agreed at all. So ... blame Jasper, not him."
He thought as long as his sister-in-law believed his brother had been misled, she wouldn’t turn against him. Instead, she might even feel sympathetic. That was enough for Karl. And so, without a second thought, he pushed Jasper forward as the culprit.
He didn’t even feel guilty about it.
After all, who asked Jasper to bring a third person into his brother and sister-in-law’s relationship?
He scoffed inwardly, blaming Jasper with full conviction.
Adelyn, on the other hand, wasn’t convinced in the slightest.
If Dylan Warren were so easy to deceive, he wouldn’t be sitting at the top as the CEO of Warren Corp —a giant global conglomerate.
So, if he had invested in something —then he had done so knowingly and willingly.
Whether it was for profit ... or for that someone else—
That was what piqued her curiosity.
And if she were being honest, she almost preferred it to be for the actress.
Because if it was—
Then everything between them could end cleanly.
The façade would dissolve on its own.
She wouldn’t have to keep lying again and again.
"Sister-in-law," Karl called cautiously when the silence stretched too long. "Are you ... upset?"
Adelyn blinked and looked at him. "Why would I be upset?"
Karl frowned. "Another woman is clearly trying to get close to my brother, with all kinds of intentions —and even Jasper is helping her. Shouldn’t you be upset?"
Before Adelyn could respond, he suddenly asked,
"You don’t love my brother?"
He hadn’t meant to say that.
But the question slipped out anyway.
Because deep down, he feared it.
His brother had everything —looks, money, power —but his cold, distant, and stoic nature wasn’t something that could easily win genuine affection.
For how long could a woman alone carry the loads of two people’s emotions?
Karl feared the day Adelyn’s feelings might run dry.
That she might choose to leave.
And the mere thought of betrayal felt like the first step toward that end.
Adelyn, however, was momentarily taken aback by the question.
But she didn’t hesitate.
"Of course, I do."
"Then why aren’t you jealous?" Karl pressed. "Women do get jealous when someone else approaches their man."
Adelyn blinked, genuinely puzzled.
"They do?"
To be honest, she wasn’t sure.
She had never really felt jealousy before.
Or perhaps ... if she had, she no longer remembered it —after waking from her comatose state.
Karl nodded seriously.
That only made her expression turn more thoughtful.
"How do you know?" she asked, tilting her head slightly. "Were you a woman before?"
Karl was about to nod again —but froze mid-motion.
"Sister-in-law," he groaned, "I’m serious. Do you really not feel even a little scared of losing my brother ... or Eira?"
Adelyn paused.
Not at the thought of losing Dylan—
But at the mention of Eira.
Something about it stirred a faint discomfort within her.
Yet when she thought about it logically ... it felt inevitable.
So she forced a light smile.
"Why would I be scared?" she said. "Didn’t you say he signed it because it was profitable?"
Karl scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Yes ... for money. My brother is very money-minded. He would do anything to earn loads of it ... haha."
He let out a dry laugh, trying to ease the tension.
If she trusted his brother, then everything would be fine.
That was all he needed.
A bond strong enough that she would never walk away.
"Is there anything else?" Adelyn asked when she noticed him still standing there, staring at her with a strange intensity.
Karl snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head quickly.
"No ... no, sister-in-law," he said, his voice brightening. "I just came to inform you so that you don’t misunderstand Big Brother."
Then he tapped his chest firmly and declared,
"And don’t worry—I’ll always stay on your side. You’ll be the one and only Elder Sister-in-law Karl Warren will ever have. For you, I’ll keep an eye on Big Brother and won’t let anyone lead him astray."
Adelyn found his declaration overly dramatic. She held her head, but she didn’t comment.
Because she knew —if she said anything, this boy would only twist it into something worse.
She had already lied enough.
She didn’t have the strength to reinforce it again.
Still ...
There was something that piqued her curiosity.
After a brief pause, she asked casually,
"Oh, by the way ... who’s that actress?"
