“Brother, what was prison like from the inside? I heard it was very messy. Is that true?” Leonhart asked.

“It wasn’t messy. Every day I could read books and newspapers and after dinner I went back to my room,” I replied.

“Oh… that sounds better than I imagined. Not as tough as I thought.” As he said that, a small look of disappointment flashed in Leonhart’s eyes.

My sister peeled a shrimp for me and said with a gentle smile, “Now that you’re out, don’t talk about that place anymore. Treat it as an experience and let it go.”

Leonhart’s eyes darkened and he became quiet afterwards.

After a moment, he suddenly remembered something and ran to his bedroom. He came back holding a beautiful little box. “Brother, this is a gift I prepared for you. Congratulations on getting out of prison!”

I didn’t take it. I just kept eating. But Leonhart didn’t seem to mind and opened the box with a smile. Inside was a very expensive watch.

I only looked at it for one second—my pupils tightened and my whole body felt cold, as if I had fallen into artic ice sea.

Leonhart pushed the watch toward me. His expression slowly twisted, becoming frightening.

“What’s wrong, brother? Don’t you like this watch the most? You liked it so much you even stole it. Now I’m giving it to you. Aren’t you happy?”

That watch was the gift my sister gave to Leonhart. And it was the reason I was sent to prison for three years.

After our father died on the battlefield, our mother took the compensation money and ran away. My sister and I depended only on each other.

She dropped out of high school and took many wrong paths before she finally succeeded in starting a business. When she earned money, she adopted Leonhart, who also lost his father and brought him home.

In the beginning, I disagreed, but my sister told me, “Leon is in a poor state. Like us. You still have me, but he has no one. Be generous, Rein. It’s just an extra bowl at the table.”

Despite her words, she treated him better than me. It was like she wanted to raise a little brother all over again. Everything she didn’t have time to give me, she gave to him.

Toys, watches, luxury things—whatever Leonhart wanted, she bought it. In only two years, she spent tens of millions. That was the money she earned by working herself to exhaustion. Many nights she had to go to business dinners, drinking until she threw up, then continuing to drink again.

I felt sorry for Renata, really. I always told her to stop spending so much, but Leonhart hated me for that. That's when he hid the watch under my pillow, then cried to my sister and said I stole it.

My sister became furious and punished me by making me kneel in the rain and admit my mistake.

“Our Dad would be ashamed to have a son like you! He lived as an honorable soldier and I have always lived honestly. Why are you acting like our mother, Rein? She stole and ran away with our family's money!”

“Have I ever let you go hungry? Have I ever not given you clothes? Why would you steal?”

I got a high fever. I cried all night and said I didn’t steal it, but she didn’t believe me. The next day, my sister hired the best lawyer and took me to court.

Renata was my biological sister, but in court she stood on Leonhart’s side, speaking for him as his witness. In the end, I was sentenced to three years. Under the law, I became a thief.

Before I entered prison, our relatives and even the lawyer told my sister not to push the case that far. No matter what, I was her real brother. If I went to jail for three years, my life would be ruined.

Yet, my sister insisted. She didn’t care if people distanced themselves from her. She still sent me to prison.

“Rein won’t be ruined by this. I work hard so I can support him. Even if his life is ruined, I can take care of him forever. But he stole something. He must learn a lesson!”

During the three years, Renata visited me every month, always asking if I understood my mistake.

I never met her. I only asked the guard to deliver a message to her: [I never stole anything.]

“Your sister doesn’t believe you,” said the prison guard each time my sister left the

Disappointment, again and again, slowly turned into despair. I felt like the whole world had abandoned me. My sister used to love me. Now even she was gone.

When I saw that watch again, I broke down. I flipped the box over. The watch fell to the floor with a loud bang. Leonhart froze in shock. My sister’s face turned dark.

“Leon gave you a gift out of kindness. He doesn’t even blame you anymore. Why are you doing that?”

I sat in the chair shaking all over, my face completely pale.

Renata then pulled me up. “You think just because you came out of prison you can throw a tantrum? Pick up the watch and apologize to Leon!”

"Apologize? Why would I?" I shoved my sister hard and ran out the house.

Outside, the cold wind cut into my skin. Hurt and anger twisted my heart tightly. I didn’t want to go home at all. If it weren’t for getting my father’s belongings, I wouldn’t have come back.

I never wanted to be wrongly accused again. I never wanted to suffer anything like that again.

My sister soon caught up and grabbed my wrist. Her brows were tightly drawn as she scolded me, “Where are you going? Three years in prison and your temper still hasn’t changed?”

I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I yanked my hand away, my eyes red.

“Was he giving me that watch out of kindness or malice? Renata, can’t you really see it? I’m your real brother! You already sent me to prison once. What more do you want?”

