Unveiling

Ava, the main perpetrator and reason behind Lynne's bullying. Tylem would make her lose everything. Without her presence, he expected for the bullying to gradually come to an end. There was good reason behind it.

Most of the students who directly bullied Lynne were those who desired to impress Ava, who was a part of Onel. In Ivla, where reputation was everything, once Ava lost her image and standing, she would also subsequently lose her worth, making others no longer feel inclined to suck up to her.

Onel also emphasized reputation and status above all else, so Ava would likely lose her place as a result. Unbeknownst to Tylem, she was nothing more than a puppet controlled by Keith Lin, the leader of Onel. It would not end with her.

"Big Bro~" Lynne's first instinct was to smile at the sight of Tylem, and it had almost become second nature for her to call out to him like this.

"Tylem is Lynne's brother?" Ava raised a brow, shocked. "How is that possible?"

Having known Lynne since childhood, Ava knew for certain that her best friend did not have any siblings, so how did this happen?

By now, Keith had also noticed the coincidental appearance of Ava and Lynne, and his pride took another blow. The embarrassment he felt from being 'looked down on' began to turn into fury.

"Lynne and Ava, was this another one of your fucking plans?" Keith was infuriated, and he roared out on his knees, "No more chances. I've had enough. You two are both dead to me!"

Keith did not believe that it was possible for it to have been 'an accident' that Lynne had appeared at his party like this. The exact location—and at this precise moment—it couldn't be so coincidental. It had to be some sort of master plan.

"Ava, two years ago, I graciously gave you a chance to save your best friend's life." Keith, lost in the heat of emotion, couldn't control his anger as he started to reveal the secrets from years ago.

"But it's too bad you were unable to hold onto that chance." Keith sneered.

"What does Keith mean by that... Ava?" Lynne couldn't hide the shock in her heart.

When had Keith given Ava 'a chance' to save her life?

What was Keith's role in all of this?

Ava realized the situation was spiraling out of control. However, she knew the authority and power that Keith wielded, so she tried to mediate the situation.

"Keith, we didn't plan this at all. It just—"

"Shut it. I don't want to hear it." Keith abruptly cut her off. "So you're Tylem, that transfer? Fucking idiot, now that you know who I am, isn't it about time that you let go?"

From the sounds of it, Tylem understood that things were likely different from what was shown on the surface; he did not know the full picture.

"No, there's no way I'm letting go now." Tylem smiled. "Keith, carry on with what you were saying before. Unless I hear the full story tonight from your own mouth, you won't be leaving."

"Stop playing dumb. I know that Ava has already revealed everything to you guys. No matter what, you will not be able to save her skin." Keith snickered. "It won't work."

"Just answer my question." Exerting pressure, Tylem's eyes shone with a cold glint.

"Urgh." Keith shuddered in pain, veins popping.

"Now." Tylem pushed.

"Enough." Keith hissed through clenched teeth, and at that moment, a blurry figure shot toward them.

"Kane, it's about damn time." Keith, seeing the broad-shouldered man, criticized.

[Where did this person appear from?] Tylem thought; however, he still did not let go of Keith.

"Young Master, I apologize for my late arrival." Kane's cruel, scarred face spoke volumes of the countless battles he had been through.

"Brother!" Lynne cried out when she saw the broad-shouldered man. This person gave her a very bad feeling.

"Don't worry, Lynne..." Praying, Ava had also moved to Lynne's side. [We'll be fine. I'm certain that the Lin Family values their Young Master's perfect reputation far too much.]

Having been around the Lin Family's young master a lot, Ava knew that the guards assigned to watch Keith would not allow him to act rashly.

"Kane, what are you doing just standing there?" Keith roared. "Get rid of them all now!"

"..." Kane analyzed the predicament. "Young Master, are you sure about this?"

"It's no secret that your party is being held here at Starlight Paradise," Kane explained. "If word gets out that Ivla students had died here tonight, it would undoubtedly attach a negative stigma to Young Master's noble name."

"Besides, Young Master should also know best about that dangerous group behind Starlight Paradise." Kane continued, bringing up Keith's father, "It wouldn't be wise to cause trouble here. The master would not be happy."

"Damn it." These words had brought Keith back to reality. In a public place like this, he could not haphazardly take lives. There needed to be proper procedures so that everything would be cleaned up without leaks.

"Brat, you heard me." Kane turned his attention to Tylem. "Whoever you are, count yourself lucky. You better let go of the Young Master now. Understand that a single hair of his is worth far more than your entire life combined."

The broad-shouldered man standing in front of him was definitely an old hand in scheming and warfare.

"And if I don't?" However, Tylem still wouldn't waver under Kane's honed killing intent.

"Then... you'll have to die." Kane, in an instant, pulled out a revolver.

This frightened Lynne, and she hurriedly dropped to her knees, begging Kane. "Please don't take away my brother..."

[How is it so easy to get a gun...] Tylem thought, his heart racing.

The revolver was pointed at his forehead. Tylem clenched both fists. With his current strength, he did not have the confidence to kill Kane before the minimal time that the man needed to pull the trigger. Furthermore, Lynne was here; he could not afford to be rash.

