A SUBSTITUTE BRIDE

At that moment, footsteps were coming from the corridor.

Lyana turned and saw Vincent enter. She met Vincent’s intriguing gaze.

Vincent’s gaze fell on Lyana’s arm, which was still bleeding.

At that moment, the butler approached. Vincent said coldly,

– Lock him in the cage.

The snake seemed to realize that he had done something wrong. It sat there aggressively, motionless. This allowed the butler to lock him in.

Lyana frowned.

The girl, who had been too shocked, only seemed to come to her senses. Pitifully weeping, she said in a weak voice,

– Brother Vincent, I’m so scared.

With that, the girl prepared to throw herself into Vincent’s arms.

He frowned. Under his surprisingly cold gaze, the girl was rooted to the ground in fear.

– Brother Vincent …

Vincent’s expression was unnaturally dark. His eyes were icy as he asked her impatiently,

– Who are you? Why are you in my office?

The girl looked at Vincent in shock. She raised her hand to wipe away her tears and said pitifully:

– Brother Vincent, I am Louise Blanc, the biological sister of Florence Blanc. We met in the hospital at that time.

Lyana was slightly stunned.

Florence Blanc.

The name sounded familiar. She seemed to have heard it before.

Lyana’s gaze fell on Louise’s face. Suddenly, the realization hit her. She remembered now. Wasn’t Florence Blanc a woman Olga had casually invented to help Ines out of the situation?

Did Florence really exist?

Why would Vincent ask Florence Blanc’s younger sister to come to the Sanchez residence?

Lyana was rooted to the ground, studying Louise Blanc intently. Could it be that Vincent had taken a liking to Louise?

The next moment, Vincent’s words caused Lyana’s own thoughts to reverse.

– Who allowed you into my office?

Vincent’s expression was extremely dark. His entire body emitted a cold aura, causing a shiver of fear.

Louise froze. She didn’t expect Vincent to hate her, not when she was the aunt of Vincent’s child.

– I …

– Get out! Without my permission, anyone entering the study will have to report to the king of the underworld.

Although Vincent’s voice was not loud, it was frightening.

Louise was so scared that she didn’t dare cry anymore. She took two steps back, then hurried.

As she approached the office door, she seemed to remember something. She turned to look at Vincent and said softly,

– Thank you, Brother Vincent, for saving me. Otherwise, I could have been bitten to death by that snake.

Lyana couldn’t help but think: was this person mentally deficient?

Vincent’s expression darkened again. He glanced at Lyana, then at Louise.

– You should thank her. What does this have to do with me? There’s no room for anyone with bad eyesight in the Sanchez family.

Louise froze. She didn’t expect Vincent to be so ruthless when she spoke to him. She looked at Lyana with teary eyes.

This woman was naturally beautiful and gave off a noble and elegant aura. Even though her arm was injured, her composure was completely unaffected.

Louise was ashamed of herself. Compared to this woman, she was like a stray dog found in the streets.

She lowered her head and said reluctantly,

– Thank you.

With that, Louise walked out, wiping her tears.

Louise had thought Vincent would take good care of her because of her older sister. After all, she was little Lucas’ aunt and she was a relative of the Sanchez family.

How could Vincent treat her like that?

His sister had lost her life because of him.

The more Louise thought about it, the more horrible she felt. She couldn’t help but burst into tears.

In truth, Louise had not gone far. Her sobs could be heard in the study.

Vincent’s expression became ugly. He frowned in displeasure, a wave of irritation washing over him.

Vincent’s gaze fell on the snake and he said impatiently,

– Well, hurry up! Aren’t you going to lock him in the punishment room?

Upon hearing this, the butler picked up the cage and prepared to leave the room.

– Wait a minute.

Lyana walked over to the cage and looked at the snake, which was curled up in a wounded ball.

– Actually, he didn’t do anything wrong. It was just keeping your study.

Vincent looked at Lyana with a complicated expression. His gaze fell on Lyana’s injured arm and he said very seriously,

– But it bit you.

The man’s voice was deeper than ever. There was no emotion in his voice.

She looked at the bite mark on her arm and said:

– The wound on my arm is not too bad. Once the bleeding stops, I’ll apply some medicine, then I’ll be perfectly fine. We can’t punish him just because of an underdog mistake.

He looked closely at Lyana, his eyebrow slightly raised.

– So Mrs. Sanchez thinks I’m not an outsider? Am I part of the family?

Lyana was speechless.

She hadn’t expected Vincent to joke with her. However, hearing Vincent call her Mrs. Sanchez caught her off guard and she was momentarily agitated.

The butler, who was standing off to the side, had never expected such flirtatious words to fall from Vincent’s lips.

At this moment, the butler felt like the biggest third wheel in existence. It was no longer appropriate for him to stay, so he quietly left the room.

Lyana looked unblinkingly at Vincent. She met his dark, glittering eyes and pursed her lips, her throat working slightly.

– I’m talking about the snake and Louise Blanc. This snake is the closest to you.

Vincent looked unblinkingly at Lyana. His gaze fell on her fair, slender neck, and he noticed the movement of her throat. Her cheeks were just a little red and the tips of her ears were also tinged with red. For some reason, she gave off an air of delicacy.

Vincent’s mouth was a little dry, but he quickly regained his usual impassivity. His thin lips parted slightly.

– As long as it doesn’t hurt you anymore, I’ll let him off the hook.

She smiled and looked at the snake in the cage. The snake was looking at her too.

Although the snake bit her, she felt that it was the victim this time.

If the snake had bitten her like last time, she would have boiled the snake alive for its medicinal properties.

More importantly, she could tell that Vincent cared deeply about the snake.

At the thought, Lyana opened the cage and stepped inside.

Vincent’s usually serene eyes narrowed instantly. He looked at her in disbelief, his heart involuntarily rising in his throat.

– Lyana, what are you doing?

The snake continued to flick its tongue at him, looking unblinkingly at Lyana’s arm.

In truth, she was also very nervous. Her gaze fell on the snake’s teeth, which were exposed from time to time. With extreme effort, she put on a calm front.

The temperature in the room dropped.

Lyana carefully placed her hand on the snake’s head, stroking it over and over, as if soothing her hurt feelings.

Perhaps it was because Lyana’s touch was so gentle. The snake didn’t seem to feel any aggression. Instead, it lay obediently at the bottom of the cage, letting Lyana caress it.

Vincent watched this scene in disbelief. He didn’t expect this snake to turn into an obedient and cute kitten under Lyana’s touch.

When she retracted her hand, the snake slithered happily around her wrist.

Lyana couldn’t help but smile. She looked at Vincent and said proudly,

– Look, it won’t hurt me anymore, so you don’t have to lock it up.

Seeing Lyana’s proud expression, the ice in Vincent’s heart seemed to melt.

Lyana’s smile was probably the most natural smile she had worn since arriving at the Sanchez residence. She looked like an innocent child.

– From now on, it’s yours.

– Really?

Lyana was slightly stunned. She looked at Vincent in confusion.

He found himself speechless.

What was he saying?

Was there something wrong with his brain?

Besides his grandmother, this snake was the only woman who was close to him.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.