48 Selling off a soul

"But alone," Ziana quickly added, erasing her little brother's wide smile. "I won't go with him!" she declared before walking to her room.

"But people will only care about him!" Ivan grumbled, rising from his couch. He was about to chase after her when Norah intervened, gripping his wrist.

"Enough! Have you considered how things will unfold in the future?" Norah crossed her arms, questioning the teenage boy who had once again crossed the line in his sister's affairs. It was important to be protective, but he also needed to recognize his boundaries and respect her decision.

"Even if Ziana lies about her relationship with Zayden according to your so-called perfect plans, people will still start wild gossip about your sister. They'll call her things worse than anything you've heard until now: gold-digger, leech, and much worse. So you should stop caring about them," Norah lectured him, urging him to reflect on his mistakes.