Obsessive Sister, Captive Brother

My sister loved me obsessively, a sickness. On my eighteenth birthday, she learned the truth: I wasnt her real brother, just a changeling heir to a fortune that wasnt mine.

She locked me in her estate, showering me with twisted affection. To keep me to herself, she stripped our parents of power and exiled them. When her real brother sought revenge, she crippled him and left him in the mountains.

She was paranoid, possessive, a beautiful monster who cut me off from the world.

To make me jealous, she found a man who looked just like mestubborn, calling her "sister" the same way. She made him a star, the youngest A-list actor ever, and named him Jaxson.

No one knew why. No one knew my name was Cole.

Everyone thought she loved Jaxson. He believed it too, flaunting his role as her fianc. Drunk on her favor, he stormed into my prison.

"You pretty boy! Did you get surgery to look like me? Ill tear that face off!"

He slashed my cheek, killed my dog, broke my hands, and poured pepper solution between my legs.

When my sister arrived, he pointed at mebroken in a dog cageand sobbed, "Darling, this impostor used my face to seduce you! Who do you choose? Me or him?"

I had been Rianne's prisoner at Silverwood Manor for four years.

Four years of relentless training, of honing my body and mind for a single purpose: escape. Today, I finally saw my chance. As I scrambled onto the garden's back wall, my freedom a breath away, I saw them. A gang of thugs waited below, their faces grim.

Leading them was Jaxson, the celebrity my sister kept on a leash.

The moment he saw me perched on the wall, a cruel sneer spread across his face. He swung a steel pipe, and it connected with my leg with a sickening crack.

"Well, well, what do we have here? Finally caught the rat trying to flee his cage! Feeling guilty, are we? Scared of me?"

"So this is why Rianne is always coming out here," he spat, his voice dripping with venom. "It's you, you little leech, who's been poisoning her mind!"

The world dissolved into a universe of pain as I tumbled from the wall. I couldn't even scream. Jaxson was on me in an instant, the steel pipe smashing against my face again and again. His cronies joined in, their steel-toed boots kicking me relentlessly.

"Fucking homewrecker," one of them snarled. "Let's see you steal anyone's girl after we're done with you!"

"You're mistaken," I tried to gasp out. "I'm..."

Jaxson shoved the end of the pipe into my mouth, ramming it against my teeth and throat. The taste of blood and rust flooded my senses, choking me. I coughed, spraying a crimson mist onto the gravel.

"Mistaken? Don't give me that bullshit! You're a goddamn slut who surgically altered his face to look like me, trying to steal my wife! You knew I was coming for you, that's why you tried to run, wasn't it?" He was screaming now, a madman consumed by jealousy. "I thought you'd hide in your little fortress forever!"

The blows rained down, each one a fresh wave of agony. My face was a swollen, fiery mask. Warm blood streamed from my nose. I curled into a ball, trying to protect my head, and then it all clicked into place.

The new head of security. Hed been bought.

That explained his loud phone call outside my door, talking about Rianne being out of the country for a few days, about how the "opportunity was here." He wasn't talking to an accomplice of mine. He was tipping off Jaxson. It explained why he'd helped clear a path for my escape, diverting the other guards. He wasn't helping me get out. He was leading me into a trap.

Jaxson had been waiting for me all along.

"You've really got it all wrong," I rasped, my voice shredded. "I'm Rianne Blackwood's brother. Not some boy toy!"

Jaxson paused. The security captain stepped forward and murmured, "I have heard rumors that Ms. Blackwood has an adopted brother, a twin who looks just like her. But he was supposedly kidnapped four years ago, had his legs broken, and was sent abroad for treatment. Hasn't been back since."

Jaxsons eyes, cold as ice, scanned my face, then my intact legs. "This pretty boy doesn't look a thing like Rianne, and his legs are fine. He's lying!"

Just then, a voice cut through the haze of pain. "Who's there?!"

It was Mr. Abernathy, the old butler, who had served my parents for decades. He was here, delivering something. He would recognize me!

"Abernathy, help me!" I screamed, my throat raw. "It's me, Cole!"

The old man squinted, his gaze finding me on the ground. A flicker of confusion crossed his weathered face.

"Mr. Pierce," he said, his voice hesitant. "What are you doing here?" He looked at me, then back at Jaxson. "And who is this?"

My heart sank. Four years. After our parents were sent away, Rianne had told the world I'd gone with them. I'd been locked away, hidden from every living soul. Even the maids who brought my food only passed it through a slot in the door. After four years, and beaten beyond recognition, how could he possibly remember me?

I tried to speak, to prove who I was, but Jaxson's boot came down on my mouth, grinding my face into the dirt. Darkness swarmed the edges of my vision.

"Him?" Jaxson sneered. "Just some plastic surgery freak who thought he could use his face to seduce Rianne. Heard I was coming to teach him a lesson and got scared, tried to climb the wall and run."

The security captain chimed in with a laugh. "Doesn't even know the real heir's name and has the gall to impersonate Ms. Blackwood's brother." He squatted down and spat near my head. "The young master's name is Spencer, you idiot. Not Cole. Got it?"

But Mr. Abernathy's face had gone pale.

"Cole?" he whispered, his voice trembling. "Cole is the young master's name!"

"What?" Jaxson and the captain stared, stunned. "I thought Rianne's brother was named Spencer!"

Abernathy quickly explained my story, how I was the adopted son, the changeling. He told them how protective Rianne was of me, how she wouldn't let anyone harm a hair on my head.

