Raise the Fake, Reward the Real

Surprisingly, Frank, Nadia, and Ethan didn't antagonize me for the next two weeks. I guessed it was because they had already swindled me out of all my money.

Ethan ended up enrolling in his preferred school.

In my past life, Ethan didn't further his studies abroad. Instead, he enrolled in a local, private university. He mingled with a group of good-for-nothings, which resulted in him becoming a VIP for nearly all the clubs in Breeville.

At first, he only indulged in alcohol and fooled around with women, but he eventually began gambling and getting himself involved in things that he shouldn't have been.

I had no doubt that Ethan's descent into a hedonistic lifestyle would be expedited now that he had moved abroad.

As expected, he stopped calling Frank and Nadia soon after he left the country. Even if he did call them, he would only chat with them for a few minutes before hanging up.

Frank and Nadia were worried out of their minds about Ethan and pestered me to visit him. I agreed to their request, but in reality, I kept delaying my trip by giving them the excuse that the embassy refused to approve my visa.

…

About a week later, I received a call from Ethan.

"Transfer 500,000 dollars to me, Matthew."

I fell silent for a moment before replying, "I don't have any more money. If you need the money urgently, I'll ask Mom and Dad."

"Don't you dare!" Ethan exclaimed in a panic. "I'm warning you, Matthew. If Mom and Dad find out about this, I'll make sure you won't live to see the next sunrise."

I thought about the house rule that Frank and Nadia had set. I had no choice but to withdraw the money that Ethan wanted from my secret savings account. I even did as he ordered and kept his recent activities a secret from Frank and Nadia.

I followed every single order that Ethan gave me just like how I did in the past.

After realizing that he could bully me into doing his bidding, Ethan began asking me for more money. First, he asked for one million dollars. Next, he asked for two million dollars before finally demanding ten million dollars.

I was completely broke at that point. "Kill me if you want, Ethan, but I truly don't have any money anymore."

Ethan stopped contacting me after that.

Just when I thought that the dust had settled, Frank and Nadia received a report from the university that Ethan had been skipping classes. They felt faint as they looked through the report that recorded every time Ethan had missed class.

"Why did he skip all his classes?"

"Ethan told me that all his professors treat him well, but they claim that they've never seen him before. What is going on?"

Frank and Nadia received the answer to all their questions when a package was delivered that night.

The package had been sent from abroad, containing a severed finger that was frozen in an ice pack.

Nadia's eyes fluttered close as she fainted on the spot.

Frank was shocked and at a loss for what to do. He didn't dare take another glance at the finger. He only snapped back to his senses and began searching for his phone when I reminded him that we should contact the police as soon as possible.

Just then, Frank's phone began ringing.

Ethan's piercing scream came echoing from the receiver the moment the call connected.

"Stop! Don't cut off another finger! I'll give you money. I'll give you as much money as you want!"

Frank's and Nadia's hearts leaped into their throats.

"Did you get abducted, Ethan? What do they want? We're willing to give them anything!"

A deep voice resounded from the receiver, saying, "He wouldn't have needed to lose a finger if you'd been so cooperative from the beginning."

"What are you talking about?" Frank asked, stunned.

"Matt refused to give me money when I asked him last week," Ethan explained while sobbing. "He even told me that if I disappeared, he would become the heir of the Moreno family again. Nothing would please him more than for me to die as soon as possible!

"That's why the abductors cut off one of my fingers. Mom, Dad, you have to save me—"

The call abruptly disconnected then. A few seconds later, Frank received a message from a foreign number.

"500 million dollars. If we don't receive the ransom by tomorrow afternoon, the next package you'll receive will be his head."

Frank and Nadia were completely stunned as they read the message. Although the Morenos were a wealthy family, it was impossible for them to collect 500 million dollars in a single day.

They looked at me and said, "Give us your money, Matthew. If you refuse, we'll beat you to a pulp!"

I frowned and said, "I gave all the money I had to Ethan when he asked me for ten million dollars some time ago. I'm completely broke."

"You're just jealous because we always treat Ethan so well. But can you blame us when he's our real son? We've already been so generous to you, even though you're just someone who we picked up off the streets. What else could you possibly want?"

"You're just wasting your breath by talking to him. I'm sure he'll start behaving properly once we rough him up!"

My chest tightened as I took in the ruthless glint in their eyes.

I was strung up in the living room about ten minutes later. I kept my head lowered and stared at the carpet beneath my feet.

Memories of my past life, where I was beaten to death, crashed into me like a wave. The carpet seemed to turn red before my eyes.

It didn't take long for the whipping to start. The welts hurt as much as they did in my past life.

My surroundings began to blur into each other. The excruciating pain overpowered all my other senses.

The villa's door was kicked open in the next second.

My eyes slowly widened as I stared at the newcomers.