My First Love Died, Now My Step Uncle Wants Me-Chapter 84: She’s Mine Now

"Caleb, what is she doing here?"

Leo Rhodes looked at his own brother holding his wife’s young niece, and something about it just felt strange.

But he didn’t dwell on it, merely frowning deeply. "The Joyce family has been looking for her. Did you hide her? No wonder they couldn’t find her anywhere!"

At his words, Nina Wynn trembled even more violently, and she subconsciously grabbed Caleb Rhodes’s wrist. Caleb patted her back a few times and said in a low voice, "Don’t be afraid. I’m here."

He looked at his older brother, the chill in his eyes deepening instead of receding. "Brother, what brings you here?"

Leo’s gaze fell on Nina, who was still in Caleb’s arms, and his expression turned openly displeased. "First, why don’t you tell me why she’s here?"

Caleb didn’t answer. Tightening his hold on Nina, he strode into the house.

Once inside, he set Nina down on the sofa. Just as he was about to straighten up, she clutched the corner of his shirt. Her delicate face was drained of all color, and in just those few moments, a fine sweat had dampened the hair at her temples.

She didn’t speak, just looked up at Caleb, her eyes—which had yet to regain their clarity—filled with obvious anxiety.

Caleb gently wiped the sweat from her forehead, then lightly pressed his fingers against her soft lips. "Nina Wynn, no one can bully you here."

His voice was low and deep, with a weight that inspired an involuntary sense of trust.

Nina seemed to relax a little but still wouldn’t let go of his shirt. Her unfocused, dark eyes stared at him. "Are you going to tell them about our relationship?"

Caleb looked at her, his voice cold and heavy. "Do you want them to know?"

Nina shook her head vigorously, her breathing growing ragged. "No, I’m begging you, don’t say anything. Uncle, please, don’t say anything."

A shadow of gloom crossed Caleb’s eyes, and his tone turned frigid. "Nina Wynn, sometimes I just want to crack your head open and see what you’re thinking!"

Just then, Leo Rhodes walked in.

He was clearly displeased with how Caleb was protecting and caring for Nina. "Caleb," he said, annoyed, "by keeping her here, you’re making an enemy of the Joyce family."

Nina flinched, and her hand, which had been clutching Caleb’s shirt, fell to her side.

She lowered her head and fell silent.

She had always respected and feared Leo, but he was also a stranger. Still, she had always believed this uncle-in-law of hers wouldn’t stand by and watch her die. She never imagined he would one day stand before her, so ready to disregard her very life.

’Then again, it’s not that surprising. My own aunt wishes I were dead, so what does it matter if her husband wants the same?’

Caleb glanced at Nina, his expression darkening.

He said coldly, "So we should just watch her die? Let the Joyce family destroy her, throw her in prison? Let them bully and abuse her as they please?"

Leo was left speechless by the retort. After a long moment, he said, "It wouldn’t go as far as killing her or letting people abuse her. Even though she’s not a proper member of the Rhodes family, no one would dare to hurt her on our turf."

"Is that so?"

Caleb’s gaze swept to the left, landing on Crystal Rhodes, who had just walked in.

A sudden chill entered his voice. "What if it’s a member of the Rhodes family who bullies her?"

Leo frowned deeply. "Caleb, there’s no need to disrupt the family’s peace over her."

Caleb said coolly, "Brother, are you that afraid of the Joyce family?"

Leo frowned. "It’s not about being afraid. I just think that since the Nash Group is currently partners with Reboot Technologies, there’s no need to completely alienate the Joyce family over someone unimportant."

"Someone unimportant?"

Caleb snapped his head up, his eyes landing on Lana Shaw, who was just walking over from the hallway. A hint of sarcasm surfaced in his gaze. "Your previous wife had only been dead for a few months when you, Brother, ignored everyone’s objections to marry your one true love, Lana Shaw. Is her young niece now ’someone unimportant’?"

"Or has Lana Shaw gone from the cinnabar mole on your heart to a smear of mosquito blood on the wall?"

Leo’s face changed abruptly. "Caleb, what are you trying to say?"

Caleb’s expression was exceptionally cold. "To you, Nina Wynn might be unimportant, but she has lived with the Rhodes family for so many years. Even if you’d raised a cat for ten years, you’d have developed some feelings for it."

By this time, Lana Shaw had walked over.

