Betrayed by Blood, I Live for Myself

On the day I'm sentenced to death, my parents, Herbert Meyer and Aileen Wagner, hold a press conference to announce their adopted son, Justin Meyer, as Meyer Corporation's new successor. My sister, Tiana Meyer, and Justin get engaged, and they finally become a real family. As for me, I've exposed Justin for who he really is, only to be branded an ingrate and disowned by my own family. After being reborn, I no longer want their love. I live only for myself. Chapter 1 I was reborn on the day Justin Meyer was adopted into my family. I hadn't expected fate to give me another chance. Justin was the son of my dad Herbert Meyer's childhood friend, and he was also a famous child prodigy in our city, Jenton. Unfortunately, both his parents died in a car accident, and by the time the crash site was discovered, Justin had already been abducted. Dad put a lot of effort into finding Justin and getting him back. Heartbroken that he'd suffered so much at such a young age, Dad decided to bring him home and treat him like his own son. My mom, Aileen Wagner, wrapped her arms around him and cried the moment she saw him. "You poor child. You must've suffered." My sister, Tiana Meyer, also wiped her tears. Only I looked at Justin with a distant expression. After all, I knew how wicked he truly was beneath his obedient facade. Mom quickly asked Justin to sit down and rest, but he turned red and said in a quiet voice, "I'm dirty. I might ruin your couch." Justin's pitiful, well-behaved act melted my family's hearts all over again. Even Dad, who always said that real men shouldn't cry, had tears in his eyes. He patted Justin's head and said, "You silly boy. From now on, this is your home. You should call us Mom and Dad…" Justin nodded shyly. He noticed Tiana's unfinished homework spread across the table. With just one glance, he solved a difficult math problem she'd been struggling with the entire evening. Tiana immediately became Justin's biggest fan, praising him nonstop for being a true genius. My parents exchanged smiles, convinced that having Justin in our family would make things even better. No one bothered to ask for my opinion. It was as if, with Justin's arrival, their own son no longer mattered. I just waited quietly since I knew Justin's true colors. And just as I'd expected, he immediately tried to put me in my place. Justin suddenly looked at me, his eyes glistening, and asked, "Marco, why are you glaring at me?" He lowered his head, looking utterly disappointed. "Sorry, I never meant to steal your parents away from you. If you don't like me, I can leave." Despite what he said, he still plopped himself down on the couch. Dad looked at me sternly. "Marco, you'll be Justin's brother from now on. You have to get along with him, okay?" Tiana curled her lip in disdain. "Marco must be jealous and can't accept that Justin is smarter than him. Justin is on a whole different level from Marco. He's a famous child prodigy." Justin's face immediately paled, and he hid behind Mom, trembling. "I never meant to steal Marco's spotlight. It's all my fault." Mom pulled him into her embrace and looked at me, obviously displeased. "Marco, I've always taught you to be humble. How could you be so jealous?" Dad quickly chimed in, "Apologize to Justin right now!" Justin raised his head and flashed me a provocative look that only I could see. I bit my lower lip as memories of my past life flashed through my mind. My parents and Tiana had been just as hostile back then, insisting that Justin was their true family and cutting ties with me without a second thought. They even helped Justin frame me and send me to prison, then stood by and watched as I was led to the execution ground. I should have understood that from the moment Justin showed up on my doorstep, my family had stopped being my family. They acted as if Justin had put a spell on them, always taking his side no matter what. They didn't even care when he swindled them out of every last cent. I'd sincerely tried to talk some sense into them, but in return, they just accused me of being jealous, incompetent, and petty. I became the most ridiculed member of the Meyer family. They might have been willing to walk straight into the hell Justin had prepared for them, but I wasn't. This time, I would live only for myself. Chapter 2 Justin's room wasn't ready yet, so my parents told him to share a room with me for the time being. The thought of breathing the same air as a scumbag like him disgusted me, so I packed my things, wanting to camp in the living room for the night. Justin followed me into the room, sweeping all my neatly arranged textbooks and school supplies onto the floor, then placing his own backpack on my desk. Unlike in my past life, I