Alaric contacted those people online and volunteered to be trafficked.

On one condition: he had to be sent to a wealthy family with no children.

The other party quickly agreed and everything was going according to his plan.

However, I ruined it all.

So he hated me so much that he wanted me to suffer for the rest of my life.

The cheat note was something he slipped to me.

The nerve-damaging drug was something he administered.

Every relationship of mine was sabotaged by him.

Every miscarriage was his doing.

The stillbirth was the last vicious plot he used to crush me.

He wanted to watch me fall apart, to see me broken and barely surviving.

He even wanted to personally end my life.

"Why is Alaric taking so long in the bathroom? Did she sneak off to buy snacks again?"

My parents' voices pulled me back to reality.

I glanced at my watch. Only fifteen minutes had passed.

I volunteered to go look for my younger brother.

In fact, I was wandering around to delay time, making sure that the van had gone far away.

Then I hurried back.

"Mom and Dad! Alaric seems to be missing! I searched the entire scenic area but couldn't find him!"

My mother swayed and almost fainted.

My father stayed relatively calm and called the police right away.

Over twenty years ago, there weren't many security cameras. All they captured was my brother leaving the restroom and walking toward a snack stall.

So, the search focused on the snack stalls.

Only I knew he didn't get in a car near there.

He had deliberately taken a long route around the snack area and exited through the park's back gate.

He did all that to avoid being found by our parents.

Moreover, who would pay attention to an ordinary boy in such a crowded scenic area?

A whole day passed with no news.

My parents were exhausted when they got back to the hotel.

I pinched myself, forcing out tears as I wailed loudly.

I said it was my fault for not finding my brother.

My mother hugged me tightly, heartbroken.

"It's not your fault, not your fault. You're all we have now, Thalia."

Five days passed and still no news.

However, I had to go back to school. So, we returned home.

My parents blamed themselves entirely for Alaric going missing.

My mother doubled her love for Alaric and gave it all to me.

My father, drowning in guilt, threw himself entirely into work.

He worked day and night.

Soon after, he caught the opportunity and founded a company.

In just a few short years, I became the sole heiress of the Blackwood Enterprise.

I was showered with love and affection.

We moved from a small county town to the provincial capital.

We went from living in a walk-up apartment to a three-story villa.

I often woke up laughing in the middle of the night.

Alaric, I really should thank your "big opportunity to rise" plan.

Otherwise, I would never have become a young lady of a wealthy family.

As for whether Alaric became a rich kid, I have no idea.

I didn't think human traffickers were so kind as to send him to a wealthy, childless family.

Who knew which remote mountain village he was sent to?

My parents never gave up searching for Alaric.

Because of this, my father was named one of the country's top ten most inspiring entrepreneurs.

Reporters kept lining up to interview him.

No matter how many times he recounted the events of that day, he would always be moved to tears.

Alaric's childhood photos also graced the front pages of major news outlets.

I had a premonition that if Alaric wasn't dead.

He would be found soon.

I didn't want him to die; if he just died like that.

It would be too easy for him.

Finally, two months later, Alaric, who had been missing for ten years, returned.

A servant led him in.

The T-shirt he was wearing was dirty and greasy.

His hair had not been washed for a long time and was tangled together.

A long string of snot still hung from Alaric's nose.

Sniff!

The sound echoed across the entire living room.

The tears streaming down my mother's face froze for a moment.

Alaric looked at the things in our house, his eyes wide with excitement.

"Wow! How did my family become this rich in 10 years?"

"Mom, Dad, you guys are amazing!"

"Wow, this thing looks expensive. Mom, can I give this to my mother?"

My mother's expression darkened.

The first thing he did upon returning wasn't to acknowledge his mother.

Instead, he was assessing the value of the house's contents.

Perhaps sensing my mother's displeasure.

Alaric cried out and threw himself into my mother's arms.

"Mom! You have no idea how much I've missed you these ten years!"

The snot on his nose smeared onto my mother's newly tailored dress.

Though it was only a fleeting moment, I saw a flash of disgust in my mother's eyes.

I leaned over the upstairs railing, half smiling.

Alaric's luck was truly good.

Those traffickers hadn't sold him to a wealthy family after all.

Instead, they sold him to a couple who couldn't have children.

The couple were kind people, just not very wealthy.

Alaric was furious and took it out on them.

He demanded whatever he wanted, threatening suicide if they didn't comply.

The couple had no choice but to spoil him rotten.

In the past two years, the internet has gradually become more developed.

Alaric saw a news interview with my father.

Only then did he realize that our family had become wealthy.

So he secretly ran back here.

By the time my father rushed home.

Alaric was curled up on the couch playing video games.

His shoes were kicked up onto the coffee table.

He was swearing loudly at the screen.

"You idiot! Attack already!"

When he saw my father, he just said casually.

"Oh hey, Dad. You're back."

My father trembled with anger. He wanted to scold him, but held it in.

After all, it was his first day back, not exactly the best time to bring it up.

That night, my parents whispered in their bedroom.

"How did Alaric turn out like this? He has no manners at all."

"Must've been spoiled. That couple didn't seem like bad people."

"Sigh. Let's get him into school as soon as possible. He needs some proper discipline. We can't let this go on."

My parents had initially planned to hold a welcome-home dinner for him the next day.

But seeing Alaric's behavior, they decided to postpone it.

Otherwise, it would be too embarrassing.

It would be a joke if my father's business partners saw him like this.

During dinner that night, Alaric sobbed and sniveled, recounting how difficult his life had been.

My mother was utterly taken aback.

It was clear that he had lived quite well.

He even rolled up his trouser leg to show my mother the scars from being whipped by his adoptive parents.

My mother frowned, wanting to say something.

I gently shook my head.

Towards the end, Alaric burst into loud cries.

Snot and tears flew everywhere, making eating the food on the table impossible.

"Mom, Dad, you have no idea how difficult and miserable it was when I returned. That family chased after me, hitting me. It was so hard to finally escape."

"If that family comes looking for me in the future, you must beat them out!"

"Huff, during the years I lived there, I developed severe depression and anxiety. Mom, Dad, I really missed you so much."

"Waah, if I hadn't been kidnapped when I was a child, I would be a rich man like my sister now."

When it came to being kidnapped.

My parents' hearts softened again. They sighed and coaxed a few words.

Alaric had secretly returned on his own.

He didn't know that my parents had already found his former adoptive parents and given them a large sum of money.

Which was enough for them to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.

Besides, Alaric's current demeanor didn't show any signs of depression.

At night, my mother pulled me aside.

"Thalia, do you think Alaric is lying, or are his adoptive parents the ones being dishonest?"

I smiled.

"Mom, if he was really abused and ate rotten food, he must have a lot of health problems."

"Let the doctor check it out tomorrow."