Stopped Begging My Brother to Come Home

Julian, my long-lost younger brother, was finally found, but he stubbornly refused to come home with me.

When I asked him why, he said it was because he couldn't leave Aria, a blind girl from the orphanage.

He has a family now, and a bright future. Please understand, I told the girl, leaving a massive check for her.

But she couldn't accept the sudden change. That very night, she committed suicide at the orphanage.

Three years later, with my help, Julian inherited the family legacy and became the CEO of Franklin Enterprises.

The very first thing he did was ruin our parents and kick me out of the company.

"It's payback time," he sneered.

"You guys are just biological strangers. Aria was my only real family."

He gouged out my eyes and literally drove our parents to their graves.

When I opened my eyes again, our parents were pleading with Julian to come home.

Julian was holding Arias hand tightly, refusing to let go.

I smiled. "Mom, Dad, lets respect their choice."

When I died, my eyes were gouged out.

The excruciating pain, combined with the suffocating darkness, drove me to absolute despair.

"Hurts, doesn't it, Jennifer?"

A familiar voice echoed. I instinctively reached out to grab him.

But my fingers only clawed through the cold air, finding nothing but emptiness.

"Julian?"

"Why... why would you do this?"

Julian, my sweet brother.

Ever since he went missing as a child, he had been a painful thorn in our family's heart.

I spent five long years searching for him, finally tracking him down to an orphanage.

After bringing him home, I took care of his every need and taught him how to run the business step-by-step.

Everyone knew that if Julian wanted money, I gave it to him. If he wanted power, I handed it over.

But I never imagined he didn't just want everything Franklin Enterprises owned. He wanted my life.

The suffocation made it hard to breathe.

"Why..."

A cold laugh drifted into my ears, and the grip on my throat didn't loosen even a fraction.

"It's payback time."

Julians voice was so cold, it was like he was talking to a corpse.

"Aria was my only real family."

Aria?

For a second, I couldn't even place the name.

Wait... was she that blind girl from the orphanage?

So, Julian bided his time for three years just for her?

A hoarse laugh escaped my throat, followed by the metallic taste of blood.

"Haha... Julian, you really are..."

An idiot!

The next second, I felt my neck snap. Blood sprayed everywhere.

"Miss Franklin, wake up. Please, wake up."

I gasped, snapping awake, my forehead drenched in cold sweat.

I looked around. Cute, childish drawings were taped to the warm-colored walls, making the room look cozy.

A somewhat familiar face leaned in. "Miss Franklin, I'm the director of the orphanage."

The agonizing pain of having my eyes gouged out and my throat slit was completely gone!

I had traveled back in time!

Right now, I was holding the DNA report, visiting the orphanage for the very first time.

"Thank you for taking care of Julian all these years. It wasn't easy finding him."

Director Higgins poured me a cup of tea. I tried to calm my racing heart.

Suddenly, the door was slammed open.

A boy and a girl walked in.

The boy was lean but tall, with tanned skin and messy hair. His eyes were filled with hostility and defensiveness.

The girl beside him was petite and fragile, wearing dark sunglasses and holding a small cane.

My lips curved into a cold smile. Julian.

I didn't expect to see him again so soon.

"Julian, perfect timing! This is Jennifer, your older sister!"

The director turned to me, smiling apologetically.

"He's usually a very polite boy. He was probably just eager to meet you."

Before Julian could say a word, Aria sank to her knees.

"Jennifer, please, take me with you! I beg of you, Julian and I can't be separated!"

Aria cried so hard she looked like a delicate flower in the rain. Julian's eyes filled with pure heartache.

In my past life, seeing this scene, I immediately helped her up.

Julian assumed I had agreed. But when he realized I was only bringing him home, he secretly started hating me.

This time, I just sat quietly on the couch, watching Aria put on her little show.

Oh, yes. Her fragility was an act, and so was her blindness.

She thought she had fooled Julian, the director, and everyone in the orphanage.

But I knew the truth. Aria acted so pitiful because she wanted Julian to protect her forever.

Knowing Julian was about to be taken back by the wealthy Franklin family, she was determined to latch onto us.

Aria started coughing from crying so hard, looking like she was about to faint.

Seeing that I didn't react at all, Julian couldn't hold back anymore.

"Jennifer, Aria is crying like this. Haven't you had enough?"

No, not even close.

I picked up my tea and took a slow sip. "Do I owe you something? Why on earth should I take her with me?"

Choked by my harsh words, Aria collapsed onto the floor, sobbing.

"It's my fault for being useless and blind. I only bring trouble..."

