Worried But Won't Admit It

"Do you think this is your home?" Richard frowned as he reprimanded Rick, clearly displeased by what he'd just witnessed.

Richard had come to apologize to Alex on Xavier Dupont's orders, but he hadn't expected to catch his younger brother, Rick, doing something so inappropriate in a public hallway.

Rick, embarrassed, immediately set Howard down and stood protectively in front of him, clenching his fists as he angrily confronted Richard, "What do you want?"

Rick was still furious about the time Richard had ordered a car to crash into their grandmother. 

Richard ignored Rick entirely and instead directed his attention to Howard, asking, "What do you even see in this little brat?"

Richard had always admired Howard, especially for his skills and intelligence. He had even wanted to recruit him, but Alex had been quicker, bringing Howard under his wing. To Richard, someone as capable and courageous as Howard was far too good for his foolish brother.

"Who are you calling a brat, Richard?" Rick immediately snapped back, clearly offended.

"You," Richard responded bluntly, not even bothering to sugarcoat it.

Rick was instantly deflated, left speechless by Richard's straightforwardness.

"You know how unfriendly this world is to people in our circle, right? If someone leaks screenshots from the security footage here, how are you going to handle it? Can you protect Howard? Are you brain-dead to be messing around in a place like this?" Richard's tone was harsh, laced with anger. 

Having experienced these kinds of difficulties firsthand, Richard understood the dangers all too well.

Although Rick was reluctant to admit it, Richard was right, so he swallowed his anger and begrudgingly muttered, "I know, okay? You don't need to lecture me."

He turned away in frustration, not wanting to look at Richard anymore.

But Richard wasn't done. He slapped Rick on the head, scolding him, "You still dare to get an attitude with me?"

Rick was furious and immediately shouted back, "Damn it, are you trying to start a fight?"

"Oh? Do you want to eat a bullet? Who are you shouting at?" Richard responded with another slap to Rick's head, not holding back at all.

Rick was on the verge of losing it, especially since Richard was hitting him in front of Howard. But before he could warn Richard, his older brother grabbed him by the ear and continued to scold him, "All you do is mess around and chase after Howard. Can't you be a little more ambitious?"

"Ow, ow, ow! It hurts! Let go, or I'll hit you!" Rick, who was taller than Richard by a head, was now bent over awkwardly as his ear was twisted, creating a rather comical sight.

Indeed, a brother is still a brother—no one can embarrass you quite like they can.

Sarah, whose eyes had been covered by Richard the whole time, heard Rick's cries of pain and curiously peeked out, her big, round eyes catching sight of Rick getting his ear twisted. Then, her gaze shifted to Howard.

The moment she saw him, it felt like Cupid's arrow had struck her heart. It started pounding rapidly.

Such a handsome big brother! Sarah wanted to pounce on him.

Her face flushed red as she stared intently at Howard, her eyes shining brightly, not blinking even once.

Feeling Sarah's intense gaze, Howard looked back at her calmly, his expression completely unruffled.

When their eyes met, Sarah's face turned even redder, and she covered her burning cheeks, staring at Howard with infatuation.

Ignoring Sarah, Howard reached out and slapped Richard's hand away from Rick's ear, coldly telling him, "What I see in him is my business. If you have time to worry about me, you should worry about yourself instead."

Richard wasn't angry. He just felt it was a pity that he hadn't been able to recruit Howard earlier. And now, his foolish little brother had somehow managed to win Howard over, much to Richard's surprise.

"It looks like Howard is the one leading you around," Richard said with a grin as he glanced at Rick, who was still glaring at him.

"None of your damn business," Rick shot back, but when Richard cracked his knuckles, Rick immediately backed up, instinctively pulling Howard with him.

Seeing Rick trying to protect Howard made Richard chuckle. Howard was the type who could scare anyone when he went wild—did he really need Rick's protection?

"The Howard family and ours have never gotten along. If you really want to be with Howard, you'd better stay on your toes. The Howard family isn't exactly an easy opponent," Richard warned Rick.

Rick clenched his fists but said nothing. He was well aware of this, which was why he wanted to take over his grandmother's business and gain power to protect Howard.

"We can set aside our differences and work together," Richard suggested, extending his hand toward Rick.

Rick immediately slapped Richard's hand away, refusing to show him any friendliness.

But then, suddenly, Rick shivered, glancing nervously at Xavier Dupont, who was standing beside Richard. He held his breath, too scared to speak.

Xavier Dupont was staring at him with an expression full of murderous intent, his eyes glowing menacingly.

Rick quickly shut his mouth and stiffly turned his head away. Even making eye contact with Xavier Dupont was terrifying.

Damn, he really is Alex's uncle. The guy's dangerous aura is no joke, Rick thought, shuddering.

