Chapter 201: Stefan Provokes His Overprotective Brothers

Meanwhile, Holt listened to Palmer speaking in the group chat. "Uh, I think I know a little about this." "Back when Stefan said he wanted to break off the engagement, he mentioned that he didn’t want to get married, fearing he’d hold our sister back. Later, Dad thought about it and figured that since we didn’t know when we’d find our sister, it wouldn’t be fair to make Stefan wait indefinitely." "So, the engagement was dissolved just like that." "But I don’t know what happened after that. I never heard Stefan mention that he had feelings for anyone." Gray frowned and said, "If that engagement was canceled, then so be it. This is an opportunity to test Stefan’s commitment. Since he was the one who wanted to end it, if he wants to renew the engagement, it won’t be easy." Fifth Brother Majorie Norman agreed, "Exactly. We need to see him make an effort." Hearing that Irene had been cast aside in the engagement, Itha felt a knot in his stomach. He hadn’t known about this earlier and thought Irene and Stefan seemed like a good match. Now, he was starting to feel a bit of resentment towards Stefan. "I’ll talk to Father about this." Gray nodded, acknowledging his role as the eldest brother with some authority in the family: "You can reassure our sister—she shouldn’t be afraid of Stefan. If she doesn’t like him, she can say no. We’ll make sure he doesn’t push her around." Itha nodded, "Of course." The Norman family always placed great importance on protecting their own. If even someone like Alice could be included in Gray’s circle of protection, then their own sister certainly would be. However, Itha couldn’t shake the feeling that things weren’t as simple as they seemed. It couldn’t be as straightforward as they thought. Reflecting on the Irene he had met, Itha was convinced that her strong-willed personality would never allow her to be intimidated or compliant. She had been particularly assertive when they first met. Itha pondered. If Irene had faced so many hardships and still grown up healthy and smart, she was definitely capable of standing on her own. Perhaps Stefan wasn’t pressuring her. But Itha couldn’t rule out the possibility; he would still have to ask Irene. Holt observed the entire discussion in the group chat but didn’t say much. There wasn’t much left to say. His older brothers had already discussed and decided on the matter, and Holt was used to this. He was even a bit too lazy to think much about it. His brothers had been telling him for a long time that he needed to be more proactive. He exited the group chat and sent Itha a private message: "Third Brother, can you send me a photo of our sister?" Itha didn’t need to ask what he wanted it for. "You’ll see her when she comes home." Itha calmly brushed him off: "Focus on taking care of your own business first. I heard your rival is giving you a hard time?" Holt immediately felt deflated. But for his sister, he braced himself and tried to sweet-talk his typically stern brother. It didn’t work at all. Frustrated, Holt stopped talking to Itha. Itha looked at his phone and couldn’t help but chuckle. Still a kid. Even though Holt had been working, he was still the baby brother in their eyes. None of the brothers mentioned whether their mother knew about this news. It was unclear whether they had forgotten or were intentionally avoiding the subject. But Itha was certain their mother didn’t know. This both saddened and relieved him. He was sad because he didn’t know how their mother would react to Irene. But he was relieved that Gray still sided with their biological sister. The tensions had begun early when their mother decided to keep Alice by her side, intending to replace Irene with her. The gap had grown wider and wider, and now, it was almost unmanageable. They hadn’t cared about this issue before because their sister hadn’t been found, and their mother had nearly lost her mind over it. But now, their sister was coming home. All of them started to shift their focus back to securing their positions in the capital. The engagement with the Mossingan family was the only gift they could give their sister. For so many years, they had been absent from her life, and this would help them feel a little better. Besides, there were plenty of good men in the world. It wasn’t as if Stefan was the only option. Even if the eligible men in Q country weren’t suitable, there were still men from other countries. Meanwhile, Stefan was still in the hospital, completely unaware that his previous actions had made his pursuit of Irene significantly more challenging. He was on the phone, his expression distant, showing no emotion. Despite his attractive appearance, his cold demeanor made the surrounding nurses too intimidated to approach him. This side of Stefan was something Irene had never seen before. When Stefan looked at her, he always had a gentle smile, his expression warm. Irene approached only after Stefan had ended the call. Stefan’s beautiful, thin lips curved into a charming smile: "Did you miss me?" Irene chuckled softly, raising an eyebrow at Stefan. The man covered his mouth with his fist, coughing slightly, his pale ears tinged with red. He looked a bit embarrassed. Even a little shy. Irene laughed aloud: "Who taught you that?" Stefan smiled and sighed: "It doesn’t work on you." Irene patted Stefan’s chest and smiled, "I came to talk to you about something. Can we chat?" Stefan nodded, taking a coat from Harper, who was practically bowing over, and draping it over Irene’s shoulders: "Let’s talk outside; there are too many people here." Irene pulled the coat tighter around herself. She felt as if she had been enveloped in a forest during a moonlit night, the faint scent of rain mixed with herbs surrounding her. It was the scent of the cologne Stefan often wore. The men’s coat was a bit too large for Irene, making her tall figure appear even more elegant. Her stunning face, partially hidden in the wool collar, made her red lips stand out slightly: "When did you introduce me to your family?" Stefan paused abruptly. It was as if his system had short-circuited. Irene smiled at him, raising her eyebrow slightly. "We’ve known each other for so long, and I always thought I’d only met Marta?" Stefan coughed lightly and said, "My family heard I was dating someone and wanted to meet you. I didn’t know about it; they saw you when they were following me." Irene frowned slightly: "Your family follows you around?" Stefan shook his head, his blue eyes looking particularly innocent: "No, they just wanted to see my fiancée." Irene looked at him, her tone certain: "No, you’re still hiding something from me." Stefan felt a slight tightness in his chest. Irene’s sharp intuition was something he hadn’t anticipated. It wasn’t a huge deal, so Stefan chuckled softly and said, "Actually, I was engaged once." Irene stared at him. Stefan’s voice carried a hint of grievance: "I broke off the engagement because I was in love with you. But I never imagined that my fiancée would turn out to be you."