Rebecca looked at me, her expression as cold and detached as if she were delivering a formal announcement to an employee.

"Mrs. Hale has already adopted Freddie," she said, her voice dripping with authority. "From now on, you and Freddie are brothers; you're both heirs to Hale Group. So stop trying to put him down. Oh, and by the way, Freddie will be attending our college now. You know how people are there—always looking to climb the social ladder. So Mrs. Hale and I decided that, for the public, we'll just say Freddie is the Hales' youngest son who's been living abroad and just recently came back."

With a satisfied smile, she linked arms with Freddie. "Come on. Let's go check out your room. Mrs. Hale made sure to clear out Tyler's room for you. It's the biggest room in the house, getting the most sunlight—"

Watching their shameless display, I couldn't hold back any longer. I raised an eyebrow and snapped, "Stop right there. Who gave you the nerve to act like this in my house?" I put extra emphasis on the words "my house".

Freddie's eyebrows furrowed, and he stormed up to me, stopping just inches away. "Tyler, are you out of your mind?" he snapped. "Mom agreed to this; who are you to oppose that?"

Rebecca chimed in with a scoff. "Tyler, I know you think Freddie's so much better than you, always getting the upper hand. You're afraid that Mrs. Hale and I will like him more and ignore you, so now you're trying to sabotage things. But being so arrogant will only backfire. It'll just make us dislike you even more."

She stared at me, almost waiting for a reaction, her expression one of self-satisfaction—as if she had just delivered a lesson.

In the past, their emotional manipulation had chipped away at my confidence, leaving me insecure and self-loathing. I used to believe that gaining their approval was the only way to make my life meaningful. But now, I realized my life wasn't theirs to control.

I crossed my arms and returned her smirk with an exaggerated "Oh, really? Fine, go ahead and hate me. Just get out of my house. You can hate me all you want, but it won't change a thing. What do I care?"

Rebecca froze, her eyes wide with disbelief. Freddie shot me a look filled with venom, as if he was trying to slice me in half with his gaze.

"Tyler, is this a new technique?" he said, his voice thick with condescension. "You think if you act out like this, Rebecca will notice you more, right? Let me give you some advice—know when to stop. You might not have what it takes. If you keep this up, you'll end up crying and begging Rebecca to look at you, just like last time. Hah, Rebecca's so out of your league, yet you still shamelessly try to win her over. Everyone at school calls you a doormat. It's really embarrassing for the Hales."

Rebecca tilted her chin up with a proud smile, as if she had just seen through my act of playing hard to get. "Some people are born into wealth, yet still exude such a cheap, pitiful aura," she said, eyeing me with disdain. "Not like Freddie—he's always so genuine and likable wherever he goes."

I didn't even bother to argue with her. Instead, I turned my gaze to Christina, who had been quietly listening to the whole conversation.

"So, is this how you're going to sit there and let these strangers badmouth your son?" I asked, my voice sharp.

Christina's face turned pale, and her lips tightened as she spoke through gritted teeth. "What strangers? I've already taken Freddie in as my son. And you, with that lousy attitude—you're asking for this."

I raised my brows as she continued, "But if you can just get along with Freddie from now on, this house will still have room for you. Tyler, your dad is gone now, and you don't have any family left. I took Freddie in to keep you company. How dare you be so ungrateful!"

I could hear her words echo in my mind—those same lines she had used in my past life, as she tried to manipulate me into thinking she was my only lifeline.

But now I had seen through her. In my previous life, when Rebecca and Freddie ran a car over me, Christina had done nothing but turn up the TV and ignore my cries for help, thinking that I was ruining her movie experience. She had even tried to paint me as the one at fault to the authorities, saying I had gotten jealous and thrown myself under the car in a dramatic act of defiance.

She had used the Hales' lawyers to cover up their wrongdoings and help them get away with murder.

She was pulling the same stunt, but I wasn't going to fall for it again.

"Fine, if you've got a new son now, you can move out with him," I said, my voice cold.