The company was expecting a major client today. I never imagined it would be my sister, Sophia, whom I hadn’t seen in six years. She froze when she saw me. “Leo, what are you doing here? Why didn’t you come home after you got out? I’ve been looking for you for years!” Every head in the office turned to stare. Annoyed, I turned to walk away. Sophia rushed forward and grabbed my right arm. A second later, her face was a mask of pure shock. Her eyes were fixed on my empty sleeve, her mind reeling. “Your arm… what happened to it?” I didn’t answer, just yanked my sleeve from her grasp, revealing the gleaming metal struts of the prosthetic frame beneath. “It’s right here.” Her eyes widened, her voice cracking. “Come home, Leo. Let’s just forget the past. We’re family.” Family? I hadn’t had one of those in a long time. … Sophia couldn’t tear her eyes away from my prosthetic arm. She opened her mouth several times, but no words came out. My manager, quick on his feet, cleared out a conference room for us to talk privately. The silence in the room was suffocating. She was the one to finally break it. “When your sentence was up, I went to the prison to pick you up. They told me you’d been released early.” I glanced at the watch on my left wrist, my irritation growing. “When did you lose the arm?” “In prison,” I said flatly. “Prison? Why didn’t you call me? Why didn’t you come home? Leo, I’m your sister!” Hearing her call herself my sister now felt like a sick joke. “Go back? So you can throw me back in jail again?” That one sentence stripped away her pretense. Her jaw tightened, and she was left speechless. “I’m leaving. Don’t bother me again.” When I walked out of the conference room, my colleagues stared at me in disbelief. They couldn’t fathom how a junior clerk with a prosthetic arm could possibly be connected to the heiress of the Miller Corporation. Even my boss, who usually treated me with disdain, was suddenly bustling over with a cup of warm water. Great. Looks like I’d be losing this job, too. Soon, it was time to clock out. As I stood in line, I saw the company’s CEO fawning over Sophia as they emerged from the conference room. Her eyes landed on me instantly. I quickly looked away, but then I heard a child’s sweet, innocent voice from outside. “Mommy, Daddy and I are here to pick you up!” “Sophia, Chloe insisted on coming to see you as soon as she got out of kindergarten.” My body went rigid. The man’s voice belonged to Marcus Thorne. He was once the brother I trusted most in the world. I’d recognize his voice even if he were nothing but ash. Sophia didn’t say a word, just scooped Chloe into her arms, her gaze still locked on me. Marcus followed her line of sight. The moment his eyes found me, the smile on his face froze. “Leo? What are you doing here? You’ve been in the city all this time? Why didn’t you come home? It doesn’t matter that you’ve been to prison, your family would never turn you away!” My coworkers immediately recognized him. “Sophia Miller’s husband is Marcus Thorne! You guys remember that super popular indie game, ‘Goose Hammer’? He’s the one who made it.” “Oh my god, he seems so gentle, but he’s a genius. That game made a fortune, right? Everyone was playing it.” A pang of bitterness shot through me. Thinking about that game still hurt. I said nothing, clocked out, and kept my head down as I walked out of the building. Marcus stepped forward and grabbed my arm. He flinched. Then he shoved up my sleeve, exposing the metal prosthetic. Chloe had never seen anything like it. She let out a terrified wail. But Marcus didn’t even try to comfort his daughter. His eyes were fixed on my arm, his expression a perfect picture of anguish. “Leo, you’ve suffered so much! The past is the past. You can’t go on like this. Just come home!” “Have you forgotten? We weren’t just brothers-in-law. In college, we were practically brothers!” “Even with a prison record and a disability, even after you stole from me! I could never hold it against you, Leo! Never!” In the span of a few minutes, in front of my entire office, he had twice made sure to mention that I’d been to prison. His words dripped with false magnanimity, a holier-than-thou performance that made my stomach turn. I stared back at him, taking in his designer suit, the Rolex on his wrist easily worth a fortune. No one would ever guess that this polished, successful developer, the celebrated Miller son-in-law, was once so poor he couldn’t afford a decent meal. Seeing my silence, Marcus pressed on. “Leo, are you still angry about what happened? Do you still blame your sister for sending you to prison? But you broke the law…” “Shut up,” I snapped. “You know the truth of what happened better than anyone.” “I want nothing to do with the Miller family. Leave me alone.” Sophia couldn’t hold back any longer. “Leo, why are you still so stubborn? How can you manage with