The Tower Reversed: Back to 18 (Venus) novel Chapter 10

**One Step Changes Everything**
By Ruby Parker

Axel felt a wave of fury wash over him, tightening his chest as if a vice were clamped around his heart.

“Does anyone ever teach you the importance of respecting others? I’m your older brother!” he barked, his voice laced with irritation.

Venus, seated in the backseat, offered a faint smile that barely touched her eyes. “Respect? I’m only half-educated, remember? How would I even know what that word means?”

Damn it!

Axel felt a surge of frustration nearly choke him. The drive home was enveloped in a heavy silence, the kind that felt suffocating. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel, his face a mask of anger and disbelief. Every few moments, he stole a glance at Venus in the backseat, her calm demeanor only deepening the weight in his chest.

He had expected that once she left the police station, she would simply walk away and vanish into the shadows once more.

But to his astonishment, she had slid into the car without a word.

If you genuinely wanted to come home, why not just ask?

Why put on this facade?

“Tell me,” he finally broke the oppressive silence, his voice taut with tension, “what brought you to the station this time?”

Venus remained silent, her gaze fixed on the scenery rushing past the window, a blur of colors and shapes that seemed to reflect the chaos of her life.

Axel’s patience wore thin, fraying like an old rope. “What trouble did you get into this time? Another one of your shameful escapades?”

She turned her head slightly, her expression flat and unyielding. “Mr. Burn, you’ve never cared about me before. Why would you start now?”

Axel, the eldest son and a rising star in the business world, was hardly ever home. He was perpetually consumed by the demands of running the family company, leaving little room for familial bonds.

He wielded the authority of the family, and yet, every time Venus found herself blamed or punished for something she hadn’t done, she waited for him to return, pleading for his help.

Each plea, every tear-soaked apology, was met with the same chilling indifference.

Axel had never shown her any real concern. The only times he intervened were during her arguments with Lumi, always siding with Lumi and urging Venus to back down.

Once, he had looked her squarely in the eye and said, “You’re not worthy.”

Venus let out a quiet laugh, a sound devoid of warmth.

“My life isn’t worth your time, is it?”

Axel felt his jaw tighten, irritation bubbling beneath the surface. Her tone—steady and indifferent—only fueled the fire of his anger. He let out a short, bitter laugh. “You’re right. You’re not.”

He continued, his voice laced with ice. “You orchestrated this mess just to grab attention, didn’t you? This isn’t the first time. Ever since you arrived, this house has been in utter chaos.”

Venus interrupted him, her voice cool and cutting like a blade. “Did I ever ask any of you to bring me here?”

It was her grandfather who had trekked hundreds of miles to retrieve her from that desolate mountain town.

Initially, she had resisted the idea of returning. Her adopted father’s threats loomed large in her mind, and she was terrified of the world outside.

But Julian had promised her a new beginning, assuring her that his family were kind-hearted souls who would treat her well. He spoke of four brothers who would love her, protect her, and make up for all that she had lost.

What a cruel joke! How had things turned out?

Good people? A family? From the moment she stepped foot in the mansion, they had never treated her as one of their own.

Her brothers never stood up for her.

Instead, they lavished attention on Lumi, fearful that Venus’s mere presence would somehow diminish Lumi’s worth in their eyes.

Axel’s anger flared at the thought. His voice turned frigid. “If you’re so desperate to go back, then fine. Tomorrow, I’ll send you straight back to your adopted father’s house.”

The mere thought of returning to her adopted father’s home filled Venus with dread.

Every time someone mentioned it, she would tremble uncontrollably, her face drained of color, panic coursing through her veins.

That place was her personal hell. Axel knew she would rather face death than return there.

Yet, this time, when he threatened to send her back, Venus remained eerily calm. Almost too calm.

“Whatever,” she replied flatly, her indifference a stark contrast to the turmoil inside him.

Axel slammed on the brakes, turning to face her with disbelief etched across his features. “What did you just say?”

But behind his facade of kindness, a glint of malice flickered in his eyes—sharp, deliberate, and full of delight.

Venus saw right through him and suddenly laughed, a sound that echoed with defiance.

“Home? This has never been my home. How can you claim I’m being kicked out?”

“Venus, how could you say that?” Percy put on his best heartbroken expression. “You robbed a minor! If Axel hadn’t bailed you out, you’d still be in jail. Everyone at home was worried sick all night. How can you say this isn’t your home?”

But the mischievous glint in his eyes betrayed him. Percy was relishing every moment of this.

As soon as he uttered the word “robbery,” the room erupted into chaos. Harvey seized his golf club, raising it high, his face a mask of fury.

“I should’ve never brought you into this world!”

Venus tilted her head, her voice calm and steady. “Oh? Since when can men give birth? It wasn’t you who carried me for nine months and endured the pain of labor. It was the woman you had a brief fling with, wasn’t it?”

The room fell into a stunned silence at her words.

Even Axel was taken aback.

He had known Venus was putting on an act, but he hadn’t anticipated her crossing that line.

Didn’t she realize that speaking to Harvey like that could lead to her being thrown out and sent back to the hell she had escaped?

“You little rascal!” Harvey roared, charging forward with the golf club raised high.

Megan rushed to intervene, playing her usual role of peacemaker. “Venus, how can you talk to your father like that? Hurry up and apologize!”

“Apologize?” Harvey barked, his face contorted with rage. “That girl doesn’t even think she’s done anything wrong! Robbing a minor! How could she come up with something so vile? I’ll kill her today!”

Axel frowned slightly as he glanced at Venus. She stood there, as calm as a stone. Just as the golf club was about to descend upon her, Axel finally intervened.

“Dad, stop. The police already clarified that it was a misunderstanding. Venus didn’t rob anyone. Someone framed her.”

It was the first time—no, the very first time—Axel had ever stood up for her.

If Venus had any sense at all, she would’ve thanked him for that small act of mercy.