Chapter 1

I was reborn on the day Justin Meyer was adopted into my family. I hadn't expected fate to give me another chance.

Justin was the son of my dad Herbert Meyer's childhood friend, and he was also a famous child prodigy in our city, Jenton. Unfortunately, both his parents died in a car accident, and by the time the crash site was discovered, Justin had already been abducted.

Dad put a lot of effort into finding Justin and getting him back. Heartbroken that he'd suffered so much at such a young age, Dad decided to bring him home and treat him like his own son.

My mom, Aileen Wagner, wrapped her arms around him and cried the moment she saw him. "You poor child. You must've suffered."

My sister, Tiana Meyer, also wiped her tears.

Only I looked at Justin with a distant expression. After all, I knew how wicked he truly was beneath his obedient facade.

Mom quickly asked Justin to sit down and rest, but he turned red and said in a quiet voice, "I'm dirty. I might ruin your couch."

Justin's pitiful, well-behaved act melted my family's hearts all over again.

Even Dad, who always said that real men shouldn't cry, had tears in his eyes. He patted Justin's head and said, "You silly boy. From now on, this is your home. You should call us Mom and Dad…"

Justin nodded shyly. He noticed Tiana's unfinished homework spread across the table. With just one glance, he solved a difficult math problem she'd been struggling with the entire evening.

Tiana immediately became Justin's biggest fan, praising him nonstop for being a true genius. My parents exchanged smiles, convinced that having Justin in our family would make things even better.

No one bothered to ask for my opinion. It was as if, with Justin's arrival, their own son no longer mattered.

I just waited quietly since I knew Justin's true colors. And just as I'd expected, he immediately tried to put me in my place.

Justin suddenly looked at me, his eyes glistening, and asked, "Marco, why are you glaring at me?"

He lowered his head, looking utterly disappointed. "Sorry, I never meant to steal your parents away from you. If you don't like me, I can leave."

Despite what he said, he still plopped himself down on the couch.

Dad looked at me sternly. "Marco, you'll be Justin's brother from now on. You have to get along with him, okay?"

Tiana curled her lip in disdain. "Marco must be jealous and can't accept that Justin is smarter than him. Justin is on a whole different level from Marco. He's a famous child prodigy."

Justin's face immediately paled, and he hid behind Mom, trembling. "I never meant to steal Marco's spotlight. It's all my fault."

Mom pulled him into her embrace and looked at me, obviously displeased. "Marco, I've always taught you to be humble. How could you be so jealous?"

Dad quickly chimed in, "Apologize to Justin right now!"

Justin raised his head and flashed me a provocative look that only I could see.

I bit my lower lip as memories of my past life flashed through my mind.

My parents and Tiana had been just as hostile back then, insisting that Justin was their true family and cutting ties with me without a second thought. They even helped Justin frame me and send me to prison, then stood by and watched as I was led to the execution ground.

I should have understood that from the moment Justin showed up on my doorstep, my family had stopped being my family. They acted as if Justin had put a spell on them, always taking his side no matter what. They didn't even care when he swindled them out of every last cent.

I'd sincerely tried to talk some sense into them, but in return, they just accused me of being jealous, incompetent, and petty. I became the most ridiculed member of the Meyer family.

They might have been willing to walk straight into the hell Justin had prepared for them, but I wasn't.

This time, I would live only for myself.