My Repentant Brothers (Madeline Larson)

Loretta's gaze was a mix of charm and pity. Gavin, noticing the candles burning on the table, turned on the dining room light and blew out the romantic candles.

"With a kid at home, things are so messy I haven't had the time to clean up. Don't light candles; it's not safe. If anything unexpected happens, it could be a disaster."

Loretta stood in place, taking in the scene in front of her. She paused for a moment, then sat down across from Gavin with a smile. "Gavin, back when you were on the high seas, there wasn't much good food. I remember there was a storm, and I cooked you steaks for a month..." She chuckled. "We haven't been together like this in a long time. Go ahead, taste it. Does it still taste like it used to?"

Gavin glanced at Loretta, clearly recalling the crucial time in his research when neither supplies nor a chef could be brought in due to the fierce hurricanes at sea. Loretta insisted on coming with a fishing boat to bring him lots of food despite the danger.

He remembered, in that heavy rain, holding a bowl of instant noodles. There she was, soaked through yet smiling brightly like a flower, standing delicately in the rain and beaming at him.

He had to admit, Loretta was a good person. But that was it.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

Gavin held his knife and fork, "Honestly, I never knew how you felt. If you keep this up, just consider it my misunderstanding, and I should tell you upfront that I have someone I like." He paused. "If you see me as a friend or a brother, then we can stay the same as before. But if you're thinking otherwise..." He sighed, "I'll have no choice but to send you away now."

Loretta's eyes showed a touch of pity and sadness, then she looked up and smiled, "What are you talking about? I do try to win your favor a bit since you're our big boss, you know? But rest easy, I have respect and admiration for you, but no romantic feelings. You can relax. You know, I'm not really one for boundaries. I've long stopped seeing myself as just a woman, whether it's with you or Michael, it's purely gratitude."

Loretta pressed her lips together. "If it weren't for you all, I would have drowned a long time ago. Back then, I was just a fisherman's daughter. My father drowned in the sea, and I was clinging to a piece of driftwood. My background is tragic... If you hadn't taken me in, I would've been dead by now."

Loretta spoke, her brow relaxing as she lifted her hand to hold Gavin's, her smile warm and grateful, "I see you as a second parent to me. My kindness towards you comes from my gratitude for giving me a new life."

Gavin coughed and quickly withdrew his hand, "You've been hanging out with Michael and the rest for too long. Such a sweet girl, who also looks nice, but you're so clumsy about the boundaries between men and women." "This is your first visit to Japrium, and also your first time leaving the open sea. Take a good look around to see what the world is really like." "Otherwise, you're always looking at me with gratitude, making me think you have some ulterior motives."

Gavin let out a visible sigh of relief. If Loretta really liked him, then Madeline would definitely be mad. There was no way he could keep a woman who had feelings for him close. That would be disrespectful to Madeline.

But even if Loretta made her feelings clear, he wouldn't let her stay. Having her temporarily was a bond formed through thick and thin, but since his home already had a woman of the house, bringing in another woman just wasn't proper. "Get to know the place over the next few days. Then, find a place of your own," he said.

"Are you kicking me out, Gavin?" Loretta's voice trembled a bit. "We lived under the same roof even on the open seas. We didn't have such boundaries there. Is it because of Madeline? Does she not like me? Is she making you send me away?" "Madeline? If she got jealous, I'd secretly be thrilled," Gavin thought. It wasn't easy to make Madeline jealous. She treated everyone the same, without any romantic feelings involved. If she ever showed jealousy, it meant he'd really made it! "Well, it's just not very convenient having you on the couch all the time," Gavin said as he quickly took a few bites. Then he checked on the kid who was sleeping soundly, which put his mind at ease.

As for Madeline, he used his key to open her door and took a peek inside. She was sleeping peacefully, with a unique and gentle scent surrounding her.

He couldn't resist giving her a quick kiss on the cheek as she slept. That moment sparked a warmth in him, and he quickly went off to take a cold shower. 172

11:08 AM

The sound of the water washed away his wandering thoughts. He stared at the fogged-up mirror, deep in thought.

I read something in a book that said if you truly love someone, you'll be able to smell a unique scent on them that only you can notice. Isn't that amazing?

Gavin thought that the scent on Madeline was like the fresh smell of bamboo on a mountaintop, mixed with the chill of snow. When that scent warmed up with the heat from her neck, it reminded him of a lazy cat basking in the sun, rolling in the scent of bellflowers. It was so complex and enchanting, making his heart ache happily. That's what love is.

He understood the difference between love and other kinds of friendship very clearly, which is why he realized Madeline's feelings were different from his own. Of course, there was some disappointment, but trying to win the heart of the woman of your dreams was never easy. The one you have a crush on when you're young is the one you should marry when you grow up.

Gavin's lips curled into a smile, his eyes sparkled with a vivid affection like flowers in full bloom during the warm spring months of March or April-vibrant, passionate, and overwhelming.

Gavin turned off the light and lay down on the bed, wrapped in his bathrobe. But as soon as he lifted the covers, a slippery body slid over to him. All the romantic thoughts he had were instantly snuffed out, and he was quite shocked.

"Gavin, you know I've never experienced romance. Will you teach me, please? Maybe what I feel for you is gratitude, or perhaps it's already turned into love?" Loretta's gentle hands wrapped around Gavin's waist as she skillfully started to untie his robe.

"Gavin, I'm still inexperienced, don't worry. Madeline is fast asleep, she won't wake up. Before dawn, I'll tidy up myself and won't let her notice anything odd. I just need your sympathy, I won't take her place..."

Gavin felt like a herd of wild emotions was storming through his mind, and he kicked Loretta off the bed.

"Ouch," Loretta whimpered softly, curling up on the floor and struggling to get back up.

"Stop pretending you don't know!" Gavin's eyes were piercingly cold as he turned on the lamp next to him, glaring down coldly at the barely dressed woman on the floor.

Loretta had hit her head, and blood trickled from her forehead to her cheek, staining her clothes and making her look very pitiful.

Her eyes filled with tears as she pushed herself up with her arms, "Gavin, I don't get it, she can have so many, why can't you have just one more like me? I'll take care of her just like I take care of you." Gavin looked as if he had swallowed something unpleasant, despite the beauty in front of him, he only felt unclean. "If I had known you were so twisted, I would never have let you into my home!"

"Loretta, when you were a child, you were pitiable and I took you in. But now that you've grown, you're not as innocent as you used to be!"