Chapter 3
“I may not have raised you, but I brought you into this world!
“Your sister died for you, and as your father, it’s only right that I inherit my terminally ill son’s
fortune!–
“Thinking you’ll donate all of it? Dream on!”
I never intended to eavesdrop on someone else’s business.
But his voice was so loud and frantic, the words tumbled out too quickly for me to tune out.
By the time I came to my senses and hurriedly ended my call, I’d already overheard far more
than I should have.
There was a piece of paper on the carpet.
It must have slipped out when I’d grabbed the pill bottle from the drawer in a rush.
It was a diagnosis–end–stage heart failure. The patient’s name: Frederick Austin.
The name tugged at my memory, matching the one the man on the phone had been cursing about.
It took a moment, but then I remembered seeing it trending in the news not long ago.
The founder and CEO of The Austin Group had suddenly announced plans to sell the company, just when business was booming.
Selling the company in such haste at a time like this made no financial sense.
When the headlines broke, the media swarmed him.
He stood there with that same dead–eyed, expressionless look.
All he said was, “I’m tired. I just want to rest.”
So it was him.
So he’d been planning to end things because of a terminal illness.
Life really is unpredictable.
Some people in perfect health want to die; others, at the height of their careers, are handed a death sentence.
carefully picked up the paper.
I placed it, along with the pill bottle, back into the drawer.
Stealing medicine from someone with a terminal disease-
I figured, if I ever did end up in hell, even the devil himself would spit on me for that.
Night was falling, and rain had begun to tap against the tall windows.
The sky darkened, the rainfall grew heavier, and soon even the last traces of daylight were gone. There was still no sound from the entryway.
Could he… could he really have died out there somewhere?
I let out a sigh.
After a long internal struggle, I finally stood up and stepped outside.
His car was still parked in the driveway; he must have left on foot.
He hadn’t taken his phone, so unless he’d gotten a ride before leaving the neighborhood, he couldn’t have gone far.
Maybe he hadn’t left the area at all.
I grabbed an umbrella and walked out through the gates.
Then I called a cab and asked the driver to take me to the nearest mall.
Honestly, I doubted he’d gone out this late just to buy fish.
But I still wanted to look for him.
The weather was cold; there were fewer people in the mall than usual.
I searched floor after floor, but there was no sign of him.
Just as I was about to try a different mall-
A cool, irritated voice rang out behind me: “How dare you follow me here?”
It was Jasper Green.
I turned around to find him glaring at me from across the corridor, his face set in a stony scowl.
Beside him was Sophia Carter, the daughter of Mr. Carter, who’d just closed a major deal with
him.
He even regarded her as his younger sister
Mr. Carter always praised Jasper for his warmth and generosity, but only I knew–he was never truly kind.
He just never liked having me as his real sister.
My heart felt heavy and waterlogged, a familiar ache.
I’d gotten used to it over the years.
Once, my brother had always been there for me–soft, indulgent, willing to do anything for his little sister.
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Then, somewhere along the line, he’d started resenting me, cruel words replacing affection.
No matter how many years passed, I never managed to get used to it. I never really stopped
caring.
I held back my discomfort, squeezing the handle of my umbrella, forcing myself to meet his eyes calmly.
“I wasn’t following you. I–came here to look for someone.”
Jasper’s eyes flashed with even greater irritation. “You’ve never come here before.”
“If you weren’t following me, who else could you possibly be looking for?”
He hadn’t finished speaking when, behind him, I caught sight of a familiar figure.
Truth be told, I couldn’t quite remember what Frederick Austin looked like.
But a face that pallid, that devoid of life, couldn’t be mistaken for anyone else.
He stood there–not far, but not close either.
He didn’t approach, just watched me quietly from a distance.
Maybe he liked it that way–watching me from afar.
Jasper waited for my response, but when I stayed silent, he frowned and said, “I’m talking to you.”
“Stop sneaking around after me. I’m not your brother, do you hear me?”
Frederick Austin was holding a plastic bag.
Through the clear plastic, I could see the fish inside, cleaned and ready to cook.
After being gone for over three hours, he really had gone out to buy fish.
Out of nowhere, a memory surfaced–years ago, when I’d thrown a fit with Jasper late at night, saying I craved pancakes from that bakery across town.
He’d scolded me, saying kids shouldn’t eat sweets so late, especially since the bakery was already closed.
But when I woke in the middle of the night, he’d slipped into my room, cold and shivering. pancakes hidden in his coat.
He’d scolded me again, “This is the last time.”
But somehow, there were always more “last times.”
I pulled myself back to the present and looked again at the fish in Frederick’s hand.
For some reason, I let out a small laugh.
Jasper stared at me as if he’d seen a ghost.
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He followed my gaze, looked behind him–then his face twisted in shock and anger.
“Why is that man still here?!”
I finally turned away and answered him, “I wasn’t following you. I came to find my brother.”
Jasper’s eyes stayed fixed on Frederick Austin, wary and accusing.
He barked at me, “How many times do I have to tell you, I’m not your brother. Stop calling me that!”
I stepped past him and walked up to Frederick Austin.
He looked much the same as when he’d left, but up close, I noticed his shoes were soaked and mud streaked his black trousers.
It reminded me of that night I’d fallen into the river–when a stranger had pulled me out, I’d been covered in mud, just like that.
Maybe Frederick had gone to the riverbank.
But in the end, he’d come back.
He’d come to the mall, just to buy that fish he’d promised me.
I reached out and took the bag from his hand.
Then I looked up at him and said, “Let’s go home, Fred.”
For a moment, something flickered in Frederick Austin’s calm, shadowed eyes.
Before he could respond, Jasper Green stormed over, livid.
“What did you just call him? Claire Green, are you out of your mind?!”
I looked at him, puzzled.
“He’s my brother. What else would I call him? You know that, don’t you?”
Jasper went red, speechless with rage.
As I linked arms with Frederick and began to walk away, Jasper darted forward and blocked my path, furious-
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