Scarlett stood frozen in disbelief.

I scoffed, then walked past her toward the driver of the black car, who was cursing. "I'll send you the money for the damages later."

Scarlett clenched her fists tightly, her eyes turning red at the corners.

I was shocked by her reaction, but I quickly understood what was going on. "Oh, I didn't touch the Parkers' money. I'll be using the money I earned myself—"

"Ade!" she finally snapped and interrupted me.

I was surprised to see a slightly wounded look on her face.

She continued, "You are the only son of the Parker family. I wouldn't even hesitate to give you all of our family's wealth!"

I found it a little absurd. Looking her in the eye, I asked, "Is that so?"

She shuddered as if she had just realized what she said.

Now, on paper, William was the son of the Parker family.

As for me, the real son of the Parker family, I was just a disgraced man lost in his delusions.

I was laughing, but tears streamed down my face.

Scarlett and I used to be inseparable, and she would even bring me on set when she was filming.

But now, she would only put on a cold expression and order me to always let William have his way.

After dragging me back into the car, Scarlett hung her head and said, "When Will receives the Physics Award, we'll announce that you are the real son of the Parker family, and it had all been a huge misunderstanding…"

I couldn't even be bothered to respond. I turned to face the car window instead.

The scenery outside rushed past in fleeting blurs.

Before I was sent to this world, I was an orphan.

During a physical examination, I was diagnosed with bone cancer.

I was lying on a hospital bed when I lost consciousness due to the intense pain.

When I opened my eyes again, I was already transported by the System into this world, and I had turned into a six-year-old.

A voice rang out in my mind, saying, "If your affection levels with the Parker sisters and the heroine, Sophie Walker, reach 80, and you marry Sophie, you'll get a reward of 100 million dollars and return to the real world."

There was a crackle of static after that, and I almost thought I had imagined it.

But it didn't seem too bad to get another chance at life, and with a healthy body, too.

The car moved steadily as Scarlett gripped my wrist tightly.

Her fingertips gently rubbed the back of my hand, just like she had done to comfort me when I couldn't sleep back then.

As an orphan, I used to cherish this special treatment.

I even wanted to give up on the mission and just stay here forever.

But when William, an orphan I brought home, came into the picture, all the love and attention were directed to him instead.

I started off trying to appeal to them, but it eventually turned into sulking and then despair.

In the end, the only response I received was, "Quit messing around. Do you even know what you look like right now?"

The car pulled up at the entrance of the Parker residence. Shaking off Scarlett's hand, I got out of the car.

Scarlett was in disbelief as she called out to me. "Ade, I got injured all because of you…"

I interrupted her emotionlessly, "Go see a doctor, then. What's the point in telling me about it?"

When I opened the door to the Parker residence, the first person I saw was William, who was seated on the couch as the others fawned over him.

Emily had a stern look on her face as she coldly grumbled at Sophie, "Because of you, Will hasn't been eating or sleeping well for the past three days! Are you telling me this is how you take care of him?"

William hastily tried to stop her. "Emily, Iris, I'm fine now, really. It was all a misunderstanding. I'm just glad we cleared it up."

I stood at the entrance as I watched the beautiful display of familial love in front of me.

"Reduced dopamine levels detected." The System's mechanical voice sounded a little low. "Does that mean you're feeling intense sorrow right now?"

####CHAPTER-NAME:

It was just one sentence spoken by the System, but my tears were already welling up.

I awkwardly wiped away the tears at the corners of my eyes.

Scarlett walked up to me. She was about to say something when William rushed over to her in shock. "Scarlett, how did you end up so badly hurt? You—"

Before he could finish speaking, I cut him off with a vicious punch.

Putting a hand to his bruised cheek, William stared at me in disbelief.

Almost at the same time, I was knocked to the ground by a powerful slap that caught me by surprise. I accidentally bit my tongue.

Emily was pointing at me, her face filled with fury as she said, "Adrian! We've spoiled you too much! Apologize to Will right now!"

I lay sprawled on the ground, spitting out the blood in my mouth as I challenged, "Me? Apologize? What exactly did I do wrong? He ruined my marriage, but I'm not allowed to hit him?"

Emily grew even angrier and suddenly raised her voice. "What nonsense are you spouting? Will and Sophie were already dating, but you just had to get between them! I can't believe I have a brother as shameless as you!"

I scoffed. "Shameless? Sophie is my fiancee, but now you're saying I'm the one who got between them?"

Sophie stared coldly at me. "Our engagement was called off ages ago! I will never marry a disgraceful playboy like you!"

Iris pulled me to my feet. "Adrian! Apologize right now!"

I didn't say a word as my gaze swept across the people standing before me.

Emily had a cold look in her eyes. Iris seemed disgusted, and Sophie looked like she wanted me to just die already.

Scarlett frowned. Her lips moved a little, but in the end, she remained silent.

The scene reminded me of something that happened a year ago. William had been in frequent contact with Scarlett, and her fans mistook him for a stalker.

Scarlett couldn't bear to see him mistreated, so she revealed on social media that William was the son of the Parker family.

But I, the actual son, had to take the blame for William.

They said things like, "You always have bodyguards with you when you go out, but Will is all alone!"

I was shocked, but I fought back and refused to give in.

At the time, everyone looked at me the same way they were doing right now.

