Chapter 381
So much had happened tonight, and with everything going completely off track, Emily and Austin didn’t get home until it was already late.
After all that chaos and the emotional rollercoaster, Emily should have fallen asleep right away. But she just couldn’t. Every time she closed her eyes, Calvin’s face would appear in her mind, along with his question: “Is your mind clear?”
After a long while, Emily took the initiative to ask, “That Calvin…” She tried off, not sure how to put it into words.
Austin had already sensed she had something on her mind, but he hadn’t expected her to bring up Calvin. He frowned, his heart tightening with nerves. He asked, “Emily, do you know him?”
Emily shook her head slightly and said, “He just feels kind of familiar to me.” But she couldn’t say exactly what it was that felt familiar. It was like her body recognized Calvin before her mind did.
Austin thought it was strange. He thought, ‘How could Emily possibly know Calvin?’
There was nothing to hide about Calvin’s identity, especially with Emily. So Austin explained, “Calvin is the heir to the Pierce family in Beloris, and he’s also my half-brother.”
Emily looked up in surprise.
Austin shrugged and said, “Yeah, just like you guessed, I’m the illegitimate son.” He said it so casually, as if he had long since accepted his identity.
Without waiting for Emily to ask, he started telling her about what went on between him and Calvin.
In a place like Beloris, someone could throw a brick and probably hit a whole crowd of big shots. And the Pierce family was the most powerful of them all.
Ever since Isabella got pregnant with Calvin, Calvin was set to be the Pierce family’s one and only heir.
Aaron was a notorious womanizer, so to protect herself and Calvin, Isabella gave Aaron something to make sure he’d never have any more sons in this lifetime. But Austin was the one who got away.
Austin was discovered by Isabella when he was three years old-barely three months younger than Calvin. This small gap became a source of deep shame for Isabella.
At that very moment, it came to light that Isabella had drugged Aaron.
Dylan personally stepped in to bring Austin back home. By then, even if Isabella wanted to do anything, it was already too
late.
“I was sold to Dylan by my mother for 10 million. When she got the money, she didn’t even look back-like she was finally tossing away a burden,” Austin said, his voice calm, with a hint of self-mockery.
“Back then, she and I couldn’t even scrape together a hundred bucks. I never thought I’d ever be worth that much,” he added.
There was barely any expression on his face, but Emily felt a prickling ache spread through her chest. She could easily imagine how rough things must have been for Austin, coming back to the Pierce family under such circumstances.
As Austin spoke, he kept his gaze fixed on Emily, and of course, he caught that flash of pain in her eyes. The heaviness that weighed on him from dredging up those old memories suddenly felt a little lighter.
He asked, “Emily, do you want to know what it was like for me, living with the Pierce family?”
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Chapter 381
Emily was quiet for a moment before she said softly. “If you don’t want to talk, I won’t push. But if you do, I’m here to listen.”
Austin’s dimples grew even deeper. He said, “I do want to talk. I want you to know my story.”
Back then, even though Austin had entered the Pierce family, nobody really wanted him around. At first, Aaron treated him fairly well-after all, he only had two sons in his whole life.
It was Isabella who caused all this, so Aaron actually showed Austin a bit more favoritism. But by the time Austin turned seven, that favoritism had twisted into wariness and outright resentment.
