“Nick, what do you mean by that? My parents
and I have been looking for my brother for
years! My biggest dream was for him to be able
to walk me down the aisle, why would you look
so upset?”
Nick quickly shook his head, and sat down next
to me. He tried to calm himself and said, “If
your brother never came back, you’d be an only
child.”
“So?”
He continued, “So, if your brother comes back,
all of your parents‘ money will be his.”
<
“My brother and I are both my parent’s children,
we can just split the money equally. What’s the
problem?”
Even if my brother got more, so what?
I’d had a happy childhood with my parents, but my brother had to survive in a foster home. Not
to mention, he was kidnapped while saving me.
I owed him my life, really.
Nick shook his head, looking really anxious.
“You’re so naive. He’s trying to steal your
inheritance! Think about it, your brother has been kidnapped for so many years, he probably had a hard life. Now that he’s found his family, and all that money, he’s gonna take it for
himself. He’s here to try and steal your
inheritance! All the money that was supposed to
be ours, will be his. And because you don’t
<
3:45
I shook my head, wanting to argue.
My brother had been working hard for years,
and his company was even bigger than my
parents. He was worth billions.
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And last night, when we had dinner, other than
saying he was giving me a mansion, he gave me
a black credit card that had no spending limit,
telling me to buy anything I wanted.
But before I could say anything, Nick’s eyes lit
- up.
Looking at me, he said, “Traditionally, assets
should go to sons. That’s how it is.
“If you were an only child, that money would all
be ours. But now that your brother’s back, it’s
going to be his.
“So, let’s get married now. Before he gets too comfortable in your family, you should transfer
<
3:45
all your assets and stocks to me. I’ll take care
of it, so no one else can steal it.
“You’re a woman, and you should be living the
life of a rich housewife. I’ll manage the
company for you. I’ll make sure that your
brother won’t get a single cent. How about
that?”
His words made my heart sink.
I was in disbelief.
The man I’d been with for five years, who I loved in college, who had been so sweet to me, who I wanted to marry a year after graduation,
was now saying these things.
I had to push down my disappointment, and asked, “He’s my brother. Splitting the assets
equally is fair. Do you think there’s a problem
with that?”
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3:45
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Nick didn’t notice how upset I was getting. He
looked up, daydreaming.
“You’re a daughter, so you can’t fight a son for
the family assets. If we get married, I’ll be half
of a son to your parents. If you transfer
everything to me, it’ll be our family’s money,
how can we give it to others?”
Our?
Even if I was crazy, that was my money. How
was it suddenly our money?
So I pulled my hand away, and said coldly, “You
can forget about it. My brother isn’t as bad as
you said. And when it comes to family money,
whatever my parents want to do, I’ll support
them.”
Nick got angry at my words.
He stood up and yelled. “Sarah, are you dumb?
If you didn’t have a brother, all that money
would be yours! I could use it to take care of
my family, and let my relatives help you manage
the company, instead of letting your brother
take it all! You’ll end up being poor and then
marry me, is that what you want?”
If I couldn’t understand what he meant at that
point, I was just dumb.
My brother, someone who I was related to by
blood, was an outsider?
But him, someone I wasn’t married to, and his
huge family were considered family?
I laughed at the ridiculousness of it all.
So I stood up, and splashed my coffee onto his
face.
“Nick I can’t believe I didn’t see the real you
3
- ))
<
3:45
“Nick, I can’t believe I didn’t see the real you
before.
“If you’re so worried about me becoming poor, let’s not get married, we’re done!”
Then I walked out.
I thought I had just wasted five years on a bad
relationship.
But I never thought, that Nick’s family wouldn’t
let me go so easily.
My parents were taking Ethan back to our
hometown to tell our ancestors that he had
been found.
I was busy with my art studio, so I couldn’t go
with them. So they didn’t know about my
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<
3:45
breakup with Nick.
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That night, I found out someone had smashed
my window.
Chapter 2
Glass shards were everywhere.
I’d just stepped out of the shower and almost cut my feet on the glass. Seeing the rocks on the floor, I cautiously walked over to the balcony, where I spotted Nick standing in my yard.
He waved at me as soon as he saw me.
“Sarah, your parents are gone, this is the
perfect time to get married!”
His words just made me want to laugh.
It seemed like he didn’t care about me dumping him earlier. He was trying to convince me to get
Г
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I glared at him and looked down at him.
“I’ll give you one last chance to leave with some dignity, since we were together for five years. If you don’t leave now, I’m calling the police.”
Breaking into my place in the middle of the night and throwing rocks through my windows.
That was the man I had loved.
Nick’s face hardened, looking bitter.
He still tried to push through. “Sarah, I was just trying to do what’s best for you. Don’t let your brother brainwash you! He just wants your money, I’m the only one who cares about you!”
I said nothing, and just pulled out my phone.
He knew I was serious and ran away.
く
3:45
^ 83
While running, he was still yelling, “Sarah,
you’re too naive. People are gonna take
advantage of you! But it’s ok, I’ll always protect
you, and our money!”
Ugh, why was he calling my money our money?
I was so annoyed, I found the property
manager’s phone number, and told them about
Nick, and told them not to let him back.
But Nick wasn’t about to give up.
The next day, I saw Nick’s mom when I was on
my way to the studio.
Honestly, she used to treat me really well.