A spark of hope ignited in my chest. I nodded frantically at Abernathy. Yes, that's me! I'm Cole!

The old butler knelt, peering at my bloodied face. With my one good hand, I fumbled inside my shirt and pulled out the small jade pendant our mother had given me.

"That's...!" Abernathy's eyes widened, his voice shaking. "That's the protective talisman my lady gave to the young master! Master Cole, is it truly you?"

But Jaxson snatched it, ripping the cord from my neck. "He managed to get Rianne wrapped around his little finger. Stealing a piece of jade would be child's play for a snake like him," he sneered.

"Exactly," one of his thugs added. "Everyone knows you're the one Ms. Blackwood really cares about. This bastard got a new face to look like you, hiding out here like a kept man. God knows what kind of dirty tricks he used to get her to protect him!"

Jaxson's eyes blazed with renewed fury. For three years, Rianne had forbidden anyone from setting foot on the estate grounds. If not for his fear of her wrath, he wouldn't have had to resort to luring me out like this.

His friends started egging him on. "What are you worried about? She said no one goes inside. We're outside. We can waste this fucker right here and now. If she asks, we just say we thought he was some creep trying to break in."

"She loves you so much! You really think she'd punish you over some broken boy toy?"

A dark realization dawned on Jaxsons face. "You're right! I'm only doing this because I love her so much. She might not even punish me. She might even be touched by my devotion!"

With that, he ordered his men to drag me away, but Mr. Abernathy blocked their path. "Mr. Pierce, please, think about this! What if he truly is the young master? The consequences would be dire!"

Jaxsons face was a mask of pure menace. "What did Rianne send you to deliver to this pretty boy? Don't you lie to me, old man!"

His assistant ripped the box from Abernathy's hands and tore it open. Inside lay an exquisite custom-tailored suit and a handwritten note.

My love, I can't wait to see you in this. Don't be sad. I have a surprise for you when I get back. All my love.

Jaxson's face contorted in rage. He shredded the note. "See this?" he screamed at Abernathy. "If this was her brother, would she write something so intimate? You yourself said Cole is abroad with her parents. This imposter can't be him!"

Ignoring Abernathy's frantic protests, he grabbed my hair and began dragging me away. Just as all hope faded, Abernathy's phone rang. It was Rianne.

The butler had barely answered when Jaxson snatched the phone from his grasp. He gestured for his men to gag me and for the security captain to pull Abernathy aside.

"Hello? Darling," Jaxson cooed into the phone, his voice sickeningly sweet. "I just ran into Mr. Abernathy. I absolutely adore the suit you sent. It's perfect."

"And the note was so sweet, my sister. Made me want to fly over and see you right this instant!"

There was a brief, cold silence on the other end. "Oh," Rianne said, her voice tight. "I'm glad you like it." She was furious, but she couldn't let on. She couldn't let Jaxson know I was her prisoner here, much less that she felt anything for me. It would put me in even more danger.

"Where did you run into him?" she asked, her tone icy. "Did he say anything else?"

"On the road back to the main house! He was being all secretive, wouldn't let me open the box. I had to insist!" As he said this, Jaxson shot me a look of pure hatred. "This was for me, right, sister? It's not like Abernathy was delivering it to some other little slut behind your back, is he?"

The threat in his voice was unmistakable.

"Don't be ridiculous," Rianne replied coolly. "You're the only one I have. Abernathy is just getting old and eccentric. He probably wanted to hide it somewhere to surprise you later. Don't overthink it. Put him on the phone."

Jaxson glared at the old butler before thrusting the phone at him.

"Abernathy, since Jaxson has seen it, just give it to him. Don't worry, I won't blame you." The last part of her sentence hung in the air, a veiled warning that made Abernathy's blood run cold.

"Yes, Miss!"

Before he could say more, Jaxson moved to hang up. In that split second, I bit down. Hard. The man holding my mouth yelped in pain and his hand flew back.

"Rianne, help me..." The words were a mangled, desperate croak.

Jaxson's face went white with fury. He lunged forward, his boot grinding into my mouth again.

"I thought I heard someone call for help," Rianne's voice sharpened with suspicion. "What's going on over there?"

"It's just my assistant, we're running lines!" the man I'd bitten quickly improvised, his voice slick with false cheer. "Yes, Ms. Blackwood, we're rehearsing. Jaxson has a kidnapping scene tomorrow..."

"I see. Tell Abernathy to remember my instructions. I'm busy. Goodbye."

The line went dead. My world collapsed into despair.

Jaxson pressed his foot down harder. "You dare call her 'sister' in front of me? Is that how you seduce her?" he hissed. "No one calls her that but me. You really deserve to die, you pretty boy!"

He looked down at my ruined face, his eyes filled with a venomous satisfaction. "Not only did you copy my face, you even copied how I talk to her. Today, I'm going to make you regret ever being born."

He dragged me by the hair toward the main gate. Abernathy pleaded, "You've got the gift, you've taught him his lesson. Can't you just let him go?"

"Yeah, Jaxson," the security captain added. "Just dump him somewhere else. If Ms. Blackwood asks, we'll just say he ran away."

Jaxson seemed to consider it. He threw me to the ground. "Fine. Can you promise to leave this place and never see Rianne again?"

I nodded frantically. God, all I wanted for the past four years was to escape this yandere nightmare.

The next thing I knew, he was pulling out a knife, a cold smile on his face. "I don't believe you. Better to make sure."