Chapter 2

In the video, Mom slapped me, sending my head to one side. My cheek instantly swelled, and some color returned to my previously pale face.

When Nick was brought home back then, Mom and Dad found out he had a heart condition, so they were prepared to drain the entire family fortune to get him a heart transplant.

When I found out what they were up to, I did everything I could to stop them.

"Mom, I've been your son for the past 20 years. If you spend all your money on his surgery, how am I supposed to live comfortably in the future?" I shrieked at the top of my lungs, knocking everything off the table onto the floor.

I looked at Dad, but he kept Nick behind him, comforting him softly. He didn't even look at me.

That day, I left home and signed the agreement to cut ties with Mom and Dad. No one noticed that my retreating figure trembled slightly as I walked away in the video or that I was much thinner than before.

The scene shifted to me arriving at a press conference Dad had organized. The reporters shoved their microphones in his face, firing one sharp question after another.

I was wrapped up completely, standing quietly in a corner as I looked at Dad.

At that time, the company was on the verge of bankruptcy. Dad had always cared about his appearance, but he no longer looked as polished as he usually did.

Perhaps Dad sensed that I was there, and he turned to look at me through the sea of reporters.

I quickly lowered my head and disappeared into the crowd, my heart racing violently. Before I could even calm down, I felt a warm hand grab my wrist.

"I thought you already severed ties with me. Why did you come looking for me?"

Dad furrowed his brow. When he saw me, the exhaustion on his face seemed to ease slightly. As he took a closer look at me, he froze slightly in shock.

After all, I looked absolutely terrible at that time. My hair had thinned a lot. If it weren't for my oversized hat, others would have noticed my balding crown.

I quickly pulled the brim of my hat down and slapped Dad's hand away, my voice rising without meaning to.

"I'm here for your money, of course! Your company's going under soon. Why shouldn't I take the chance to squeeze you dry?" I let out a vicious laugh on purpose.

My gaze swept past Dad and fell on Nick, who was rushing toward him from behind.

"I already told you this guy is a jinx. You shouldn't have brought him back. And now you know I'm right."

At my words, the last flicker of hope on Dad's face faded away, replaced with utter disgust and disappointment.

"All these years, I really raised you for nothing. As expected, you're not my biological son. No matter what I do, you'll always be an ungrateful bastard. Compared to my actual son, Nick, you're worlds apart!"

Dad's words made me feel like I was being ripped apart alive. My heart ached, but I gave nothing away.

Nick ran over and held Dad's hand. "Dad, why did you rush off stage without saying a word? The reporters are now picking apart every mistake you made…"

Hearing that, Dad took a deep breath and stepped away from me, his gaze on me as cold as ice.

"All those 20 years I spent raising you were for nothing. Nathan, you're so ungrateful. You'll get what's coming to you soon!"

With that, Dad turned and walked away without looking back at me. Nick held onto Dad's arm and walked beside him, just like I used to do before.

I let out a bitter laugh and lowered my head, my vision growing blurry. Then I looked in the direction Dad walked off in and muttered to myself. "Dad, I already got what was coming to me."

The second video ended there.

While the video was playing, the crowd had fallen silent. Now that it was over, they started condemning me even louder.

"How could Nathan be so vicious? Forget that he tried to stop Nick from getting his surgery just so he could live comfortably. He even showed up to mock his father when he was at his lowest point in life. Even after 20 years, Nathan felt nothing at all? He's so heartless!"

"Did you guys notice he looked unwell? In several parts of the video, he seemed even paler than before. His eyes were so sunken too. Anyone would think he could drop dead at any second."

"He probably just put on some makeup to make himself look sick and gain sympathy. It's not like he's never done this before. He kept acting weaker and weaker just to compete with Nick for their parents' love. In reality? No one even cared."

The crowd sneered at my body after it fell from the top of the building. There wasn't a hint of pity in their eyes.

Even Dad seemed indifferent to everything. After watching the scenes of us from the past, all he felt was disgust. He probably despised me to the core.

With a bitter smile, I looked at my body, now unrecognizable after the fall.

By then, the police had already secured the scene.

A forensic examiner stepped forward to examine my body, his expression grave. As soon as he looked at me, he suddenly gasped. "The deceased has no heart!"

At those words, the third video began playing on the large screen.