After their biological son returned, my parents sent me away to Exile Island. Once one set foot on that island, one would become prey for the wealthy. Yet, they ignored my pleas, allowing those rich men who arrived on the island to take turns tormenting me.

In just a few days, photos of what I had suffered on the island were sent straight to my fiancée, the heiress of an elite family from the capital. She didn’t speak up for me. Instead, she turned around and publicly announced her engagement to the true heir.

During an interview, someone asked her about me. Her whole body trembled with anger as she snapped, “Him? I never expected he’d turn out like that, running wild overseas, sleeping around like some kind of degenerate. It’s disgusting.”

My parents put on a show of heartbreak.

“We sent him abroad to study out of kindness. Who knew he’d behave so disgracefully? From now on, the Yule family has no such son.”

After I was tortured to death on that island by those so-called rich people, my fiancée and the true heir held a wedding worth tens of millions. It was broadcast live across the internet, drawing unprecedented attention.

However, even more spectacular than their wedding was the wedding gift I had sent them.

When the wedding host held up the gift, a wave of boos rose from the crowd.

“Isn’t he overseas? What kind of stunt is he pulling now?”

“As if being shameless wasn’t enough, how dare he ruin Mr. Yule’s wedding?”

“Exactly! Good thing Ms. Wright didn’t marry him. Otherwise, she would’ve been tricked into a marriage without even knowing it!”

My soul floated in the air, my gaze fixed on the gift. I was already dead. So how could I have sent anything?

Agnes Wright lowered her eyes, and I couldn’t read her expression.

I thought she would defend Ralph Yule like she always had, but this time, she simply said, “Open it. Let’s see what it is.”

The guests immediately started whispering again.

“Jacob was Ms. Wright’s former fiancé. And after all that shameless cheating behind her back, it’s only natural she’d want to see what kind of trick he’s up to.”

Ralph tried to stop it, but in the next second, Agnes had opened the gift. Inside was an old phone, and I recognized it instantly because it was mine. On the screen, there were seven unwatched videos.

The guests looked at each other, murmurs spreading like wildfire.

“Don’t tell me it’s the nudes he took overseas? Hahaha…”

“Is Jacob trying to threaten Ms. Wright with those photos, hoping she’ll take him back?”

“That wouldn’t be surprising. Wasn’t he some kind of influencer before? You can tell he’s that kind of trashy. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do.”

More than anger, I felt confusion. How did my phone end up here?

Mother hurried forward and snatched the phone away. “This is outrageous! What is Jacob trying to do? This is Ralph’s wedding. He’s clearly trying to cause a scene! What an ungrateful wretch! Even his gift brings bad luck!”

Father was even more direct. He grabbed the phone and raised it, about to smash it to the ground. “Throw it away! I don’t want it ruining Ralph’s wedding!”

I let out a self-mocking laugh. It seemed they didn’t even know I was dead. Or maybe the moment they sent me to that island, they had decided I was as good as dead.

Just as the phone was about to hit the ground, Agnes suddenly stepped in and caught it steadily.

Her brows furrowed as she looked at my parents. “I said, open it.”

My parents froze. The guests fell silent too.

The next second, she unlocked the phone and tapped on the first video. The video showed the day Ralph first returned to the Yule family. He stood timidly at the doorway, his eyes red, looking pitiful.

The moment he saw me, he dropped to his knees and started crying. “Jacob! I know you don’t want me back! I’m begging you. Please stop sending men to beat me up!”

As soon as Mother heard that, she rushed forward and slapped me across the face.

“You hired men to beat Ralph up? How can you be so vicious? He’s your brother. Can’t you tolerate him?”

The phone fell to the ground from the impact. I stumbled back a few steps, stunned. “I didn’t!”

However, she didn’t listen. She pointed at me and scolded, “Remember this, you’re just an adopted son of the Yule family. Know your place. Don’t you dare covet what belongs to Ralph!”

Before the video finished playing, my parents began to panic. They quickly shouted, “We had it investigated! It was Jacob who hired men to beat Ralph up. He even threatened him not to return to the family. We’re not accusing him without reason!”

The video continued.

