The Illegitimate Flame: Bride of Ashes-Chapter 122- brotherhood

"Manfred... I wish you happiness."

August didn’t look back. His voice was low, almost a whisper carried by the wind. Without hesitation, he stepped into the black Spyker and shut the door firmly behind him.

He didn’t dare to turn around—not when he knew that one glance at Manfred’s reluctant eyes might make his resolve crumble.

He couldn’t afford to go soft. Not now. Not anymore.

Janet belonged to Charles now.

But August still held a selfish hope in his heart.

He hoped the woman who once warmed his soul might also be the one to save Manfred’s shattered heart.

From the very beginning, it had always been Manfred protecting him.

But now, there was no longer a chance to repay that kindness.

Manfred stood motionless, eyes fixed on the road as the car disappeared from view.

He felt... relieved.

Maybe this was how it should be.

He and August—two people who had once walked side by side—finally returning to the separate worlds they belonged to.

His role had ended.

It was time to let go.

A cheerful ringtone sliced through the heavy silence.

Manfred frowned and glanced at the caller ID.

The woman who once belonged to him—who once swore to love only him—wanted to start over now that he was back.

But that door had been shut long ago.

He would never take back a woman who had been touched by another man.

And yet... what about Janet?

She was Charles’s woman now.

She was no longer his.

But he couldn’t stop loving her.

Was it because... she had never truly belonged to him in the first place?

"My dear little stepmother," Manfred sneered into the phone, voice laced with contempt. "If the old man finds out you’ve been flirting with me behind his back, everything you have now—your luxurious life, your status—will vanish in an instant. You understand that, don’t you?"

The seductive voice on the other end went silent.

Manfred’s beautiful face, once full of tender affection, now bore only cold disdain.

She had once been the first woman he ever loved.

And now? She was lying under his father.

She had finally become what she always wanted—Shang Haonan’s mistress.

His stepmother.

What a sick, messed-up world.

In the backseat of Charles’s sleek car, Janet glanced toward the road where August’s car had vanished.

"Do you think August will feel lonely living there all by himself?" she asked softly.

Charles’s face darkened.

"What? Are you thinking about inviting him to live with us now?"

His tone was dry, with a hint of irritation.

"Why not? We’re all family now, aren’t we?" Janet replied innocently. But the moment Charles shot her a disapproving glance, she quickly zipped her lips.

Since when did she start treating his moods like divine law?

"You seem to care more about my little brother than your own husband," Charles said flatly.

He didn’t stop Janet from seeing August anymore—he knew nothing had happened between them.

But still, every time he saw them talking, laughing... a bitter discomfort bloomed in his chest.

Possessiveness. That’s what it was.

The primal instinct of a man who couldn’t bear to share his woman.

"You’re just not doing your job as a brother, so I have to do it for you."

Janet smiled lightly and turned to the window, watching the scenery blur past.

A strange peace filled her heart.

Though Charles still treated August with his usual aloofness, something had begun to shift—

A bond was forming.

A fragile thread of brotherhood.

Later that night, after dinner, Janet carefully folded the laundry and placed it neatly into the wardrobe.

It was filled with suits and dress shirts—every piece elegant and expensive.

Charles had a mild case of OCD.

He didn’t let the maids touch his clothes.

Only Janet was allowed to wash them.

Even the ones sent back from the dry cleaner—she would press them again, just to be sure.

She held up a white shirt, the faint scent of Dior lingering on the fabric.

Suddenly, a terrible thought crossed her mind.

If one day she was gone...

Would there be another woman who would do these little things for him?

"Lost in thought again?"

Before she could snap out of it, warm arms wrapped around her from behind.

Charles.

Fresh from his shower.

The clean scent of his skin teased her senses.

Startled, Janet pulled away and quickly hung the shirt back in the closet.

"I was thinking about you," she said hurriedly. "I’m going to take a shower."

Under his burning gaze, she couldn’t stand still a moment longer.

She grabbed her pajamas and bolted into the bathroom—

her heart pounding, her mind in chaos.

"You little tease..."

Charles muttered under his breath, his eyes gleaming with unfulfilled desire as he stared at Janet’s graceful silhouette through the frosted glass of the bathroom door.

A moment later, the sound of running water echoed softly—

Swoosh. Swoosh.

The melody of her shower.

Inside, Janet stood under the showerhead, her snow-white skin glowing under the warm spray.

Was it the steam clouding her vision, or the dizziness from earlier coming back to haunt her?

Her head buzzed, and a wave of nausea hit her.

Panicked, she quickly turned off the water and wrapped a towel around her dripping body, just as she stepped forward—

Thud.

On the bed, Charles’s gaze flicked toward Janet’s pink phone flashing repeatedly on the nightstand.

He never made it a habit to check her calls, but this time...

Something about the name on the screen made him pause.

Just as he was about to pick it up, a loud crash came from the bathroom.

He shot up like lightning.

Two long strides later, he flung the door open—

and saw her.

Janet had slipped.

Half of her body was leaning awkwardly over the edge of the bathtub, trembling and wet.

A cold chill ran down Charles’s spine as he rushed over and scooped her up, heart pounding in fear.

When she fell, she instinctively tried to grab onto something—

the edge of the bathtub was all she could reach.

If not for that, the fall could’ve been much worse.

"You really are like a child. Can’t even walk properly without tripping?"

Charles’s voice carried a note of scolding, but the panic behind it was obvious.

He carried her back to the bed, pulling away the loosely wrapped towel to check for injuries without hesitation.

"I’m fine. Didn’t hit anything. It doesn’t hurt..."

Janet blushed, hurriedly grabbing the blanket to cover her bare body.

The soft ringtone came again. Her phone buzzed insistently.

"It’s Ternence," Charles said flatly, one arm still wrapped around her shoulder as he handed her the phone.

Janet didn’t hesitate. She answered the call.

"Philip? What’s going on?"

"Janet, have you seen Elvira lately?"

Ternence’s voice was tense, urgent.

Elvira.

Just hearing the name made Janet’s brow furrow.

"No. Charles and I just returned from overseas. We’ve only been back a few days," Janet replied truthfully.

The last time she saw Elvira was before they left for Australia—

Back then, Elvira had stormed into Black Rock Co. looking for Charles and had been thrown out.

Nothing had seemed off at the time.

"Why? Did something happen to her?"

Janet could hear the worry in Ternence’s voice.

She didn’t have much of a bond with Elvira—

but she didn’t want anything to happen to her either.

"She’s been missing for a while now. No one knows where she went.

If you see her... please let me know."

Ternence’s voice was calm, but beneath it was a clear strain.

After all, Elvira was his sister.

Anila and Harold were panicking.

He couldn’t just sit and do nothing.

"Alright. Got it."

Janet ended the call and turned toward Charles—

only to meet a stormy gaze.

Those dark eyes of his were clouded with something sharp, unreadable.

Possessiveness.

Jealousy.

A familiar coldness.

And maybe... something else she didn’t dare name.

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