Eight years after being found by the Gardner family, my brother finally decided to hold a formal family reunion for me while I was away.
But three days before the reunion, I discovered he had changed the invitation into a birthday party for his adopted sister.
His friends teased,
"Just because Emily was jealous, you changed the reunion party Vivian had been waiting for eight years to one for Emily’s birthday?"
"Don’t blame me for not warning you. Vivian is your biological sister. You’ve been away from home for eight years and haven’t even set foot in the Gardner estate. Aren’t you afraid she’ll find out and abandon you as her brother?"
My brother smiled with confidence.
"How could she possibly abandon me? Vivian was stabbed and nearly died at the hands of the kidnappers for me. She even risked her life for me. How could she abandon me, her only relative?"
"I’ll put the invitation in a prominent place. She cares so much about this reunion that she’ll definitely see it. Then she’ll pick out a birthday gift for Emily and attend."
I lowered my eyes, not crying or making a fuss, and finally left quietly. On the day of the banquet, my brother, who hadn’t waited long for me to appear, called me frantically.
"Vivian, the rooms in the main house are already decorated to your liking. Why aren’t you home yet?"
I looked at my adoptive brother, who was waving desperately outside the station.
"I’m already home."
——
My brother had personally promised us the reunion banquet six months ago.
Back then, he had been kidnapped by a business rival, cornered in a destitute alley. They wanted nothing more than his life.
In desperation, I pushed him aside, blocking the fatal blow.
It missed my heart by a centimeter.
Blood streamed everywhere.
Teetering between life and death, my brother’s heart-wrenching cries echoed in my ears.
"Vivian, don’t leave me. You’re all I have."
"As soon as you get out of the operating room, I’ll take you back to the main house, the glorious and only daughter of the Gardner family."
I almost smiled.
After eight years of waiting, my brother finally acknowledged me. But now, his indifferent voice,
because of Emily’s words, "I want to be my brother’s only sister,"
easily shattered the promise still fresh in my mind.
I stood at the door in a daze, my fingers slightly cold. James Kent, his brother’s friend, frowned and tried to dissuade him.
"Everyone in Riverdale knows that the Gardner family’s only daughter is Emily. You’ve changed the invitations without telling Vivian. How will she cope when she attends, having been replaced as the main character?"
"Besides, Vivian is your biological sister, the one you finally found. She’s been looking forward to this family reunion banquet for so many years, and you promised her that yourself. Aren’t you afraid of hurting her feelings?"
Andrew Gardner’s face struggled for a moment, then he sighed.
"Vivian is sensible and strong. I found a random fortune-teller and used that as an excuse, saying she was ‘unlucky’ and couldn’t return to the main house to acknowledge her roots. So she obediently lived away from home for eight years. Emily is different. She’s been adopted by the Gardner family since childhood and has never endured hardship. If Vivian really moved into the main house, Emily would feel like she was being deprived of love and care. She’d definitely feel insecure, and she wouldn’t be able to handle it."
James wanted to say, All that love and care was mine. Before he could speak, Andrew waved his hand impatiently.
"At worst, I can keep saying this later. She’s already accepted eight years of ‘unfavorable fate,’ so one more year won’t make a difference."
"She trusts me so much anyway, she’ll listen to everything I say, so she’ll definitely agree. It’s just living out there. I know she’s my sister, and that’s enough. Does having a recognition ceremony really matter?"
Someone nearby chimed in with a smile.
"That’s right. Emily is gentle, generous, and well-educated. She looks like a true daughter of a wealthy family. Who would want a country bumpkin like Vivian Gardner? She’s so unfashionable, it’s embarrassing to tell anyone about it."