On the screen, I picked up the fallen phone, trembling, and let out a quiet sigh. “I really didn’t.”

Then, the camera swept across my pale face. On my arm, several shocking bruises—deep purple and red—were clearly visible.

The guests in the audience noticed it too.

“What happened to Jacob’s arm?”

Mother hurriedly tried to explain, “He staged all of this! He’s always been good at playing the victim to gain sympathy. He just wants attention!”

Comments from the livestream exploded, and every insult was directed at me.

“He's so scheming! He’s got a whole set of lies up his sleeve!”

“He looks innocent, but deep down, he’s rotten to the core! No wonder the Yule family kicked him out!”

Ralph smirked smugly. Then, at just the right moment, he cut in, “Agnes, today is our big day. Let’s not watch this anymore. Even if Jacob really did hire someone to beat me up, he’s been punished for it. I won’t hold it against him.”

I chuckled.

Punished? Wasn't Ralph ashamed of his lies?

Agnes, however, ignored him. Her gaze stayed fixed on the screen, cold and unyielding.

“Is that so? Then I’d like to see how exactly he ‘staged’ all of this.”

With that, the second video began to play. On screen, I was adjusting myself in front of the camera, preparing to record an audition tape. I hadn’t come from a professional acting background, but over the past few years, I had acted in several smaller TV shows and gained some recognition.

A director had taken an interest in me and invited me to audition for a role. I told myself that since I wasn’t the true heir, I had to become good enough on my own and good enough to be with Agnes.

Then suddenly, the door opened, and Ralph walked in, looking guilty.

“Jacob, I just got back, yet Mother and Father have moved you to the servants’ quarters. You’re not upset, are you?”

Before I could even respond, his expression twisted. Then, he burst out laughing.

“You idiot! Can’t you see that I’m the only one Mother and Father care about? And yet you still have the nerve to stay with the family? All I did was casually tell them you hired someone to beat me up, and they immediately wanted to kick you out of the family. Isn’t that hilarious?”

I didn’t want to argue with him, so I said coldly, “It’s not funny, Ralph. I won’t take what’s yours, and don’t come to me with this again.”

Maybe it was because I didn’t react the way he wanted, but that only made him angrier.

He suddenly grabbed my hair, his face twisting with rage as he shouted, “Jacob! How dare you have the nerve to say you won’t take what’s mine? Agnes is mine! If you hadn’t stolen my place as the Yule family’s heir, how could you possibly be the one marrying her? I advise you to call off the engagement. Otherwise, the injuries on your body won’t stop here.”

The video cut off abruptly.

For a few seconds, the hall fell completely silent. Then, someone shouted from the crowd, “What’s going on? So the one being bullied all along wasn’t Ralph; it was Jacob?”

“So Jacob never hired anyone to beat Ralph up? It was all slander?”

“Then the one who staged everything… was Ralph!”

My parents’ faces turned pale as they looked at Ralph.

Ralph’s eyes instantly reddened, and he explained in a rather pitiful tone, “You’ve misunderstood! That was just me rehearsing with him! At the time, he was busy preparing for his auditions. Those were lines he gave me. He told me to act along with him!”

As if he had suddenly realized something, Father frowned deeply and immediately backed Ralph up.

“I didn’t expect Jacob to be so scheming. This was clearly a trap he set up in advance!”

Mother nodded again and again. “And Ralph is just too kind, helping him rehearse like that! And now he’s using that video to smear Ralph? He knew he'd already ruined himself and lost the chance to marry Ms. Wright. So he schemed it to destroy Ralph's wedding. How vicious!”

Murmurs spread through the crowd.

“That’s true. He’s filthy. I’ve seen every one of those photos. There’s no way he was forced.”

“Exactly. He had a great socialite from the capital and still threw it away. Who knows what he was thinking?”

“So that’s what happened… No wonder the Yules feel nothing for him. He brought it on himself.”

Even suspended in the air, I couldn’t stop myself from shivering. Instinctively, I looked at Agnes. We had been together for ten years. I hoped she didn’t believe them.

In the end, Agnes smiled faintly. “I’d like to know what he was thinking, too. Let’s watch the next video.”

