Held Time

Five years after leaving the Smith household, I unexpectedly reunited with John at a private club. The private room was overly warm. He wasn't wearing his jacket and had undone the top two buttons of his shirt. His prominent nose bridge held gold-rimmed glasses, projecting an aloof, unapproachable aura. Aileen was sitting close beside him. She was a wildly popular stage actress in recent years—wealthy, stunningly beautiful, and radiating elegance in every gesture. Someone called for me to open a bottle of wine. I responded softly, carefully keeping my head down, trying to use my loose hair to shield my face. I was terrified John would recognize me. I resolved in my heart to leave the room as soon as I opened this bottle. But fearing something only seems to invite it. While opening the wine, my hand slipped, and the corkscrew nicked me. The bottle crashed to the floor with a piercing shatter. For a moment, the room fell silent, all eyes fixed on me. "S-sorry..." I stammered an apology, wishing I could bury my head in the ground. Among the guests was one of John's college roommates, who had seen me a few times in the past. He scrutinized my face, tut-tutting in surprise. "Huh, John... this girl, she kinda resembles the little sister you used to have around?" "Girl, lift your head so we can get a better look." My heart lurched. I slowly raised my head, my body trembling uncontrollably. John glanced at me dismissively, his tone light and mocking: "Quit talking nonsense. How could a girl from my family be selling wine in a nightclub?" The man scratched his head awkwardly. I breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing the awkward situation, the manager stepped in quickly with me to apologize. "Mr. Smith, please forgive her. She's new and inexperienced. A gentleman like yourself wouldn't hold a grudge against someone so insignificant..." John didn't respond. It was Aileen who spoke up, telling us to leave. Tonight was her celebration. Her stage play tour had concluded successfully, and she didn't want a minor incident like me spoiling her mood. "Wait." Just as I was about to turn away, John's voice drifted out lazily. My heart clenched again. John pulled his wallet from his jacket, casually pulled out a card, and tossed it onto the table. "Weren't you saying you needed money?" "Finish the drinks on this table, and I'll give you a hundred thousand. Just take it..." He looked at me, his sharp eyes devoid of any warmth, "...just take it as a good deed your big brother's doing today." He deliberately emphasized the words "your big brother." I clenched my fists tightly. Humiliation pressed down on me, making it hard to breathe. So, he had recognized me. I was once a foster child of the Smith family. John was my unrelated older brother. During my junior year of college, Foster Father passed away from stomach cancer. John, fresh out of graduation, had to shoulder the entire burden of the Smith family. During that time, he often worked late into the night. For convenience, he rented an apartment near the company. My relationship with Foster Mother wasn't close. After Foster Father died, I rarely returned to the Smith family mansion. John gave me a key to his apartment. When I didn't have class, I would go over to tidy up for him, sometimes staying over on weekends. It was originally the most ordinary interaction between siblings. But an accident crossed the line. It happened one weekend evening. John had drunk too much at dinner. His assistant, William, brought him home, and I happened to be there too. John's assistant William had family matters to attend to and asked me to look after John. John was usually steady and reliable. Drunk, however, he showed a hint of childishness and restlessness. When I tried to give him the hangover medicine, he flung his arm out, spilling the pills onto his shirt. "John——" I glared at him, only to find his brow furrowed in a pitiful expression. "Emily, why are you mad at me?" He was the one causing trouble, yet he had the nerve to ask? Then again, why argue with a drunk? "I'm not mad." "I don't believe you. Unless Emily gives me a kiss." Did he even know what he was saying? I froze on the spot, my body stiffening, yet my blood rushing hotly to my face. And then, the troublemaker added fuel to the fire. "Emily doesn't know how?" "Then I'll teach you..." Summoning the last shreds of my reason, I pushed the person leaning on me away. "Brother, stop. You're drunk." He stared at me, the haze in his eyes gradually clearing. "I'm not drunk." "Emily, don't you like me? I thought... I thought you liked me too..." Too... He knew I liked him? And... he liked me too?! "Stop joking." I averted my eyes, not daring to look at his face. But he cupped my cheeks with his hands, forcing me to meet his gaze. "It's not a joke." "I like Emily. That's not a