Jasper heard him and almost chuckled.

When Karl turned to stare at him—

He didn’t bother hiding his amusement. Instead, he asked casually,

"You think you can decide for Big Brother?"

Karl wanted to retort —why not?

But the moment he remembered they were talking about none other but their Old Demon—

His courage shrank instantly.

Even if he died a thousand times and came back to life—

He still wouldn’t dare decide anything on behalf of his brother.

He didn’t have that capability.

But that didn’t mean he would just stand by and let his sister-in-law be wronged.

Turning back to Dylan, he urged anxiously,

"Big Brother, I know I can’t make decisions for you. But you need to understand —signing this contract will only make things difficult between you and sister-in-law. You won’t be able to explain it to her ... and that will create distance between you two."

"I’ve seen it happen so many times in short dramas," he added, revealing the root of his fear. "And when that happens, the male lead and female lead separate —and there’s no getting back together."

If that happened ...

What would they do?

Just the thought alone was enough to make his chest tighten.

He shook his head slightly, trying to push away the dreadful imagination.

Eira wouldn’t be able to handle losing her mother again.

And he ...

He wouldn’t be able to bear losing such a capable sister-in-law either.

"No ... Big Brother, please don’t sign it," he insisted desperately. "I can’t watch you and sister-in-law fall apart."

Jasper, listening from the side, was thoroughly entertained.

"What kind of trash plots are you even watching?" he scoffed. "No wonder your brain functions worse than a gutter."

"What gutter?!" Karl snapped instantly, already on edge. "Those plots aren’t entirely trash! They show what happens when someone betrays the other. There’s no coming back from that and—"

Before he could continue—

From the corner of his eye, he caught a subtle movement.

His body stiffened.

He turned abruptly—

And just as he feared—

Dylan’s pen had already moved.

His signature flowed effortlessly across the bottom of the page.

Karl froze.

"Big Brother, don’t—"

Too late.

The elegant signature was already there.

What difference could his words make now?

He had already signed.

Jasper wasn’t surprised in the slightest.

He had expected this outcome from the very beginning.

What he hadn’t expected—

Was how entertaining this entire situation would be.

Dylan closed the file calmly and handed it back to Jasper.

"I’ll leave this in your hands," he said. "But inform them —I may occasionally visit the set for inspection."

Jasper nodded smoothly.

"Of course," he replied, then cast a brief glance at Karl before adding deliberately,

"I’ll let them know you might make frequent surprise visits."

Karl glared at him.

Inspection?

Bullsh*t.

There was no way that was just about inspection.

Who was Jasper trying to fool?

What he couldn’t understand was—

Why wasn’t his Big Brother seeing through such an obvious ploy?

Had he gone blind?

"Big Brother ..." Karl’s voice nearly broke. "You really signed it. You’re really not afraid that sister-in-law will misunderstand you?"

"She won’t misunderstand me," Dylan replied calmly.

"What if she does?" Karl pressed, clearly on the verge of collapse. "What if she leaves you? Is this little profit worth risking your relationship with her?"

Dylan looked at him for a moment—

Then rose to his feet.

His hand slipped casually into his pocket, his posture relaxed yet commanding.

Karl braced himself, expecting to be dismissed—

But instead, Dylan said—

"She’s worth everything."

Karl blinked.

For a moment, his mind went blank.

She’s worth everything?

Who?

His sister-in-law?

Before he could ask—

Dylan had already turned away.

"Leave," he said coolly. "You’ve both had enough fun."

Karl almost choked.

Fun?

Did his brother really think he had been joking this whole time?

He was about to protest—

But before he could speak, Jasper stepped in.

"Alright, Big Brother. We won’t disturb you anymore," he said smoothly.

Karl shot him a glare, ready to argue—

But Jasper didn’t give him the chance.

He grabbed Karl by the arm and dragged him out, only letting go once they were completely outside the house.

"You —what are you doing?" Karl snapped, clearly offended. "I was talking to Big Brother! How can you drag me out like that?"

"I can," Jasper replied calmly, "and that’s exactly why I did."

"You—"

"Big Brother had enough of you," Jasper cut him off. "That’s why he told you to leave. Didn’t you hear him?"

Karl pressed his lips tightly.

"He misunderstood me. I needed to explain it better. He—"

"Karl," Jasper interrupted again, his tone more serious now. "Why do you always forget who Dylan Warren is? Do you really think he would misunderstand something so simple?"

Karl frowned.

"He clearly did. He—"

"He didn’t," Jasper said firmly. "He didn’t misunderstand anything. And he definitely wasn’t tricked by me."

He let out a low chuckle, placing a hand on Karl’s shoulder.

"He’s Dylan Warren. No one can trick him into doing something he doesn’t want to do. Not even me."

Karl’s expression shifted.

His brows drew together as he stared at Jasper, unwilling to accept it so easily.

Yes, his brother was difficult to deal with—

But this time, it was obvious.

He had been manipulated.

If not—

Why would he sign a contract that could create misunderstandings with sister-in-law?

Unless ...

Karl hesitated —then asked slowly,

"If he wasn’t tricked ... does that mean he signed it willingly? Even after knowing everything?"

Jasper blinked at him.

"Didn’t you just watch him sign it?" he said matter-of-factly. "Of course, he did it willingly."

Karl’s frown deepened.

"But you clearly had your own motives behind involving him in this deal," he insisted.

Jasper smiled —completely unbothered.

"Exactly," he admitted again. "But what made you think he doesn’t want to be involved?"

He tilted his head slightly, amusement flickering in his eyes.

"Have you ever considered ... that he might be very willing?"