The shadowy figure was standing right in front of the wardrobe, rummaging through it. Juliet raised her arm and brought the bat down hard on the intruder's back.
"Ow!"
The person let out a scream of pain.
Juliet knew exactly who it was, but she didn't stop. She hated this person too much—for making her brother suffer and for lusting after her body.
She kept hitting him, chasing him from the bedroom to the living room, the baseball bat now covered in blood.
"Stop! It's me! It's me!"
Her cousin Dick yelled loudly.
Her aunt turned on the living room light, and both she and her husband were horrified.
"What's going on?" Her uncle asked, his voice trembling.
"A thief broke into my room in the middle of the night to steal something! I'm teaching him a lesson!" Juliet was still holding the bat, and Dick's head was bleeding. He felt something sticky on his hands. "Blood, I'm bleeding! What are you doing?!" Dick shouted angrily, wincing in pain.
"Then why were you sneaking into my room in the middle of the night without turning on the light?" Juliet demanded.
"I... I heard something in Mike's room and thought he might be having an attack, so I went in to check on him."
"And why were you searching through the wardrobe if you were checking on Mike?" Juliet turned on the bedroom light. Mike, who had taken his medicine, was sleeping soundly and hadn't woken up. But the place where she kept her underwear was in complete disarray.
Juliet had always known her cousin Dick had a fetish. Despite having a respectable job, he liked to steal her underwear. He would enter her room without knocking, especially in the summer, and once even tried to pry open the bathroom door while she was showering. After that, she never bathed at her aunt's house again.
On the surface, Dick looked clean-cut, wearing glasses and appearing polite and decent. But deep down, he was rotten to the core.
"Juliet, how can you suspect your cousin? We're all family here. You've lived with us for years, and I've always thought of you as a future daughter-in-law. If you marry Dick, we'll be even closer!"
Her aunt was protecting Dick, her heart aching as she saw the wound on his forehead. She couldn't help but voice the thought she'd held onto for years. Marrying within the family—what a disgusting thought! It would probably lead to having a child with Down syndrome.
More importantly, if Dick married Juliet, they could save money, and Juliet would hand over her salary to her aunt. She could keep demanding 3,000 euros a month from Juliet. As for that burden, Mike, they could just send him to a care home and let him fend for himself.
"Aunt, if Mike's illness isn't cured, I won't get married! Besides, even if I do get married, it won't be to a relative! And I certainly wouldn't choose a pervert who steals underwear!" Juliet felt like vomiting. She would never forget the time she found her bra soaked in a white substance.
"Juliet! Who are you calling a pervert? You should consider yourself lucky that I'm interested in you! I'm only being kind! There's a line of girls at the company waiting for a chance with me!"
Dick's eyes, behind his glasses, were dark and sinister. His pale face always gave off a gloomy vibe.
"My Dick is right! What's wrong with marrying a relative? And don't think you'll get away with hitting Dick! Oh, and make sure to transfer next month's living expenses to me later! With prices going up, and you almost done with your internship, you can't keep giving me just 3,000 euros. From now on, give me an extra 1,000 euros every month! You know how troublesome your brother is. He needs constant care, day and night, and has a lot of dietary requirements. Even with 4,000 euros, I have to be frugal!"