The entire Gates family could hear my thoughts. On the first day they brought me to their estate, they wired their adopted son a thirty-thousand-dollar allowance. They sent me two hundred. I complained silently. Are you kidding me? Two hundred? I make more than that working the line at the plant. As they waited, expressions of disdain on their faces, expecting me to grovel and beg for more, they heard my next thought. So, the great Gates dynasty gives their son a grand total of thirty thousand and two hundred dollars a month? That won't even cover a square foot of thermal shielding. What’s the point of fighting over this paltry inheritance? We still haven't met our KPI of thirty rockets for the year at the plant. I don't have time for this rich-family soap opera. I should be building more rockets to defend against the aliens. 1 The moment my biological parents and I stepped through the mansion’s grand entrance, a boy threw himself to his knees in front of me. I jumped back, startled. But he crawled forward on his knees, tears streaming down his face. "It's all my fault. I stole the life that should have been yours, Leo." "I'm on my knees begging for your forgiveness. If you can't forgive me... I'll leave the Gates family and go back to the slums where I belong!" "I'll do anything, as long as you're not angry anymore!" In the opulent living room, my wealthy parents and three biological sisters immediately rushed to his side. My mother helped the boy, Ray, to his feet, her tone sharp with disapproval. "Leo, that's enough. How could you treat your brother like that?" My father’s face was grim, his eyes burning with condemnation. My eldest sister, Victoria, scoffed. "Figures. Dragged up from the middle of nowhere. All he knows is herding cattle and screwing bolts on an assembly line. Of course he’d resort to cheap tricks to get attention." I was too busy marveling at the mansion’s interior to hear a word they were saying. The Gatess are at the top of the private sector for advanced materials, so it makes sense they’d use cutting-edge stuff for their own home. Their anger vanished, replaced by confusion. They exchanged glances, then stared at me in shock. Good thing I listened to the director and took leave to come meet them. With me as the inside man, the plant won't have to worry about material supplies anymore. My father frowned slightly. Victoria let out a disgusted snort but said nothing. My second sister, Seraphina, shot me a look that was suddenly sharp and wary. My third sister, Isabelle, glared at me. "I'm warning you," she snapped, "we only have one brother, and that's Ray. Don't even think about competing with him for our affection, or for the family company." My father cleared his throat and addressed me in a patronizing tone. "Leo, you've been working at a plant for a long time. It must be difficult adjusting to the lifestyle of a family like ours." He tapped a few times on his phone. A moment later, the ancient flip phone in my pocket blared out in a clunky, robotic voice, "TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS RECEIVED." "Take this for now," my father said. "Once you've settled in, I'll send you more." He then turned to the teary-eyed Ray, his voice dripping with affection. "Ray, we raised you. You will always be a Gates. Nothing will ever change that." "I'm raising your monthly allowance to thirty thousand, starting now. Consider it compensation for all this." He immediately pulled out his phone to make the transfer. Ray’s tears vanished, replaced by a triumphant smile. But he still had to put on a show, his gaze flicking toward me. "Oh, no, you can't. You should give my allowance to Leo." "After all, he's had such a hard life, living in the countryside and working in a factory. He needs the money more than I do." His gloating was obvious, but I just frowned. Is the Gates family this broke? Only thirty thousand for their son’s allowance? My father's thumb froze over his phone screen. 2 Ray stared at him, confused. My eldest sister, Victoria, let out a cold laugh. "Forget thirty thousand. I doubt you've ever even seen ten thousand dollars in your life. Do you even understand the concept of money?" I was disappointed. Is thirty thousand a lot? It can't even buy a square meter of thermal shielding. Our workshop's weekly budget is more than that. The smile on Victoria’s face froze. Oh well. At least their family business is in advanced materials, even if they are a bit poor. I'll ask Dad later if he can pull some strings and get his company to partner with our plant. They are my blood relatives, after all. Poor sales figures. Must save the Gates. After a long, awkward silence, the entire family, except for the oblivious