just one hand? Stop pretending you’re fine. Come back, I’ll help you…” “How do I manage? For the past six years, I’ve been doing just fine.” I stepped into the elevator and left them behind. Oh, sister. I needed your help when I was in prison. Every single day, I waited for you to come and save me. Even though you were the one who threw me into that hell. I walked out of the office building, turned the corner, and slipped into the back of a black Rolls-Royce. My wife, Isabella Vance, was waiting for me. The moment I got in, she sensed the dark cloud hanging over me. I quickly told her what happened. Her face hardened with regret. “I should have gone up there myself and met your dear sister and that piece of trash. How dare they bully my husband? They’ll pay for this.” “Do you want me to handle it?” she asked. “No. I just want them to leave me alone.” She took my left hand in hers. “I’m always here.” The next day at work, everything was different. My coworkers treated me with a mixture of fear and contempt. They must have dug up the old news articles about Marcus and me. I tried to act as if nothing had changed, but my boss, practically groveling, a sycophantic grin plastered on his face, asked me to deliver a file to the Miller Corporation. I didn’t want to go, but I also didn’t want to be accused of throwing my weight around. After a moment’s thought, I took the file and went. I hadn’t been back in six years. Most of the employees were new faces. But a few of the older staff members recognized me. They stood up immediately, bowing their heads respectfully. “Mr. Miller. It’s been a long time.” I ignored them and went straight to Sophia’s office. I knew this was her doing. “Leo, you’re a Miller,” she said, the moment I walked in. “What will people think if they find out you’re working as a clerk in some small firm? What about the family’s reputation?” “The family’s reputation?” I scoffed, my fingers unconsciously brushing against my empty sleeve. “Wasn’t that destroyed six years ago?” Six years ago, Leo Miller was the pride of the family. I was a prodigy, a celebrated game developer at eighteen. My first indie game had topped the charts in both sales and reviews. My sister adored me, my parents doted on me. I’d been accepted into MIT. I had everything. I thought I was the luckiest guy in the world. Until I met my college roommate, Marcus Thorne. His poverty was glaring. His clothes were faded and patched. He showed up to the dorms without even a blanket, let alone the money for tuition. My privileged, sheltered heart overflowed with a naive desire to help. The feeling of being his savior was intoxicating. I gave him everything without a second thought. I paid his tuition, bought him new clothes and bedding, and loaded his meal card with thousands of dollars. I brought him into my life, introduced him to my parents, my sister, all my friends. I even taught him how to code, how to design games, guiding him every step of the way. Marcus was smart. He was also gentle, a stark contrast to my own fiery, proud nature. He knew how to charm my parents, how to play the part of the meek, grateful friend in front of my sister, earning her sympathy and affection. I had been basking in happiness for so long that I’d become blind to the subtle shifts around me. I don’t know when it started, but my friends stopped calling me. They were all hanging out with Marcus now. My sister began pursuing Marcus relentlessly, showering him with expensive gifts, calling our dorm room every night to talk to him. She forgot my birthday for the first time in my life and went a month without contacting me once. Even my father seemed to know all of Marcus’s favorite foods. My mother, who used to fuss over me, now only worried about whether Marcus was eating well, inviting him home every weekend for a home-cooked meal. I finally blew up at them, asking why they were shutting me out. They told me I was overthinking it. “Marcus has been through so much, and you’re competing with him for a little attention? You’re being selfish, Leo!” That summer, I came home to the Miller estate to find it empty. The butler awkwardly explained that my father, mother, and sister had taken Marcus on a vacation to Europe. Not a single one of them had thought to tell me. I stood there, stunned, before trashing my room in a fit of grief and rage. It felt like my world was collapsing. But all I got in return was more scorn from my family. “You’re becoming more and more immature. Marcus has no one. He’s never been out of the country. What’s the big deal about us taking him on one trip?” my mother chided. For the first time in my life, my father slapped me. “Leo, you’ve been the golden boy of this family your whole life. Can’t you be a little more generous? He’s going to be your brother-in-law. What’s wrong with us treating him well?” My sister, too, spoke to me with a harshness