Chapter 2

To be honest, in the eight years we were together, I had more than once felt that Beverly didn't truly love me.

Yet, in front of others, she always managed to do everything that a girlfriend should.

Whenever she spoke to me, her eyes would be bright, and her every gesture felt full of affection, even if she was doing something trivial.

For instance, if I forgot my umbrella on a rainy day, I only needed to make one phone call, and Beverly would drop everything to get me.

Even though she had rejected my proposal eight times in the last eight years, everyone still believed we would eventually get married.

However, now that she had posted that marriage certificate with Timothy's name instead of mine, it would definitely leave everyone in shock.

Timothy was my brother—my biological brother.

Growing up, he always had a habit of taking what was mine.

And once he got his hands on something, no amount of screaming could make him give it back.

Why was that? Because my parents didn't like me. They regarded me with disdain, and they certainly never took my side.

This was probably due to the fact that Mom nearly died from excessive bleeding when I was born.

Since then, everyone said I was a jinx.

Being aware that I wasn't loved by my family, I studied hard, desperate to prove my worth. Yet, every time I came home with top grades, all it got me was a beating because it made Timothy sad.

It took a few beatings for me to finally wise up.

From then on, I dared not score higher than my brother on exams.

And over time, I became the troublemaker and underachiever in everyone's eyes.

It wasn't until my fourth year of university that Beverly showed me a glimmer of hope. She was the first person to help me, not caring about my looks or my past.

I was working a part-time job in the campus cafeteria at the time when Timothy came to humiliate me.

"Raymond, you're washing dishes now? Are you so broke that you want to take the leftovers here back home so that you could eat them in secret?"

The moment he said that, laughter erupted all around me.

Even with a mask on, I could feel my face turning hot and red.

He couldn't stand the sight of me. To be precise, ever since he found out my grades were better than his, he began secretly targeting me.

He waved a hundred-dollar bill in front of me.

"If you take one bite of the leftovers here, I'll give you this!"

I stayed silent, but he wouldn't let up.

Beverly was the student council president back then. The moment she showed up, she stood up for me before scolding Timothy harshly.

From that day on, she kept coming to see me.

She was the one who invited me to join the student council and helped me get tutoring gigs outside to make money.

Beverly told me not to be afraid, that living meant being brave and always moving forward.

I took her words to heart.

I refused to stay stagnant, especially not for someone else.

The sudden ring of my phone snapped me out of my thoughts. It was a call from Erika Hayes, one of the company's other shareholders.

"Raymond, are you okay? I just finished work and saw Beverly's post…"

"I'm fine. Don't worry, Ms. Hayes. Whatever happens between Beverly and me, it won't affect the company in any way."

As I spoke, a thought suddenly formed in my mind.

"If you're interested," I added, "I'm willing to sell you all of my shares."

Erika fell silent.

After a long pause, she muttered that she'd think about it before hanging up.

It was only after I hung up that I realized Beverly had returned and was already standing behind me.

In the same detached tone she had always talked to me with, she asked in surprise, "Raymond, who were you talking to? What are you selling?"

I kept a straight face, but deep down, my heart lurched.

I chose not to tell her what I was planning.

"It was Erika. She called to talk about the company's recent business deals and what products had been sold."

"She usually communicates with me about those kinds of things. Why would she call you?"

Beverly frowned, staring at me as if trying to catch me in a lie.

For the first time ever, I found the person in front of me a bit hard to deal with.

Raising a brow, I deliberately mocked, "Are you not my sister-in-law? Why are you suddenly concerned about me? If you think about it, our current relationship is pretty scandalous by society's standards.

"With how you're so busy these days with taking care of Timothy, when will you start caring about the company for once?"