joke." John's burning palm slid down to my waist, rubbing gently. It tickled. And it was incredibly alluring. In the dim space, the air grew thin. He leaned closer slowly, his low voice thick with barely restrained desire. "Emily... may I kiss you?" Panicked, I covered my mouth. "John, have you lost your mind?" I hissed. "Hmm." He didn't deny it. Lifting his hand, he removed his gold-rimmed glasses, no longer suppressing the torrent of emotion surging in his eyes. "I'am crazy." "I've been crazy since the moment I fell in love with you." Boom— As his words landed, an explosion seemed to detonate in my mind, like a firework blooming at its most magnificent peak. "So?" "Chickening out? Or just not giving your brother any face?" The jeers from the others, sharp and biting, dragged me back from memory to the harsh present. A hundred thousand dollars... that would cover my rent for ages. Someone desperate for money wouldn't turn it down, would they? Under his furious gaze, I picked up the bottle without hesitation. The people around me clapped excitedly. "Come on, little sister! Drink up, drink up!" Only John remained silent. I wiped the wine from my lips with the back of my hand and lifted the bottle again. The liquor was too strong. Swallowing it burned like fire down my throat. "Enough!" John snatched the bottle from my hand, his face stormy. Silence fell instantly in the room; his eyes seemed ready to spit fire. "Drinking like that—are you trying to kill yourself?" He was angry. But he was the one who told me to drink. I did what he asked. What right did he have to be angry? After leaving the private room, I spent half an hour vomiting in the restroom, feeling like I was turning myself inside out. I looked up. The woman in the mirror was terrifyingly pale. Put on a red dress, and she could star as a vengeful spirit in a horror movie. Seeing how awful I looked, the manager let me leave an hour early. I deliberately avoided the main entrance, but John still managed to corner me. Beneath the moonlight, he resembled a lion poised to strike, radiating danger from every pore. I spun around and ran in the opposite direction. John chased after me. In my panic, I ran into a dead end. With nowhere left to retreat, I could only watch helplessly as John closed in step by step. "Emily, why are you running?" "Is this the 'better life' you told me about?" John stood before me. His shoulders were as broad as a mountain, blocking every possible escape route. I was trapped. So I simply looked up and offered him a smile. "Long time no see, Brother." Behind his glasses, his eyes flickered with barely concealed anger. "If you took the money Mom gave you and left back then, why come back now?" My smile froze for a second. "What... what did she tell you?" "Did she need to tell me anything?" "She was just testing you. And you? Took the money and vanished without a trace. Love that can be bought off with money is worthless." I was stunned for a few seconds. The excuse she gave John was so cliché. "If I told you she lied to you—" "John, there you are!" My unfinished words were cut off. Aileen jogged over, naturally linking her arm through John's. "I thought you just stepped out for air? How'd you end up so far away?" John gave me a cold glance. "Catching up." Aileen's gaze then landed on me, registering surprise. "Oh? You're the girl from the private room! What are you two doing together?" She looked as if she were facing a formidable enemy. I spoke up before John could. "The Smith family helped me out once. John... is like an older brother to me." "Just a brother." Aileen visibly relaxed, understanding dawning. Then, as if struck by an idea, she asked me with eager anticipation. "Then... when I get married, could I ask you to be my bridesmaid?" "Aileen, don't be ridiculous," John said coldly. Seeing his expression, she added pitifully, "All my girlfriends are already married! I really can't find anyone suitable. Please?" We were both women; how could I miss the hidden message in her words? No one stays in the same place forever. John wouldn't. Neither would I. Under John's utterly bewildered stare, I raised my left hand, curving my lips into a smile. "Sorry, I'm already married." I met John again at the hospital. Leon had developed a sudden fever in the middle of the night. After a night on an IV drip, his fever had finally subsided. As we stepped out of the elevator, Leon's shoelace came undone. I bent down to tie it for him. When I straightened up, I saw John standing a few meters away. He was watching us. Leon tugged at my hand. "Mommy, who's that man with glasses?" My heart instantly raced. I wanted to leave, but John was already walking towards us. "What are you doing here?" His gaze was scorching; I had a sinking feeling. I subtly shifted Leon behind me. "My son had a fever. I brought him to see the doctor."