Chapter 76

Eve choked on his breath and covered his face while shaking his head in disbelief, but Lia didn't care. He had had enough of everyone's bullshit.

With a victorious grin, he walked away but Lydia followed him. "Lia, stop right now! How dare you disgrace me in front of our guests!"

Lia turned to her and rolled his eyes in exhaustion. He yawned dramatically, feigning disinterest. "I really don't care what you or your stupid guests think of your non-existent grace. All I want is to get the hell out of this hell hole."

Lydia's face contorted into an ugly mask of rage. Oh, how she hates this unwanted child of hers. "You are rude and ungrateful. We have fed you, clothed you, and educated you, and yet you always treat us with such disrespect. 

"C'mon, you have done none of it," Lia mumbled, not even bothering to argue with her. "But that's fine. It's your habit to take credit for others' hard work."

"How dare you talk back to me!" She hissed. "I will not allow you to speak to me like this. You have no respect, and I won't-" 

"Woman, don't stick your leg in my business next time or you will experience worse." 

Lydia burned in annoyance, not liking the fact that Lia was no longer getting hurt or humiliated by her words. "I'm doing you a huge favour by giving you a chance to cure your disease so be grateful. If you keep getting involved in disgusting deeds with men, it won't be long until the whole world realises how big of a freak you are."

Lia raised a brow, impressed. "Wow, that was a terrible comeback," he laughed mockingly, raising her blood pressure.

"Eve, here's your juice, son." Before she could continue, they watched as Jason approached Eve, handing him a glass of juice. 

Lydia turned back to him, but Lia's eyes were fixed on Eve. "I don't want you to transfer your illness to my son. He will marry a pretty woman one day and live happily unlike you," she declared smugly, thinking that that would make Lia jealous of Eve's happiness. "See how happy he is with his father. I wish you had that same love and care, but no, because you were never a worthy child."

Her words didn't hurt him a bit as Lia's eyes were witnessing Jason's hands that kept sneaking over Eve's back. His own skin crawled with disgust as he watched him touch Eve's waist who doesn't have a sense of self-consciousness.

But when he watched Jason's hands inching closer to Eve's hips, a tide of disgust and protectiveness took over him. Unable to stand idly by any longer, Lia strided over to them leaving Lydia behind him. 

"Hey, stop! I'm not done talking–!" 

Without wasting a second, he whisked Eve away from Jason's grasp as soon as he reached them. Eve let out a surprised gasp while Jason glared at him upon his plan being disturbed. 

Though Lia's heart pounded with fear at the confrontation with Jason, he couldn't ignore the nagging feeling that he had to protect Eve at all costs. He would die before letting Eve suffer the same curse as him. "Leave him alone." 

"Brother Li-" Eve began but Lia pulled him to his side. Eve suddenly felt his head spinning and his throat burning after drinking the juice. 

Jason was taken aback by Lia's sudden assertiveness but backed off reluctantly, shooting Lia a threatening glare before disappearing into the crowd.

However, even as Lia tried to reassure himself that Eve would be safe, a gnawing feeling of unease in his stomach wouldn't go away. 

"Go to your room and sleep, brat. Enough of this stupid party-" 

"No, let's go to the pool, brother Lia!" Lia was surprised when Eve looked up at him with bleary eyes, visibly drunk. That bastard! Of course the juice was spiked. Lia's nerves went into overdrive. Was he really planning to…his own fucking son! 

Lia's heart sank at the sight of Eve in such a vulnerable state, it reminded him of himself, his protective instincts kicking into overdrive. 

"Letsss gooo!" He shakes a frozen Lia, giggling like a fool. Lia sighed heavily, now he couldn't leave him alone in this state, not with that bastard lurking around. 

"You're coming with me to your room–! Eve get back here!" Lia yelled when Eve yanked his hand and ran away, raising his brother's anxiety. "I'll break your legs once I get you, you stupid child." 

He ran after Eve who was stumbling around, laughing crazily at the poolside. "I'm gonna have all the fun." 

Lia groaned and rubbed his temple in frustration, feeling a migraine coming. He approached him and gripped his hand, leading him back towards the house. "Come, let me lock you in your room, there's a bathtub in your room, you can drown and kill yourself in it, okay?" He let out sarcastically.

Eve shook his head, his cheeks flushed, tugging at Lia's hand. "Nooo, not a bath. The pool! I want to go there, brother."

"You can't." Lia's face hardened and he held Eve tighter, not giving him any chance to run off again. But when Eve kept whining, his patience was tested. "Fine, go. But you know what, the water really gets cold at night and it'll turn you into a block of ice," he tried to play the drunk boy, and the smile on Eve's face fell, replaced by suspicion.

"Really?!" He slapped a hand over his mouth in shock, eyes widened in fear. 

"Hmm," Lia smirked and nodded, and Eve's shoulders slumped, the joy in his eyes vanishing. "You still wanted to go?"

