1 Since I was little, I’ve been like a shadow, trailing behind my older brother, Tyler. To the outside world, we were the enviable siblings of the wealthy Shen family, raised in the lap of luxury. Our birthdays were lavish garden parties at our estate, the kind people posted about on Instagram for weeks. Tyler was the undisputed king of our social circle. Handsome, athletic, a piano prodigy, and effortlessly cool. He was every girl’s crush and every parent’s benchmark for "the perfect son." And me? I was his personal assistant disguised as a sister. He chased the school queen bee; I delivered the love notes. He skipped class to hit the arcade; I covered for him during roll call. He didn't feel like doing homework; I pulled all-nighters finishing his essays. Don't ask why. The answer is simple: I’m the adopted daughter, Chloe. When we were kids, Tyler used to terrify me. He’d say he was the boss of the house, and if I didn't listen to him, he’d have Mom and Dad ship me back to the foster system in a cardboard box. That one sentence traumatized me into a people-pleaser. I spent my life nodding and "yes, brother"-ing my way through existence. Until today. Tyler sent me on another errand to buy a specific artisanal sandwich for his crush, Jessica. Halfway there, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Tyler: [Yo, short stack, did you get the breakfast yet?] I was out of breath. [Quit rushing me. The bakery is halfway across town. I'm not doing this next time.] He replied with a smug emoji: [You always say that, but you always do it. By the way, I’m broke. Spent my allowance on a gift for Jessica. Put the errand fee on my tab.] [Also, your new 'brother' is coming home today. You better stand with me. When he gets here, we need to put him in his place.] Sure enough, when I walked through the front door, I saw a stranger standing in the darkest corner of the foyer. His messy bangs covered his eyes, his head hung low. He wore a faded, thrifted hoodie and looked too thin, like a gust of wind could knock him over. His hands were rough, calloused from hard labor. But when he looked up, I froze. Tyler was considered the gold standard of looks, but this guy? He was on another level. He looked exactly like Mom—deep-set eyes, sharp features. He had that rare "tragic beauty" vibe, a mix of destitution and inherent nobility that clashed perfectly. His name was Sebastian. He was Mom’s biological son, switched at birth. In other words, Tyler had stolen his life and enjoyed seventeen years of wealth that belonged to him. But even with Sebastian standing right there, Mom instinctively patted Tyler’s hand, soothing him. "Don't worry, Ty. You will always be the most important child in this house." Mom’s attitude was my compass. I knew the drill: keep sucking up to Tyler. Sebastian, who had suffered in poverty for nearly two decades, radiated alienation. But his eyes... they were like a wolf’s. Wild. He said nothing, just staring at Mom until she squirmed. Finally, Mom walked over and gave him a stiff hug. "I'm sorry, my child. You've suffered so much." Tyler chose that moment to let out a mocking laugh. "Mom, you guys are the real family. Now that you're reunited, should I pack my bags?" Mom panicked instantly. She pushed Sebastian away and rushed to grab Tyler’s hand. "What are you saying? You are my baby. My precious son." From an angle Mom couldn't see, Tyler smirked at Sebastian. A look of pure victory. Sebastian’s expression didn't change. It was as if Mom’s love—or lack thereof—didn't matter to him. But I saw it. A flicker of loneliness in his eyes. Mom turned to him. "Sebastian, don't mind him. Tyler is a victim in this, too." Suddenly, floating translucent text appeared in the air before my eyes, like a livestream chat. [Are you kidding me? Tyler benefited the most! How is he a victim?] [Exactly. Tyler lived like a prince for 17 years while Sebastian got beaten by an abusive foster dad.] [I wish I could be a 'victim' like that.] I blinked, but the text remained. Sebastian stayed silent. Mom pulled me forward. "Chloe, be a good girl. Say hello to your new brother." Behind me, Tyler pinched my arm—a signal. He wanted me to bully the new kid. Usually, I’d stick my chin up and say something bratty like, "He doesn't look like my brother." The floating text scrolled faster: [Here it comes. The classic scene. The villainess sister tells Sebastian to get lost, destroying his last shred of hope for this family.] [Ugh, poor Sebastian. Coming home just to be bullied by these demon siblings.] [Don't worry. Sebastian becomes the ruthless CEO later. He bankrupts these two idiots. They end up fighting stray dogs for food under a bridge.] 2 Bankrupt? Fighting dogs for food?! Absolutely not. I spent years catering to Tyler’s every whim just to secure a comfortable future. I did not put in all that emotional labor to end up homeless! I needed to save my future. Immediately. My survival instincts kicked into overdrive. I plastered on the sweetest, most sugary smile I could muster and launched myself at Sebastian, wrapping him in a bear hug. "This brother is so handsome! I like him!" I held on tight, my voice dripping with syrup. "I'm Chloe. Welcome home, big brother!" He went rigid. The icy mask on his face finally cracked. I could feel his confusion, his hesitation as his hand hovered awkwardly over my back. I snickered internally and grabbed his hand, dragging him toward the dining room. "Brother, you're too skinny! This won't do. Dinner is ready, you need to eat a lot and get strong!" The floating comments went wild: [??? What is happening? Did the villainess get possessed?] [She’s definitely plotting something. She’s Tyler’s number one lackey. In the book, she tortures the MC.] At the dinner table, Mom’s favoritism was