Filled with nothing but unspeakable exhaustion, I didn't even have the energy to argue anymore.

Shaking off Iris' hand, I dashed into the living room and picked up the paring knife left on the table.

Startled, Scarlett tried to rush over to me, but William stopped her. "Ade, what are you doing?"

I looked at William, grinning. "I'm apologizing."

Looking away from Emily, Iris, and Sophie, who seemed to be on high alert, I lifted my hand and swiftly plunged the blade into my chest.

Screams rang out around me. I smiled through my tears as I said, "I'm compensating him with my life. That should be enough, right? Are you happy now?"

As warm, thick blood gushed out, the dizziness from the loss of blood made me lose my balance.

Someone was still screaming, and through my darkening vision, I could see the fear on the women's faces.

Scarlett rushed forward and held my body, screaming in a frenzy, "Call the ambulance!"

…

I could smell the intense scent of disinfectant when I opened my eyes.

White flooded my vision, and I felt a little excited. "Did I finally make it back?" I wondered.

I tilted my head only to see Emily's bloodshot eyes.

I closed my eyes in annoyance. For the first time ever, I found Emily's hoarse voice irritating. "Adrian! Who told you to get attention by ending your life?"

I grew even more annoyed. There was something hard under my pillow, which made me quite uncomfortable.

I reached in and pulled it out. It was a slightly worn-out protective amulet.

When I was 12, I had a high fever that persisted for a week, and the hospital even declared me in critical condition three separate times.

Iris had climbed a thousand steps to obtain this amulet for me.

Later on, William got hurt, so Iris took the amulet and gave it to him instead.

And now, the amulet was in my hands again.

It was nothing but a burden to me, so I lifted my hand and tossed it away.

Iris had just entered the ward, and she could do nothing but watch as the amulet fell onto the floor.

Raising her head, she glared at me. "Adrian, you're throwing away the amulet just like that?"

####CHAPTER-NAME:

Frowning, I said in a calm tone, "It's just trash at this point. Why shouldn't I throw it away?"

Iris' chest heaved, her eyes filled with hurt and fury.

She lifted a foot and stomped on the protective amulet, grinding it under her heel. Then, she sneered and said mockingly, "Adrian, you're so spoiled that you're basically heartless now! What an ingrate! No wonder Sophie would choose Will over you. You—"

"Iris!" Emily interrupted her in a low voice.

Iris' eyes reddened as she stared at me.

She was looking for hints of sadness or regret on my face.

But she was met only with my eerily calm expression.

Iris was trembling in anger as a low, suppressed growl escaped her throat. "Adrian! This amulet belongs to William. It was lent to you, so you have no right to throw it away!"

I felt surprisingly at peace as I said indifferently, "Then I'll compensate him."

My calmness was the final straw for Iris. She pointed at me, shouting angrily, "Still faking it? Fine, if that's how you want it, go and get another amulet! Climb all 1,000 steps, and don't skip a single one!"

Emily wanted to voice her objection, but Iris stopped her with a look.

Apparently, she agreed that it was a good opportunity to whip me into shape.

My wound wasn't too serious, so they believed that I was putting on a show just for attention.

When I reached the foot of the mountain outside the city, where the church stood, it suddenly started raining.

The thousand steps were cold and slippery from the rain, but I climbed up anyway.

My wound was soaked in rainwater, and a searing pain spread throughout my body.

But I pretended not to feel it as I chanted to myself that this would be the last time, and I would've paid Iris back in full when I was done.

I had no idea how long it took, but I finally obtained a new protective amulet.

I was completely drenched, and my head grew dizzy and feverish.

When I opened the door to the Parker residence, I found myself in the midst of a lively celebration.

William was surrounded by a crowd. He was holding a Physics Award trophy in his hands, and he looked smug about it.

However, my appearance instantly ruined the happy atmosphere.

Emily was the first to frown and shout at me. "Adrian, look at yourself! And you call yourself the son of the Parker family?"

Everyone turned to look at me. I saw looks of disgust and frustration, but none of them showed any concern.

Ignoring the looks around me, I walked straight up to William and placed the amulet in his hands.

Startled by the nice gesture, William retracted his hand, but I noticed a gleeful look flashing across his gaze. "Ade, please don't do this. I never meant to blame you…"

I couldn't be bothered to watch his fake act, so I turned around and left.

Behind me, I could hear Emily and Iris scolding me.

I pretended I hadn't heard them. I walked straight into my room and locked the door.

Taking out the blade I had kept in a drawer, I didn't hesitate as I brought it down on my wrist.

As blood gushed out, I felt a sense of relief I had never felt before.

A knock sounded on the door, and Scarlett's voice rang out. "Ade, open the door. I want to talk to you."

My life was hanging by a thread, and I didn't even have the energy to open my mouth.

Iris annoyedly said, "Just leave him be. He's just being dramatic and playing the victim again. I swear, we've really spoiled him too much."

In the end, Scarlett didn't insist on it. Their footsteps grew more distant.

Finally, I closed my eyes as I had wished. My soul felt light as it drifted upward.

I was still in mid-air when the door to my room suddenly burst open.

Emily barged in with a dark expression, Scarlett and Iris in tow.

"Adrian, you're—"

Her voice came to an abrupt stop, for a sea of crimson came into view.