I’d never heard before. I never once objected to her dating Marcus. But I didn’t understand why welcoming him into the family meant casting me out. Was the vast Miller estate not big enough for both of us? Sophia’s ringing phone pulled me from my reverie. She took the file from my hand while ending the call. “That was Dad. He wants you to come home tomorrow.” I hesitated. The memory of my father’s love before all this, tangled with the memory of his cruelty after, was a confusing knot. I couldn’t remember which version was real. But I nodded. The next day, I showed up at the Miller estate in jeans and a T-shirt. I realized immediately this wasn’t a simple family meeting. It was a lavish gala celebrating Marcus. After the massive success of “Goose Hammer,” he’d launched his own game studio, “Thorne Studios.” And now, the Vance Corporation—the most powerful conglomerate in the country—was acquiring it. Even a small connection to the Vance Corporation was a huge boost to the Miller family’s prestige. The estate was decked out in gold and glitter. Guests mingled in designer gowns and bespoke suits. And then there was me, completely out of place in my casual clothes. I’d been played again. “Leo,” Marcus’s voice hissed from behind me. “I didn’t think you’d actually show up.” “It’s been six years. Why are you even here? There’s no place for you in this family anymore. Your sister sees me as the love of her life. Your parents wish I was their son…” I laughed coldly. “A pity you’re not. You’ll always be nothing but a common thief.” His face darkened. Just as he was about to retort, my mother, Eleanor, made her grand entrance. Marcus, holding his daughter’s hand, rushed to greet her. My mother beamed at her son-in-law and granddaughter. The moment her eyes landed on me, her smile vanished. Her eyes held no shock, no flicker of joy at seeing her long-lost son. Only cold, undisguised contempt. Sophia dragged me in front of her. “Mom, I found Leo. He hasn’t been doing well. He should come home.” “Just give him some money,” my mother said dismissively. “Look at the state of him. Why would we want him back here, embarrassing us?” Even though I’d expected it, the words still stung. My mother glanced at my prosthetic arm with disgust. Marcus, standing beside her, couldn’t hide a smug smile. “Marcus just closed the deal with the Vance Corporation. Don’t let this piece of trash stir up trouble.” “Mom,” I said. The word felt foreign on my tongue after six years. “Let’s just go our separate ways from now on.” “Goodbye, Mrs. Miller.” The change in address solidified it. My heart was finally dead to them. I turned and walked away, but tears of frustration still pricked my eyes. My mother used to love me so much. She used to be more excited than I was whenever one of my games was released. Until Marcus. Until that press conference that changed my life. “Goose Hammer.” It was my creation. After my family had turned on me, I’d poured all my pain and frustration into my work, spending sleepless nights creating that game. The launch event was a huge deal. The venue was packed with journalists and fans. My sister, my mother, and Marcus were all in the front row. As I spoke with the host on stage, I saw my mother lovingly squeeze Marcus’s hand, whispering and smiling with him. It was a tenderness she hadn’t shown me in a very long time. The presentation was going smoothly. But just as I was about to unveil the gameplay trailer—the highlight of the event—Marcus suddenly stormed the stage. His eyes were red-rimmed, his voice thick with emotion. The host, as if on cue, smoothly handed him the microphone. “Leo, I don’t care that you stole my ideas!” he cried out. “I don’t care that you stole my code!” “I don’t even care that you’re passing this game off as your own!” “But how could you deceive all these fans? They love you, they trust you, and you betrayed that trust! That, I cannot forgive!” The crowd gasped. I was stunned. But not my mother and sister. They sat there, their expressions perfectly calm. Flashbulbs popped as cameras recorded Marcus presenting his “evidence”—all of it precise, damning, and utterly fabricated. My code, my design documents, my concept art… all of it was now his. He had stolen everything from my computer. But I had been careful. The only people who knew my password, besides me, were my mother and my sister. “That’s not true!” I stammered, my voice lost in the chaos. No one listened. The launch was cancelled. My investors sued me for a staggering amount in damages. I was crucified online, a pariah overnight. I was losing my mind. Then I came home and saw my sister and Marcus locked in a passionate kiss. “Why?” I screamed at him. “You could have just been the Miller son-in-law. Why did you have to destroy me?” My mother rushed in and slapped me hard across the face.
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