remained cold and unbothered. My attitude made Justin drop the act immediately. "Why does a nobody like you get to have such a loving family, while a genius like me has to suffer so much? Just you wait. This family will belong to me someday!" I continued packing without even looking at him. "I don't care that much about them. If you want them, take them. You're only good enough for whatever I don't want." Justin's chest heaved with anger, but he quickly calmed down. A sinister look flashed across his face. "You won't be so smug for much longer." He ripped the stack of certificates he'd brought with him to shreds. Then he clutched the scraps to his chest and ran out of the room. "Marco, please don't tear up my certificates! They're my last memories of my old school! I'm sorry. Someone like me doesn't deserve to share a room with you…" My parents and Tiana rushed over after hearing the commotion. They found Justin sitting amid the torn-up certificates, crying his eyes out, his small body curled into a ball. He looked utterly pitiful. Tiana picked up one of the scraps and exclaimed, "First place in the National Elementary School Math Competition! With an award like that, he could easily get into a top high school, and Marco tore it to pieces!" Justin wiped away his tears, looking hurt as he tried to act like the bigger person. "I must have upset Marco. That's why he did this. It's all my fault." Mom quickly cleaned his face with wipes, her eyes full of sympathy. "How could it be your fault? We've spoiled Marco rotten." Meanwhile, Dad's face and neck flushed with anger. He couldn't understand why Justin was so well-behaved while I wouldn't even accept my adopted brother and kept bullying him at every turn. I walked out of the room, my gaze firm. "Justin was the one who tore up those certificates. It has nothing to do with me." Tiana immediately shrieked and stepped in front of Justin. She glared at me furiously and pointed an accusing finger at me. "Who would tear up their own certificates for no reason? Marco, you don't even bother to make your lies believable now! How did I never realize you were like this?" Dad roared, "Marco, you've really let me down! How did I end up with a son like you? Can't you learn from Justin and be a little more sensible? At least give us some peace of mind." I glanced at them indifferently. Justin was really something. He'd been in our house for just one night, and he'd already won everyone over. The moment he shed a few tears, Mom and Dad acted like the sky was falling. What about me? Who would notice how hurt I was? In my past life, I was indeed jealous of Justin because he was way better than me at school. We had a few minor conflicts at first, but I soon accepted him as my younger brother. But Justin took advantage of my trust. He turned around and smeared my name in front of Mom and Dad. By the time I realized what he was doing, the rift between my parents and me was already beyond repair. But in this life, I had all the memories of my past life and the mind of an adult. How could Justin, who was still an elementary school kid, possibly be a match for me? In the end, to keep me from bullying Justin, my parents decided to let him sleep with them for the night. They kept reassuring Justin as they led him away, and not one of them looked back at me. It was as if I was the one who'd ruined their happy family. I quietly closed the door, shutting out the sight of their happy family moment. I'd sworn long ago that I wouldn't let their blatant favoritism hurt me anymore. Chapter 3 Ever since Justin moved in with us, my relationship with my parents and Tiana had worsened, but I didn't care. I usually spent my time in the school library after school, studying middle and high school material ahead of time. With my current academic level, I could easily skip grades and go straight to high school, but I had other plans. After Justin transferred into my class in my past life, he won award after award and became the school's most popular student. Everyone, including the teachers, loved him. My parents and Tiana treated him like a precious treasure, while I was invisible, nothing more than Justin's shadow. Now, I would snatch every award and every first place from him and trample him under my feet! A few months later, my birthday came around. My parents decided to throw me a big birthday party to make things less awkward between us. More than that, they wanted me to finally accept Justin. I came home from school to find the table covered with a lavish spread. But when I looked closer, I realized it was all seafood, and the fact that I was allergic to seafood was widely known within the family. Justin was helping around the kitchen, and when he saw me, he flashed me a provocative