When my brother and I grinned and called her "Sister," Sheila's expression nearly cracked in half.
"You adopted another one?" she snapped, glaring at our parents.
Only after hearing that I was just an adopted child with no inheritance rights did she finally exhale in relief.
"I'm warning you—don't you dare bully my brother, otherwise, don't blame me for being rude!"
I immediately ducked behind Noah, pretending to look frightened.
"Noah, why is Sister so biased? If she'd protected you like this years ago, you wouldn't have had to suffer so much in that orphanage..."
The meaning was clear enough—you lost your own brother, and instead of feeling guilty, you're threatening people to protect the fake one? Are you serious?
Sure enough, the faces of Uncle James and Aunt Mariz darkened instantly.
Sheila's chest heaved with anger, clearly about to retort, but I discreetly pinched my brother's waist.
He caught on immediately, covering his face and sobbing dramatically.
"If Sister doesn't like me, then I'll just go back to the orphanage! Come on, Lenon, let's go!"
Uncle James' patience finally snapped.
Smack!
The sound of his palm echoed through the courtyard as it met her cheek.
"Unfilial child! This is how you welcome your brother home? Get out of my sight!"
Sheila clutched her face, glaring at us resentfully but not daring to talk back.
My brother and I exchanged a victorious look.
First battle—won!
But just as we stepped through the doorway, we were greeted by the sight of a boy standing on a stool, tearfully tying a rope around the chandelier.
Not good—a pity play!
Before anyone else could react, I rushed forward and barked, "Stop! Who allowed you to swing indoors?!"
My brother slid in with a perfect tackle, kicking both the stool and the boy off balance.
The so-called "fake young master" tumbled to the ground in a spectacular sprawl before the rope could even touch his neck.
"Ah!" he yelped in pain as the family rushed forward in panic to help him up.
When they saw the chandelier's rope and the stool, their faces filled with horror.
"Felix, what on earth are you doing?" Aunt Mariz cried.
Felix looked up at me with tear-filled eyes, his voice trembling theatrically.
"Brother, it's all my fault. I stole your identity for so many years, making you suffer... Let me atone for my sins with my life!"
He choked on a sob and turned to Noah. "Please, don't blame Mom and Dad. Take care of them for me... please?"
Aunt Mariz immediately pulled him into her arms, her voice shaking.
"Don't say that, silly child! You're our son too—we raised you with our own hands!"
From the side, Sheila shot us both a murderous glare.
"You foolish brother! This has nothing to do with you. Let's see who dares to blame you!"
Felix buried his face deeper into Aunt Mariz's embrace, sneaking a triumphant, taunting glance at me from between his tears.
Ah. A true pretentious brat.
Trying to guilt-trip and manipulate everyone in one move? Not on my watch.
Smirking, I activated my full "poison tongue" mode.
"So you're the adopted son, Felix? Oh—excuse me, my mistake. I just thought some shameless idiot was playing swing indoors."
I tilted my head innocently.
"Wait, were you trying to hang yourself? Using the crystal chandelier? With a slipknot that unties itself the moment you twitch? Be careful—if the lamp falls, you'll end up killing someone else instead."
Noah got up from the floor and chimed in enthusiastically, "Yeah, super dangerous! Luckily, I jumped in—uh, I mean, kicked in—at the right time."
Everyone looked up at the ceiling.
Sure enough, the chandelier chain was already half-loose, swaying ominously.
Uncle James' face went black as thunder.
"Ridiculous! What if you smashed it on your brother's head?"
Seeing his melodramatic act and guilt-tripping tactics both fail, Felix turned back to me, still pretending to cry. "I'm sorry, Brother... I really didn't mean to cause trouble..."
I smiled sweetly. "You've got the wrong person. I'm your foster brother. He's the one you should be apologizing to."
I gently pushed Noah forward. "Go on. Try again."
But Sheila immediately jumped in, shielding Felix protectively.
"Dad! Felix just wanted to make amends! It's Noah and that Lenon kid who made him fall! They have no manners at all!"
