The girl with light brown hair was already very scared because Max still wasn’t showing any expression. The girl then gently rubbed his back, trying to calm him down. "Brother, I’ll call an ambulance right away. You might need to go to the hospital."

But when the girl stood up, Max held her hand, making Cassie sit back down on the sofa. Mischievously, Max looked at his beloved sister. "Are you really that worried about me?"

Hearing that question, Cassie finally realized she had been tricked. Annoyed, she hit Max's broad chest hard. "Brother! You know how worried I was. I can’t stand seeing anything happen to you. But you always take advantage of me for your own amusement. I hate you!" After saying that, Cassie turned her back to Max, pouting. She crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Max could only chuckle before reaching for her shoulders. "Hey, are you mad? I was just joking."

There was no response from Cassie. It seemed Max had truly made her angry. A sigh escaped from him. "Cassie, come on. I can't stand seeing you this upset."

Without warning, the girl suddenly turned and attacked Max, biting him hard, making him cry out in pain. But Max didn’t stop her and simply closed his eyes, enduring the pain.

After a while, Cassie pulled back, feeling a bit guilty when she saw Max still smiling. "Are you done?" Max asked.

That made tears slowly form at the corners of Cassie’s eyes. "Brother, why did you let me do that? You could have stopped my attack, right?"

But Max just gave her a warm smile. He reached out and wiped the tears from her face. "If you want to do it, then do whatever you want. I’ll never stop you."

Unable to hold back her feelings, Cassie threw herself into Max’s arms. Max, surprised for a moment, began to stroke her back. "Come on, don't cry. You're not a kid anymore."

Just at that moment, the door to Max’s room opened. The two of them quickly pulled away from each other. The first thing Cassie saw was a woman wearing a knee-length skirt paired with a stylish top. And not to mention, her bright red heels added to her appearance.

The woman looked at Cassie with disapproval, though Cassie tried to give her best smile. However, the woman quickly shifted her gaze and turned to Max. "What’s this, Max? You didn’t contact me all day but instead spent time with another girl."

She was Ivanna, a 24-year-old woman who had been close to Max for a long time. Hearing this, Max turned and looked up to meet the face of the girl, who now displayed an irritated expression. "Another girl? Cassie is my sister."

"I know." She then walked around and sat next to Max, positioning herself right between Max and Cassie. Cassie, feeling awkward, shifted uncomfortably.

Noticing Cassie’s discomfort, Max shot a sharp look at Ivanna. "Why are you here? Cassie came first. You should’ve found another seat."

Feeling awkward and uneasy toward Ivanna, Cassie smiled at the two of them. "Brother, don’t worry about me. I have a class schedule at the campus soon, so I’d better leave."

She stood up and grabbed her bag. But as she passed by Max, he grabbed her hand. "I'll drive you."

"No, Brother. You need to stay here and spend time with Ivanna. She came all the way just to see you."

"I wouldn’t forgive myself if something happened to you." Max’s dark eyes stared intensely at Cassie. From his tone alone, she knew her brother wasn’t accepting any objections.

But when her gaze met Ivanna’s, Cassie felt uncomfortable under her sharp stare. So she smiled sweetly at Max. "Don’t you trust me? Brother, your sister can take care of herself. Besides, as you said, I’m not a kid anymore and I need to learn to be independent. Consider this the first step toward starting my adult life."

Hearing that, Ivanna clicked her tongue in frustration, folding her arms and looking away. Meanwhile, Max stared intently at his sister, who was 21 centimeters shorter than him. Then he sighed and nodded.

Something unexpected happened when Max leaned in and planted a soft kiss on Cassie’s forehead. This time, Cassie’s heart raced more than usual, especially when she saw Ivanna’s face turn bright red, as if she was ready to pounce at any moment.

"You have to be careful. If something happens to you, it means something happens to me too," Max said after pulling away.

Cassie smiled and nodded. "I won’t break my promise."

And this time, the girl really did leave Max’s room, leaving behind a sense of unease in his heart as he watched her walk away. "Today you leave my office and I already feel reluctant. If one day you leave my life, I don’t know what would happen to me."

"Do you love her?" The question slipped into Max’s ear.

He awkwardly turned to Ivanna, who was standing beside him with a furious expression. "You’re talking nonsense."

Avoiding Ivanna’s question, he walked past her and sat back down on the sofa. But a few moments later, Ivanna followed and sat down next to him. "How would I know? Max, you care too much about Cassie."

"She’s my sister."

"And I love you."

The two of them were locked in a gaze, trying to convey their feelings through words. After a few moments, Max broke eye contact first, sighed deeply, and rubbed his forehead. "No matter how many times you say the same thing over and over, it won’t change my answer."

"Then do I have to be Cassie for you to love me?" She paused, watching his expression shift. "Without realizing it, Max, you’ve been in love with that girl since the moment you acknowledged her as your sister. Why don’t you just admit your feelings? It would make things easier for other girls who want to get close to you, including me. If you can’t love someone else, at least don’t give them false hope."