Marrying Without My Eight-Year Boyfriend Knowing novel Chapter 61

Two hours later, I rubbed my sore wrist, my eyes red and irritated. Meanwhile, the culprit was fast asleep. Beast!

I reached for a pillow, ready to hit him, but a knock at the door stopped me. My brother's voice came from outside.

"James?"

Caught off guard, James stretched across me, barely cracked the door, and pulled my brother inside.

Mark stared at us both, his eyes wide as saucers.

"I wanted you two to get to know each other, not get this intimate!" he sputtered.

"Shut up," James mumbled wearily, collapsing back onto the bed.

My brother clenched his fists.

"You're talking back to me now? What did you do to my sister? Even if you're engaged, you can't just... be like this!"

Seeing my brother ready to throw a punch, I quickly stepped between them.

"Mark, it's not what you think."

"Then what is it?" he demanded, his face red.

I coughed awkwardly. We hadn't crossed any lines, but we'd definitely done things that weren't exactly... friendly. How could I explain that?

While I searched for words, James finally spoke up.

"You know my family situation. I got caught in their trap this time. Had no choice."

Though my brother's brows were still furrowed, he slowly backed down.

On the drive home, I asked my brother about James's family situation.

He sighed before explaining.

Apparently, James's grandfather planned to hand over the company to him once he secured a suitable marriage. However, his aunt Victoria wasn't having it. She believed the company should be split equally between her husband and James's father.

There was a long silence before Nathan asked carefully, "Olivia, can we talk privately?"

My brother's expression darkened as he shot me a sidelong glance, his tone carrying a warning.

"What's so private that I can't hear? Don't tell me you're trying to get advice about winning back that 'true love' of yours?"

Nathan sighed heavily. "I'm not trying to win Sophie back. That's ancient history."

"Olivia, please, can we talk? Just five minutes."

At that, my brother slammed on the brakes, pulling over sharply.

"Watch yourself, Nathan. I know all about your obsession with Sophie - how many replacements did you go through? Five? Six? And now you think you can target my sister? She's my sister! I've treated you like a brother all these years, so don't make me fly over there and beat some sense into you."

He hung up and tossed his phone aside, ignoring its repeated ringing.

He turned to me, frowning. "What's really going on between you two? I thought you said you barely knew him."