With her slightly protruding belly, she carried herself with the air of a hostess. Just moments before, she had been directing two servants to rearrange a pair of antique vases in Caleb’s hallway.

Now that the true master of the house had returned, her domineering attitude softened. She quickly put on the air of a concerned sister-in-law and smiled. "Caleb, you’re back! Look at this place. A home without a woman in it has no warmth. If you ask me, you should hurry up and get with Rosalind Lowell—"

Her gaze suddenly fell upon Nina on the sofa, and she cried out, "Nina!"

Nina stood up and tugged on Caleb’s shirt, her voice trembling. "Uncle, I want to go back to my room."

At that moment, Lana Shaw lunged forward and grabbed Nina’s arm. "Where have you been? You caused such a huge mess, where did you go? You wretched girl, all you do from morning till night is cause trouble! Come on, you’re coming with me to beg the Joyce family for forgiveness—"

Before she could finish, a large hand clamped around her wrist like an iron vise.

"Ah, that hurts!"

She looked up to see Caleb staring at her, his eyes glacial. The murderous intent in his gaze sent an unbidden wave of fear through her.

She was already terrified of this brother-in-law, and now, with him gripping her wrist so forcefully it felt like he was about to snap it in two, her fear intensified.

She flinched back in terror.

Fortunately, the moment she let go of Nina, Caleb released her as well.

The scene caused Leo to lose face. His expression darkened as he looked at his younger brother, his voice filled with reprimand. "Caleb, she is your sister-in-law, and she’s pregnant! Don’t you think you’re going too far?"

Caleb’s demeanor was exceedingly cold. "Who my real sister-in-law is... surely you haven’t forgotten, have you, Brother?"

Lana Shaw’s face paled, but she didn’t dare speak. She could only redirect her resentment toward Nina, glaring at her furiously.

Caleb took a step forward, shielding Nina behind him. He said coolly, "Brother, Sister-in-law, there is something I should inform you about."

"Since you don’t want to be responsible for Nina, and you’re afraid she’ll cause trouble for the Rhodes family, then starting today, I will be taking over her education and her life."

His indifferent eyes turned to Lana Shaw, and his voice was just as flat as he spoke, word by word, "From now on, Nina’s affairs will have nothing to do with you, Sister-in-law. She is no longer your niece."

As soon as he finished speaking, he felt Nina tug at his shirt from behind, her body trembling.

He reached a hand behind him, gave her soft hand a gentle squeeze, and then let go.

Apparently, no one noticed this small gesture.

Everyone was stunned by his words.

Lana Shaw, in particular, stared at Caleb in disbelief. "Caleb, what do you mean?"

Caleb’s expression was frigid, his voice just as cold. "Exactly what it sounds like."

He paused, his expression growing even colder. "I am informing you today, not asking for your opinion. I trust you understand, Brother, Sister-in-law."

Just then, Nina tugged at his shirt from behind and whispered, "Uncle, she’s still my aunt."

The frost in Caleb’s eyes deepened. He looked toward the butler who was preparing tea. "Warner Zimmerman, Nina isn’t feeling well. Take her to her room to rest."

As the butler came over and led Nina away, Leo and Lana finally noticed that something was wrong with her.

Lana’s expression was extremely ugly. She started forward to grab Nina but was held back by Leo.

Only after Nina’s figure disappeared down the hallway did Leo speak, his expression complicated. "She can’t see?"

Caleb retracted his gaze, his demeanor frigid. "That’s right. The psychological stress caused temporary blindness."

He stared at Lana Shaw and said coldly, "Two months ago, Nina was hit by a bus. She was thrown a great distance, but she got up and ran away."

Watching Lana’s face grow uglier by the second, the coldness in his eyes deepened. "Three days later, I found her in an old residential complex. She had several broken ribs, one of which had pierced her liver. When I got to her, her abdomen was so swollen it was almost translucent. She was on the verge of death."

Recalling the scene, Caleb could still feel the bone-deep chill of that moment. It was then that he made up his mind about one thing: Nina Wynn had to survive in this world.

He stared at Lana Shaw, the chill in his eyes growing more profound. "In the three days between when Nina had her accident and when I found her, you must have known something happened to her, Sister-in-law. And yet, you never asked a single question. Not even once in the past two or three months have you asked about Nina."

Lana Shaw’s face went white, and her lips trembled, but in the end, she couldn’t utter a single word.

Leo, however, frowned deeply. "So, are you blaming us?"

