43.33 Chapter 12 " As I dragged my luggage out of the airport , my phone screen was showing breaking news . " This evening , the flight to Birlona crashed in Damastam . Currently , it has been confirmed that there are no survivors on board . " The inferno on the screen flared before my eyes , making my heart tighten . " It was a ticket I had bought with my own hands - if someone hadn't stopped me in time ... I too would now be buried in the charred wreckage . My fingers trembled slightly and a wave of lingering fear surged through my chest . Not long ago , just as I was about to head to the boarding gate , a figure appeared in front of me . " It was Ronald's assistant , out of breath , a fine sweat on his forehead , as if he had run all the way to reach me . \ " Miss , " he said in a low , urgent voice , " Mr. Brimmer has already prepared a private plane for you . Please follow me this way . " " I froze for a moment , my steps faltering slightly . " I hadn't expected Ronald to go to such lengths - he had even arranged a private plane for me . \ I thought back to the last time I flew on a private plane - it was when Jason had taken me to see the aurora . At that thought , my eyes darkened for a moment , then I smiled faintly and turned to follow the assistant . " The assistant had already taken my luggage from me , guiding me politely and efficiently toward another private passage . Ronald was only three years older than me , yet someone I had been forced to call " Mr . Brimmer " since childhood . Fragments of the past flashed through my mind . Back when I hadn't yet been brought back to the Corvin Family and was still living in the family where I had been switched at birth , life was so tight that even a full meal felt like a luxury . " It wasn't that my family had no money , but they didn't like that I was a girl ; they generally didn't care what I ate and never gave me any allowance . [ Among my relatives , the Brimmer was by far the wealthiest . " During holidays , the gifts from the Brimmer were always the most elegant . The adults would complain about their arrogance out loud , yet secretly they would store them carefully , unwilling to use them . " My familiarity with Ronald stemmed from the fact that , as children , we had both been left to live with our grandparents . My parents had considered me a burden , while Ronald's parents wanted him to avoid growing up arrogant , so they sent him to the countryside to experience the hardships of common life . " At the time , I didn't understand why I had to call someone close to my age " Sir , " nor why the Brimmer was so wealthy while my own family had so little . I just trailed behind Ronald like a shadow , begging him to take me along when he went out to play . ! Ronald was always patient with me . When he realized I was almost eight and still hadn't been sent to school , he taught me to read and write and to discern the adults'hypocrisy from their sincerity . " He took me to the river to catch fish , giving me half , yet always letting me have the biggest one . When I was bullied , he would frown , shield me behind him and say in his innocent yet firm voice , " She's my little sister . " Because of Ronald , I went to school , had new clothes to wear and was no longer alone . Countless times during summer vacations , I looked forward to seeing him . " But later , my grandparents passed away , Ronald was sent abroad and I was brought back to the Corvin Family . Our life paths had completely diverged . I once thought that our parting would be forever . " Until now , when I was at my wit's end , I had no choice but to shamelessly dial that number . The moment the call connected , I hardly held any hope . But Ronald paused for only a second , then said without hesitation , " Leave it to me . " N He was still the same boy I remembered - only now , he was the youngest person in charge of the Brimmer . The plane took off smoothly.I leaned back against the leather seat , ears buzzing from the engine.N I lowered my head and glanced once more at the news feed .