As she spoke, Agnes tapped open the third video on the phone. In the video, I was facing the camera, grinning from ear to ear.

“Agnes! I passed the audition! Aren’t I amazing? I’m going to buy you a gift, something that proves I can be rich and successful too! But what should I get you? You have everything… Got it! I’ll buy that puzzle you’ve loved for so long. We’ll put it together, and when we finish it, you’ll have to say yes to my proposal! Hehe… I’m so smart.”

In the video, I rested my chin in my hands, my eyes sparkling with excitement.

A few comments flashed across the livestream.

“Wow, Jacob looks so gentle here…”

“Is this really the ‘evil son’? Am I seeing wrong?”

Agnes’s hand trembled slightly, her expression complicated.

Ralph suddenly grabbed her hand. “Agnes! Jacob is your past. I’m the one marrying you now. Let’s stop watching this, okay?”

When she didn’t respond, he immediately looked upset. “There are so many people here. You’re embarrassing me…”

Mother chimed in, “Exactly. Jacob’s living abroad now, living the high life. He’s long since forgotten all about you. You’d best stop looking.”

No… My spirit hovered beside Agnes, desperate to tell her I hadn’t forgotten.

Yet, to everyone’s surprise, Agnes smiled faintly. She brushed Ralph’s hand away and continued the video.

On screen, I was still happily planning the future until Ralph pushed the door open and walked in.

“What’s got you so happy, Ralph?” Covering his mouth, he feigned surprise, asking, “Wait a minute, did you actually think Director Levinson passed your audition?”

I froze. “What do you mean?”

Ralph took out his phone and turned on the speaker. “Director Levinson, how was Jacob’s acting?”

From the other end came a disgusting, sickening chuckle. “Him? He’s just an amateur. You wouldn’t believe it. I told him to undo his belt, and he was all coy at first, but in the end, he did it anyway. He’s got no sense of shame whatsoever, yet he dreams of becoming a big star. What a joke.”

My blood turned cold, and my face burned red with humiliation.

I pointed at Ralph, my voice shaking. “Why are you doing this to me?”

Ralph crossed his arms and looked down at me. “I’m just teaching you a lesson. You’d better not touch what’s mine.”

Hearing the argument, my parents rushed in.

The moment Mother saw me, she immediately shielded Ralph. “Jacob! Are you bullying Ralph again?”

Father glared at me. “Where are your manners?”

I clenched my teeth, saying nothing this time, because I knew explaining was useless.

Ralph suddenly raised his voice and said, “Mother, Jacob said earlier that in this house, it’s either him or me. Is that true?”

“You–” Mother trembled with rage and slapped me across the face again and again. “I’m sending you away! You’re leaving immediately!”

Ralph choked up, “Why not send him to Exile Island? That’ll teach him how to behave.”

Exile Island… I had heard of that place. It was an island where the wealthy traded power and people.

“No!” I dropped to my knees, clutching Mother’s pant leg. “I don’t want to go there! Please, I don’t want to go!”

She kicked me away, her face full of disgust. “Don’t want to? You’re leaving tomorrow morning!”

Suddenly, I thought of Agnes and shouted, “I’m Agnes’s fiancé! You can’t send me to Exile Island!”

The only response I got was another sharp slap.

Father sneered. “Once you’re on that island and reduced to nothing more than a plaything, do you think the Wrights would want you? When that happens, the only one who can marry Ms. Wright… will be Ralph.”

Even now, as a ghost, I could still feel the burning pain on my face. It felt like my parents, whom I had lived with for over twenty years, had never loved me, not even for a second.

When the video ended, someone in the audience immediately asked, “Wasn’t Jacob supposed to have gone abroad? How did he end up on Exile Island?”

“If he went there, could he come back in one piece?”

Ralph panicked. He rushed forward, trying to snatch the phone. “The videos are fake! Jacob fabricated all of it! He went there of his own free will! It’s because he had no self-respect!”

However, before he could even touch the phone, the Wright family's bodyguards slammed him to the ground. My parents tried to step forward, but one look from the Wrights froze them in place.

Agnes’s eyes turned red as her voice trembled. “What exactly did Jacob go through on that island? We’ll watch it.”