I worked for the entire night.

I had just fallen asleep right before dawn broke on the horizon when I was jolted awake.

Ethan slapped me hard across the face and exclaimed, "Mom and Dad want to throw a party for me to celebrate that I'm furthering my studies. I want you to head over to the villa on the mountaintop and start decorating right now."

I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth. I was just about to speak when Ethan suddenly raised his voice and screamed, "Mom! Dad! Matt doesn't want to go with me! I bet he thinks that I don't deserve to further my studies!"

I still had no idea what was going on when Frank whipped me across the face.

The whip was the punishment that they had prepared for me after Ethan returned.

I immediately snapped awake at the excruciating pain of having part of my skin torn off. I hastily scrambled off the bed and exclaimed, "I'll go right now!"

Ethan looked pleased as he sauntered away to pack his clothes.

…

It was nearly noon by the time Ethan and the others were ready to leave.

I intentionally avoided them and got into the car with the household staff.

In my past life, I would always go along with Ethan's requests and sit next to him whenever we went out.

Frank and Nadia never said anything about the arrangement, but I knew that they always complained behind my back about me ruining their family reunion.

My heart throbbed when I saw Ethan's hands intertwined with Frank's and Nadia's when they got out of their car.

That warmth used to belong to me.

My knees nearly buckled when someone suddenly clapped me hard on my back.

Ethan pretended to be surprised when he said, "I just lightly touched you, Matt. You don't have to make your hatred for me that obvious, do you?"

Frank didn't even ask us what was going on before he began berating me. "I'm surprised you haven't died of envy yet, considering how jealous you are of Ethan all the time. Haven't we given you more than enough? What else do you want from us?"

Anger bubbled within me as I took in the disdain and hatred in Frank's eyes, threatening to boil over. I wondered when they started loathing me so much, shouting at me whenever they addressed me.

The whip they used whenever they punished me was also getting thicker by the day.

However, I could still remember how happily they recorded me when I grew my first tooth. They even booked the billboard in New Lamora to celebrate my 18th birthday.

Unfortunately, everything changed after Ethan returned.

I hastily lowered my head and apologized, slapping myself twice for good measure. "Sorry. I was a little unsteady on my feet just now."

Ethan seemed pleased by my reaction. After he chose a room for himself, he grabbed my hand and led me upstairs, declaring that I would stay in the room next to his.

"This room is perfect for you, Matt."

Ethan had behaved the same way in my past life, insisting that I stay next to him.

However, after I lay down on the bed about 20 minutes later, I heard him complaining to Frank and Nadia that his room was too uncomfortable.

Frank and Nadia suggested changing rooms for him, but he told them that he would just ignore his discomfort because he didn't want to disturb my rest.

A few minutes later, Ethan was rushed to the hospital because his severe wool allergy started acting up. He nearly died on the way there.

When he survived the critical period, Frank and Nadia locked me in the room that was covered with wool for an entire day and only unlocked the door after I lost consciousness.

I had no way of rejecting Ethan's request this time, but I began counting down the time the moment I stepped into my room.

As expected, Ethan began complaining to Frank and Nadia 20 minutes later.

I leaped to my feet and knocked on his door, saying, "Mom, Dad, I noticed Ethan's room has wool in it. His allergies will start acting up, so he should move to my room."

I went to the smallest room that was tucked away in a corner on the first floor. It was cramped and cold, but it gave me a great sense of safety.

However, the next morning, I was jolted awake by a shock of pain.

Frank repeatedly whipped me as he shouted, "I can't believe you drugged Ethan out of jealousy! We had to contact six or seven people to save him!"

Ethan was leaning against the doorframe. His collar was wide open, exposing the many marks that littered his skin.

I could tell that he hadn't been drugged at all just from looking at his twisted expression of satisfaction. He probably got those marks after getting involved with the new maids, whom he had shown a clear interest in.

Frank refused to give me a chance to explain myself, ordering his men to abandon me in the forest.

"Since you're such an amazing person, I'm sure that you can find your way back by yourself," Ethan sneered.

I looked at Frank, who was brandishing a whip, and Nadia, who was holding a bat. I was just about to accept my fate when someone else's voice resounded in the air.

It was Holly Nottings.

She greeted Frank and Nadia before convincing them to let me stay, saying that she needed someone to tend to her needs.

I scoffed silently in my heart.

