Novel Family Novels & Stories

the Shared-Sense System asked. I looked at Rayden, the brother who had just kicked me. Then I glanced at my second brother, Nelson Tandham. He stood at the railing in wire-rim glasses, cheering as if this were a sporting event. Finally, I looked at my eldest brother, Justin Tandham. He was the one who made the decision back then. He was the one who turned me into a human psychic shield. Choosing felt impossible, so I stopped trying to be fair. "Can I bind all of them?" I asked. "Every member of my family."

I chewed the apple and said, a little muffled, "Yeah, sounds great. Is Dad paying?" My father, who had just walked by, shouted, "Of course. Buy whatever you want. If it makes you happy, I'll buy the whole auction house." See? This was life in a wealthy family. Simple and, honestly, a little boring. Sure, every now and then, some clueless idiot would show up and try to stir things up. But as long as we stuck together, nothing could really touch us. After all, we were a happy, loving family.

I took the phone from Hector's hand. The screen displayed a brand-new post from Mom. The accompanying photo featured the living room of our family home, with a few dishes laid out on the coffee table. The gathering was small—just Mom, Dad, Cody, and his family. The caption read, "Family dinner. The family is whole and complete. Life moves on, no matter who decides to skip out." Beneath the post, a dozen comments from relatives and neighbors had already piled up, offering validation and comfort.

"Tommy, we'll take you out after dinner. There's something going on nearby today. It'll be a lot of fun." Dad put his arm around my shoulders, the warmth of his palm seeping through my clothes, almost scalding. Talia quietly transferred some of her own money into my account, moving so carefully it was as if she were afraid of startling me. Mom sat across the table, smiling, her eyes full of quiet satisfaction. This family looked like they loved me, like everything was warm and perfect.

“Naomi, we know that we messed up before, always taking Charlotte’s side, but you need to understand that we were worried about you burning yourself out from playing the piano. Music is a tough career to choose.” “That’s right.” Caleb took over the conversation. “Even though you’ve made it now, our worries back then weren’t without reason. Now that you’ve proved your point, we should go home now.” Tucker uttered cautiously, “Charlotte misses you. She has been waiting for you to come back and give her piano lessons.” Staring at my so-called family, I suddenly realized how absurd everything was. Ever since Charlotte came into the family, she had been the apple of the family’s eye.

The truth was that seeing my family slowly fall apart still hurt. But I could never forgive Frost, the man who had destroyed my family. At that moment, the scheduled email I had prepared was finally sent. It was delivered directly to the mailbox of the Federal Trade Commission. At the same time, it spread rapidly across the internet. The story instantly became a major topic of public discussion. Vivian was exhausting every connection and resource she had to save the family. Yet she kept running into invisible obstacles. By the time she discovered the truth, the Kramer Group had already been completely divided up.

Lucas asked with a glint in his eye. “These people are my family, the only family I have left. Call it curiosity.” I Shrugged. “Nova is spoilt and high handed, she has no back bone and would do anything to gain status and power. She has been throwing herself at me for years. She is her fathers’ daughter. You would be best to steer clear of her Lonnie, trust me these people are no family to you.” I nod sadly at his words. I had hoped against all the odds that Lucien had has a good reason for the atrocities he has committed against his own family, but I see now that I was wrong. Any hope of redemption and forgiveness was out of the question.

Jeremy Stewart, my adopted younger brother, and I have both applied to the same postgraduate program. However, the advisor, Professor Suzanne Graham, tells us there's only one spot left. I hesitate a little. "Will Jem be sad if I get the spot?" The rest of the family laughs. "In situations like this, everything is fair game. We'll be happy no matter who gets it." However, on the day of the interview, Jeremy pulls out the recommendation letter our mother, a renowned academician, has written for him. "My mother says that as long as you give me the spot, she'll vote in favor of your promotion," Jeremy declares. Our father, a businessman, calls Professor Graham as well. "If you give Jeremy