The way he called her "sister-in-law" was crisp and loud.

After calling her that, he even stood up and walked over to Scarlett Yates, reached his hand out first, then gave a suave, roguish smile and called out generously, "Sister-in-law, hurry and go talk some sense into our Young Master Saxon, or in another minute he’s going to beat Knox to death."

Just now the lighting had been dim, and with Knox Simmons suddenly jumping out, Scarlett hadn’t had the time to size up anyone else.

Now a handsome man abruptly appeared in front of her, and he kept calling her sister-in-law; Scarlett froze for a second, and her face flushed red all at once.

She glanced at the hand held out in front of her, then reached out to shake it; compared to the man’s natural ease, she seemed a little ill at ease.

It was the first time someone had called her sister-in-law; she really wasn’t used to it, not used to it at all.

Once the first person called her sister-in-law, a few others followed suit, teasing as they chimed in: "With Matthew’s temper, no one can talk him down. Only you, sister-in-law—only if you step in can that punk Knox keep his little life."

"Everyone knows you’re the apple of Matthew’s eye—he’s afraid you’ll melt if he holds you in his mouth, afraid you’ll fall if he holds you in his hands. Your words work better than an imperial decree."

"This is the first time I’ve seen Matthew beat Knox this hard, and it’s all for you, sister-in-law."

These proud young heirs were meeting Scarlett Yates for the first time, but with the sharp eyes they’d honed over the years, they could tell at a glance just how much Matthew Saxon valued Scarlett.

Naturally, they wouldn’t dare slight her.

In the past, the women Matthew brought around weren’t even worth a proper look from them; getting them to actually call someone sister-in-law was no easy feat.

Even though they were a little unwilling inside—having to call a little girl younger than them "sister-in-law"—they also had a younger brother themselves, so what could they say.

With these guys calling her "sister-in-law" over and over, no matter how much Scarlett tried to pretend to be calm, her face slowly turned completely red.

She stood there, a bit at a loss.

Over there Knox Simmons was still screaming miserably.

Scarlett felt Knox kind of brought this on himself.

There’s that saying: you don’t mess with your buddy’s wife; and yet he’d just yelled about taking her to roam the world right in front of Matthew Saxon—wasn’t that just begging for a beating?

This was a textbook case of someone itching for a beating. Since he was asking for it, he could just wait to get hit; she didn’t see much need to intervene.

Anyway, Matthew Saxon was never actually going to beat Knox Simmons to death.

It was just the usual roughhousing between a few bad friends; as a bystander, it was perfectly fine for her to just stand aside and watch.

But now that a whole bunch of people were yelling for her to go stop it, one joke after another, Scarlett couldn’t just stay a pure spectator anymore.

Amid all the jeering, her lips moved; blushing, she softly called out to Matthew Saxon, "Everyone says to let it go, so just let it go. He was only joking around, and this punishment’s already enough."

The moment Scarlett spoke up for him, Knox Simmons immediately turned his head to look at her.

His long, soulful Peach Blossom Eyes were brimming with tears; his eyes were red as he looked at her pitifully.

He looked just like a bullied little puppy gazing up at its owner.

Scarlett’s heart instantly softened.

She hated it when men cried the most; she always felt real men don’t shed tears easily, and a guy who cries at the drop of a hat is totally useless.

But Knox Simmons’s tears could make every woman’s heart ache for him.

That ache stirred up all of a woman’s innate maternal instinct—while feeling sorry for him, she also wanted to help him and protect him.