Karl only stopped once he was out of the apartment building.

He turned and looked back upstairs.

Though he had said he would leave, second thoughts immediately crept in.

What if he left ... and that man coaxed his sister-in-law into rekindling their old relationship?

... what would happen to his brother then?

And worse—

What would happen to him?

Just the thought of being dragged to the borders and tortured under strict discipline was enough to make him shiver. He wouldn’t survive that kind of life.

"No ... no, sister-in-law wouldn’t be that easy to coax, would she?" he muttered to himself, trying to reassure his racing thoughts.

Glancing up again, he shook his head firmly. "That guy isn’t even handsome ... definitely not a match for her. He—"

Before he could continue, a hand tapped his shoulder.

Karl turned around to find the security guard standing behind him.

"Are you talking about the one who just went upstairs?" the guard asked.

Karl nodded immediately. "Yes. He’s not handsome, is he? He—"

The guard pursed his lips, eyeing Karl from head to toe.

Though Karl was undeniably good-looking for his age, there was still a boyishness to his face —a lack of maturity that made him seem younger than he actually was.

Compared to Xavier, the difference was obvious.

"Dr. Colsen is definitely handsome," the guard said calmly. "A perfect match for Ms. Grace."

That statement instantly made Karl frown.

He had just managed to stabilize his thoughts, and now this man was shaking his confidence again.

Placing his hands on his hips, Karl said indignantly, "How could you say that about my sister-in-law?"

The guard blinked. "Your sister-in-law?"

Karl huffed, clearly unwilling to elaborate. "That man is handsome to you? Do you even know what handsome looks like? Have you seen my brothers? They are what you call handsome. How could you compare that ugly duckling to a word that fits my brothers perfectly?"

The guard was momentarily confused.

Wasn’t "handsome" just a general term for good-looking men?

And from what he had seen earlier, Dr. Colsen was quite good-looking.

"Young man," he said carefully, "if you are here to pursue Ms. Grace, I think you should reconsider. You’re too young for her. Dr. Colsen is a better match."

"Dr. Colsen isn’t a choice at all," Karl shot back immediately. "Only my brother is."

"Your brother?"

Karl nodded with full confidence. "Yes, my brother. If you see him, you’ll finally understand what real handsome looks like. That doctor doesn’t even come close."

He raised his fingers, leaving the tiniest gap between them. "Not even this much."

The guard became slightly flustered.

If Ms. Grace was already involved with someone, then his earlier assumption had been inappropriate.

He quickly straightened and apologized, "I’m sorry. I didn’t know Ms. Grace was seeing someone. Please don’t misunderstand —I was only guessing. Of course, if she’s with your brother, then no one else can compare."

Although the apology was sincere, Karl still wasn’t entirely satisfied.

But since the man had admitted his mistake, Karl decided to let it go.

With a small huff, he said, "My brother suits my sister-in-law. Remember that —and don’t try to match her with anyone else, even in your imagination."

The guard nodded quickly.

After observing Karl for a moment, he asked curiously, "Is your brother really that handsome?"

Karl shot him a side glance. "What do you think?"

The guard shrugged. "I’m not sure. I haven’t seen many truly handsome men. To us, Dr. Colsen is already quite impressive. His warm expression, sharp features, and defined jawline —he looks perfect enough—"

Karl raised his hand abruptly to stop him.

Then he turned fully toward the guard, placing his hands on his hips again.

"Look at me," he said. "Am I good-looking?"

The guard blinked, then nodded.

"More than that doctor?" Karl pressed.

The guard hesitated, scratching his ear. "That ... you two are different. You’re younger, while Dr. Colsen has more mature features, better for women of Ms. Grace’s age."

Karl clicked his tongue in irritation. "Then imagine me when I grow older. Would I be more handsome than him?"

This time, the guard didn’t hesitate. He nodded.

"Then understand this," Karl said proudly. "My looks don’t even reach half of my brother’s."

The guard tried to picture it.

And when he did, he found himself unable to argue. After all, looks clearly run in DNA.

If that was true ... then Dr. Colsen truly couldn’t compare.

After all, Ms. Grace was exceptionally beautiful. It would only make sense for her to be with someone equally outstanding.

"Then why doesn’t your sister-in-law live with your brother?" the guard asked. "Did they have a fight and that’s why they are living separately?"

Karl frowned—

But then something clicked in his mind.

Instead of answering, he muttered to himself, "Right ... if sister-in-law lives with Big Brother, no one would be able to steal her away."

The guard nodded in agreement. "Exactly. Your brother should be more attentive. Otherwise, he can’t blame others. If he doesn’t try, someone else will."

He leaned in slightly and added, "Do you know how much Dr. Colsen has already done?"

Karl froze. "He did something?" he asked, blinking.

The guard nodded. "Of course. Why do you think I let him in? He clearly seems to be pursuing Ms. Grace. The other day, he waited for outside for hours ... until midnight. And he did the same even today in the morning."

"Persistence always wins. What if—"

Before he could finish, Karl shook his head firmly.

"No. My sister-in-law can’t be won over like that," he said stubbornly. "I’ll make sure my brother drives him away."

And with that, he didn’t linger any longer.

Turning on his heel, he broke into a run—

Straight to find his brother.

—————

Meanwhile—

Upstairs—

Xavier stood still, his gaze fixed on Adelyn, as though trying to read through her silence.

But it was impossible.

"Did you get married, Adelyn?" he asked again.

Adelyn frowned —but didn’t answer.

Not because she couldn’t.

But because she didn’t want to.

Instead, she stepped aside and said calmly, "Since you want to talk, come inside."

Without waiting for his response, she turned and walked in—

Leaving the door open for him to follow.