My adopted brother, Ethan Clark, and I were trapped in the fire. My dad rushed into the burning house to save and comfort the frightened Ethan, regardless of his safety. The firefighters arrived and rescued them from the living room. A firefighter wanted to go further inside to look for survivors, but my dad stopped him. “Let’s go, sir. It’s too dangerous. There’s no one else here.” My dad had forgotten about me, who was preparing a birthday gift for him in the studio. Watching him walk away, I didn’t yearn for his love. I woke up in the hospital, with no one by my side. There was an interview with the renowned entrepreneur Garry Carlson on TV. “Thankfully, my son is safe. Thanks to the firefighters.” As Garry spoke, he looked at Ethan beside him lovingly. That caring look had never fallen on me. “Another survivor has been rescued from the fire. Is it true?” a reporter asked. Garry’s face darkened as he heard this. “Yes. It’s just a servant. I’m sorry to take up the public’s attention.” There were some images of the fire scene on the screen. The “servant” Garry mentioned was me, his own son. The next day, Garry and Ethan went to my ward. I rubbed my eyes, thinking I had an illusion. Ever since Garry adopted Ethan, he had always ignored me. I was puzzled as to why he would come to see me today. Garry hadn’t cared about me when I almost died from a high fever. But when Ethan felt a bit unwell, he would be overwhelmed with worry. “Dad, does Austin not want me here?” Ethan’s voice was laced with fear, and tears welled up in his eyes. Garry snorted, “You have forgiven him, yet he dares hate you? If it weren’t for him, this accident wouldn’t have happened. He fooled himself with fire and almost hurt you. He deserves it!” I painted in the studio, and there was no flame. Besides, the news had stated that the fire started in Ethan’s room, but Garry simply put the blame on me. As usual, no matter what happened, I was the culprit, while Ethan was the most well-behaved one in Garry’s view. Ethan gave me a smug look yet said pitifully, “It’s my fault. My ankle is sprained, or Dad would have saved you first. Just take out your anger on me. Please don’t blame Dad.” Ethan was lying, but Garry believed him. He hissed, and his face flushed with fury, “Don’t pull a long face. No one has wronged you, and you’re fine now.” I thought to myself, “If it weren’t for Garry telling the firefighters there was no one left in the house, I wouldn’t have struggled to scrawl through the flames and gotten hit by a falling easel, resulting in 30% burns. Looking at me, he still thought I was fine.” When Ethan cut his finger with a fruit knife, Garry treated it like an emergency. But I was wrapped up like a mummy; he thought I was “fine” and could even see the displeasure under my bandaged face. Garry warned me, “I’m here to inform you to keep quiet in front of the media. Remember, the fire started in your room.” My silence annoyed him. His eyes glinted with fierce. “If any rumors unfavorable to Ethan emerge, I won’t let you off, Austin Carlson.” After warning me, Garry left with Ethan. In his eyes, I wasn’t his son but a villain trying to harm Ethan. Ever since childhood, whenever Ethan stumbled, Garry accused me of being malicious. When Ethan handed his toys to me and then cried to Garry that I had stolen them, Garry compared me to my deceased mother and scolded me for always trying to take what wasn’t mine. Even when he witnessed Ethan bullying me, he would say I must have provoked Ethan first, forcing him to get even. In Garry’s view, I was nothing but a villain. His visit today was merely to warn me.
The day after Emma Wade, my mom’s best friend, visited me, Garry unexpectedly came to see me again. This time, he wasn’t his usual arrogant self. Instead, he looked a little cautious and even brought a gift. He showed me a handmade toy car, smiling. “Look, Austin, I brought you your favorite toy car. You used to beg me to make these cars with you when you were little.” When I was seven, right after my mom passed away, he brought Ethan home. I asked him to help me with my art project, a toy car, but he said he had no time and told me to do it myself. I cried, clinging to his leg, begging him to help me, but he kicked me away. Then, he helped Ethan make it. With that, Garry handed me the car keys. “I bought you your favorite car.” A new car? It was quite rare since I usually got things Ethan didn’t want. This was the first new thing Garry had given me since my mom died. Garry admitted that it was his fault for not noticing I was also in the house during the fire, causing me so much suffering. Then, he apologized that he had been wrong all these years for neglecting me and promised to treat Ethan and me equally from now on. Just as I was about to believe his sincerity, Garry hesitantly asked, “Austin, was it Emma who visited you yesterday?” As I expected, he wasn’t here out of concern but for his ulterior motives. Emma was my mom’s best friend. She came from the Wade family, the top family in Ladora. After my mom died, she cut off relations with my family. Knowing that Emma had come to visit me, Garry rekindled his ambitions. I coldly replied, “Yes.” “Your mom gave you a pendant before she died. It’s an engagement token with Lisa Wade. Austin, give it to Ethan,” Garry said. Seeing my disfigured face, he added, “Your face is scarred, and you’re not good enough for Lisa.” My appearance could be restored through skin grafts, but Garry refused to pay for the medical treatment, leaving me with only conservative care. He even accused me of not being worthy of this engagement. Garry continued, “Besides, giving Ethan the engagement is just as good. He is your brother. With your condition, you’ll need his help anyway.” I couldn’t help laughing bitterly at this. “I don’t have a brother. My mom only had me. Help me? Huh, he put sand in my milk, tore up my test papers, threw away my lunch box, and hid my exam permits… I don’t need his ‘help’?” The door swung open, and Ethan rushed to my bedside. “Austin, I know you don’t like me, but I didn’t do those things. Please don’t misunderstand me!” Looking at his pitiful face, Garry comforted him, “I believe you. Austin is jealous of you. He wants to drive a wedge between us. Don’t be sad, good boy.” Turning to me with anger, Garry said, “Austin, you’re too mean. You don’t deserve to be my son.” After they left, I looked at the car keys. Engraved on them was a small word—Ethan.