Meanwhile, Howard, standing behind Rick, pushed up his glasses, his eyes cold as he locked gazes with Xavier Dupont. Despite the tension, Howard's demeanor showed no sign of backing down.

At that moment, the two of them resembled two fierce beasts, ready to pounce, neither willing to yield.

"What the hell are you all doing out here so late instead of sleeping?" Alex's voice suddenly broke the tension as he opened the door to the reception room. He took one look at the stand-off between Xavier Dupont and Howard and knew he'd arrived just in time to prevent a fight.

Rick immediately tightened his grip on Howard's wrist, giving Alex a pleading look to distract Xavier Dupont so they could escape.

But Alex didn't react, knowing that Howard wasn't afraid, unlike Rick, who was still glaring at Xavier Dupont.

"Big brother, can't you help me out here?" Rick whispered to Alex, his voice low.

Alex ignored Rick and instead turned his icy gaze to Richard.

Richard opened his mouth to apologize, but Alex cut him off with a cold expression. "I don't want to hear your apology. Just don't let it happen again."

He knew Richard was there to apologize because Xavier Dupont had personally brought him over. Alex was well aware of his uncle's personality.

"There won't be a next time," Richard assured him before sincerely thanking Alex. "Thank you."

This thank you was for not only forgiving him but also for helping him and Xavier Dupont. Richard was genuinely grateful.

"It's more for my uncle than for you," Alex replied, his tone as cold and emotionless as ever.

Still, this was a significant improvement. If it had been anyone else, Alex wouldn't have bothered. The fact that he was willing to have a normal conversation with Richard indicated that he didn't dislike him.

Moreover, Alex knew all too well how much Richard and Xavier Dupont had struggled, how helpless they had felt. Naturally, he couldn't truly hate Richard.

In fact, he even admired Richard. Ten years could erode many people's convictions, but not only had Richard maintained his, he had fought hard to gain power and secure his happiness.

"Thank you anyway," Richard replied with a gentle smile, unbothered by Alex's cold demeanor. He was used to the Dupont family men being this way.

Rick, who had been watching the whole exchange, was wide-eyed with disbelief.

His brother had smiled at Alex? He actually smiled?

Damn, wasn't he trying to kill Alex before? What's going on now?

Seriously, why is he so gentle with Alex but always hitting me? Rick thought, growing increasingly resentful. After all, he was Richard's biological brother.

So I'm just the extra, huh? Rick fumed inwardly, feeling more and more frustrated but too scared to speak up.

"Fine, I'm leaving," Rick said, pulling Howard along with him.

"Wait," Alex called out, stopping him.

"I know, I won't tire Howard out too much—he still has to work," Rick replied without turning back, waving dismissively. His tone sounded impatient, but for some reason, there was a slight smile on his lips.

"So, he's actually doing okay," Rick muttered to himself, seeming to be in a better mood.

Howard, who was being dragged along by Rick, calmly adjusted his glasses and glanced at Rick's expression before asking, "Didn't you say you hated him? Why are you worried about him now?"

"Who… who's worried about my big brother? Why would I care about him? Even if he died, it wouldn't matter to me!" Rick stammered, but his voice betrayed his guilt.

"Did I say it was your big brother?" Howard asked, his tone flat as he walked ahead.

Rick immediately felt awkward, embarrassed by his own slip-up.

He quickly caught up to Howard, mumbling a hasty explanation, "It's all your fault for telling me about how they almost got killed by Alex's grandfather. That's why I'm worried!"

"Even though he's not good to me now, he was nice to me when we were kids. It was only after he started chasing power that we drifted apart," Rick complained, revealing that he and Richard had once been close.

The reason Rick had never wanted to

 fight his family for their inheritance, choosing instead to live a carefree life, was because he didn't want to end up in a life-or-death struggle with them.

It was only after meeting Howard that Rick realized he needed power to protect him, leading him to ally with Alex.

So, is he doing it all for Xavier Dupont? Is that why he's so determined to gain power? Rick wondered, his expression suddenly turning somber.

Richard was his biological brother, yet Rick had to hear about Richard's life from others. The thought made Rick scratch his head in frustration, as if regretting his choices.

Howard stepped into their room, not paying much attention to Rick.

But suddenly, Rick hugged him from behind, resting his head on Howard's shoulder.

He asked softly, "Should I help them?"

Howard didn't say anything at first, just stopped in his tracks. Then, after a moment, he spoke quietly, "If you want to help, then help. Just follow your heart."

"I do want to help. After all, he's still my brother," Rick mumbled, tightening his hold on Howard's waist, pressing closer to him.

Right now, Rick felt incredibly happy. He had won over his wife and reunited with his brother.