After Dad went bankrupt, Mom was demanding a divorce. I didn’t fight or argue, just watched coldly as my younger brother Asher pushed me aside and ran to Dad: “Don’t be sad, Dad. I’m here for you!” In my past life, after Mom and Dad split up, Asher went with our wealthy mother while I stayed with our bankrupt father. But Mom remarried a real loser who not only squandered all her money but kicked her out too. Asher suffered right along with her. Meanwhile, Dad built a successful business and got rich again. Consumed by jealousy over my good fortune, Asher caused my death in a car crash. When I opened my eyes again, we’d both gone back to the day the divorce was finalized. This time, Asher gave me a provocative smile and quickly announced, “I love Dad, and I want to go with him.” He had no idea I was smiling even wider inside. I was so done with running and hiding all the time! Asher looped his arm through Dad’s, pouting playfully. “Dad, please let me stay with you! I love you more than anyone, and I’m not scared of hard times.” Coming from Asher—who’d been spoiled rotten and totally self-centered his whole life—those words actually moved Dad. He didn’t even notice Mom’s furious expression beside them. “No way! Asher will suffer if he stays with you. The court will side with me for custody,” Mom stepped forward to object. So Asher would suffer with Dad, but I was just some afterthought? Disposable? In the courtroom, they fought tooth and nail over Asher’s custody, with lawyers throwing around all kinds of documents. I might as well have been invisible—a ghost in the room, completely ignored. In the end, maybe it was Asher’s own firm declaration to the judge that made the difference. Mom reluctantly settled on me, like an afterthought. I got into my stepfather Mr. Waylon’s sleek luxury car with Mom. Asher skipped along, holding Dad’s hand. Before we left, he shot me a smug, challenging look. I didn’t care one bit. After all, Mom was loaded now, and Dad’s situation was a total disaster. In my past life, he dragged me from one hideout to another every day just to avoid creditors. I couldn’t focus on school at all. The business failure and Mom leaving hit him really hard. He completely checked out, drowning himself in cheap booze in our run-down apartment, ignoring everything. Even though I was a straight-A student, I couldn’t afford tuition and had to take care of him, forcing me to drop out early and get a job. Asher, though? He had it way easier than me. He was good-looking and knew how to charm our parents. They both spoiled him rotten. Plus, being the younger one, they always used that old line: I was the big sister, so I had to be responsible and always put my little brother first. Even after the divorce, both parents only wanted him. But this time, he ultimately chose Dad, giving Dad a moment of petty triumph in front of Mom. Sitting in the car, Mom immediately started complaining. “You’re always so quiet and withdrawn. Now that we’re moving in with Mr. Waylon, you need to learn to be more flexible, more clever.” Whatever. The car pulled into an upscale neighborhood with mansions. I knew Mr. Waylon was rich in my past life, but I hadn’t realized he was this loaded. Mr. Waylon enrolled me in the city’s most prestigious private school. I had a private driver taking me to and from school every day. To make up for the education I’d lost in my past life, I hit the books hard. I excelled, maintaining a perfect GPA. Mom, who’d always ignored me before, suddenly couldn’t wait to attend parent-teacher conferences. When she went, other parents would envy her, and teachers would praise her for having such an outstanding kid. And since Mr. Waylon had no kids of his own, I was living pretty comfortably here. I also started thinking about studying abroad. “You’re too young to go overseas. Don’t think good grades mean you can actually take care of yourself.” Before Mr. Waylon could even say anything, my own mother was already shooting down the idea. Later, I learned that real hatred doesn’t need a reason. Not even between a mother and her child.
