Chapter 2

"Arthur! Why didn't you save me? You were standing right there! Why didn't you push me out of the way?"

I stood at the foot of the bed, watching him thrash and scream, and felt nothing but satisfaction. On the outside, though, I wore an expression of pure anguish.

"Dad, the truck was too fast. I couldn't react in time. And the doctors said if they didn't amputate, you wouldn't have survived at all."

The words had barely left my mouth when the door swung open. Monica walked in with Brandon in tow and threw herself at Victor's bedside.

"Victor! How did this happen to you? How are Brandon and I supposed to go on like this?"

Tears streamed down her face as she buried herself in Victor's arms without a shred of shame, sobbing like her world had ended. Brandon knelt beside the bed and gripped Victor's hand tightly.

Victor reached out with a trembling hand and stroked Brandon's head. "Good boy... I always knew I didn't raise you for nothing."

Then he turned and looked at me standing off to the side. His expression went cold.

"Arthur, Brandon is my son too. Once I'm discharged, he and his mother are moving into the house."

His tone left no room for discussion.

"My body needs round-the-clock care now. You know how your mother is. She'd only make things worse. Monica is attentive and careful. I feel better with her around."

I looked at his self-righteous face and laughed to myself.

In my last life, he had done the exact same thing. Mom was a proud woman who refused to look the other way, and she had fought him tooth and nail over it.

Monica then turned around and told Victor that Mom was mentally unstable, that she was unfit to represent the Carrington name, and talked him into having her committed to a psychiatric facility.

This time, I would not let that happen.

"Alright."

I nodded calmly. "You're right, Dad. Your health comes first. I'll go home and talk to Mom."

Victor blinked. He clearly had not expected me to agree so easily.

"At least you know what's good for you." He let out a cold snort, and a calculating look flickered behind his eyes.

"One more thing. I can't go to the office like this, and the company has too many moving parts to sit idle.

"Brandon just graduated, but he's sharp. Starting tomorrow, he'll come in as your deputy. Show him the ropes."

Deputy? What a nice way to put it. All he really wanted was to use me to slip Brandon into the company's senior management with a legitimate title.

I did not push back. I simply lowered my head. "No problem. I'll take good care of my little brother."

After I got Victor settled, I went straight home and told Mom everything about Monica, Brandon, and what Victor had decided. I did not leave out a single detail.

She was shaking with rage and wanted to storm the hospital right then and there to confront him. I grabbed her and held her down on the couch.

"Mom! Calm down!"

She froze, staring at me. "Arthur, that's yours by right. Are you really just going to hand it all over to that tramp and her b*stard?"

"Of course not."

I let go of her. "Mom, I need you to pack your bags right now and go to Valdaire. Take some time for yourself.

"Bring all of your personal assets with you and get away from this mess. Leave the rest to me.

"I promise you, they will not take a single thing that belongs to us.

"And not only will they fail to take it, I'm going to make them pay back every last cent with interest."

I would not take no for an answer. By that afternoon, Mom was on a flight to Valdaire.

The next day, Monica and Brandon moved into the Carrington estate as if they owned the place. Monica installed herself in the master bedroom, and Brandon took over my study.

"Oh, I'm so sorry about this, Arthur." Monica's smile was clearly fake.

"Your father said Brandon will be handling important company business going forward, so he'll need a quiet workspace. I'm afraid you'll just have to give up the study."