blatant. She piled all the expensive dishes in front of Tyler and me. In front of Sebastian? A plate of stir-fried spinach. Even Mom felt a little awkward. She picked up a piece of glazed salmon. "Sebastian, try this. It's delicious." Sebastian glanced at it. "I don't eat fish. I'm allergic to seafood." Mom froze, embarrassed. She silently moved the salmon to Tyler’s bowl. "Ty, you've been studying hard. You eat it." Tyler grinned. "Thanks, Mom. I love salmon. Can we have it tomorrow too?" Then, he pivoted, smiling maliciously at me. "By the way, Mom, Chloe was just telling me how much she wanted a massive seafood feast tomorrow. Right, Chloe?" The comments exploded: [This guy is such a snake. He knows Sebastian is allergic and he's doing this on purpose.] [I can't wait until they're broke on the streets.] [Especially the sister. Pretty, homeless, and alone... her ending in the book is brutal. She gets targeted by...] I stopped reading. The food in my mouth turned to ash. My survival instinct roared. I put down my chopsticks, wiped my mouth, and grabbed Mom’s arm, shaking it like a toddler. "But Mom! I don't want seafood anymore! I really want sweet and sour pork ribs, spicy tofu, and truffle chicken soup!" I batted my eyelashes. "Mommy, please? Can we have those instead?" Mom ate it up. She tapped my nose affectionately. "Okay, okay. Whatever our little glutton wants." Tyler’s face went dark. He hadn't expected me to go off-script and save Sebastian. I pretended not to notice and shoveled rice into my mouth. Honestly? I felt guilty. My muscle memory wanted to agree with Tyler. I was wired to please him. But I was more afraid of sleeping under a bridge. After dinner, Mom showed Sebastian to his room. It was right next to mine. I thought I could finally sleep, but the damn text floated up again: [Unbelievable. Tyler poured water on Sebastian’s bed. What a jerk.] [It’s freezing at night right now. He’s trying to make him sick.] [It's fine. Just imagine them shivering in a cardboard box later. Karma is coming.] 3 The comments felt vindicated. I felt like I was going to have a heart attack. I jumped out of bed without putting on slippers, grabbed a brand-new duvet from the linen closet, and sprinted to Sebastian’s room. I knocked lightly. Sebastian opened the door. Moonlight spilled across his face, highlighting his sharp jawline. He was shockingly handsome. I paused for a second, dazzled. Then I shoved the duvet at him. "Brother! I heard your bedding got... uh, wet. This is brand new. Use this." He stared at me. His dark eyes searched my face for a long time before he spoke, his voice raspy. "Why are you being so nice to me?" Because I don't want to be homeless, bro! But I smiled like an angel. "Because you're my brother. We're family." He flinched like the word "family" physically burned him. "Family?" I nodded vigorously. "Yup! I'm very useful. I'll take care of you and protect you!" Suddenly, he smiled. It looked like snow melting in spring. "I'm the older brother. I should be the one taking care of you. Protecting you." My heart did a weird little flip. With Tyler, I was always the one cleaning up messes and taking the blame. I rubbed my nose. "So, what do you like to eat? I'll tell the chef for tomorrow." His lips curved up. "No need. The dishes you asked for today... those are my favorites." I grinned. "I knew it! Who doesn't love sweet and sour ribs?" Sebastian chuckled. It was the first time I’d heard him laugh. I stared again. When he smiled... he was lethal. 4 The next morning, Tyler didn't wait for me to walk to school. I knew he was mad. I felt a little wronged. I’d been his servant for years, and one moment of disobedience was enough to cut me off? My phone buzzed. It was Jessica, the school’s queen bee. [Chloe, get me the spicy noodles from the cafeteria for breakfast. But like, from the good stall on the other side of campus. Thanks!] Ever since Tyler started making me run errands for her, she had gotten comfortable treating me like her personal DoorDash. I wanted to text back: Get it yourself. I deleted it. [Okay.] I didn't like Jessica. On the first day of high school, during introductions, I spoke one sentence. She burst out laughing. "Oh my god, is that your real voice? It's so high-pitched and fake. We're in high school, you don't need to act like an anime character." The whole class laughed. My face burned. I’m naturally soft-spoken; I wasn't faking anything. Tyler had kicked her chair. "Knock it off." Jessica rolled her eyes. "Protective much? It's just a joke. She's too sensitive." Tyler had patted my head. "Don't worry about it, Chloe." I felt safe then. But... But, Tyler, why did you fall in love with her? 5 Despite his threats to send me back to the orphanage, Tyler used to be good to me. I have hypoglycemia—low blood sugar. I get dizzy if I don't eat. Tyler used to keep tangerine candies in his pocket. Whenever I forgot mine, he’d peel one and pop it in my mouth. "Idiot," he'd say, smiling. "So much trouble." Recently, I hadn't forgotten my candy. I just pretended to, because I liked being cared for. But then Jessica started chirping in his ear. "Tyler, are you obsessed with your sister? It's weird. You're going to turn her into a brat." Tyler called her annoying, but his ears turned red. He stopped bringing me candy. Now, his pockets were full of hair ties because Jessica always lost hers. His patience transferred to her. He tutored her, bought her gifts for every holiday, and made me deliver his love letters. He made me bring her breakfast. He seemed to forget that I hated her. To keep Tyler happy, I had to suck up to Jessica. I had to pretend I didn't mind. But the tangerine candy sweetness was gone. Now, all I tasted was bitter.
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