Ethan and Holly were already together, even though I had just transferred the money to Ethan the day before. It seemed that their goal wasn't marriage but to swindle me out of the rest of my money.

I spent the rest of the night following Ethan and Holly around while balancing a tray of drinks, watching them kiss each other intimately.

Halfway through the party, they asked me to follow them to the restroom and wait for them outside the door.

My gaze gradually darkened as I listened to the muffled moans coming from within.

I remained silent during the entire party and only spoke when it was about to wrap up.

"Mom, Dad, I have some good news to share."

Frank scoffed and asked, "What good news could you possibly have?"

I pulled out an application form and explained, "This university is really prestigious, but you only have to pay an additional five million dollars on top of the base price to secure a spot. It's the perfect place for Ethan. He can just use the money that I transferred to him earlier to pay the fees."

"Oh my god! Isn't this the third-best university in the entire world? You'll get to mingle with the elites if you're a student there."

"I spent about 30 or 40 million dollars in the past, but I still wasn't able to secure a spot."

"Both your sons are so capable, Mr. Moreno. That's amazing!"

Both Frank and Nadia were floating on cloud nine as the guests showered them with praises and began urging Ethan to pay the school fees.

Meanwhile, Ethan shot a fierce glare at me before saying, "I don't like this place."

He quickly lost his temper when Frank and Nadia tried to convince him to change his mind. "I already said that I don't like this place! Don't you understand what I'm saying?"

Ethan smashed his glass on the ground before grabbing Holly and dragging her away.

I knew why Ethan wasn't willing to enroll in that particular university. It was famous for being a strict institution, which meant that Ethan wouldn't be able to gamble anymore once he was a student there.

…

The door was slammed open around midnight, right after I sent the last guest on their way.

Holly looked terribly frightened as she stumbled through the door while supporting Ethan. "Ethan was just bitten by a snake, Mrs. Moreno!"

Frank and Nadia immediately began to panic upon hearing her words, shouting for someone to contact a doctor.

However, Ethan grabbed both of them with reddened eyes and exclaimed, "Mom, Dad, the snake slithered out from Matt's room. I asked my friend, and he told me that it's a pet snake. Why were you planning to hurt me, Matt?"

I immediately defended myself. "It wasn't me! I already gave you 15 million dollars to further your studies. Why would I keep a pet snake around just so it could bite you?"

Holly threw the snake food that she found in my room and said, "I bet you weren't actually willing to give Ethan so much money. That's why you wanted to use this party as a cover-up to poison him to death. You'll also get to reclaim your position as the heir of the Moreno family this way."

I frowned lightly and said, "The snake food doesn't prove anything."

"What about this then?" Holly asked as she showed a message on her phone.

"Please wait for me, Holly. We can be together again once I get rid of Ethan."

Tears streamed down Holly's face. "I decided to drop by after receiving this message from Matt. I was worried that he would actually hurt Ethan."

Ethan's and Holly's accusations successfully painted me as the criminal.

It had also been like this in the past. They would believe Ethan's words no matter what he said. Meanwhile, every word that came out of my mouth was born out of jealousy and envy.

It didn't take long for their dislike of me to grow, and this time was no exception.

Frank and Nadia didn't even give me a chance to defend myself before they strung me up. They then used whips that had been soaked in salt water to whip my back.

I gritted my teeth, refusing to make a sound.

Frank finally spoke after I had been whipped 20 times. "You made Ethan upset. Transfer another one million dollars from the shared bank account to him right now. We won't let you off the hook if you refuse to comply."

I knew that the money had been Ethan's true objective since the very beginning.

Although the Morenos were extremely wealthy, they were still obsessed with the money that I had earned through my own blood, sweat, and tears.

The money that they promised to use for my school fees turned into Ethan's allowance after he returned.

I was also the only one who still transferred money into the shared bank account.

"Why don't I just transfer everything to him? Sounds good?"

Frank and Nadia exchanged glances with each other before turning around and leaving the room.

I pushed myself back up on my feet, leaning against the wall for support. I then dialed a number, saying, "Give me their contact information."

Surprisingly, Frank, Nadia, and Ethan didn't antagonize me for the next two weeks. I guessed it was because they had already swindled me out of all my money.

Ethan ended up enrolling in his preferred school.

In my past life, Ethan didn't further his studies abroad. Instead, he enrolled in a local, private university. He mingled with a group of good-for-nothings, which resulted in him becoming a VIP for nearly all the clubs in Breeville.

