Chapter 3

Meanwhile, I finalized my acceptance of the admission to Project Starfire and the non-disclosure agreement at school.

But as soon as I stepped through the front door, a slap landed across my cheek, sending me stumbling and crashing painfully into the shoe rack.

Even as my ears rang and I tasted blood on my lips, I looked up to see Joshua glaring at me like he would skin me, bellowing, "You ingrate! Will you only stop when Yohan dies?!"

It was certainly not the usual pretense of affection, while Anna rushed out of my room too just then.

In her arms were my notes and treasured physics textbooks, which she flung to the floor.

Then, she stamped all over everything, leaving black footprints.

"How dare you taunt Yohan with mock exams!" she screamed, shaking with rage. "So what if you got good grades?! You've learned nothing aside from these dirty tricks when you wandered around for ten years, huh?!"

Yohan's wrists were heavily bandaged, and he sniffled as he reclined against the coat. "It's alright… Don't blame him… I'm just too stupid unlike him… I shouldn't stay here…"

I snorted.

The more he appeared to show understanding toward me, the more my parents hated me.

Wiping the blood off my lips, I stared at the mess on the floor, suddenly finding everything so ironic.

I would wake up at six in the morning to cook breakfast for them, clasping my mouth if I scalded myself.

I kept studying hard to ace all my classes so that they would smile for me.

And yet, they had already arranged for Yohan's future, even intent on sending me with him as his unpaid valet.

I looked at them as they glared at me, and I finally asked the question weighing down on my mind for a while. "I'm your real son. Why are you treating me like this?"

Silence ensued, but Joshua soon recovered from his shock and snapped, "Where were you when Yohan kept us company? What did you do for the family, even if our blood flows in your veins? How do you even compare?"

I suddenly burst out laughing, so much so that my shoulders were shaking, and without tears in my eyes at that.

So suffering for ten years out there was a crime in their eyes—a crime called not doing anything for the family.

Just as Anna scowled and was ready to lecture me again, the landline rang.

Anna answered it impatiently and put the call on speakerphone. "Who's this?"

In an instant, my homeroom teacher, Mr. King, was yelling with a cracked voice, "Mr. and Mrs. Liebert! Congratulations! Caleb scored 1600, making him the top student in the city!

"Every recruiter is calling my number non-stop to poach him! Honestly, how humble can you be not to announce it?!"