Chapter 47: Does Brother Like Miss Thorne?

At this moment, Ms. Dan was still hovering at the door, hesitating between making a run for it or quietly "disposing" of Seren Thorne.

Seeing the two emerge from the bathroom, she instinctively rushed forward to block their path.

However, before she could utter any threats, Seren spoke up indifferently: "You’re still not running?

"If you don't leave now, once I tell Sebastian North about this, I'm afraid your life won't be yours to keep."

Ms. Dan was clearly terrified by Seren’s words. Ignoring everything else, she turned and bolted, attempting to flee before Seren could inform Sebastian about her abuse of Lydia North.

Watching Ms. Dan’s retreating back as she scrambled to escape, Seren leisurely took out her phone to call Sebastian.

This woman named Dan was truly slow-witted; did she really think she could get away?

"Mr. North, your sister was beaten by her tutor and has quite a few injuries. I am taking Miss North to the hospital now; have your people intercept that tutor."

Sebastian processed the information with incredible speed. Without any unnecessary chatter, he said: "Take Lydia back to her bedroom. I’ll call the family doctor over."

He didn't mention how he would handle Ms. Dan, but Seren had already seen a thick black aura on the woman's face earlier. Knowing that she wouldn't just fail to escape but would also suffer immensely, Seren wasn't in a hurry.

Hanging up the phone, Seren led Lydia to the second floor and returned her to her bedroom.

Lydia seemed dazed with terror from the tutor's abuse; her body remained tense even after they went upstairs.

Seren helped the girl lie halfway back on the bed and tried to release her hand, but Lydia clung tightly to her arm, refusing to let go.

Although the girl couldn't speak, Seren easily understood from her body language that she wanted her to stay.

Seren had a good impression of the girl, and combined with her sympathy for the girl's fate in the original book, her heart softened and she stayed.

The two waited in the bedroom for about ten minutes before Sebastian entered with the family doctor.

By now, Lydia’s emotions had mostly stabilized, and she sat quietly beside Seren.

When Sebastian entered and saw the faint red handprint still visible on his sister's face, his eyes instantly turned cold and sharp. He strode to the bedside.

"Lydia, you..."

Sebastian’s aura was incredibly oppressive. Lydia trembled with fear and instinctively shrank behind Seren.

Sebastian’s hand, reaching out to touch her, froze in mid-air. His thin lips pressed into a tight line.

His parents had passed away when he was just starting middle school; he was fourteen then, and Lydia was only four.

With their parents gone, he naturally assumed the role of a strict father figure. Usually busy with work, he spent very little time with Lydia, and on the rare occasions he returned, he was often full of discipline and scolding.

In all these years, he had never interacted with his sister in a gentle, pleasant manner like other siblings. It was no wonder Lydia was afraid of him.

Sebastian silently withdrew his hand, trying to make his voice as soft as possible for Lydia: "Lydia, besides your face, are you hurt anywhere else?"

Sebastian was accustomed to being stern with the outside world; using such a gentle tone was inevitably a bit stiff.

Lydia was still somewhat afraid of him. She continued to cling tightly to Seren, only freeing one hand to roll up her pant leg and expose a portion of her arm, gesturing to Sebastian that there were injuries on her limbs as well.

Seeing those scars—some fresh, some old and overlapping—Sebastian felt his heart tighten.

He had thought that as long as he provided Lydia with excellent material conditions, he was giving her the best life possible.

He never imagined that in the corners where he wasn't looking, his own sister was being bullied to this extent.

What pained him even more was that his sister was so terrified that she didn't even dare tell him, which meant that in her eyes, he had never been her source of support.

Sebastian suppressed his heartache and let the doctor apply medicine to Lydia.

He originally wanted to stay with his sister himself and let Seren go downstairs to rest, but Lydia wouldn't let go of Seren. Left with no choice, Sebastian could only ask Seren to stay and keep Lydia company for a while longer.

While the doctor applied the medicine, Sebastian went to the balcony. he spent over half an hour making consecutive phone calls, arranging a psychologist for Lydia and inquiring about the best schools for the deaf and mute in the city. He planned to send her to school once her emotions were stabilized.

Previously, he always felt that as long as he provided Lydia with a good enough education at home, she didn't need to go to school; his sister could spend her whole life as an innocent little princess in the North house.

But looking at it now, that method of education was clearly unworkable.

If he had sent Lydia to school earlier, letting her live and study like other children, or if he had hired more people to watch over her, perhaps she wouldn't have developed such a timid and cowardly personality.

By the time he finished his arrangements and returned to the room, the doctor had finished applying the medicine and left.

He walked over and comforted his sister for a few moments. Seren waited until he was finished before asking: "Have the Moores left?"

Sebastian nodded. "I had someone send them away before I came up."

After saying this, he added: "My engagement with Jasmine has also been completely canceled. There will be no further involvement."

Seren didn't stop to think why he went out of his way to clarify that. Lydia, however, seemed to realize something. Her gaze shifted between the two of them, and a faint spark of light began to glow in her dim, fearful eyes.

She poked her head out from behind Seren and gestured toward Sebastian with both hands.

Seren didn't understand sign language and didn't know what the girl was saying.

Sebastian, however, understood perfectly.

His sister was asking if he liked Seren Thorne.

Sebastian was silent for a few seconds before answering his sister: "Miss Thorne is already married. She is Alaric Vane's wife."

He answered that she was married, not that he didn't like her.

Lydia didn't catch the nuance. Upon learning that there was no possibility between her brother and the beautiful lady, her eyes dimmed instantly. She shrank back into her shell, holding Seren’s hand and falling silent.

Seren couldn't understand sign language, but seeing that Sebastian’s answer concerned her, she asked casually: "Young Master North, what was Miss North saying?"

Sebastian paused, choosing to lie: "She said you look familiar and asked me who you were."

Seren nodded understandingly and didn't ask further, turning instead to business: "Mr. North, I asked you to prepare your uncle's birth date and a photo. Is that ready?"

Sebastian nodded and took out a file, handing it to Seren.

"Everything is here. Besides his birth date and photo, there is some basic information. See if you can use these to figure out whether the will in his hands is real or fake, and where it came from."