“It was for your own good!” Her voice turned cold. “If you dare to steal, you must be punished. If not, you'll never learn to fix that bad habit? Should I just watch you make mistakes and let you walk down the wrong path?”

Her words hit my heart like a hammer. Since I was young, when had I ever stolen anything? Why would I steal Leonhart’s watch? Why couldn’t she think more carefully about this? Why wouldn’t she believe me?

Tears fell. Three years of pain and hopelessness washed over me again. I gave up trying to explain once more.

Looking at my buzz-cut hair, she finally softened her tone, like she was admitting defeat. “Rein, everything I do is for you. Yes, you were in prison for three years, but I already prepared a future for you.”

“My company will be yours one day. I only wanted to give you a small punishment. It doesn’t really hurt anything. So, come home with me. Don’t run around anymore.”

She took my hand and pulled me back toward the house. I followed her with a numb feeling and I kept silent along the road.

When we opened the door, Leonhart looked surprised to see her bring me back. He didn’t expect that after everything, she still wanted me home.

I felt exhausted. I went straight to my room and didn’t come out.

Late at night, Leonhart quietly came into my room. I opened my eyes instantly, but he thought I was still asleep.

He touched my pillow, lifted it and hid something underneath. I didn’t move or take it out.

He couldn’t wait. I had just returned and he was already using the same trick. I wanted to see whether my sister would believe me this time.

The next morning, just as expected, he cried to my sister and said I stole his watch again.

“Brother, if you like something, you can just tell me. I even gave you the watch yesterday, but you didn’t want it. Why do you always have to steal?”

My sister’s face instantly get dark upon hearing that.

"So you really can't change, huh?"

My heart instantly dropped into the deepest dark. My sister’s sharp accusation had cut the very last bit of our family ties between us.

I pulled the corner of my mouth in a bitter smile. “Yeah… I can’t change.”

Slap!

Before I finished speaking, my sister raised her hand and gave me a hard slap. Her eyes were full of anger and disappointment.

“Why did I even have a brother like you?!” she shouted.

I stayed silent for a moment. Then I covered my face and laughed coldly. “I don’t understand why I have a sister like you too.”

“You—!” Her hand was shaking as she pointed at me. She was too angry to talk.

Before she could hit me again, I dropped to my knees and bowed before her. “Thank you for dropping out of school to take care of me. From now on… you won't have me as your brother.”

Then I stood up, pulled out Dad’s old things from under the bed and decided walked out of the house. Suddenly, she grabbed the photo and the ring from my hand with a cold expression.

“These belonged to Dad. You have no right to take them!”

Fine. I nodded in resignment and got ready to continue walking away.

Behind me, she shouted in a low, trembling voice, “You’re a criminal! Without me, what can you even do? Starve on the streets?”

I didn’t stop walking. “No need to worry about me.”

After leaving home, I sat around the neighborhood all day. This time, my sister didn’t come after me. It was clear that she must be completely disappointed… tired of me.

I had no money, so I tried to find a job with food and a bed included. But once they heard the rumors I had been in prison, no company wanted me.

In the end, I went to a construction site.

The boss looked me up and down and frowned. “You're so thin? Our work is pretty heavy. Can you even handle it?”

I smiled carefully. “Let me try, Sir. I may look thin, but I’m strong.”

The boss didn’t believe me at first. But after I started working quickly, he saw what I can do and finally agreed for me to stay.

“Food and bed included. One hundred a day. But the project is short—only one month,” he said.

I smiled. It was enough. One month later, Rosetta would get out of prison and I would have somewhere to go.

I worked at the construction site for more than twenty days. When Renata found me again, she almost didn’t recognize me.

My hair had grown messy, like a bird’s nest. My clothes were covered in dust; every step made dirt fall off. She stood from afar, watching me. Her eyes slowly turned red.

After a long time, she ran over and grabbed my wrist.

“What are you doing here? Rein, do you know how long I’ve been looking for you? Come home with me. You can’t do this kind of work!”

I pulled my hand away, lifted a stack of bricks and pretended not to know her. She pressed her lips together, then turned and spoke to my boss.

After a while, my boss walked toward me with a dark expression.

“Reinhart, why didn’t you say you were in prison for stealing? We can’t keep someone like that. You’re fired! You won't get your pay either. Leave now!”

I panicked and begged him. “Bos, I was framed! I never stole anything. Please let me stay!”

“That woman is your sister, right? Why would she lie about you?” The boss cut me off with a mocking tone. “We can’t hire criminals. Now go!”

My boss pushed me away with impatience. I easily stumbled backwards and almost fell to the ground. However, the pain never came...

Renata had caught me firmly from behind.