"No," Eve shook his head profusely. Lia let out a victorious grin but his happiness was too short as Eve hugged him. With mischievousness in his eye, he smiled. "Can I have a piggyback ride to the room, Brother Li?" 

"The alcohol made you bold, didn't it?" Lia rolled his eyes, his annoyance masked by a fake scowl. "You're lucky I don't just throw you in the pool," he grumbled, but there was no real malice behind his words. "Fine, but don't blame me if you end up in the pool anyway if you keep running your mouth," he muttered, crouching down to let Eve climb onto his back.

"Yayyy!" With a devilish chuckle, Eve hopped onto his back, wrapping his arms tightly around Lia's neck who straightened up carefully, carrying him towards his room. This was the first time Lia had let down his guard in front of Eve, maybe because he was drunk or some other reason, but Lia didn't hate it. 

Eve's laughter slowly subsided as they reached their room, his exhaustion beginning to take hold as he clung to Lia. With a gentle touch, Lia lowered him onto his bed. He looked over the wet spot on his shoulder and then at the sleeping face of Eve. 

"Little fool, drooled all over me," He groaned and pinched Eve's red cheeks, who grunted something incoherent and slapped his hand away. A small smile broke out on his lips hearing the soft snores. 

Turning off the light, and with a last glance at the sleeping boy, he closed the door. Since he has completed his promise to attend the party, it's time to return back to his Will. The thought made him smile but his smile soon faded when he heard the familiar man's voice. 

"Such a protective brother, aren't you?" Jason stood in the hallway, waiting for him. Lia froze, his blood running cold. His smile, his gaze, everything sent shivers down Lia's spine. "I was looking for you."

"Fuck off," Lia stammered, quickly walking away but he stopped breathing when Jason closed the distance between them and blocked his way. Even though Lia is stronger, he could never mentally prepare to fight him.

"Not so fast," He grabbed Lia's wrist and yanked him toward him. The moment their bodies touched, Lia felt a wave of disgust wash over him, his skin crawling as Jason's hands roamed over his body. But he couldn't push the man away because his whole body was paralysed in fear.

"Don't touch me," Lia warned with fear and anger, but Jason only smirked at his fragile attempt. 

"Oh, you're not getting away that easily," Before Lia could react, Jason's hand was on his ass. His vicious sapphire eyes pierced into Lia's very soul, freezing him in place. "I didn't like your heroic act in front of Eve today. You need to be taught a lesson. So, your uncle will fuck you hard you will learn how to behave."

Without warning, Jason shoved him onto the wall, his knee going between Lia's legs and pressing against his crotch. Lia winced in pain, but his body wouldn't move and went limp by apprehension and helplessness. "You really thought you could save him and yourself from me, huh?" As Jason's lips neared his neck, Lia's mind screamed at him to run, to fight, to do something, but he couldn't. "Now, be good and keep quiet." 

The words echoed in his head as he heard his belt unbuckled and his zipper being pulled down.

No please No! S-Save me....Will. Tears of pain rolled down his cheeks as he squeezed his eyes wishing that Will could come and kill this person like those guards. "S-Stop….please," But he was aware that as always no one would come. 

"Get your senses now? Too late," Jason snarled, his hands were about to go in Lia's pants when he screamed as a knife stabbed his back. "Ahhhhh!!" 

Letting go of Lia, he stumbled back. Lia's eyes widened when he saw a furious Eve standing there with the knife in his hands.

"H-how-? Why?" Jason groaned in pain. Eve rushed to his side and pushed him on the floor, sitting over him.

"You're a filthy man who deserves to die," The angel cried out, voice trembling with rage as he stabbed his chest, the walls rang with the man's screams. With each stab Eve kept crying and shouting, his face was red and a mess with tears, and now all the blood he was pouring out. 

"I KNOW WHAT YOU DID TO BROTHER LI! YOU'RE A BAD PERSON! YOU CAN'T BE MY FATHER! YOU'RE THE WORST! YOU'RE EVIL!"

Lia was speechless as he watched the angel brutally attack Jason. His body was shaking, but his mind was racing with a mixture of relief, gratitude, and guilt. He quickly picked Eve off the man and wrapped his arms around him, trying to calm him down. "NO! Let go of me, I will kill him!"

"Calm down, he's already dead," Lia tried to soothe him, but Eve's eyes were fixated on the bloody corpse on the floor, his hands covered in the crimson liquid. His red and puffy eyes looked up at Lia, he was still half drunk and not completely aware of the situation.

"He's d-dead?" He sobbed uncontrollably, clutching Lia's shirt tightly in his small fist like a child trying to hide in his father's arms after doing something bad. Lia stared at him for a moment before slowly nodding.

"Then…Brother L-Li...did I save you?" He asked with tears of hope streaming down his face. Lia bit his lower lip, his eyes drifted to the dead body of his nightmare, it's ended. Just like that. He was hopeless all this time, but today someone indeed came to save him. 

He tightly hugged his saviour, securing him in his arms. "Yes." 

