Chapter 2
After dinner, my mother asked me to check if my brother needed anything in his room.
Just as I was about to knock, I saw through the door gap my wife of three years, Avery, nestled on Ethan’s lap, letting him stroke her hair. “Ethan, why is fate so unfair to us?”
She cried, her face tear-streaked, “When I had finally decided to forget you and live with someone else for life, you suddenly appeared.
If you hadn’t been kidnapped to the mountains, we would’ve had kids by now. How did it come to this awkward situation?”
“Don’t cry, you know I can’t stand seeing you cry,” I saw my brother bend down to cradle her face, wiping her tears away. Their eyes met, hers full of tenderness.
I quietly left, pretending nothing happened, and returned to the master bedroom.
I decided to give my wife a chance to confess, and also buy myself some time.
When Avery came out after her bath, I presented the carefully prepared gift.
I took out the custom diamond necklace from the velvet box and put it on her.
The sparkling diamond, accented with a sapphire, highlighted her fair skin and long neck in the mirror.
I tried to ask naturally, “Honey, did you know Ethan before?”
She stiffened, then casually replied, “You caught that, huh? Ethan was my college classmate, quite the campus figure.
We lost touch after graduation.
Funny, isn’t it?
Turns out he’s your long-lost brother. Mom and Dad said it’s really quite the coincidence, haha.”
Deception is the first step to betrayal. The war between the current and the beloved past was lost before it even began.
2.
Early the next morning, my father yelled at me to get up, saying we needed to introduce my brother to the company. Following his instructions, I gathered all employees in the lobby.
As the doors opened and I was about to introduce him, my father stepped in, arm around my brother’s shoulder, full of pride and affection, saying, “This is Ethan, your new general manager.”
Everyone immediately turned their gaze to me. I heard gasps and whispers. I also heard the sound of my heart shattering.
Years of hard work, and today my own father publicly dismissed me with a single sentence. Ethan looked at everyone, calm and composed, as if the position was always his.
I had to admit, despite our identical features, Ethan exuded confidence and charisma, naturally suited for business.
“Welcome, Mr. Jiang!”
“Welcome, welcome!” “A warm welcome!” Those who saw the situation clearly quickly aligned themselves, and applause soon erupted in the crowd.
I sensibly left to pack up my things in the general manager’s office, but once I closed the door, I couldn’t hold back any longer and sat on the floor, crying.
Years of grievances poured out at once.
I remembered after my brother went missing, my parents forced me to study business against my will, using confinement and starvation to make me abandon my dream of painting.
Later, I gritted my teeth through the tedious study of business management and marketing calculations, clinking glasses and playing nice with all sorts of people for the company’s growth.
Just last month, I was hospitalized with a stomach ulcer from drinking to secure a major client deal.
If they truly thought I was unsuitable, why did they clip my wings of freedom back then?