Chapter 3My Brother and I Got Our Wires Crossed

After the Sterling siblings left, the four of us sat in a neat row on the sofa. Nobody said a word.

My mom twisted her fingers, looking hesitantly at me and my brother. She opened her mouth, then closed it, unable to force out a single syllable.

My brother secretly elbowed me, his eyes sending frantic signals.

Normally, our family shared one brain cell, but right now, everyone was playing 4D chess in their heads.

After a light cough, my dad couldn't hold it in anymore and spoke first.

"So, um, the Sterling family officially proposed today. You've met them now. What do you think?"

My mom, after hesitating for half the day, finally spoke up: "Chloe, Liam... after meeting them today, Mom thinks the Sterling family is solid. With them around, you two will definitely have a good life after you marry in."

My brother couldn't hold back: "Mom, you were just blinded by that massive red envelope."

My mom's face instantly flushed with extreme embarrassment. I quickly tried to smooth things over: "That's not true, my brother is just talking nonsense."

I elbowed him hard, signaling him to behave.

But my brother just got up angrily and stomped upstairs, leaving the three of us staring at each other.

I tried to salvage the situation: "Maybe Liam just doesn't want to marry into their family."

My dad slammed his hand on the coffee table in frustration: "Marrying into the number one old-money family in New York? How is that beneath him?!"

Seeing the situation escalating, I quickly stepped in to calm him down.

"Dad, don't be mad. Liam just needs a minute to process it. I'll go talk to him."

Knowing my brother's lack of filter, if a real fight broke out, I was terrified he'd blurt out that I was a lesbian and he was gay. If that happened, we were truly finished.

After calming my dad down, I quickly scrambled upstairs.

When I opened his bedroom door, my brother was furiously punching a stuffed animal I had given him.

Seeing me, he shot me an annoyed glare, then turned his back to me and ignored me.

I poked his back. He spun around in a circle but still refused to look at me.

"Are you really mad?"

He frustratingly grabbed the little bear's ears and said fiercely to it: "You knew I already had a boyfriend, but you still teamed up with Mom and Dad to break us up! You're evil!"

Mom always said my brother was born the wrong gender and should have been a girl.

She wasn't entirely wrong. In a certain sense, my brother really was a girl.

I let out a fake, helpless sigh, keeping my peripheral vision glued to him.

"Sigh, what are we going to do then? You'll just have to go tell Mom and Dad that I'm a lesbian and you're gay..."

Before I could finish, my brother bounced off the rug and clamped his hand over my mouth.

He looked around nervously like a thief, ran over, and deadbolted the door. Only then did he frown, point at me, and demand: "Are you crazy?! Saying that in this house? Do you have a death wish?!"

I shrugged carelessly: "Do you have a better plan?"

Remembering the way my brother looked at Arthur earlier, a wicked idea sprouted in my mind.

I leaned close to his ear and whispered my demonic plan.

He was so shocked by my scandalous idea that his eyes went wide with disbelief.

"Y-y-y-y-y-you... how could you suggest that?!"

"Besides, I already have a boyfriend!"

I rolled my eyes.

I hit him with the brutal truth: "Oh, you mean that guy you've been dating online for three months? The one whose name, voice, and face you don't even know? You don't even know if he's a human or a ghost!"

My brother's face turned bright red.

"Don't talk about him like that! We are truly in love!"

I rolled my eyes again, let out a mocking "Tsk," and then added fuel to the fire.

"Plus, the way you were looking at Arthur today... I refuse to believe you don't like him."

My brother's face turned even redder, this time from embarrassment.

He mumbled a weak defense, his voice as quiet as a mosquito, completely lacking any conviction.

"Don't talk nonsense."

I knew the time was ripe, so I whispered my demonic plan again.

This time, he didn't argue. He just bit his lip and looked at me.

When my dad found out my brother agreed, he was overjoyed and praised me relentlessly.

It made me feel guilty.

If my dad knew our actual intentions, I was terrified he'd jump out of bed in the middle of the night to beat us.