"So, y-you're not mad at me anymore?"

"No," Lia buried his face in Eve's hair, the sweet scent of Eve's freshly corrupted innocence bringing comfort to his heart. "You saved me. Thank you."

Someone saved me for the first time. Lia's chest tightened and a lump formed in his throat as he fought back tears. He had never felt so loved, so cherished, so protected before.

However, their moment didn't last long because it quickly fell over on Eve that he had killed someone. "Brother Li, I…I killed him," He began to panic. 

"I did this...what should I do now? Everyone will blame me, they will send me to jail! I don't want to go to jail, Brother Li! Mom will hate me! They'll put me in prison! I'll never see you again!"

Lia hugged him and kissed his temple. "Calm down, nothing will happen to you. I'll protect you," he promises, but he's not sure how, because he knows how Lydia will react to this. Yes, Eve is her darling child, but Lia has seen how obsessed she is with Jason. She will go insane and won't stop until she has Eve's head.

"W-what will happen now?" Eve whimpered, his body trembling with fright, his eyes wide with terror, the once brilliant eyes now soaked with tears. 

"Come here, first," he tried to pull Eve up who kept collapsing due to his weak legs. Lia assisted him in entering the room, but Eve continued to cry, which upset Lia. He has never seen him so hyperventilating but he could understand given the situation. 

"I'm sorry," He choked out between sobs, his hands clutching onto Lia's shirt desperately, having a panic attack. "Brother Li, I killed him--"

"No, I killed him," Lia cut him off firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument. Eve looked up at him in shock, not getting his words. 

"What?! N-No It's me who-"

"You didn't. You were sleeping in your room after drinking too much. You woke up from the screams and when you got out you saw me stabbing him, alright? You have to say these exact words," He ordered and Eve stared at him in confusion.

"B-B-But that's all a lie. Why are you t-taking the blame?" He shook his head, voice breaking with new sniffles. 

"Because otherwise, I won't be able to protect you." Lia cupped his face, brushing away tears with his thumb. He sighed and blinked frequently since he didn't want his younger brother to see him cry and how frail he was. He should always be the calm and courageous older brother. "You've always wanted to protect me, right? You...did. Now it is my responsibility to protect you and be the big brother I failed to be. Don't worry, I'll take full responsibility. You did nothing."

Eve was convinced of his brother's words after seeing the love in his eyes and the smile on his face. He collapsed himself into his brother's arms and cried. 

"Brother Li, I'm so sorry! I never meant to be annoying and I never wanted to infect you with my disease-"

"You were never annoying. It was just me being a dick. I'm sorry for making you cry, and I'm sorry for hurting you," Lia held him dearly. For the first time, he didn't feel anger or jealousy towards Eve. All he felt was gratitude and love for his little brother, the person who gave him some of the only best memories in his life.

"Now," He pulled him back and held his shoulder. "You have to be a good boy and do what I just told you."

"But..What about you-"

"I'll be fine. She can't do anything to me, believe me," Lia assured him and gave him a final tight hug. "Promise me that you'll take care of yourself, okay?"

Eve nodded weakly. When Lia began to leave he one last time turned to look at him with a smile. "I'll see you soon...wait for me,"

Eve nodded eagerly and Lia left. Eve clutched his throat as soon as Lia was out of his sight. He was barely holding himself back from throwing up. He coughed and puked blood.

"Shit," He muttered as the taste of blood lingered on his tongue, the metallic flavour sickening him. His eyes widened in worry as he felt a burning sensation in his chest thinking about Lia's smile to him.

Probably the first and last smile. He fell back on the floor, closing his eyes. "I don't think I have enough time left to see you again, brother Li."

[ Wagnar's Mansion ] 

As he ran through the mansion's dark hallways, Lia's anxiousness escalated to a fever pitch. He knew he would find some kind of peace as long as he could see Will's face. 

He wanted to share everything with him, tell him how he won't have to live in fear anymore. 

But when Lia arrived at Will's cell, the empty room made his heart sink. Will wasn't there and Lia saw red. He ran back, desperately searching for Will but panic was tearing at his chest.

"Will?!" He yelled in the hallways, not caring about anything. "Alpha?!" 

"Are you out of your mind?" Scout suddenly appeared, just as breathless and agitated as him. He pulled Lia behind a wall and shushed him. 

But Lia wasn't interested in his words. "Where is he?! Where did you guys take him?! Tell me, damnit! I'm not in the mood so don't fuck with me. Tell me before I burn this place down." 

Scout realised that excuses and delays would not appeal to Lia. Still, he was hesitant. If Lia found out the truth and saw Alpha in that state, this insane would definitely do as he warned. 

Lia snatched him by the collar out of a fit of wrath, and he screamed in desperation. "WHERE IS HE?" 

Scout sighed. "He…he.." His voice quivered. "I warned you not to provoke Antonio, didn't I?" 

And the next words coming out of his mouth, Lia felt his whole world slipping away.