Home / Rebirth Short Story / After Rebirth, My Brother Chose Our Broke Dad / Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

All Chapters of After Rebirth, My Brother Chose Our Broke Dad: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

My younger brother, Ian Lester, clung to our father Morris Lester's arm and said firmly, "Let me stay with you, Dad. I love you the most. I'm not afraid of hardships."Dad was moved to tears, as Ian had grown up spoiled and willful. He didn't notice how dark Mom's expression had turned beside him."That won't do. Ian will only suffer if he goes with you. I'm taking him with me," she insisted as she stepped forward. So, she didn't want Ian to suffer with Dad. Yet, it seemed that she didn't mind if I suffered the same fate.My parents fought hard over who got to keep Ian, as though I didn't even exist. In the end, when they couldn't change Ian's mind, Mom had no choice but to settle for me.I followed her into my stepfather Mark Laurent's luxury car, while Ian left hand in hand with Dad. Before he left, he even shot me a taunting look. I didn't care, though. After all, Mom was wealthy, while Dad's life was a complete mess.In my previous life, Dad had taken me from place to place

Chapter 2

Mark was nothing like the way Mom and Ian had described him in my previous life. He wasn't temperamental, domineering, or violent.If anything, I thought he was incredibly smart. He was simply proud and egotistical. The cracks in his relationship with Mom showed up soon after we moved in.Mom was nothing more than a pretty face, all looks and no brains. To be honest, she and Dad were a match made in heaven.Dad was a scion with more muscle than brains. He could only marry Mom because of his recklessness and his family's wealth.When Grandma and Grandpa were still around, they shielded him from the consequences of his recklessness. However, after they passed away, Dad let his friends talk him into all kinds of investments, and he lost everything—his own savings and the inheritance that Grandma and Grandpa had left him.That was why Mom immediately found someone new and divorced him.…My plans to study abroad were put on hold because of Mom's constant opposition. Still, with my

Chapter 3

A few days later, I heard a heated argument break out downstairs. "You're unbelievable… You live under my roof and spend my hard-earned money, and yet you still have the nerve to keep a boy toy on the side?" Mark's palm cracked across Mom's face.Ian charged forward to stop him. Mark, still boiling with rage, shoved him to the ground. "And don't get me started on your precious son. Weren't we supposed to raise only one of your kids? Why does your precious son keep showing up at my house? Every time he shows up, half the things in this house go missing!"Mom argued, "My son took things that belonged to me. What's it to you?""Your belongings? Look at yourself. I paid for every single thing you have, and now I'm supposed to feed your entire damn family too?""How dare you blame me, Mark Laurent! I wouldn't have done this if you could just satisfy my needs!" That one sentence sent Mark over the edge. He lost all reason and started hurling all of Mom's belongings out of the house

Chapter 4

Ian slapped me hard across the face. He said, "I seriously underestimated you, you piece of trash! I can't believe that the old man actually treats you like his own son. He kicked Mom out, yet you still get to live under his roof."You're just an average Joe who can't even hold a candle to me. So why do you get to enjoy all the good things?" Right after that, he pulled out a pocketknife and started tracing circles near my face, as if he was deciding where to cut me.Realizing that he was holding a knife, the young women around him panicked. "That's not what we agreed on, Scarlett. We were just supposed to drag him here, rough him up, and let him go. Why did you take off his blindfold and pull out a knife?"Scarlett Hayes was Ian's girlfriend, a young woman who ran with gangsters. They all talked a big game about loyalty, but when knives or guns came into play, they wanted nothing to do with it.Scarlett stepped forward to stop him. "Knock it off, Ian. He's still your older brothe

Chapter 5

"Don't blame your mother, Ethan. You know how her temper is. I'll ask the doctor to check on you in a minute," Mark consoled me.Meanwhile, Mom continued to say the vilest things about me inside her room. "I don't even know who he takes after. He has such an awful temper; he's nothing like Ian, who is the sweetest and most sensible." After she and Mark went to rest, Ian woke up perfectly fine. That night, he came into my room looking displeased, ready to warn me. "Do you really think you've beaten me? Don't kid yourself. Our parents have always loved me more. I'm the one they favor. "This isn't even the worst of it. I can't wait to see how miserable you'll be in the near future!"In my previous life, things had always been harder for me than for him, so he never bothered chasing me. But the moment my life improved, he went completely mad with jealousy and dragged me toward death with him.In this life, Ian still believed he would come out on top. Yet the moment he saw me doing e

Chapter 6

Mark returned from overseas after successfully securing the deal he had been working on. Meanwhile, Mae and I had managed to stabilize things on our end. Yet, the hard part was far from over. The company was in the middle of a major transition, and if we couldn't get through it, everything we had worked for would fall apart.That evening, Mark came to see me. "I'm back, Ethan. Mae is handling things at the office. I want you to focus on your studies for now. If you want to study abroad, I can arrange it."I was touched that he still remembered my dream of studying overseas. However, I no longer wanted to go. "The company is struggling, and we don't have the money for me to study abroad, Mark. I'd rather stay here, go to university, and help you after I graduate."Mark didn't push further. He reminded me once more that he had no children of his own and that, from that moment on, he considered me his son.I threw myself into exam prep. I had six months to catch up on every subjec

Chapter 7

I continued to help out at Mark's company even after I started school. He taught me everything he knew. I had gotten used to calling him Mark, and he never minded. He even told me that I didn't need to change how I addressed him.…This time, Mae and I traveled to a private mountain resort. Sitting across from us was someone who held enormous influence in the industry, Matthew Miller. The three of us had a pleasant conversation all afternoon.In my previous life, Dad and I turned things around because I got into Matthew's good graces. Back then, the company was starting to show some progress, but it was still basically an empty shell. I did everything I could, reaching out through every channel I could to help it stand on solid ground, and that was how I met Matthew.He admired my abilities and felt confident entrusting important matters to me. In this life, while Dad and Ian were still celebrating their small victory, I had already contacted Matthew. It was such a huge market th

Chapter 8

"I'm still your older brother, Ian!" I roared."Yeah, right. I've always had more charm and more luck than you ever did. So, why do you get all the good things in the end while I'm barely scraping by? Worry not, Ethan. So long as you cooperate, I'll give you an easy death."He wanted to kill me to start his life all over again. However, Scarlett didn't have the guts because this was a crime that could land them both in jail."We agreed that we would grab the ransom money and leave. I'm not sticking around for murder." Right after saying that, she reached out to snatch the knife from him. Just then, police sirens blared outside. "You're surrounded. Let the hostage go!"I had known all along how jealous he was and that he would never give up. So, Mae and I had planned ahead. The moment I was taken, she would call the cops.Yesterday, Mom's sudden kindness set off alarm bells in my head. I didn't drink that cup of milk until after I'd sent Mae a message.The police had the whole

Chapter 9

Ian glared at me with pure resentment, but there was nothing he could do. I had paid a private investigator a large sum to track Scarlett down. I bought her off and sent her back to him, pushing her to convince him to buy a gun.Everything had been within my control.He couldn't use a knife. He had to use a fake gun to kill me. That way, the police outside would have no choice but to open fire to protect me.Why would I pass up a chance to get rid of my problem without lifting a finger?I wasn't hurt at all this time. The cops asked me a few routine questions at the police station and sent me home.Mark and Mae were already waiting for me. The moment Mom saw me, she rushed over. "Where's your brother? Why isn't he back with you?""How did you know he was with me? Were you the one who put the sleeping pills in my milk yesterday?"Mom denied everything. So, I played the video of her slipping the pills into my drink, and she immediately went silent.Mark couldn't believe that she

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