Reborn Young Miss: Phoenix Burning Red-Chapter 123: Brother-In-Law (1)
Hunter’s eyes swept around Lennox’s study as he waited for Lennox. Since Lennox needed Butler Cheng’s assistance to reach the upper floors using the elevator, he was taking some time to reach the room. He heard from the old man that the elevator was newly installed, purposely for Lennox to use.
Unlike the study in the Jiang family household, Lennox’s didn’t have tall bookshelves, pictures, or portraits of anyone. He saw a large wooden desk with folders and an open laptop, two black couches facing each other, and a glass coffee table separating them.
There were massive distances between the furniture, and Hunter thought it was for Lennox’s convenience to move around without getting blocked or hurt. Aside from the nearby trash bin and massive white document printer in the corner of the room, Lennox kept the place tidy and clean, free from distractions.
He was still recovering, but from what Hunter had seen, Lennox had already resumed his work, albeit at a minimum and he still had to rely on Gavin’s help greatly. Still, it was enough to leave an impression on Hunter - that Lennox wasn’t someone who would use their disability as an excuse not to do anything.
"Sorry for the long wait. I had to lecture my siblings to behave first before leaving them to Addie." Lennox arrived with Butler Cheng. The old man immediately excused himself so the two could speak privately.
Hunter faced the man seated in a modernized wheelchair. Though Lennox was reduced to this, there were still things the accident couldn’t take from him, such as his mannerisms and intimidating aura. If Hunter wasn’t a military man, who was used to being surrounded by men of authority, he would have succumbed to him.
He was certain he and Lennox were almost the same age, but the man before him was built differently. The qilin embroidered on the black robe draped on Lennox’s shoulder gives his expression an austere and cold vibe.
"You shouldn’t have bothered. I’m sure they listen well to Addie." Hunter replied. He wasn’t blind to not notice how his sister interacted with the rest of Lennox’s family. It seemed to him that Adrienne had already regarded the children as her family. As for the man before him, Hunter couldn’t see any romantic interest between his sister and Lennox.
Was Lennox not interested in Adrienne? Hunter pondered. How could it be? Not only was his younger sister beautiful beyond compare, but she was also a reliable person.
Hunter believed that those men who couldn’t appreciate Adrienne must be blind. However, thinking about it, perhaps that was for the better. He didn’t want Adrienne to end up with the wrong person. What if she attracted an obsessive maniac who would hurt her?
Hunter grimaced at the thought. If that happened, he would surely lose his mind and skin that man alive! His sister was the most precious person in his life now, so how could he not be upset when he thought of it?
He shook his head, pushing those thoughts aside. He didn’t come here to think about such nefarious situations involving his sister. The reason why he wanted a word with Lennox was to make things clear between them.
"I suppose you are right, Mr. Nian, or can I call you brother now since you are Addie’s missing brother?" Lennox smiled at him. Lennox was never close to his cousins in the Qin family, so he never experienced the feeling of having a brother to look up to.
"Addie told you that?" Hunter frowned. He never thought Adrienne trusted Lennox so much that she would share their secret with him. He supposed his sister didn’t have a choice and didn’t want them to have disagreements in the future because of her.
"Am I not supposed to know?" Lennox countered. "Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me, but you put Adrienne in a tight position when you offended the Ji family." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
Hunter clenched his fist and met Lennox’s dark gaze head-on. His future brother-in-law dared to even utter such words to him. It seemed to him that Lennox was already too deeply involved with his younger sister.
"Hunter is fine. You and Addie haven’t married yet, anyway. There’s no need for honorifics." He sneered then pondered Lennox word’s earlier.
"You think I don’t know? If the Ji family comes after me, they will try to hurt Addie to get even with me." He shook his head. "This is why I agreed to Addie’s suggestion. I will return to the barracks and face my punishment before I resume my service. However, I would rather have Addie move to the Zhao estate to keep her safe from harm. I cannot trust the Jiang family to look after her now that I know what she went through all this time."
Lennox hummed but didn’t respond immediately. He understood Hunter’s point and agreed with him. Adrienne would be safe if the Zhao family took her under their wing. Since he and Adrienne cannot marry yet, living under the same roof would be inappropriate. Lennox also didn’t want Hunter to think he would take advantage of his sister while he wasn’t around.
"Have you mentioned this to Addie? I’m sure she would understand." He asked in response.
Hunter sighed before shaking his head. "You should know Addie by now. She wants things to go her way, so I want you to convince her to stay with the Zhao family until she’s old enough to marry you."
Lennox smiled at that. "I’m pleased you now approve of our marriage."
Hunter gave him a fierce glare, which reminded Lennox of Adrienne’s pissed expression whenever he tried to tease her.
"As if I have enough influence on her to change her mind. As much as I want Addie to date and experience first love like any other teenager, we both know she had suffered enumerable times that changed her personality and her views on love and relationships. There are even things that Addie wouldn’t share with me, and that’s okay. I won’t force her to lay down her heart against her will."