After the villa burned down, I had to move back into the small apartment my mom left me. As I approached the door, I heard loud music blaring from inside. Opening it, I saw a crowd of relatives and friends gathered in the living room. There was a large cake in the center with “Happy Birthday, Dad” written on it. Before the fire, I had been eagerly preparing a birthday gift for Garry, hoping that after receiving it, he would treat me like he did Ethan. Ever since Ethan came into my life, I had been trying every way to win Garry’s affection. But now, I had forgotten today was his birthday. Garry’s eyes flickered with guilt when he saw me. Ethan, momentarily stunned, greeted me calmly, “Austin, how could you be late on such an important day as Dad’s birthday?” No one had told me about this party. How could I be late? The relatives chimed in, “Ethan is so considerate, always handling everything perfectly. He’s better than a biological son.” “Tsk, the biological son doesn’t even remember his dad’s birthday.” Hearing their praises, Ethan looked smugly at me. “Austin is good, but he’s just busy with work. I have more free time, so it’s more suitable for me to handle these events.” Throughout his life, Ethan had always been polite and considerate in front of relatives, making them favor him over me. When it was time to give gifts, Ethan presented an emerald he had bought at an auction, which was of excellent quality. Garry’s face wreathed with smiles upon receiving it, and the relatives envied him for having such a thoughtful son. After showing off his gift, Ethan turned to look at me. “Austin, what gift did you prepare for Dad?” He knew full well that my gift had been destroyed in the fire. He continued, “I heard you prepared a special birthday gift for Dad. He has been looking forward to it. Show it to us!” Garry watched this scene, letting the relatives criticize me for being thoughtless. I stood there awkwardly, feeling humiliated. After the guests left, Ethan said, “Austin, if you didn’t prepare a gift, you shouldn’t have come and embarrassed Dad here.” Garry shot a frosty look. “I’m your father, but you didn’t even bring me a birthday gift.” I said, “Your birthday gift is that oil painting. It was burned in the villa.” A few months ago, Garry mentioned that his business rival had an oil painting that brought him prosperity, and he wanted one too. I spent all my free time working on that painting in the studio, only for it to be destroyed by the fire. Garry lowered his head, remaining silent for a long time. He and Ethan stayed seated in the living room, not intending to leave. I pointed towards the door. “I need to rest. Please leave.” Ethan yelled, “I didn’t ask you to leave, but now you’re kicking me out?” I lost my temper. “This is my house!” He looked smugly at me. “Dad gave me this apartment.” I stared at Garry in disbelief. A trace of guilt crossed his face before he regained his composure. “Here is closer to Ethan’s company. As his brother, you should make way for him.” I couldn’t contain my anger, yelling at Garry, “How can you be so biased? No matter what he wants from me, you always ask me to let him have it. Even when I do, I don’t get any appreciation. “My mom left me many things, but he has ruined it all, leaving me with just this small apartment. Now you still want to take even this away from me. I’m your real son. What did I do wrong? Why are you treating me like this?” By this point, I was unable to speak through my sobs.
Garry’s expression softened a bit, but he remained silent. He didn’t intend to return the apartment, so I knew I had to take it back on my own. After a moment of thought, I asked, “You want the pendant my mom left me, right?” Garry and Ethan both looked at me eagerly, waiting for me to continue. I stayed quiet for a while before saying, “Okay.” Their faces lit up with joy. “But you have to agree to three conditions,” I added. Ethan was excited, while Garry looked displeased. He believed everything I had should be his anyway, so he didn’t have to make any deals. I said, “The first condition: Move out of this apartment.” Garry had given Ethan many houses under various pretexts, each better than this one. He wanted this apartment just to spite me. Ethan readily agreed and waited for me to state the second condition. I continued, “The second condition: Ethan must kneel and clean up the mess you made today here.” Before Ethan could object, Garry interrupted, “Austin, he’s your brother. How can you treat him like this?” “Why are you getting so upset? I’m just giving him a taste of his own medicine. When I asked for my mom’s photo back, he did the same thing to me.” Garry was there watching when it happened. He said Ethan was young and innocent, and that as his brother, I had to be more tolerant and clean rooms on my knees if I wanted the photo back. Today, they needed something from me. Either they agreed to my condition, or they wouldn’t get what they wanted. Ethan reluctantly agreed, but Garry couldn’t bear to see him clean the apartment alone and helped him. Looking at Garry, who seemed tired from helping clean, I stated my third condition, “We’re even from now on.” Garry was stunned, asking, “What do you mean?” I clarified. “We’re done. You’re no longer my father, and we have nothing more to do with each other.” Garry became angry. “I raised you for over twenty years. How can you be so heartless to me?” I sneered, “It’s true, but you never treated me like a son. Apart from those who knew my birth, no one knows I’m your son. “When you went to parent-teacher conferences, you were Ethan’s father. At friends’ gatherings, you brought him with you. Even now, the son you present to the media is still him.” Anger came off Garry. “No matter what, you’re still my son. You can never walk away from me.” I shrugged. “Fine, but then the pendant stays with me.” Garry hesitated, while Ethan gave him pleading looks. Finally, Garry made up his mind. “Alright, I agree.” Ethan had a triumphant grin, erasing the humiliation of kneeling to clean. Tears blurred my eyes. Once again, Garry chose Ethan over me. I was heartbroken. However, they wouldn’t succeed in using that pendant to ingratiate themselves with the Wade family.
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