smile. Mom had been looking at Justin lovingly, but when she turned to me, her gaze was no longer as tender. "You're home. Once your dad gets back with the cake, we'll celebrate your birthday together." I glanced at the dishes on the table and sneered. "You know it's my birthday, right? Then why is every dish something I can't eat? Oh, right. Justin likes seafood." Dad and Tiana returned at that moment. When Tiana heard what I said, she snapped, "Marco, why are you bullying Justin again? We're family. What's wrong with making a few dishes Justin likes?" Justin's eyes instantly filled with tears. "I'm sorry. I just really envy you, Marco. Mom only made my favorite dishes because she felt bad for me. Marco, you can blame me all you want, but please don't blame Mom." Dad slammed the cake down on the table. "It's your birthday, for goodness' sake. Do you have to ruin it for us?" I pointed at the ill-fitting limited-edition sneakers on Justin's feet. "My birthday? Then why is the table full of dishes Justin loves? And why is he wearing my birthday present?" Just like in my past life, Justin was wearing the sneakers my parents had bought for me. When I angrily tried to take them back, they told me to be generous. If there was anything Justin wanted, I was expected to hand it over without a fight. I had no doubt that if he ever wanted my life, my holier-than-thou family would guilt-trip me into giving it up too. Justin burst into tears upon hearing my words. He took off the sneakers. "I just liked them so much that I couldn't resist trying them on. Sorry. I've never seen such nice shoes before… When I was abducted, all I had were worn-out sandals…" There were a few red cuts on Justin's feet, but they looked far too fresh to be old injuries. How could they possibly have been left over from years ago? But when my family saw his battered feet, they each pulled Justin into a hug and burst into tears. Justin broke free from their embrace and ran toward me. He crouched down at my feet, putting on a pitiful act. "Please forgive me, Marco. I'll give you the shoes back." He had his back to my family, stomping on my foot as he spoke. A sharp pain shot through it. I instinctively wanted to push him away, but the moment I touched his shoulder, Justin yelled as if shocked. "I was wrong! Marco, please don't hit me!" My family hadn't seen what happened. They just heard Justin scream and thought I was picking on him again. "Marco, you're hopeless!" Dad shoved me away. I was slammed against the table, and the simmering soup spilled all over me. A whole cluster of blisters immediately formed on my exposed arms. The pain left my mind blank. Before I could even react, I heard Tiana's piercing scream. "Justin! Justin, are you okay?" Justin had fainted in Mom's arms. No matter how much they called out to him, he wouldn't wake up. Dad immediately decided to take him to the hospital. Dad hurried to the garage to get the car, while Mom chased after him, carrying Justin in her arms with tears in her eyes. Tiana, who was the last to leave, glared at me resentfully. "Are you happy now?" With that, she hurried after them and got into the car. Nobody cared that I should have been the center of attention today, that I hadn't even laid a finger on Justin, or that I was the one who should've been rushed to the hospital. They left without a second thought, and no one looked back at me despite my injuries. I sank to the floor and sat there in a daze for a long time before remembering that I needed to cool my skin down. When I reached the local clinic near my home, the doctor, John Walker, was shocked by the severity of my burns. He asked, "Kiddo, why are you here alone? Where's your family?" I lowered my head, not wanting him to see the sadness in my eyes. "They don't care about me. They only care about my adopted brother." Chapter 4 My injuries were a little worse than I'd expected because my skin was still fragile at this age. John patiently popped my blisters, applied antibiotic ointment, and wrapped them in gauze. Throughout the process, he kept reassuring me and telling me how brave I was. Even though I was mentally an adult, I still felt a little comforted by his kindness. It had been a long time since I'd last felt any warmth from another person. After John was done, he insisted on sending me home. When we reached the house, I realized my family had already returned home with Justin. He was sitting in the middle as they crowded around him, protecting him from all sides. When they saw me, they didn't even show the slightest hint of guilt. Their eyes were filled with nothing but blame. Dad frowned, his voice stern. "Oh, so you do know this is your home, huh? Where did you run off to so late at night?" Mom stared at me, her eyes filled with