In the office, Isabella Li ended her call, grabbed her coat, and said, "Let's go. Come with me to see my brother. We'll discuss this face-to-face."
"Got it!" Ethan Wu stood up, ready to follow.
"Wait!" Isabella, with her coat draped over her arm, suddenly turned back. She moved in front of Ethan, stopping him in his tracks, and then reached up to adjust his collar.
"When you meet my brother, remember, no matter what he asks, you cannot reveal that you're a 'fake.' Even if he threatens you, you are my boyfriend. Understood?" she said firmly.
"Understood!" Ethan replied with a smile.
Isabella didn't want history to repeat itself.
Her three previous fake boyfriends had all met disastrous ends:
The first committed suicide.
The second was framed, imprisoned, and ruined.
The third vanished under pressure after a family incident.
The issue was that everyone knew her boyfriends were fake. Dylan Ding knew it, the Li family knew it, and even her brother knew it. Therefore, no one cared about the fate of her pretend boyfriends.
Isabella, on her own, found it hard to protect them.
But in terms of protection, her brother, Tyler Li, was genuinely capable. His power was comparable to Dylan Ding's!
Tyler Li, 26 years old and the eldest grandson of the Li family's main branch, was their most beloved member, capable of mobilizing significant family resources. In terms of family hierarchy, Tyler was in the heavens, while Isabella was on the ground.
Despite this, the two siblings were close, having grown up just a year apart and attending the same elementary, middle, and high schools.
Their bond was profound. Isabella had been fiercely protective of her brother since they were young, always standing in front of him during fights at school. But when it came to disciplining him, she showed no mercy either.
This had led Tyler to both respect and fear her—a deep sibling bond in every sense.
Tyler was opposed to their grandfather's decision to marry Isabella off to Dylan Ding, but as a younger family member, his objections held little weight. Unlike his sister, he didn't have the nerve to curse out their grandfather or slap his uncle.
Knowing her boyfriends were fake, mere shields for her, Tyler treated them like disposable tools rather than people. This lack of support from him left Isabella vulnerable.
This time, however, Isabella wanted something different. She wanted her fourth fake boyfriend to be "real." Compared to the previous three, Ethan was exceptional—he knew all the family's dirty secrets.
Her past boyfriends had been clueless about the bet or Dylan's manipulations. Each one thought he was extraordinarily lucky to catch Isabella's attention. Despite being reprimanded by her like a lowly servant and unable to even touch her hand, they naively dreamed that one day she would truly accept them.
They were deluded!
This time, Isabella was determined that things would be different.
She needed everyone to believe that this relationship was real, especially her brother. Only then would he fully support her instead of being torn between the family and his sister.
"Your clothes are too plain," Isabella remarked, eyeing him from head to toe.
"Then buy me new ones, on your dime," Ethan replied.
"Fine," Isabella laughed.
She linked her arm through his as they headed out.
The office doors opened, and bodyguards followed behind them.
They headed downstairs, causing quite a stir in the company.
The employees on the Radiant Style floors were shocked to see their beautiful CEO walking downstairs, holding hands with a man. While they knew she had previously dated, she had always maintained a cold demeanor, showing no sign of closeness with any partner.
What was happening?
Isabella, Ethan, and eight bodyguards made their way downstairs, eventually arriving at the underground parking lot.
Three vehicles pulled up.
Two Cadillacs in the front and back, with a Maybach in the center.
They got in and set off.
Meanwhile, at the Crown Entertainment Club…
"They even made you cut off a finger?" Tyler Li's face was contorted with anger.
"Yes, Mr. Li. He knows the underworld rules well. It seems like it wasn't his first time pulling stunts under your name," Tom Liu replied obediently.
Since Tom Liu had experienced the incident firsthand, Jack Zhao let him recount everything in detail without any embellishment.
Tyler's forehead veins bulged in fury.
He wasn't particularly angry about Tom Liu's injury, as Tom Liu was only a subordinate of one of his lackeys. What enraged him was that someone dared to misuse his name and went so far as to overstep boundaries!
If this spread, his reputation would be ruined!
Everyone in Sea City's underworld feared Tyler Li. Now someone was using his name to cause trouble—it was a colossal joke!
"This happened at Wayne Wang's bar?" Tyler asked darkly.
"Yes," Tom Liu nodded.
Tyler picked up his phone and called Wayne Wang, "Wayne, get to my club."
Just over ten minutes later, Wayne Wang arrived with his men.
After passing the security check at the entrance, he nodded at Tyler and shot Jack Zhao a hostile look. "Zhao, you're here too. I was planning to look for you—your man stole my car! Didn't expect to see you here!"
"What? My man stole your car?" Jack's face paled as he leaped up, gripping his cane tightly. "Watch your mouth! Who stole your car?"
He couldn't afford to take the blame in Tyler's presence. Breaking the peace in front of Tyler was a burden he wasn't willing to bear.
Wayne seized the opportunity, speaking bluntly because Tyler was present.
"Yesterday at my bar, wasn't that man and woman with you?" Wayne asked, adjusting his glasses with a sinister grin.
"Those two from yesterday?" Jack realized it was a misunderstanding.
"Wayne, sit down. It might be a misunderstanding. I called you here to ask if you knew those two from yesterday—were they regulars at your bar?" Tyler interjected.
"A misunderstanding?" Wayne was taken aback, seeing that Tyler also knew about the two. Suspicious, he sat down and recounted the previous night's events in full detail.
Late at night, when he returned to the bar with his men, he found Tom Liu waiting with his severed finger bandaged.
Initially expecting a brawl, he was surprised when Tom Liu apologized, addressed him respectfully, and promised to cover all losses.
Since Tom's attitude was conciliatory, Wayne let it go after a few harsh words.
Afterward, he'd questioned his staff and learned that a young man and woman had somehow clashed with Tom Liu's crew. The young man had fought fiercely, and just as the situation escalated, he made a call that Tom Liu then answered.
Tom Liu, surrounded by his men, backed down after taking the call, addressing it to "Big Brother."
Following that, Tom apologized to the young man and woman, even severing a finger in penance.
Wayne had assumed that the young man was either a relative of Jack Zhao's or some wealthy second-generation, possibly even an illegitimate child, based on the way Tom had kowtowed.
But Wayne's curiosity waned, and he left it at that.
As he was leaving, however, he realized his white Lamborghini was gone!
After reviewing the bar's security footage, he saw the young couple driving off in it.
Wayne had planned to confront Jack Zhao about it later but decided to capture the pair first to use as leverage.
Earlier that morning, he'd tracked down the car, but his men had lost it again. He had since ordered a city-wide search.
Wayne explained the whole situation, leaving out some of his inner thoughts, though everyone knew his intentions. But those details were now secondary.
The room fell silent.
Tyler lit a cigarette, taking a drag as anger simmered in his eyes.
"Zhao, what's going on?" Wayne whispered to Jack, sensing something amiss.
"That guy used Mr. Li's name and…" Jack summarized briefly.
Wayne understood immediately.
The nerve of this guy was unbelievable!
He'd injured Jack Zhao's men, stolen Wayne's car, and used Tyler Li's name to stir up trouble. Offending two big bosses and a top boss at once, he was practically courting death!
"Find him. Find him alive. Bring him to me—I want to crush him with my own hands!" Tyler growled through clenched teeth.
"You got it."
"We'll find him," Jack Zhao and Wayne replied in unison.
At that moment, a commotion sounded from outside.
They could vaguely hear the bodyguards greeting, "Miss Li!"
"My sister's here. You two can go for now," Tyler said, standing up and putting out his cigarette—he knew his sister hated the smell.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。