Ray, had strange expressions on their faces. My father finished the transfer to Ray and stormed out of the living room, looking furious. After dinner, my mother led me to a small suite next to the first-floor dining room. "Leo," she said coolly, "the upstairs bedrooms haven't been prepared yet. You'll have to make do with this for now." Ray stood beside her, feigning concern. "Mom, this is the maid's room. Is it really okay for Leo to stay here?" "Why don't I give him my bedroom?" Before I could say anything, my mother shot that down. "Absolutely not! This cramped little room is for the lower class. I would never let you stay in a place like this." I had to laugh. This family is something else. The maid's room is too degrading for their precious adopted son, but it's perfectly fine for their actual son. A flicker of embarrassment crossed my mother’s face. She shot me an angry look before turning back to Ray. "Leo grew up in the country. He's used to dirt floors and no running water, or cramped factory dorms. The maid's room is a huge step up for him." "But you're different, darling. You've had the best of everything your whole life. You wouldn't last a night in here." She was so moved by her own words she started to cry. Ray smiled magnanimously. "It's okay, Mom. The bedroom was always meant to be his anyway." Then his expression shifted to one of tragic self-pity. "I've been a usurper in this house for twenty years. It's time I gave him back what's rightfully his." "Ray, don't say that! You will always be my precious son..." The two of them went back and forth until they were clinging to each other, sobbing dramatically. 3 I surveyed the room meant for the "lower class." You know, the soundproofing in here is pretty decent. Those two are wailing their hearts out, and I can't hear a peep from Dad. It's like he dropped dead out there. It is a little small, though. I won't be able to move my equipment from the plant in here. Guess I’ll have to go back to the plant if I want to work overtime. What a pain. My mother's crying stopped abruptly. Thinking about work made me anxious. I used my vacation days to come here. I've got a mountain of work piling up. I'll have to work overtime for the next week straight, or I'll never meet my KPI for the year. My mother was staring at me, the tears drying on her cheeks. She looked around the small room, a regretful expression on her face, lost in thought. The news that the Gates had found their long-lost son spread like wildfire through the city's elite circles. Everyone was watching me and Ray, eager for the drama of the real and fake heirs tearing each other apart. To show that the family treated both sons equally, my father decided to throw a party in my honor. The funny thing was, nobody told me. That evening, after a long, hard day at the plant, I came home to a mansion transformed. The living room was filled with the city's glamorous high society, all of whom turned to stare at me the moment I walked in. Their expressions ranged from surprise to pity to outright contempt. Ray's voice boomed across the room. "Leo! Why on earth are you dressed like that for a party?" I looked over at him. He was styled to perfection, every hair in place, wearing a bespoke suit that made him stand out even among the well-dressed guests. He walked over to me, his voice laced with faux concern. "Didn't you wear a suit? Don't you like the one Mom and Dad picked out for you?" "If you want, you can borrow something from my closet." His words were caring, but his eyes were overflowing with malicious glee. As expected, the guests started whispering. "So that's the real Gates heir? He looks completely out of place." "The Gates threw this party for him, and he shows up dressed like that? Is he trying to embarrass them on purpose?" I glanced around. My sister Isabelle was pretending not to know me, laughing with a group of guests. Seraphina stood a short distance away, watching the scene unfold without any intention of intervening. Victoria followed my parents as they approached, her expression thunderous. "Leo, what is wrong with you?" my mother hissed. "Look at what you're wearing to an important event like this!" 4 I looked down at myself. The standard-issue shirt and cargo pants from the plant were durable and comfortable. I didn’t see a problem. So tired. So sleepy. I didn't bust my ass all day screwing bolts together just to come home and act in their little play. The aliens are practically at our doorstep, and they’re still caught up in this family drama. I should have just stayed at the plant. With all the time they're wasting on this charade, I could have run a few more simulations. My father forced a smile for the guests. "This is