Mr. Waylon wasn’t the moody, controlling, violent monster Mom and Asher had made him out to be in my past life. In fact, he was incredibly sharp—though definitely proud and strong-willed. It didn’t take long after we moved in for his issues with Mom to surface. Mom was a total trophy wife—all looks, no substance. Honestly, her and Dad had been perfect for each other. Dad had been a trust fund kid with more money than sense. He’d landed Mom purely with his charm and fat wallet. When Grandpa and Grandma were alive, they kept everything together. After they passed, Dad got roped into terrible investments by his so-called “friends.” He gambled away his entire inheritance—everything Grandpa and Grandma left him. Mom immediately found a new sugar daddy and divorced him. My study abroad plans were on hold thanks to Mom’s meddling. But with my grades, I was confident I could get into a top local university. “Asher’s here!” “Ms. Evans, is Mom home?” “Your mom went shopping, but your sister’s upstairs reading.” I heard Asher’s footsteps heading toward my room. He opened my door without knocking. “Leo, cut the act. Nobody’s home—who are you trying to impress with all this studying?” He walked right in and snatched my books. Asher was supposed to be living with Dad, yet almost every month he’d show up demanding money from Mom, plus jewelry and clothes. Every time he left, his car would be loaded up. But the next month, he’d still be wearing ratty clothes. Dad, now a full-blown gambling addict, had long since pawned all his nice stuff for cash to blow. In this life, Dad wasn’t just a drunk—he was a gambler too. Mom actually felt sorry for Asher living such a hard life with Dad. She even talked to Mr. Waylon about letting Asher move in with us. Mr. Waylon actually agreed, but surprisingly, Dad refused to let Asher go. After all, he was using Asher to milk Mom for stuff to fund his lifestyle now. “You’ve studied yourself stupid. What’s the point of all these books? You’re not as good-looking as me, and even Mom and Dad don’t really like you.” “And this good life you’re living? I handed it to you on a silver platter. Enjoy it while it lasts, ’cause it won’t.” He started rummaging through my stuff like he owned the place. He wasn’t wrong—this room had been his in my past life. He searched everywhere. “You don’t even know how to enjoy the good life. What kind of crap is this you’ve got?” “All you do is bury your head in these books every day.” I ignored him, letting him throw his little tantrum. “Is that my sweet Asher I hear?” I watched coldly as they put on their ‘loving mother and son’ act. Mom saw my room was completely trashed. “What good stuff could you find in her room? Come on, let’s go to my room—I just bought tons of clothes and jewelry. Take whatever you want.” With that, she dragged Asher out. She didn’t even look at me, let alone say something like “Are you okay?” Ms. Evans, the housekeeper, brought up a glass of fresh orange juice. She came into my room and started tidying up like it was nothing. “I’ve never seen such a biased mother.” Whatever. Her good times were about to run out anyway.
A few days later, I heard a huge argument downstairs. “You absolute disgrace! Living off my money, wearing my clothes, and you still have the nerve to cheat on me!” Mr. Waylon backhanded Mom hard across the face. Asher immediately jumped in to break it up. Mr. Waylon was so mad he shoved Asher to the floor. “And don’t get me started on your precious son! Didn’t we agree—one kid each?” “Why does he keep showing up here, and every time he does, half my stuff goes missing!” Mom shot back, “My son is taking my things. It’s none of your business!” “Yours? Look at yourself! Everything you’re wearing, every piece of jewelry—I bought it all! Now I have to support your whole freeloading family?!” “Mr. Waylon, how dare you lecture me! If you weren’t sterile, would I even be in this mess?!” Mom’s words pushed Mr. Waylon over the edge. He lost it completely, grabbing Mom’s stuff and throwing it everywhere. She tried to stop him but ended up getting pushed down too. No one in the house dared to interfere. Asher hid in the corner, too scared to move. Mr. Waylon had married Mom because she was beautiful and already had two kids. After we moved in, he treated me more like a protégé—someone he could mentor and trust. But in my past life, Mom had taken advantage of that trust, recklessly wasting Mr. Waylon’s money. Asher, good-looking as he was, had zero common sense. That alone wouldn’t have been so bad. But these two—greedy and stupid… Not only was Mom cheating, but Asher was going around telling everyone Mr. Waylon’s entire fortune would one day be his. Word got back to Mr. Waylon fast. He wasn’t even dead yet, and they were already eyeing his money. Anyone would be ticked off. Mr. Waylon had no choice but to bring in his niece Rachel to train as his business assistant, and kick Mom and Asher out. In this life, Mom still got thrown out. But Mr. Waylon didn’t kick me out. “Leo, you’re better off with me than with your short-sighted, ignorant