Stolen? No, I Gave It Away.

I represented Summit Forge Steel, one of the top ten corporations in the city, as a sponsor for the orphanage where I grew up.They had invited me back for the dedication ceremony.When I stepped out of the limousine in a tailored suit that night, all eyes were on me. Old friends from the orphanage rushed over to greet me. Standing nearby, Mrs. Jones, the director, could not stop telling everyone how far I had come.At that moment, the contrast between my younger brother, who worked at the orphanage as a maintenance worker, and me could not have been more obvious. Inevitably, some people began whispering.“Back then, Simon was so cunning. He did not just get himself adopted by Mr. Harrison, but he also made his own brother go home with a scrap collector. Bet he regrets that now!”“Who would’ve thought Mr. Harrison’s biological son would come back? Once that happened, they didn’t need Simon anymore.”“Wesley really got lucky! A scrap collector’s kid has turned into a promising y

That same day, Margaret took me shopping and bought me plenty of essentials and new clothes. In the mall, beside a trash bin, I saw Simon following Ronald as they collected recyclables.Ronald pointed toward the mall’s storage room and said, “When the guy inside comes out, ask him to give us his trash. This place tosses out premium cardboard. We can get good money for it.” Simon stood poised by the door, ready to spring into action. Just then, his eyes met mine as I walked out of the fitting room.Having his embarrassing situation exposed in front of me, Simon could not keep his composure. He rushed over to me viciously.“Wesley, are you mocking me?”He raised his hand to hit me.A store employee reacted quickly and shoved Simon aside. “How did you get in here, you little beggar?”Simon gritted his teeth and lunged again, but Ronald rushed over and pulled him back.Holding onto the agitated Simon with one hand, Ronald forced out a smile and apologized repeatedly to the emplo

One day, Simon dragged himself into class looking like someone had let the air out of him.After class, he stormed up to my desk and demanded an explanation. His eyes were practically blazing with anger.“Why didn’t you tell me something that important? You did it on purpose, didn’t you?”I lifted the arm he had slammed against my desk and took a closer look.Just as I thought, his arms were covered in bruises, red welts crisscrossing his skin where a cane had struck him.It seemed Ronald still had not gotten rid of his old habits.In the previous timeline, Ronald behaved for only a week after adopting me before he started drinking heavily every day.He would stumble home drunk and fly into a fit of rage.Whatever humiliation he endured while collecting scraps outside, he brought it home and took it out on me.I had assumed that with Simon’s smooth talk, he would at least manage to stay safe for half a year.I let out a long sigh. “A leopard can’t change its spots.”Simon lu

Ever since that incident, it was as if Simon had suddenly had an epiphany.He became even more smug in front of me. He constantly bragged that he had a “surprise” planned.Terry told me that Simon had started dating a girl from outside the school. She was a well-known delinquent in the area.These days, no one at school dared to mock Simon anymore. They were afraid of retaliation from his troublemaking girlfriend. That afternoon after school, a large crowd had gathered outside the gates. I walked past quietly with my backpack on. Someone called my name.It was Simon. I frowned.He would not be brazen enough to try something right at the school entrance, would he? Besides, I had asked Mr. Colburn to pick me up outside the gate.I turned around. Simon was sitting on a motorcycle and whistling at me. The girl in the back seat removed her helmet and looked in my direction. The moment I saw her face, I gasped.It was Ivy Brooks, my wife from the previous timeline. Simon got o

When I returned to the Harrison residence, I saw a boy sitting on the sofa.He looked like a petty thug. Jack and Margaret were seated beside him and talking to him.When I walked in, Margaret introduced him. “Wesley, this is Alex. Your younger brother.”I felt a flicker of confusion. So, this was Alex.In the previous timeline, I had heard that Alex was the Harrison family’s biological son who had gone missing and been sold to a remote mountain village as a child. When he was found and brought back, he had been timid and trembling. He was barely able to speak.He looked nothing like that now.Back then, Alex had only been found during the summer after Simon’s college entrance exams. Why had he returned earlier this time?Alex looked me up and down, then said to Margaret, “I’ve seen him now. I’m going back upstairs. Oh, and he’s not worthy of being my brother.”With that, he picked up his jacket and went upstairs without sparing me another glance.However, what he said sounded