At first, he only indulged in alcohol and fooled around with women, but he eventually began gambling and getting himself involved in things that he shouldn't have been.

I had no doubt that Ethan's descent into a hedonistic lifestyle would be expedited now that he had moved abroad.

As expected, he stopped calling Frank and Nadia soon after he left the country. Even if he did call them, he would only chat with them for a few minutes before hanging up.

Frank and Nadia were worried out of their minds about Ethan and pestered me to visit him. I agreed to their request, but in reality, I kept delaying my trip by giving them the excuse that the embassy refused to approve my visa.

…

About a week later, I received a call from Ethan.

"Transfer 500,000 dollars to me, Matthew."

I fell silent for a moment before replying, "I don't have any more money. If you need the money urgently, I'll ask Mom and Dad."

"Don't you dare!" Ethan exclaimed in a panic. "I'm warning you, Matthew. If Mom and Dad find out about this, I'll make sure you won't live to see the next sunrise."

I thought about the house rule that Frank and Nadia had set. I had no choice but to withdraw the money that Ethan wanted from my secret savings account. I even did as he ordered and kept his recent activities a secret from Frank and Nadia.

I followed every single order that Ethan gave me just like how I did in the past.

After realizing that he could bully me into doing his bidding, Ethan began asking me for more money. First, he asked for one million dollars. Next, he asked for two million dollars before finally demanding ten million dollars.

I was completely broke at that point. "Kill me if you want, Ethan, but I truly don't have any money anymore."

Ethan stopped contacting me after that.

Just when I thought that the dust had settled, Frank and Nadia received a report from the university that Ethan had been skipping classes. They felt faint as they looked through the report that recorded every time Ethan had missed class.

"Why did he skip all his classes?"

"Ethan told me that all his professors treat him well, but they claim that they've never seen him before. What is going on?"

Frank and Nadia received the answer to all their questions when a package was delivered that night.

The package had been sent from abroad, containing a severed finger that was frozen in an ice pack.

Nadia's eyes fluttered close as she fainted on the spot.

Frank was shocked and at a loss for what to do. He didn't dare take another glance at the finger. He only snapped back to his senses and began searching for his phone when I reminded him that we should contact the police as soon as possible.

Just then, Frank's phone began ringing.

Ethan's piercing scream came echoing from the receiver the moment the call connected.

"Stop! Don't cut off another finger! I'll give you money. I'll give you as much money as you want!"

Frank's and Nadia's hearts leaped into their throats.

"Did you get abducted, Ethan? What do they want? We're willing to give them anything!"

A deep voice resounded from the receiver, saying, "He wouldn't have needed to lose a finger if you'd been so cooperative from the beginning."

"What are you talking about?" Frank asked, stunned.

"Matt refused to give me money when I asked him last week," Ethan explained while sobbing. "He even told me that if I disappeared, he would become the heir of the Moreno family again. Nothing would please him more than for me to die as soon as possible!

"That's why the abductors cut off one of my fingers. Mom, Dad, you have to save me—"

The call abruptly disconnected then. A few seconds later, Frank received a message from a foreign number.

"500 million dollars. If we don't receive the ransom by tomorrow afternoon, the next package you'll receive will be his head."

Frank and Nadia were completely stunned as they read the message. Although the Morenos were a wealthy family, it was impossible for them to collect 500 million dollars in a single day.

They looked at me and said, "Give us your money, Matthew. If you refuse, we'll beat you to a pulp!"

I frowned and said, "I gave all the money I had to Ethan when he asked me for ten million dollars some time ago. I'm completely broke."

"You're just jealous because we always treat Ethan so well. But can you blame us when he's our real son? We've already been so generous to you, even though you're just someone who we picked up off the streets. What else could you possibly want?"

"You're just wasting your breath by talking to him. I'm sure he'll start behaving properly once we rough him up!"

My chest tightened as I took in the ruthless glint in their eyes.

I was strung up in the living room about ten minutes later. I kept my head lowered and stared at the carpet beneath my feet.

Memories of my past life, where I was beaten to death, crashed into me like a wave. The carpet seemed to turn red before my eyes.

It didn't take long for the whipping to start. The welts hurt as much as they did in my past life.

My surroundings began to blur into each other. The excruciating pain overpowered all my other senses.

The villa's door was kicked open in the next second.

My eyes slowly widened as I stared at the newcomers.