Being Dumped by My EX, I Marriied His Older Brother-Chapter 74: Next Time, You’re Kicked Out of the Kane Family

Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Next Time, You’re Kicked Out of the Kane Family

Back at the old Kane residence, Nina Thorne remained silent.

"What, scared to swear an oath?"

Serena Kane’s voice rose to a shriek as she sneered, "You all see this? She has a guilty conscience, so she doesn’t dare to swear."

The few people present all had different expressions.

Old Master Kane and his son, Ethan Kane, both looked grave.

Cole Kane also wanted to hear what Nina Thorne had to say, so he didn’t stop Serena Kane’s interrogation.

And that was to say nothing of Felicia Yates’s attitude.

Before, Felicia Yates had been polite to her for the sake of the Thorne Family, but now things had escalated to a broken engagement.

With what happened last night on top of it all, she definitely wouldn’t let Nina get away with it easily.

"Nina Thorne, you’d better answer Serena’s question honestly and clearly," Felicia Yates pressed, closing in.

With her support, Serena Kane became even more aggressive. "You don’t dare to swear because you and Big Brother have been secretly hooking up for ages! Isn’t that right?"

The reason she was so certain was that a paparazzi had successfully snapped an intimate photo of the two of them and sent it to her.

But infuriatingly, the paparazzo was too clever—it was a disappearing photo that self-destructed immediately after being viewed.

Then, her video from last night had been tampered with; otherwise, Nina Thorne would have had no way to deny it.

Nina Thorne met her venomous gaze with composure, refusing to be drawn into her rhythm. The corner of her mouth lifted in a cold smile. "The one who played that video at the Lawson Family’s house last night was you, not me."

"In the video, you were the one hugging Cole Kane, saying you didn’t want to be his little sister and that you wanted to be with him. Now you’re turning it around and trying to frame me. Do you want to rewatch the video, or are you just trying to muddy the waters?"

Serena Kane shrieked at the top of her lungs, "You’re the one who set me up! Nina Thorne, you are so vicious."

"Just because Second Brother didn’t go get the marriage certificate with you that day, you hated me to the bone, so you faked a video to ruin my reputation!"

"You did all this just because you were afraid I’d expose your affair with Big Brother! Nina Thorne, you’re completely shameless..."

Serena Kane’s shrill voice echoed through the living room. Her face was contorted with rage and hatred, all traces of her usual delicate image gone.

It was too loud.

"Silence."

Old Master Kane struck his cane heavily on the floor, his expression stern. "Acting so barbaric, don’t you dare tell anyone you’re part of the Kane Family!"

Serena Kane’s face went pale with fright, and she immediately fell silent, lowering her head.

In the Kane Family, besides Justin Kane, the only other person she feared was Old Master Kane.

"I seem to have forgotten. You were never a member of my Kane Family to begin with. Your surname is Luo, not Kane," Old Master Kane said, his face severe and his tone cold.

Serena Kane stood perfectly straight with her legs together, looking obedient. Her head was bowed low, and she anxiously twisted her fingers as her eyes reddened with grievance.

"Dad, how could you say something like that to Serena?"

Felicia Yates came to her defense. "Dad, we still haven’t determined if the video from last night is real or fake. We can’t jump to conclusions this quickly."

"Besides, the issue at hand is about Nina Thorne and Justin. If they’re in that kind of relationship or not, they should just say so."

"If they’re not, swearing an oath isn’t that hard."

Felicia Yates once again turned the focus to Nina Thorne, seemingly unwilling to let the matter drop until the bitter end.

"Nina Thorne, while everyone is here, make your position clear," Cole Kane said, looking at her with a hopeful expression.

Deep down, he felt a strange fear of hearing an answer he didn’t want to hear.

Nina Thorne gave him a fleeting, indifferent glance before looking away, her eyes cold and distant.

Cole Kane’s fists slowly clenched, and his throat felt incredibly tight.

She used to practically cling to him, wanting to share every detail of her day, always looking for topics so they could talk a little longer.

But now, she had become so distant that she wasn’t even willing to speak to him.

Seeing the distance between them, Serena Kane was secretly pleased.

’As long as Cole doesn’t believe Nina, I have a way to resolve what happened last night. Otherwise, I’m afraid it will be difficult for me to maintain my footing in the Kane Family in the future.’

’I’ve endured for twelve years.’

’It’s been so difficult to get to where I am today; I can’t let it all be ruined by Nina Thorne.’

Therefore, she pressed on relentlessly, "Nina Thorne, it’s just a single sentence. You don’t even dare to say that?"

