Chapter 2 Who Is That Man!
"Bella." The man beside me looked at me with concern. "Are you okay?"
I forced a smile at him. "I'm fine, Gale."
I have three brothers. My eldest brother, Gale Sorelli, was ten years older than me.
Gale was raised by my father as the heir from a young age. He was exceptionally good-looking and capable, even outshining many heirs from prominent families. Five years ago, when our family fell apart, his fiancée was one of the betrayers. Since then, Gale rarely smiles.
I leaned toward Gale, and he pulled me into his arms sympathetically. "That kind of man isn't worth your tears. Once your identity is revealed, you can have any man you want. Take your pick."
I patted Gale's back and went along with his joke. "Alright, I'll change men every day and drive Lucas crazy."
My phone rang in my pocket. Seeing Lucas's name on the screen, I declined the call and blocked him.
Before putting my phone back, I saw Lucas's message: [Who was that man?]
The next day, I received transfers from Lucas.
Starting at 9 AM, every ten minutes, he transferred me a million dollars with messages.
[Who was the man who picked you up last night? Answer me! You actually blocked me?]
[Bella! We're not officially divorced yet. If you betray me, you know what will happen!]
I didn't expect Lucas to be so petty. Shouldn't he be busy keeping Amelia company right now?
With a beauty in his arms, shouldn't he be too happy to even think of me?
After fifteen transfers, I thought Lucas would give up after getting no response, but he kept sending money.
I received another thirty-six million dollars before my phone finally went quiet.
Lucas was actually this angry—it caught me off guard.
After Gale picked me up, I temporarily stayed at his apartment. In the evening, there was a knock at the door. When I opened it, a bouquet of fresh, beautiful roses covered in water droplets greeted me.
I smiled and looked at the man delivering the flowers. "Brian!"
"Dear Bella!" Brian Sorelli gave me an enthusiastic hug. "I was on a business trip. I rushed over as soon as I got off the plane! I couldn't pick you up with Gale—you're not mad, are you?"
I shook my head with a smile. "Of course not!"
Brian's personality was completely opposite to Gale's. He was lively and cheerful, loves excitement. His biggest dream used to be living a carefree life, letting our parents, and Gale make money to support him.
Now Brian had become a lawyer, using his excellent social skills to build a vast network, moving between both legal and underground worlds. Though he smiled brightly, there was a hint of exhaustion in his expression.
Brian said, "Go change your clothes. I'm taking you to see the night view on a yacht and have a feast!"
"What about Gale?" I asked.
"He's a workaholic now. He won't stop until 10 PM. Forget about Gale—I've prepared a fireworks show for you. I remember you loved watching fireworks when you were little!"
I knew Brian wanted to cheer me up, so I didn't refuse his kindness. I planned to return after the fireworks so Brian could rest early.
Starstream City was a new city built on an island. The outermost quarter of the land was reclaimed from the sea. The government heavily promoted tourism, and the coast was lined with private yachts and speedboats—a beautiful sight on ordinary days.
The evening breeze, carrying the salty smell of the sea, drifted into the terrace restaurant. I ate the lobster pasta on my plate while Brian sat across from me, chin resting on his hands, smiling at me.
"Brian, stop grinning like that and eat," I said helplessly.
"Okay, okay. Bella really cares about me the most." Brian said okay but kept watching me, his eyes both heartbroken and relieved.
I knew he must be thinking about these past years. After our parents died, the four of us siblings were forced to flee. Later, we fell into a desperate situation being hunted down and had to separate. Now that we were about to reunite, Brian couldn't help feeling emotional.
"It's about time!" Brian glanced at his watch and snapped his fingers.
Suddenly, a cluster of brilliant golden fireworks exploded in the sky ahead, then transformed into thousands of silvery-white stars falling toward the sea.
I watched the sky with delight as clusters of fireworks bloomed one after another, reflected in Brian's smiling eyes.
My nose tingled. "Thank you, Brian."
"Why are you crying?" Brian cupped my face in a fluster, wiping my tears. Just then, a familiar male voice came from behind, calling my name with suppressed anger. "Bella! Damn it, what are you two doing?"
I turned around to see a yacht approaching. Lucas stood at the bow, several buttons of his shirt undone, the open collar fluttering in the wind. Amelia held his arm, wearing a beige dress with Lucas's jacket draped over her shoulders.
Lucas frowned, his gaze cold and hard as he scrutinized Brian and me. "Who is he?"
Brian wanted to explain, but I shook my head at him. My eyes swept over Lucas's hand, now without his ring, and I replied coldly, "It's none of yours anymore."
"He's not the man who picked you up last night." Lucas seemed calm, but his heavy hostility was barely concealed. "I didn't expect you to find a new man so quickly. I really underestimated you!"
"Can't compare to you." I glanced at Amelia.
Amelia put on a pitiful, helpless act, tugging at Lucas's arm. "Are we interrupting them?"
Brian stepped forward to shield me, saying sarcastically, "You are indeed interrupting us."
Lucas looked like a lion provoked by its prey, staring coldly at Brian. "State your name. Unless you're too scared?"
"Brian. I'm a lawyer," Brian answered calmly.
Lucas seemed to realize something. "Silverpeak Legal Group?"
Brian nodded. "That's right."
Last year, Brian opened a law firm in Starstream City and won several difficult cases, gaining quite a reputation. I knew Lucas wanted to recruit Brian, but Brian, knowing about Lucas's relationship with me, stubbornly refused to meet him.
Now that they'd met, Lucas was probably overthinking things.
Sure enough, Lucas looked at me, his gaze unfathomable.
"Just a lawyer. If I wanted to, I could shut down your firm anytime." Lucas was clearly displeased with Brian's protective stance toward me.
I was also displeased with his threatening tone toward Brian. Just as I was about to speak, Brian beat me to it. "If my firm goes under, don't expect your entertainment complex to open either."
The entertainment complex was Lucas's most important new venture this year, making money hand over fist, but it involved many shady dealings. Brian's words were a blatant provocation.
"Lucas, I want to go back." Amelia, who had been ignored for a while and standing in the cold wind, was in a bad mood. "If you still care about that Bella, just keep standing here like an idiot."
"I don't care about her!" Lucas denied it reflexively.
He chased after Amelia. I called out Lucas's name, and he hesitated before stopping.
I removed the wedding ring from my finger. "I forgot yesterday. Here, I'm returning it to you."
I threw it hard. Lucas stepped forward as if to catch the ring, but it was so light that it flew over the rail, tracing an inconspicuous arc of light against the sky full of fireworks, and fell into the sea.