disappointment and reproach. "I don't mind your usual mischief, but Justin fainted because of you. And you're still running around everywhere." The warmth I'd just felt in my heart quickly faded. I lifted my shirt and showed them the bandages on my back and arms. "Where did I run off to? Dad, you pushed me. Or is Justin the only one who deserves to go to the hospital, while I'm supposed to just tough it out?" My parents' expressions shifted. They'd been so focused on Justin fainting that they'd conveniently forgotten all about my burns. Justin bit his lip, wanting to play his usual victim card, but Tiana stopped him from talking. She stood in front of him like a protective mother hen. "Don't try to pin this on Justin. He fainted because of you." I was honestly dumbfounded by how stupid Tiana was. I asked, "Oh? So what did the doctors find? How did he get home before me? Don't tell me he was faking it." Mom, Dad, and Tiana were all left speechless. Justin hadn't shown any signs of physical illness during the examination. The doctor had only said he might have been frightened and needed to rest at home for a couple of days. By comparison, my injuries looked much more serious. Upon realizing that things weren't looking good for him, Justin pouted, and tears immediately rolled down his face. His tears were the Meyer family's ultimate weakness, causing them to lose all sense of reason. Dad grabbed a pillow and hurled it at me. "Shut up!" John, who was still nearby, finally couldn't stand it anymore. He rushed into the house and yelled, "That's enough! What sort of parents are you?" He grabbed my hand and roared at my parents. "He needs his dressings changed over the next few days, so he'll be staying at my clinic!" Then John took me by the hand and walked away without looking back. The Meyer family stood there, stunned. Not one of them even thought to stop us. That night, I told John everything I'd been through. To my surprise, the tall, middle-aged man was so furious that he broke down in tears. He wrapped his arms around me, visibly moved, and said, "If you don't mind, I'll be your godfather from now on. Whenever your family gives you a hard time, you can come to my house!" His words warmed my heart, and I gladly accepted his offer. Despite the pain from my wounds, I slept soundly for once with John by my side. I spent nearly two weeks in the clinic, and not once did my family come to visit me. I knew that even if my parents had thought of me, Justin would've found a way to distract them. The first thing I did when I got back to school was sign up for the same state math competition as Justin. At school, he dropped the timid, innocent act he put on at home. He had lackeys who were always finding new ways to give me a hard time. When I got back from the office after signing up for the competition, I found all the math competition books from my desk drawer dumped in the trash. Justin sat with his legs crossed, looking at me with disdain. "You actually think you can compete in the state math competition? Marco, you haven't even won an award in a school competition." His lackeys burst out laughing. "Marco is just jealous that you became class president as soon as you transferred here, while he got demoted to vice president." Justin flaunted his new sneakers, which had originally been my birthday present but had ended up with him anyway. "Mom, Dad, and even the teachers all like me better. You're so pathetic, Marco. If you just behave and become my lackey, I can put in a good word for you with Mom and Dad." Chapter 5 I just glanced at Justin before grabbing my stuff and heading to the library. I wasn't interested in talking big. I wanted to beat him once and for all. To my surprise, this actually won me some favor with the girls in my class. Girls this age seemed to prefer the mature, level-headed type. They gathered their own textbooks and even asked the math teacher for help, hand-copying a book of math competition problems for me. Then the class representative, Jemima Walker, personally handed it to me. Although I didn't really need problems this easy, I gladly accepted them because I remembered that Justin had always liked her. In my past life, Jemima and Justin had attended the same schools from elementary school through college. Justin was a math genius, but Jemima was even better than him overall. He pursued her relentlessly, but Jemima never gave him the time of day. She was a perceptive girl. She must have seen the dark, vicious heart hidden beneath Justin's gentle, refined facade. When Justin saw Jemima taking the initiative to talk to me, he gritted his teeth in anger and glared at me with even greater hostility. On the day of the competition, the Meyer family woke up early to get Justin ready. Dad