Riches in Ruins

The richest man in Southbridge, James Halloway, took his wife and their son on a week-long vacation. Not once during that trip did he think of calling me.It wasn’t until the final day of their return that he finally remembered I existed. However, by then, my phone was switched off. I had already checked into the lab and entered lockdown mode for a closed research project.Dad glanced at his phone, a little puzzled. “Why isn’t Suzie picking up?”Mom shrugged. “She’s probably still working one of her part-time jobs. Didn’t she say she took on two more tutoring gigs? She must be swamped.”Dad sighed. “Do you think we’ve been too hard on her? When I look at Xander and then at her… They’re the same age, but Suzie’s always been the one pushing herself so hard.”Mom simply waved it off. “Suzie’s independent. She’s already supporting herself at her age. We barely have to worry about her. You should feel proud.”Dad nodded slowly, half-convinced. However, when they finally got home, some

The moment Mom saw me, she rushed over. However, as she got close, I instinctively stepped back two full steps.She looked hurt for a second but didn’t say much. Dad also came over, and so did my grandparents. They were all inside, waiting.I sat down across from them and raised an eyebrow. The whole setup felt way too serious.“If you’ve got something to say, just spit it out.”“Suzie…” Mom started, her voice unusually soft. “We’re sorry. This… All of this is our fault. You were born first. You were chubby and fair-skinned, so perfect. But then your grandma brought in a fortune-teller, and he said yours and your brother’s fates clashed. Together, you would bring him bad luck. I didn’t know what to do.“In our family, the son is supposed to inherit the family business, so the decision was made to separate you two. At first, we even thought about giving you away, but I couldn’t do it. In the end, we all agreed to raise you poor instead. That way, you wouldn’t grow up stealing the s

I wouldn’t regret it.If they had shown me even the slightest bit of kindness or sincerity three years ago, I might’ve stayed. However, I knew the truth now. Everything they did to me was all because of some vague prophecy from a so-called ‘fortune teller.’One offhand comment from that fraud, and they turned their backs on me like I was cursed.I still wondered—what if he had said one more thing? Would they have gone so far as to get rid of me entirely, considering I was that close to being sent away? Just thinking about it makes it impossible to forgive them.Hence, when Professor Dunn put my name forward for the assignment, I jumped at the opportunity. I didn’t tell anyone I was leaving. Only Professor Dunn and a few close upperclassmen knew.Before I left, they threw me a little farewell dinner at a five-star hotel.As I looked around, I couldn’t help but sigh. “Three years ago, on Christmas Eve, I followed my parents here in secret and saw them having dinner with Xander. Bac