Chapter 211
Outside the window, sunlight filtered through the car window, casting a shadow across Blake Sinclair’s profile, turning his tightly pressed lips into a cold, hard line.
Holly knew he was angry, but she felt aggrieved as well.
She sensed that her delayed rebellious phase had arrived at this moment, and the bitterness of unrequited love flared up like a wildfire, burning away her last threads of rationality.
Sniffling, she forced back the undignified sting in her eyes, resolute in her determination: “So what if I start dating p>
“I’m already twenty-two, a sophomore in college! I’m at a legal age to get married! Blake Sinclair, you’re not my real brother, what right do you have to control me since high school, to forbid this or that p>
The cold air from the car’s air conditioner whooshed through, like a blade cutting into the seams of one’s heart.
Her words were like a rusty, blunt knife, piercing into the softest part of Blake Sinclair’s heart before ruthlessly twisting.
The veins stood out on the back of his hand resting on the steering wheel, eyes filled with surging pain and crimson.
He looked at her, this little girl he had cherished and raised from a young age, now stabbing him with the most hurtful words.
From watching her grow up at Port Kallow at seven years old to realizing his feelings had changed at eighteen, through countless nights of self-loathing and struggle.
He had restrained himself with the identity of an older brother.
Yet now, this identity had become the most insurmountable chasm between them.
It was a wall he built with his own hands, which has now become a prison locking him inside.
Silence engulfed the car.
Blake Sinclair suppressed the agitation surging in his heart, trying to reason with her.
“Holly, I just want you to think calmly. Matters of love are not that simple. Decisions made in the heat of the moment often hurt both parties p>
He hoped to enlighten her, discouraging her from entering a relationship rashly due to impulsiveness.
But Holly, hurt by his eagerness to draw boundaries, was deeply wounded.
She felt all of his advice was more like lectures and restraints from a brother’s standpoint.
Today, she must defy him.
“I think what you’re saying makes sense,” Holly turned, directly facing Blake Sinclair, “Feelings indeed require thought, caution p>
Her gaze locked onto his eyes, as if trying to peer through his amber-colored eyes into his heart.
The words were not just for Blake Sinclair, but for herself as well, “But when love comes, nobody can stop it p>
Blake Sinclair’s emotions, suppressed by her words, surged again.
The eyes, always filled with laughter and reliance, now burned with a light he had never seen before—scorching, fiery, as if they wanted to ignite him too.
Blake Sinclair awkwardly averted his gaze, unable to meet her eyes anymore.
He feared that if he looked a second longer, his carefully maintained rationality and disguise would be utterly destroyed.
“If you really want to date, your brother… your brother can help you find better, more suitable candidates. But Holly, don’t get swept up by impulse and just settle for anyone since that will only end up hurting you p>
Arranged to date by the person she loves?
Bitterness spread in Holly’s heart, from the heart to every corner of her body, making it hard for her to breathe.
The secret crush of a young girl, stifled before seeing the light, now shoved away by him, even pushed towards others.
She didn’t want to hear his “brotherly” advice anymore, not a single word!
“There’s no need! I don’t need your help. Isn’t it just dating? I’ll date right in front of you p>
With that, she took out her phone, calling Zion Pence’s number that Tina Keane had given her earlier, fearing she couldn’t find anyone.
The phone only rang a few times before it was answered.
“Hello? Holly p>
“Zion Pence, it’s Holly. I’ve agreed to be your girlfriend. We’ll meet tonight at Sage’s Lake p>
With the finality of her words, she didn’t give the other party any time to react, quickly hanging up.
The defiant call left her chest heaving violently, absorbing deep breaths to suppress the impending urge to cry.
Then she turned, looked at the man beside her, whose face was ashen with anger,
“Mr. Sinclair, please take me back to school now. I’m going to meet my boyfriend p>
Mr. Sinclair p>
Blake Sinclair listened as she made that call, heard her say “can be your girlfriend” to another man, then call him by such a foreign title.
He felt the pulsing in his temples accelerate, gripping Holly’s wrist with one hand, and taking her phone with the other.
“Call him! Now, break up immediately p>
His grip was strong, and though Holly struggled twice, she was held even tighter.
She defiantly met his enraged eyes and firmly retorted, “No break! As the brother, shouldn’t you be blessing your sister for finding happiness p>
“Blessing?” Blake Sinclair almost spat the word through gritted teeth.
What was he to say at all!
At that moment, Holly’s phone rang again—it was the call she had just made.
Blake Sinclair’s gaze sharpened, preparing to press the answer button.
“Blake Sinclair, I dare you to answer p>
She hadn’t called him by his full name for a long time, yet this time, she did, to defend another man!
Blake Sinclair’s hand froze in midair as he looked at her incredulously with reddened eyes.
The phone continued to ring, as if mocking his impotence and ridiculousness.
Finally, the unanswered call automatically disconnected, and the screen went dark.
Blake Sinclair stared intently at Holly, “Do you really like him that much? How long have you known him, how much do you know him, how sure are you that he can make you happy p>
His succession of questions bombarded Holly.
Each word sprinkled salt on her wounds.
Holly’s voice trembled with tears, yet she stubbornly kept her head high, “Who says feelings can only be compared by the time spent together? If a long time guarantees being together, then why… why p>
Why couldn’t you love me?
She forcefully swallowed the sentence that wanted to escape.
She couldn’t say it, absolutely not!
It would only make her feel even more pitiful.
Meanwhile, her tears became uncontrollable, large teardrops rolling down, sliding down her resolute cheeks, landing on her tightly clasped hands, searing Blake Sinclair’s heart.
Her chin trembled slightly from the effort to suppress her sobs.
From the age of seven when Blake Sinclair met Holly at Port Kallow, she was like a little sun, always full of energy, her smile radiant.
He had seen her act spoiled, angry, cheerful, but he had never seen her cry with such heartbreak.
It was like the treasure he had guarded for so long had shattered before him.
All the fire of anger and resentment melted into a deep sense of powerlessness under her tears.
He reached out to wipe away her tears, softly asking, “Do you really like him that much p>
Like him enough to sob this heartbreakingly?
Holly looked at him, but the insincere “yes” wouldn’t come out.
She could only avert her gaze, responding with silence.
To Blake Sinclair, the silent acknowledgment was confirmation.
In an instant, he felt drained of all strength, releasing Holly’s hand.
The resolve that supported him in confronting her and fighting jealousy disappeared without a trace.
He slumped back against the driver’s seat, “I’ll take you back to school first. You need to calm down and think carefully about this without acting rashly p>
Holly rubbed her wrist, red from his grip, and throbbed slightly, keeping her head down and no longer speaking or looking at him.
Not a word was exchanged along the way.
In silence, the car drove halfway, and Blake Sinclair stopped at a pharmacy.
Not long after, he returned with a small plastic bag containing an ice pack and a tube of anti-bruising ointment.
Without a word, he placed the item on Holly’s lap.
The car eventually stopped at the Westergate entrance of Beldon University.
As soon as the doors unlocked, Holly hesitated not, pushing the door open and walking into the campus without a glance at the ice pack and ointment or looking back at Blake Sinclair.
Blake Sinclair sat in the car, watching her receding figure until it disappeared from view.
Finally, his gaze shifted to the passenger seat, where the discarded plastic bag lay.
He took out his phone, dialing a number.
“Investigate someone—a male student at Beldon University, named Zion Pence. I want all his information, as quickly as possible p>