got him dressed in a whole new outfit, while Mom prepared a special breakfast for him, happily wishing him luck. Even Tiana, who normally loved to sleep in, got up early to give Justin a card with her own handwritten wishes. Justin basked in all the attention, then added in a sweet voice, "Don't forget Marco is participating in the competition too." Tiana waved her hand dismissively. "Him? He's just there to participate!" Mom and Dad agreed. They even discussed whether to have a congratulatory sign made in advance to celebrate Justin winning first prize. The four of them laughed, clearly not taking me or any of the other contestants seriously. Half a month later, when the results were announced, the Meyer family was stunned. Justin got second place, while I was first. Dad stared at the result, even wondering if the winner shared the same name as me, while Tiana gave me a look of disbelief. "How is this possible? Did they get it wrong?" I stood with my arms crossed, watching Justin with an amused smile. He was grinding his teeth in rage, but he still had to pretend he was genuinely happy for me in front of the Meyer family. "Congratulations on getting first place, Marco! Guess all that time I spent helping you with math at school paid off. I even fell behind on my own practice." Realization dawned on my family, and they seemed to think that was why their genius boy lost to me. He'd been too busy helping me prepare for the math competition, and it had held him back. Mom patted Justin's head, looking pleased. "Justin, you're such a good boy. We're incredibly lucky to have you in the family." I nearly laughed out loud. They thought they were lucky to have Justin in the family? In my past life, Justin nearly took over the family's entire wealth, to the point where they couldn't spend a single cent without his approval. He also slept with Tiana, whom my parents had spoiled since childhood, cheated on her, and even beat her so badly that she miscarried. Dad noticed the disgust on my face and immediately frowned. "Marco, Justin has done so much to help you. The least you can do is thank him!" I rolled my eyes at Justin. "Stop making excuses just because you're not good enough. Let's see how you do in the next competition. We'll find out if you can actually beat me." With that, I left Dad and Tiana fuming and walked away. I told John about the good news, and he jumped up in excitement. "I didn't know you were so talented! Let's go. I'll close the clinic early today. We'll go and have an amazing dinner." Someone who actually cared about me would react like this. John and I went to the fanciest steakhouse nearby. When we sat down, I noticed Jemima walking toward our table. As it turned out, she was John's daughter. What were the odds of this happening? I opened Instagram and saw that Tiana had just posted an update. The Meyer family had brought Justin out to celebrate since second place was no easy feat. They seemed to barely think about me anymore. After all, life was much more peaceful for their family of four without me around. I wanted to get under Justin's skin, so I took photos of myself having dinner with John and Jemima and posted them on my Instagram Story, adding Tiana to my Close Friends list so only she could see them. Knowing what a busybody she was, I was sure Justin would see the photos in no time. Justin had lost first place to me, and now his crush was having dinner with me. He must have been so pissed that he couldn't even enjoy celebrating. The thought made me so happy that I ordered another steak and really ran up John's bill. Chapter 6 Just like the Meyer family, most of my teachers and classmates thought I'd lucked out this time and that when the next competition came around, Justin would still be in first place. Justin didn't let his guard down this time. He stopped wasting time messing around with his lackeys and spent a lot more time on math competitions than before. But the extra effort he put in was nothing compared to the almost nonstop studying I'd done over the past year. The second competition I signed up for had more participants and a wider range of problems, and it was also more challenging. On top of that, middle school students were also allowed to participate. Anyone who placed could practically guarantee themselves a spot at the best school in the state. A few days before the competition, Justin stayed up late studying every night, and my parents couldn't stop worrying about him. They bought him a special lamp to protect his eyes, afraid he'd damage them from studying too long. They also worried he'd get hungry from studying so much, so they always kept a late-night snack warm on the stove. Justin was genuinely nervous this time. After I beat him for first place in the last