Tylem heard Lynne's cries, and, in the end, he let go of Keith.

"Fucker." Rubbing his shoulder, Keith scorned as he shoved Tylem backward.

Stumbling a bit, Tylem stared at Keith. There was something within him that screamed to quickly fight back, a voice that told him no one was allowed to speak to him like this. However, at present, the logical side of him was stronger.

"Let's go, Young Master." Kane stood at Keith's side, looking down on Tylem and the two girls.

When Kane patted his back, Keith pushed the man away. "I don't need you to tell me."

Tylem watched Keith and Kane depart, and he inwardly mocked his own weakness. The two had left the building without another word.

"Phew..." Tears in her eyes, Lynne let out a sigh of relief, her brother was safe. Luckily, at least for now, it seemed that everything would be fine. Her heart had been about to pop out of its chest

The Ivla students who had come to Starlight Paradise tonight had no idea that the party had abruptly come to an end. Making all of them wait, the event did not even have an official start. It was a massive disappointment, to say the least.

"I've failed..." Ava weakly fell down.

Keith, after tonight, would be after their lives. There was no longer any room for negotiation. It would now be an all-out battle.

Hurriedly, Lynne picked Ava up, "What's wrong?"

Despite the painful last two years, Lynne still cared about her best friend. The two had gone through far too much together. There were far too many precious, unforgettable memories between them.

"Lynne... you don't hate me?" Ava closed her eyes, tears dropping.

"How could I hate my best friend?" Lynne held her trembling body close.

"You really don't?" Seeing Lynne's face of honesty, Ava still couldn't quite believe it. "After everything I've done?"

"Mn." Lynne nodded. Even though she wanted to move on for her family, she still, deep down, wished to rekindle their broken friendship.

"You're too forgiving for your own good, Lynne..." In front of this angel, Ava sighed. "But I guess that's part of what I love about you."

"Hehe." Lynne giggled, and she didn't forget about Keith's words. "But Ava... what did Keith mean?"

Hearing this, Ava took a deep breath, "I guess I won't be able to hide it from you anymore."

Now that the situation had become like this, it was better for Lynne to know the truth—everything. That way, her friend could be prepared for what was to come. Keith was a madman with far too much power and authority.

Time passed as Ava recounted how things had come to this point. Tylem was also listening in.

There weren't any holes in her story.

"And why should we trust you, Ava?" Even though Tylem said this, he could tell that Ava was not lying at all.

"I..." Ava lowered her head. [Yeah... he's right. Why do I even deserve to be trusted?]

While Ava was down in the dumps, Lynne had leaned close, hugging the tall girl from behind. "I believe in you..."

Coming down from the flight of stairs, Emily had also just arrived at the corridor—just in time to see Lynne and Ava's adorable hug.

The VVIP room was up top in its own designated area. Tylem and Lynne had been gone for over ten minutes, so she decided to check up on them. That was the normal wait time for fresh food, however. Regardless, a mother couldn't help but worry, even in a famous place like Starlight Paradise.

"Oh?" Emily hid herself as she watched the three kids. Of course, she quickly recognized her daughter's best friend. How could she not? In the past, Lynne would always go over to Ava's home for sleepovers. It was depressing that their relationship had become like this.

"Ava, since Lynne believes in you, there's nothing more I will say." Tylem's posture was straight. "The truth is, I still don't feel too good about you."

"But... despite all you've done, my dear sister is alive and well because of your choices." Tylem closed his eyes, calming the storm within him. "If it wasn't for that, I would have killed you, Ava."

"Eek!" Lynne, as a normal school girl, jumped up at the word 'kill'.

Ava's heart couldn't help but chill at the sight of Tylem's meaningful look. It wasn't a joke. This mysterious person who was Lynne's brother would have taken her life, and it would have likely been done in the cruelest way possible.

Tylem gave Ava the impression that he could accomplish anything he set off to do.

"However, thank you, Ava." Smiling, Tylem did not hide his appreciation either while comforting Lynne. "You saved my sister's life. For that, I owe you one."

No matter how much pain Lynne had gone through, she was still alive because of Ava's decision; otherwise, Keith would have killed Lynne years back when he was not even a part of their lives yet.

If that had happened, his life right now would be completely different. Everything would have changed.

Emily wouldn't have ended up adopting him. She wouldn't have even been in the Chengyang Village if her precious daughter had died. Perhaps, he would be lying dead in some ditch—alone in the middle of nowhere.

Tylem could clearly see the girl's overflowing care and adoration that she had for Lynne. It was strange how everything had changed in the blink of an eye. It was just a few hours ago when he had been plotting Ava's downfall. Now, he was allowing her to tightly hug his sister.

The world was strange indeed.

"It was nothing... Lynne is super important to me. I would never let Keith, or anyone in that matter, to hurt her." Ava was shocked at Tylem's sudden change in demeanor. The boy's simple smile was too stunning. Keith absolutely paled in comparison.

Nevertheless, after everything she had been through, Ava's heart did not have the room to think about things like romance. So it was just simple admiration.

In reality, it was very different to the 'nothing' she had said. During these two years, her mind had been exhausted to its breaking point. Every day, her heart would ache as she worried in fear. There was not a single moment where she could be carefree.