Tsk. Still acting. What a manipulative bitch.

But Julian was completely brainwashed by this act.

He clenched his fists and marched over to me.

"I'm only going if Aria goes. If you don't take her, I'm staying here!"

Hearing this, I almost laughed out loud.

Julian, you really are pathetic.

Just like a stray dog who desperately wants to go home but can't leave his stray buddy behind.

How can you expect to have your cake and eat it too?

You're being way too greedy.

Besides...

This Aria was far from innocent.

I let out a soft laugh and looked at the director. "Who said I'm here to take Julian home today?"

I slid the DNA report back into my bag and stood up, looking around.

"This orphanage is poorly managed, the environment is sub-par, and the kids are incredibly undisciplined."

"I came here today to let you know that Franklin Enterprises will have to reconsider our investment in your expansion project."

With that, I turned on my heel and walked out.

The crying behind me abruptly stopped. Just as the door swung shut, I heard the director scream in fury.

"You two dared to offend our biggest investor? I'm going to beat you to death!"

After that, the director called me multiple times, but I ignored every single call.

In my past life, the director knew how desperate I was to bring Julian home, so she slyly wrung hundreds of thousands of dollars out of me in "investments."

Back then, I was so blinded by joy that I didn't care about the money.

But in this life, I wasn't in a rush anymore.

Julian didn't deserve it.

In the cafeteria, Julian was holding two trays to get food, with Aria standing quietly beside him.

"Why does everyone else get chicken legs, but we don't?"

He asked the cafeteria lady angrily, only to receive a massive eye-roll.

"The director said kids who don't behave don't get the good stuff."

Julian clenched his fists. "Did Jennifer order you to do this? Did she?!"

No matter how loud he yelled, everyone else just stared at him in silence.

Getting no response, Julian could only take the meager trays in frustration.

With their pathetic portions of food, they walked to a corner table.

"Aria, you eat first."

Aria shook her head. "Julian... maybe you should just go home with Jennifer?"

"Do you want me to bow my head to her?"

Aria nodded. "If you do, you won't have to suffer here anymore."

Seeing Aria worry so much about him, Julian's heart ached.

"Don't worry, Aria. I promise I will bring you with me."

"But Jennifer..." Aria started crying again. "She seems to hate me."

I had to hand it to Aria. She really knew how to pull his strings, easily fueling Julian's hatred toward me with just a few words.

Watching the surveillance footage from the orphanage on my tablet, I let out a cold laugh.

Over the next few days, Julian and Aria were treated like outcasts.

A few older, bigger kids took every opportunity to mock them.

"An idiot and a blind girl. You two really are a perfect match."

"Yeah, so stupid. Throwing away a rich family just for a blind girl."

The kids at the orphanage didn't understand the gravity of bullying; they just saw the adults freezing Julian and Aria out and decided to join in.

Even so, I didn't feel a shred of pity.

Showing mercy to a devil is just handing them a knife to stab you with later.

Ring, ring, ring My phone buzzed.

"Hey, Mom."

My parents' voices came through the line.

"Jennifer, we got a call this morning asking why we haven't picked up Julian yet."

"Mom, did the director call you?"

"No, it was a young girl. She sounded very sweet."

"Jennifer, your father's health is getting worse. He just wants to bring Julian home soon and spend more time with him."

"I understand, Mom."

It looked like Aria had finally made her move.

Winter at the orphanage was brutal.

After driving a few hundred miles, my parents and I arrived at the orphanage.

Julian, dressed in brand-new clothes, was waiting outside the director's office.

"Julian... oh, my sweet boy..." Mom ran forward, crying.

Dad silently wiped away tears beside me.

Julian looked uncomfortable being hugged so suddenly, but when he looked at me, his eyes were filled with pure disgust.

"Julian, I'm your mother. I'm your mom."

Mom held his hand, too emotional to calm down.

"Tell me, sweetie, why didn't you want to come home?"

The director stood by, smiling awkwardly.

"Mr. and Mrs. Franklin, Julian probably just wasn't ready before."

"No."

Julians deep voice cut through the emotional reunion. He slowly pointed a finger at me.

"It's her."

My parents turned to look at me, completely baffled.

"Julian, she is your sister."

"She's the one. She told the director and everyone here to bully me," Julian spat, barely controlling his rage.

I looked at him like he was a child throwing a tantrum, keeping a calm smile on my face.

"Me? Why would I bully you?"

"Because I refused to leave Aria behind, so you used these dirty tricks to force my hand," Julian said righteously, as if he were the ultimate victim.