Chapter 4When the True Heir Obeyed, the Whole Family Regretted It

After my head was bandaged, they wheeled me to the family luncheon.

Cody cut a slice of mango cake and offered it to me. Then, he "tripped," sending the cake flying. He burst into tears, wailing that he’d made it himself and that I was taking my anger out on his hard work.

My whole family scolded me. My father ordered me to apologize.

Scarlett roared, “You are going to eat every last piece of that today!”

Not a single one of them remembered that I was allergic to mangoes.

“I’m sorry. I’ll eat it.”

I remained obedient, picking up the dirty cake from the floor and stuffing it into my mouth. After a few bites, rashes erupted across my face and arms. My throat began to swell shut.

My mother gasped. “Evan, you’re allergic? Stop eating!”

I was on the verge of suffocating. But they forced an anti-allergy pill down my throat. Once again, I failed to die.

Scarlett looked away, her voice stiff and awkward. “Why didn’t you say you were allergic?”

Why didn’t I say anything? Because five years ago, she already knew.

I opened my mouth, but all that came out was a quiet whisper. “I’m sorry. I forgot.”

She flinched, as if the memory had finally surfaced. “You…” A flicker of guilt crossed her face, but her words remained harsh. “Don’t you know your own body? If you can’t eat something, just say so. No one is forcing you.”

“Okay, sister.”

My complete submissiveness convinced them that my mental illness was truly cured. They decided to throw a joint birthday party for me and Cody to dispel the public rumors and restore Cody’s reputation.

The party was held at the city’s most luxurious seaside restaurant.

Before we left, Cody started crying that the jewel-encrusted crown my mother had personally designed for him was missing. The whole family searched frantically, finally finding it crushed at the bottom of the trash can in my room.

“Brother, if you don’t like me, I don’t have to go to the party. But why would you destroy Mom’s creation?” he wept.

My mother looked at me, her eyes filled with disappointment. She took the crown she’d bought for me and handed it to him. “If you can’t stand to see Cody happy, then you don’t deserve this either. Apologize to your brother.”

“I’m sorry,” I said. Again.

The ballroom was filled with guests. All eyes turned to Cody as he pushed my wheelchair. He looked like a radiant prince, while I sat hunched and dull, a plain scarf still wrapped around my neck. Everyone knew about my "condition" and kept their distance. I was a broken, lonely doll, serving only as a backdrop for Cody’s brilliance.

“Brother, since your legs are hurt, let me cut the cake for you, okay?” he asked gently, leaning down.

I looked at the massive, multi-tiered cake, topped with two small figures of boys holding hands. I gave a small, ironic smile at the detail and nodded.

Amid a chorus of birthday wishes, Cody’s hand “slipped,” and the knife sliced off the head of the figure meant to represent me.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, brother! I didn’t mean to!” he cried, fumbling to fix it, only to knock a huge piece of cake onto my lap.

“I’m so, so sorry…” His eyes turned red with panic. “Let me help you change. You can wear my diamond suit. It’s a gift.”

It was a one-of-a-kind, custom-designed suit from Scarlett, a gift of immense value. Everyone praised Cody for his generosity and grace, a true heir of the Bates family.

I instinctively started to refuse. “No, it’s fine. I can just wipe it off.”

Tears instantly welled in his eyes. “Brother, does this mean you won’t forgive me?”

Before I could answer, my parents and Scarlett hissed at me. “Don’t be ungrateful. Cody is giving you his most precious gift, what more do you want?”

So, I obediently nodded.

Cody wheeled me to a private room at the end of the hall. The moment the door locked behind us, his expression turned sinister.

“You little bastard. After today, you’re going straight back to that asylum!”

He clapped his hands, and several large, masked men emerged from behind a screen.

My heart pounded. “What are you doing?”

He threw the diamond suit on the floor, his smile venomous. “What am I doing? You’ll see…”

He messed up his own hair and gave the men a signal. They moved towards us with menacing grins. I was about to scream, but they shoved me aside and started punching Cody in the face.

“No! Help me!” he shrieked.

The door was kicked open. Scarlett burst in, followed by a crowd of guests, just in time to see the lead thug holding a knife to Cody’s throat.

“Don’t move, or I’ll kill him!” the thug yelled. He snatched the diamond suit from the floor and backed towards the window with his accomplices.