"Don’t tell me you and Big Brother really..."

Just as Nina Thorne, facing their pressure all alone, was about to be overwhelmed, Ethan Kane’s displeased voice suddenly cut in:

"That’s enough!"

Ethan Kane cut Serena Kane off, his brows furrowed into deep lines. "Cole Kane and Nina Thorne have already broken their engagement. Even if there really is something between Nina and Justin, it’s not as serious as this ’affair’ you’re all talking about!"

Seeing Ethan Kane speak up for Nina Thorne, Felicia Yates was incredulous. "If there really is something between them, it would be a huge scandal! How is that not serious?"

"They broke off the engagement long ago, and everyone in our circle knows it. If, one day, Justin and Nina Thorne were to actually get together, it would still be a marriage alliance between our two families. It would be just like the original plan. There’s nothing wrong with that."

"Absolutely not!"

Felicia Yates shot to her feet, all her composure gone. "Ethan Kane, how could you say something like that!"

"Nina Thorne was originally Cole Kane’s girlfriend. Even if they broke the engagement, that doesn’t change the fact that they were together.

If word of this gets out, won’t our Kane Family become a laughingstock?"

Nina Thorne’s face turned deathly pale.

Although she had been prepared for Felicia Yates’s attitude, her heart still plummeted.

Her chest felt as if it were stuffed with a water-soaked sponge, making it almost impossible to breathe.

Her hands, hanging at her sides, slowly clenched into fists. A chill crept up her back, and she was suddenly filled with an intense urge to escape.

"Isn’t the biggest laughingstock here you?"

Suddenly, a figure strode into the hall from the entrance. The tall, slender man stood in front of Nina Thorne, his formidable, chilling presence causing the air in the hall to freeze.

Everyone exchanged stunned glances, wondering why he had suddenly shown up.

Nina Thorne stared, frozen, at the sharp lines of his profile, her heart suddenly pounding. "Justin..."

Justin Kane turned his head to look at her, his glacial eyes instantly softening. "Are you scared?"

Nina Thorne wanted to shake her head and say she wasn’t scared, but the words were caught in her throat, and she couldn’t say a thing.

In the end, she simply nodded honestly. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

’I am.’

’I’m scared our relationship will be discovered, scared that Justin will have a hard time explaining himself to the Kane Family.’

’I’m even more scared that news of us will be spread maliciously, affecting both our family’s companies.’

Nina Thorne didn’t dare to think too deeply about the stakes involved.

"Good girl. Don’t be scared."

Justin Kane raised a hand to pat her head, a comforting smile on his lips. "I’m here. No one can hurt you."

He was being openly affectionate with Nina Thorne right in front of everyone.

Nina Thorne looked stunned, unable to understand what he was trying to do.

Serena Kane, however, couldn’t wait to point at them. "You all saw that! They’re so intimate with each other. Who would believe they’re innocent?"

"Grandpa, Dad, Mom, does this prove that I was framed last night?"

Serena Kane’s face was flushed with excitement, and her smile was undisguised, her smugness painfully obvious.

Justin Kane’s sharp gaze swept coldly over to her, like a razor blade carving into her face.

That single glance made Serena Kane shudder, and she instinctively lowered her head to avoid his eyes.

"For this woman, you’d treat me, your own mother, like this again and again?"

Felicia Yates reached out to yank Nina Thorne away. "Fine. Today, I’d like to see just how far you’ll go to protect her."

But before her hand could even touch Nina Thorne, it was pushed away with considerable force.

"Justin Kane, you actually pushed your own mother for her sake?"

Felicia Yates’s eyes widened, her chest heaving with rage. "What in the world is the relationship between you two?"

Although their mother-son relationship had been lukewarm for years,

the Kane Family valued etiquette above all else.

Even if Justin Kane was in charge of the entire Kane Group, he was still required to respect and love her, his mother.

Cole Kane took a step forward. He knew what that head pat meant, and his bloodshot eyes struggled to contain his fury.

"Big Brother, I want to hear you say it yourself. What is your relationship with Nina Thorne?"

His voice was low and hoarse.

Serena Kane clamored anxiously, "Second Brother, at this point, do you really still believe there’s nothing between them?"

"I told you long ago their relationship wasn’t simple, and now you’ve seen it with your own eyes."

"Shut up!"

The low roar came from Cole Kane. His face was filled with aggression, and the look he gave her was cold and furious.

Serena Kane’s eyes instantly reddened. "Second Brother, you yelled at me..."

"I was clearly the one who was framed, so why won’t you believe me?"