competition, he didn't get recruited by top schools like he had in my past life. He was weak in some subjects, and his regular exam scores alone wouldn't be enough to get him into the same middle school as Jemima. When my parents saw how Justin was studying even during meals while I sat there looking completely relaxed, they started criticizing me. "Marco, you got first place once, and now you're getting cocky? Even Justin is working this hard, but I haven't seen you solve a single problem lately!" "Exactly! It's fine if you don't want to study. But do you have to act so carefree? You're distracting Justin!" I took my last bite and calmly replied, "I'm well prepared, unlike someone who slacks off until the last minute and is trying to cram everything in now." Justin lifted his head, looking at me with a malicious glint in his eyes. My heart skipped a beat as a sense of foreboding washed over me. Whenever Justin looked at someone like that in my past life, it meant he was cooking up something nasty. I'd better keep my guard up around him during this competition. On the day of the competition, I deliberately avoided Justin and asked John to drive me to the venue. I was lining up with the other participants to enter when I suddenly felt someone bump into me. But when I turned around, no one was there. Remembering the way Justin had looked at me a few days earlier, I quickly checked my pencil case and jacket. To my surprise, I found an unfamiliar earbud in my jacket pocket. If the metal detector picked it up when I entered, I could be suspected of cheating and disqualified from the exam. Cold sweat ran down my back. I quickly went to the restroom and flushed the earbud down the toilet bowl. Once I calmed down, I took my seat in the middle of the exam room. This competition was on a whole different level. Most of the participants were seasoned math competition students, but I was confident I could still place well. When it ended, I noticed Justin's face was as white as a sheet. He must have been disappointed that I hadn't been disqualified, and the difficulty of this competition had also taught him a harsh lesson. Sure enough, when the results came out, I ranked 7th overall and won 2nd prize, while Justin ranked 20th and received an honorable mention. Now everyone knew that I hadn't just won first place last time by a stroke of luck and that I had defeated Justin through my own skills. My homeroom teacher excitedly announced to the class that several top schools were competing to recruit me. After class, local reporters came to interview me. They called me a dark horse in the math competition world. I'd completely overshadowed Justin, the former child prodigy. Even the lackeys who used to worship Justin started hanging around me instead. Jemima bought me a congratulatory bouquet on behalf of the girls in our class. She told me her goal was to attend Aether Middle School and that we might become classmates if I got in too. This was the last straw for Justin. He immediately took sick leave and went home. When I returned home with my award certificate tucked in my bag, the Meyer family was waiting for me, all looking furious. A teacup came flying at me, and it grazed my forehead, shattering against the doorframe. Dad pointed at me, furious. "You still have the nerve to come back here!" I calmly looked at them. Justin was sobbing in Mom's arms, muttering about how he didn't want to live anymore. Tiana stood with her hands on her hips and shouted at me, "Marco Meyer! Why did you frame Justin? You're absolutely shameless! Give Justin back what you took from him!" So that was why Justin had rushed home. He wanted to twist the truth, claiming I'd done to him what he'd actually done to me. The Meyer family trusted Justin so much that they immediately believed that I'd planted an earbud on him to throw him off during the competition because I wanted to beat him. Dad looked at me with bitter disappointment, putting on a self-righteous act. "I never thought you'd stoop so low! Come on! You're coming with me to school! Someone like you doesn't deserve an award or a place at Aether Middle School!" Mom's eyes filled with tears of regret. "I've spoiled you too much. If you just give Justin back what you took, he'll forgive you." I watched the Meyer family carry on, then gave them a mocking smile. "What if I refuse?" Dad waved his hand dismissively. "Then get the hell out! I don't have a son like you." Although I'd been waiting for him to say this, it still hurt. I took a deep breath to calm myself, then looked at my parents and slowly said, "Okay, from now on, I have nothing to do with you guys anymore. But let me be clear. You're not kicking me out. I'm leaving this family since none of you trust me or care about me."