Caleb didn’t want to explain any further. He withdrew his gaze, his expression extremely cold. "Since Nina is a burden that you, Sister-in-law, found troublesome and unwanted, you threw her away. I picked her up. From now on, she has nothing to do with either of you."

His tone was light, but it carried a sharp warning.

Lana Shaw said with a pale face, "It’s not like that. I didn’t neglect her. It’s just that she’s had an odd personality since she was a child—unfriendly, always hiding away. Sometimes we couldn’t find her for days. Later, when she grew up, there were rumors about her reputation. I was afraid she would tarnish the Rhodes family’s name, so I didn’t dare get too close to her."

After a pause, she added, "No matter what, she’s still my niece..."

"Not anymore," Caleb cut her off directly. "Also, Nina’s household registration book and the house her mother left her—I’ll have you return those to her as well, Sister-in-law."

Lana Shaw was dumbfounded, stammering, "H-House? What house...?"

Caleb’s cold gaze swept over her face. The pressure from someone long accustomed to being in power left Lana struggling to breathe. Within seconds, her face turned ashen, and she forced a smile. "I’d completely forgotten until you mentioned it. That’s right, there was something like that. Before her mother died, she asked me to transfer the house to Nina once she turned twenty."

"But, she’s been hanging out with a shady crowd. I was afraid she’d sell the house or get swindled..."

Caleb cut her off again. "Now that she’s with me, these are no longer your concerns, Sister-in-law. Please have the documents sent over later. I will handle the transfer for her."

Lana Shaw fell silent and tugged insistently at Leo’s sleeve.

Leo was a man who cared about his reputation, and he didn’t think much of a single house anyway. He said lightly, "If it’s hers, then return it to her sooner rather than later."

He softened his tone slightly and added, "Caleb, we’re brothers. Let’s not take things too far."

Caleb didn’t reply. He simply walked around them and sat down on the sofa.

On the coffee table, a pot of freshly brewed Longjing tea was slowly releasing steam.

Through the curling wisps of steam, his face was obscured.

After a long while, he finally asked blandly, "Brother, was there something you came to see me about?"

Leo breathed a sigh of relief. He went over, patted Caleb’s shoulder, and managed a smile. "What could it be? You haven’t been home in days. Dad asked me to come check on you and also to discuss Weston and Crystal’s engagement."

Caleb picked up the cigarette pack on the table and lit one, but didn’t smoke it. His expression was detached. "She’s your daughter, Brother. You don’t need to consult me about her marriage."

Leo didn’t catch the deeper meaning in his words. He sat down as well and started chatting idly.

In the bedroom, the butler brought Nina a set of loungewear and helped her change.

Then he brought her a glass of warm milk and watched her drink it.

After he had done all this and was about to leave, Nina called out to him in a small voice.

"Butler Zimmerman, are my uncle and the others still talking?"

The butler nodded. "Yes, they are."

Nina’s face began to pale again. She asked in a low voice, "Did my aunt hand me over to my uncle?"

Having spent the last few days with her, the butler felt a certain pity for her. Seeing how worried she looked, he said softly, "Miss Wynn, you’re already twenty years old. You’re an independent adult. There’s no question of anyone ’handing you over’ to someone else."

Nina clenched her fists, her unfocused eyes turning toward the butler. "But my aunt is my only relative in the world."

The butler said, "Family doesn’t always mean kindness, nor does it mean they will treat you well. Miss Wynn, don’t overthink it. The Third Lord Master won’t mistreat you. Anything you want, he can give you."

Nina didn’t say anything more.

After a while, she asked, "Is my uncle going to marry Miss Lowell?"

The butler’s expression was impassive. "I wouldn’t know about that," he said coolly.

Nina pressed, "When are they getting married?"

The butler shook his head. "That is something you’ll have to ask the Third Lord Master yourself."

Nina fell silent again. She fumbled her way to the bed and sat leaning against the headboard, lost in thought.

After another moment, the butler said, "Miss Wynn, if there is nothing else, I will take my leave."

Nina didn’t respond.

The butler was used to her behavior. He picked up the empty milk glass and turned to leave.

Just as he reached the door, he heard Nina’s voice again. "Butler Zimmerman, my hay fever has been acting up these past few days. Please don’t put any more white roses in my room."

The butler acknowledged her request and left the room.

He didn’t notice a figure leaning against the wall at the nearby corner.

The moment the butler’s silhouette disappeared, the person quickly entered Nina’s room.