No Strings Attached

lan's statement wasn't a question, but an assertion.

His deep-set eyes were fixed intently on Brodie, as if trying to see right through him.

The room fell into an unnerving silence, so profound you could hear the sound of each other's breathing.

It was only after a pregnant pause that Brodie chuckled lightly, "When did you figure it out?"

That laugh made something heavy settle in lan's chest.

Discovering a brother who shared his blood, seemingly out of nowhere, was a feeling lan couldn't quite articulate.

He had always been guarded around Brodie. Partly because of his mysterious past, and partly because of his feelings for Clara.

lan had considered many possibilities, but the notion that Brodie was his half-brother had never crossed his mind.

took a few seconds before lan found his voice

What matters is that you've known all along. You suspected Sierra was behind your mother's

I took one of your things for a DNA test the first time I saw you. I also knew Teo was the scumbag who abandoned

an eyebrow at him. "Does

noticed. She holds a soft spot for your

"That's your father too."

mom wouldn't have been hurt. We wouldn't have spent years being hunted. He's responsible for all

him father because he gave you a life of wealth and comfort. What he gave me was a lifetime of narrow escapes from death. I believe my mom wasn't the kind of person to knowingly get involved with a married man. It must have been your father who deceived her, then turned a blind eye after she got pregnant,

of the past, there was a trace of emotion on his face. His dark eyes were tinged with a subtle crimson. Sᴇaʀᴄh

for Teo was

mother, pregnant and alone, nearly perishing in a fire, enduring excruciating pain to save her child without medication, it cut him like

as simple as you think. Maybe my dad was

keep your word. If Sierra troubles my mom again, I won't