birth mother.” All my hard work had paid off. Mr. Waylon knew I was smart, driven, and had good judgment. I always put his interests first, consulting him before making any big decisions. I even casually mentioned that I saw him more like a father figure. Of course, my shopaholic mother had no clue about any of this, and she didn’t care anyway. Mom refused to leave, saying she’d rather die than step out of the house. She had no idea who she was dealing with. A self-made man like Mr. Waylon was nothing like my spineless trust-fund father. He wouldn’t fall for her little games. “Ms. Evans, go to the bedroom and pack some of her clothes.” Then he called security. And just like that, Mom and Asher got escorted out. As Mr. Waylon walked past my room, he patted my shoulder. “Leo, focus on your studies. This grown-up drama isn’t your problem.” I nodded. Idiots. No matter how many chances they got, they’d always be this stupid. My life wasn’t affected at all—in fact, Mr. Waylon started trusting me even more. Mom tried to get me to beg Mr. Waylon to take her back. Of course I said no. She called every day, screaming the most horrible things at me. Ms. Evans heard her once and wondered if I was even her real kid. In Mom’s eyes, only Asher existed. Without Mom’s money, Asher’s life got rough. He flunked all his classes and hated school. Dad just let him drop out. But Dad was drowning in debt, and their lives were a total mess. I was focused on studying for college entrance exams. Mr. Waylon had been super busy lately, barely ever home. Not long after, some thugs jumped me on my way to school. Our car was in the shop that day, so I was walking home alone. Right after school, a woman blocked my path. “You Leo?” Before I could answer, someone covered my mouth from behind and dragged me into an old warehouse. As soon as they took the blindfold off, someone kicked me to the floor. “Well, well, big brother. Enjoying life in that fancy house?” Asher walked over, looking down at me like I was dirt.
Asher backhanded me hard. “You bastard. I seriously underestimated you. That old man treats you like a king, and you’re still living there even after Mom got kicked out.” “I want to know exactly what you did to pull this off.” He pulled out a pocket knife, waving it inches from my face. When they saw he had a real knife, the other girls got nervous and stepped in. Maya was Asher’s delinquent girlfriend. Those other girls might have been troublemakers, but they weren’t about to get mixed up with weapons. Maya stepped in to break it up. “Asher, knock it off with the knife. He’s still your brother.” “This piece of trash? He’s not my brother.” He spat right in my face. But he did put the knife away, at least. They beat me until I couldn’t stand, then finally let me go. I limped to a taxi and headed back to the mansion. Only Ms. Evans was home, and she looked horrified when she saw me. “You left this morning perfectly fine. What happened to you?” I was covered in bruises. She cleaned me up gently. That evening, Mr. Waylon showed up after being gone for a while—with Mom, all dressed up like nothing had happened. They’d gotten back together. When Mr. Waylon saw me, he asked what happened. Mom, standing next to him, snapped: “Always getting into trouble. Never learning. Not like your brother, who knows how to behave.” He had his goons beat me up this afternoon, and now he’s walking around our house like he owns the place. “Mom, why don’t you ask who did this to me?” I shot back, angry. “Who else? You must have been messing with the wrong people…” “Leo, what happened?” Mom kept badmouthing me, but Mr. Waylon cut her off. I pointed at Asher. “He had a bunch of guys jump me right outside school.” “Are you crazy? What kind of lies are you telling?” Asher acted all innocent, trying to turn it around on me. I told Mr. Waylon and the police there might be security cameras near the school entrance and the warehouse. The police checked the footage and found Asher’s group on camera. They didn’t catch the actual beating, but it was enough to show what happened. Mr. Waylon looked shocked. He couldn’t believe someone would hire people to kidnap and beat their own brother. “This is sick. This isn’t just some prank.” “How does that prove Asher did it? Leo, you’re unbelievable! I know I haven’t been around much lately, but you don’t have to frame your brother like this!” Mom tried to turn it around, blaming me instead. “Asher, do you know these people?” Asher denied it, saying he was just passing by and had nothing to do with it. “Mom, you have to believe me.” Asher, looking even more upset, suddenly slapped me. I didn’t see it coming. After hitting me, he collapsed into fake sobs. The whole time, he played the victim while I was the one who’d been beaten. “Look what you did! You made your brother pass out! You’re so cruel—I don’t know why I ever had a monster like you!” She helped Asher to his room and even called the family doctor. I was hurt and bleeding, and she didn’t even say a word to me.
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