my son, Leo. We just brought him back from the country. He's a bit naive. Please forgive him." Ray quickly jumped in to "defend" me. "It's my brother's first time at a party like this. He doesn't know any better. Please, don't mind him." But this only made the guests look at me with even more disdain. "I heard his adoptive parents were shepherds. He grew up with sheep. Looking at him now, it makes sense… he’s hardly suited for polite society." "Not only that, I heard he’s just some factory worker with no education. Compared to him, Ray seems so much more like the real heir." My parents' faces grew darker with every whispered comment. Ray secretly smirked, then turned to my parents with a look of concern. "This party is for Leo. Mom, Dad, please don't be mad at him." Then, he deliberately changed the subject. "By the way, Leo, I heard you work at a big plant. Which one is it?" he asked, his tone deceptively innocent. "A lot of our friends are here tonight. Maybe your boss is even in the room!" Another wave of snickers went through the crowd. "He calls an electronics assembly line a 'big plant'? Does this guy even know what a real corporation is?" "He's from the country. It's normal he wouldn't know the difference." "My company would never hire someone without even a high school diploma. It would tarnish our brand." The whispers and laughter made my parents' faces sink further. The entire family was glaring at me, blaming me for embarrassing them. Actually, Ray just gave me an idea. The Gates may be broke, but they're well-connected. Satellite communications, remote sensing, new energy… if I could get the leaders of all these industries to partner with our plant, our production capacity would skyrocket. My KPI for the year would be saved. Our current planetary defense system isn't strong enough. We need all the private sector support we can get. I looked around the room, my spirits lifting. I was about to introduce everyone to my work. 5 But Victoria rushed over and hissed at me, "Leo, stop making a fool of yourself and go change!" She grabbed my arm and practically dragged me toward the maid's room, terrified I would do something else to tarnish the Gates name. At the door, she let go and warned me, "You stay in here and behave. Don't you dare do anything else to embarrass this family!" "I'm going into politics someday. I can't have any scandals." "If you do anything that ruins my vetting process, I won't be the only one you have to answer to. Mom and Dad will make you regret it." I watched her frantic, angry display and thought to myself: This sister of mine has been trying to get into politics for seven years. At this point, a tortoise could've won an election. Surely the Gates aren't so poor they can't afford to get her a tutor? Victoria's face went through several shades of red before she finally yelled, "You're impossible! You know what? Just stay in here and think about what you've done. You're not welcome at the party anyway!" She stormed out and locked the door from the outside. I had no idea what had set her off, but I was grateful for the quiet. It gave me time to review the day's test data. But Ray, it seemed, was not done with his games. A few minutes later, I heard the lock click. He walked in, a cheerful smile on his face. "Leo, aren't you changed yet? The guests are waiting for you." With no one else around, the cunning in his eyes was on full display. He walked over to my desk and saw my data sheets. I instinctively tensed, covering the documents with my hands. This was classified information. Even a small leak could have serious consequences. "What's all this, Leo?" he asked, reaching for the papers. I held them down firmly. "Are you hiding something you don't want people to see?" Ray glanced toward the door, confirming something, and his expression hardened. The friendly act was over. He lunged for the papers on my desk. "Give them to me!" I reacted instantly, slamming my hands down on the stack of documents. He grabbed them, his eyes glinting with a sinister light. The papers crumpled in his grasp. My heart bled. You absolute moron, I cursed inwardly. "Ray, are you insane?" He was about to rip the papers from my grasp. I couldn't stop myself—I kicked out, hard. But just as my foot made contact, he suddenly let go, allowing himself to be thrown backward by the force. I didn't miss the strange, triumphant smirk on his face as he flew through the air. "Ray!" The moment I heard my mother's shriek, I knew what his plan had been all along. Victoria, my parents, and a crowd of guests arrived just in time to see Ray go flying across the room. Victoria yelled, "Leo! What are you doing?!"
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