Tears streamed from her eyes as she wept, looking pitiful and sad.

Felicia Yates pulled Serena Kane into her arms to protect her. "Serena, it’s alright. The innocent will prove themselves innocent."

"You’re the only one who has believed me from the very beginning," Serena Kane sobbed in Felicia Yates’s embrace.

Cole Kane’s brow furrowed deeply. Overcome with frustration, he punched the Phoebe zhennan wood sofa behind him.

THUD.

The sound of bone cracking could almost be heard. Serena Kane let out a little shriek and hurriedly grabbed his hand to check the injury, her heart aching for him.

"Second Brother, why would you hurt yourself like this? Is it worth it for a woman like her?"

Everyone was terrified.

Except for Justin Kane and Nina Thorne.

The two of them watched it all unfold with cold, detached expressions and identical, icy gazes.

Nina Thorne understood perfectly. Today’s drama was targeted at her.

What happened last night at Madam Lawson’s birthday banquet was a huge sensation that not only affected the Kane Family’s reputation,

but also pushed its main players, Serena Kane and Cole Kane, into the eye of the storm.

They needed an outlet, and she had become the key to that outlet.

"Nina Thorne, you jinx! Look what you’ve done!"

After checking Cole Kane’s injury and seeing that his knuckles were bleeding, Felicia Yates’s hatred for Nina Thorne intensified. She whipped her head around and pointed at her, cursing loudly.

"No wonder your parents died young! A jinx like you brings death to everyone around her..."

"Felicia Yates!" Justin Kane’s eyes flashed, and he barked her name. Fury suddenly radiated from him.

Ethan Kane rushed to pull Felicia Yates back, but he was a step too late.

Old Master Kane’s face was a mask of uncontrollable rage, but he had no time to lose his temper. His worried gaze immediately shot to Nina Thorne.

Nina Thorne heard those words clearly. Her mind went blank with a buzz, and waves of numbness washed over her body.

Those words were like a dense forest of sharp swords, piercing her organs and churning inside her until the pain was unbearable.

Just as tears were about to fall, a pair of hands suddenly covered her ears. She was then pulled into a broad, warm embrace, and a rich, mellow voice coaxed from above her head:

"Don’t listen. None of it is true."

Nina Thorne’s body trembled slightly. She slowly raised her head to find herself held tightly in his arms and subconsciously pushed against him a couple of times.

"I’m fine now. Let me go."

’Otherwise, this will become impossible to explain.’

But Justin Kane paid no mind and continued to hold her tight.

As expected, Felicia Yates exploded. "You all see this? They dare to act like this right in front of us!"

"Dad, and you still say Nina Thorne is some kind of good girl? Is this what you call a good girl, playing both sides?"

Felicia Yates’s expression turned sharp and venomous.

After calming down, Nina Thorne no longer felt like showing her any courtesy.

She broke free from Justin Kane’s embrace and looked Old Master Kane directly in the eye. Her usually gentle features were now cold and resolute, as if she had made some sort of decision.

"I’m sorry, Grandpa. I have to break my promise."

Old Master Kane nodded with an understanding expression and sighed. "You’ve done well enough, child. This is Grandpa’s fault..."

Nina Thorne took out the evidence she had prepared. After a few taps on her phone, she held it up for them all to see.

"Is this what you call being wronged and framed?"

The video showed Serena Kane secretly drugging a drink and then handing it to Cole Kane, who drank it.

After watching the video, Cole Kane swayed and stumbled back several steps before managing to steady himself.

Ethan Kane, having seen his share of the world, only showed a fleeting moment of shock.

Felicia Yates, however, was in disbelief, pointing a trembling finger at Serena Kane. "You... you actually did something like this!"

Serena Kane’s face was ashen. All she could do was shake her head and deny it, her mind a complete mess, unable to form any coherent words.

’How could this be?’

’How does Nina Thorne have a video from that night?’

She looked at Old Master Kane in shock, a sudden understanding dawning on her, and a terrible premonition bloomed in her heart.

Old Master Kane rose and walked over to Nina Thorne. He took her hand and patted it, saying guiltily, "On this matter, our Kane Family has wronged you. Grandpa will give you a proper explanation."

Nina Thorne’s expression was calm as she waited for his next move.

Then, his aged eyes turned to Serena Kane, his tone no less majestic as he declared, "Starting today, I will arrange to have your surname changed. You are not worthy of the name Kane!"

"Furthermore, if there is a next time, I will have you thrown out of the Kane Family, never to set foot in this house again."