Chapter 2

Mom and Dad knew that the trip was a very dangerous one, and yet, they still insisted that Wilbur and I went.

We didn't want to go, but they berated us relentlessly, calling us spoiled and calling our hesitation a childish tantrum. They constantly used the fact that they'd raised us and that we owed them our lives to belittle us, until eventually, Wilbur and I caved.

However, when the riots broke out, Mom and Dad didn't just refuse to listen to our pleas for help. They even canceled the plane tickets we'd worked so hard to secure, leaving us stranded and desperately fighting for survival in a country torn apart by violence.

Meanwhile, Corbin had been studying abroad in Euroca, nearly half a globe away from the riots, where it was completely safe. Yet Mom and Dad, panicked over the slightest potential threat, went to extreme lengths to send ten planes and professional bodyguards to escort him home.

Wilbur and I were their biological sons, but they treated us with such cold-blooded indifference that Corbin might as well have been their real son, given how thoroughly they spoiled and pampered him.

And yet, even in his final moments, poor Wilbur was still making excuses for them.

"I'm sure Mom and Dad just didn't understand how bad things were here… That's why they wouldn't let us come home… Don't hate them… Live well in my place…"

Anger surged through me as I recalled Wilbur's body being blown to pieces.

"Apologize? Over my dead body! I'll never apologize as long as I'm alive! Wilbur is dead because of you! Are you happy now?

"Parents like you will definitely get your comeuppance one day!"

I ended the call angrily, cutting off Dad's furious roar over the line.

…

I was soon escorted back home by the embassy.

The moment I stepped out of the arrival gate, Corbin's face flashed across massive electronic screens everywhere.

"Congratulations on the safe return of the Miller Aviation Group's only son!"

The words looped endlessly in prime advertising spaces across the terminal.

Several flight attendants whispered in the waiting hall. They weren't speaking loudly, but every word pierced straight through me.

"Is that the tycoon's only son? I heard there was some slight unrest in the Yolkland borders over in Euroca, and Mr. Miller got so worried he sent ten private jets and specially trained bodyguards overnight just to bring him back!"

"Exactly. The streets are lined with welcome banners. Mr. and Mrs. Miller even commissioned a limited-edition luxury jet for him, equipped with an advanced flight control system and a professional medical team!"

My blood ran cold.

It dawned on me that Mom and Dad hadn't simply sent private jets to bring Corbin home; they'd orchestrated a massive public spectacle, praying for his safe return as if they wanted the entire world to know how much they cherished their "son".

Shakily, I pulled out my phone and went online. The news was dominated by headlines like, "Aviation Tycoon Spends Millions Praying For Only Son's Safe Return."

The comment sections were flooded with envy.

"Oh God, I wish I were an heir to the Miller family! What an amazing life!"

"Mr. Miller only has one precious son. Of course he'd be doting on him like that! I can't even imagine how happy I'd be in his shoes!"

"Just look at their extravagant lifestyle! It's so infuriating!"

"I'd be smiling in my sleep if I had parents like that!"

I numbly scrolled through the screen, a suffocating weight pressing down on my chest and making it difficult to breathe.

For years, Mom and Dad had publicly acknowledged only Corbin as their son. Wilbur and I were like shadows hidden in a dark corner, barred from ever seeing the light of day.

During the most precarious days of their early business venture, Corbin's father handed them their first major contract, saving them from ruin. So Mom and Dad were always extremely grateful to him.

Later, when Corbin's parents passed away unexpectedly, Mom and Dad took him in.

When he first arrived, Wilbur and I felt deeply sorry for him and eagerly shared everything we owned to make sure he never felt left out.

Then, one day, after some classmates mocked Corbin's unfashionable clothes in elementary school, he went home crying and told Mom and Dad that Wilbur and I had instigated the whole class to bully him.

Without ever hearing our side of the story, Mom and Dad flew into a blind rage and berated us severely. No matter how much Wilbur and I tried to explain ourselves, our words fell on deaf ears.

Convinced we had abused our power to torment Corbin, they decided to conceal our family relationship from the public.

From then on, fueled by Corbin's continuous stream of lies, Mom and Dad grew increasingly disgusted with Wilbur and me, subjecting us to endless suppression and hardship as we grew up.

I had once begged Wilbur to run away from home with me, but he had refused.