Brothers at war

"Admit to Monica's crimes and serve a simple five-year term. I promise your mother will be safe. Once released, you'll still be regarded as the lady of the Hussain family. This is actually a bargain. Take it if you're smart!"

——

Five years later, Sandra Hussain emerged from her prison term only to find the Hussains disowning her and barring her from seeing her mother.

Her sister Monica Hussain even threatened her to terminate her engagement with Darryl Owen, the Owen family heir, or forfeit any chance of meeting her mother.

Sandra yielded, agreeing to dissolve her engagement with Darryl. Yet, her grandmother, Theresa Hussain, the family matriarch, insisted she marry someone else within three days.

To marry someone else in such haste? Fresh from her incarceration, they seemed to be pushing her towards a hasty and undesirable match to thwart her future.

Despite her reluctance, she complied just so she could finally be with her mother.

Now she had a mere three days to break ties with Darryl.

Learning that Darryl dwelt in the opulent Gale Mansion, she headed there directly.

Clad in the same white dress from half a decade past, her hair in a plain ponytail, she appeared unsophisticated at a glance.

Yet her bare face shone clear and bright, her natural beauty suggesting an underlying charm.

At eighteen, her visage was yet to mature. Now, five years later, her beauty blossomed.

Sandra evaded observation and chose the stairs, reaching Darryl's room undetected.

As her hand grazed the door in preparation to knock, it creaked open under her touch.

Peering inside, she inquired, "Is anyone in here? Mr. Owen? May I enter?"

Her question hung unfinished in the air as an imposing hand clasped her arm, yanking her into the room.

Within moments, she found herself ensnared against a robust frame.

The man's faint yet captivating scent enveloped her, sending tingles through her body.

Struggling to break free from his grip, she was instead effortlessly twirled and pressed against the door.