''I am not your sister. Please refrain...'' the young girl held a palm up elegantly as she spoke up, ''...from addressing me as such.''
''Pity that you are forgetting that I go by the name Roman Vetrov,'' Roman who seemed to be around the same age as Zayden glanced at the little girl who was half his age.
Leona did not back down, ''Pity that you got the surname in charity.''
The girl's words seemed to have stabbed a sword in Roman's heart as his face twisted viciously while he glared at the little girl.
Leona was about to say something when her vision went black. The boy she had protected from Roman suddenly stood in front of her like a huge wall, separating her from Roman and preventing her from seeing him. She stood on her tiptoes but she was too short to even rich his shoulder.
Zayden could feel the little girl's struggle behind his back and he felt clueless as to why he stood in front of her defensively when the boy glared at her.
Logically, it was not his place to meddle in their matters but then it was also not hers to come to his rescue and defend him the way she did
While the surroundings were stiff and nobody was saying a word, Leona finally stepped to the side and looked up at Zayden. She had seen the boy standing by her father's side the moment she descended the stairs and before she came here, she had already known that her father had brought his friend's son with him.
She could not help but look at his dishevelled outlook and wonder, 'Why is he in such a condition?' Had she not seen that he had been like that since he was following her father, she would have thought that Roman had a hand in it.
''Are you still not leaving?"
Zayden watched as the girl reclaimed his position by standing in front of him again as if she was trying to be a shield.
''Are you siding with an outsider over your brother?"
Leona's face had a trace of anger. She always felt so uncomfortable when this person addressed himself as her brother.
''This beggar...''
''Be mindful of what you say,'' Leona turned to look at the tall boy behind her, ''He is not an outsider.''
Roman laughed.
''That's right.''
Roman's laughter, however, died down when he heard the stern voice. It belonged to Emil Vetrov who had walked up to the scene at some point.
"Daddy,'' Leona's eyes lit up.
Emil looked at the little girl who was standing in front of the young boy in a protective stance and nodded in satisfaction as if that was how everything was supposed to be.
He turned to look at Roman, his eyes filled with disappointment, ''As an elder brother, you have to protect your sister from unwanted dangers but you have no qualms in becoming a danger for her.''
Roman was a boy in his teens so he naturally heard the blame in his father's tone, ''I didn't...'' In fact, if he wanted to hurt Leona then he would not have let the little girl trample on his face to this extent in front of his friends.
''And regarding your sister defending Zayden...''
Roman's eyes glowed as he waited for Leona to be scolded but as seconds trickled by, his father's expression did not budge. The commotion had attracted the attention of the guests who were observing the scene curiously. They soon got the gist of the situation. One was the man's illegitimate son while the other was his legitimate daughter and both of them were fighting over a young boy who did not seem to have any special identity. So, they were wondering how Master Vetrov was going to deal with the situation.
But Emil's consequent words stunned everyone, including Roman who looked at the boy whom he had treated as beggar while he heard his father's words.
''From now on, Zayden is a member of the Vetrov Family. I am taking him in as my adopted son,'' As he said that, he turned to look at Roman and coldly said, ''From now on, you are a family. So, don't forget your limits.''
Gasps and murmurs rose in the hall. Although nobody dared to raise their voice but they could stop themself from discussing what was happening.
Who was this boy? Which family did he belong to? Why was Master Vetrov so protective about him?
At this point, the boy in question stepped forward, ''I don't accept this.''
Everyone was shocked.
The boy... was he rejecting what they thought he was rejecting?