Too Late to Call Me Family

Eight years after cutting ties with my older sister, Mackenzie Schaefer, I became the most sought-after male escort at a nightclub. She had spared no expense throwing a birthday party for her sworn younger brother, Kieran Jorgensen. Meanwhile, I was dragged around by a wealthy middle-aged woman who forced me to drink with her in exchange for a three-hundred-dollar tip. Waving her diamond ring in my face, she added, "I'll give you another two hundred if you strip and dance for me." After a brief silence, Mackenzie's face turned livid. She stormed over, grabbed the woman's wrist, and wrenched it away from me. "You've been away from home for eight years, and this is what you've reduced yourself to? Just look at you! Have you no shame?" Her eyes were red, and I couldn't make sense of the emotions on her face. I said nothing, merely lowering my head to tug at the collar of my shirt, which the woman had loosened. The sight only fueled Mackenzie's fury. She snatched up a glass of red wine and emptied it over my head. "How can you parade yourself in public for a few bucks? Have you no self-respect? We raised you for nothing!" I wiped the wine from my face and stared at her in confusion. What was the point of this outburst now? Hadn't she personally cut off every path I could have taken when I left all those years ago? Besides, I was no longer the child who longed for a family. Chapter 1 The Day Everything Fell Apart "You shameless disgrace! I threw you out of the house back then to teach you a lesson, not so you could run around half-dressed, currying favor with women! You've brought nothing but shame upon our family!" At that, Mackenzie slapped me. My head snapped to the side, and only then did I see the fury churning in her eyes. "You filthy, shameless wretch! We gave you a chance to make something of yourself, but you chose to sink into the gutter! Three hundred dollars? Is that all you're worth?" Excuse me? Hadn't she kicked me out, cut off all my financial support, and severed every means of contacting our family? Hadn't she watched me plead desperately outside the house on a rainy night, only to shut the door in my face and leave me to fall from the heights of privilege into the depths of misery? How dare she stand here, looking down at me as though she had every right to lecture me now? I wanted to retort, but a tearful voice interrupted us. "Please, Mackenzie, stop hitting Mason!" Kieran hurried over and stepped in front of me, his eyes reddening as he tugged at my sister's arm. "Mason must have his reasons for doing this. He didn't mean for things to turn out this way. Please, just forgive him this once…" He couldn't hide the smugness in his eyes, yet he seemed the most aggrieved out of everyone present. Mackenzie yanked her arm free of his grasp, her voice turning icy. "He nearly sold you off to work in the mines back then! And now, he has willingly thrown his life away, rotten to the core. He's not worth your sympathy!" When had I thrown my life away? I laughed incredulously. "Mackenzie Schaefer, look me in the eye and tell me honestly. Who forced me into becoming the person I am today?" Kieran turned around, his eyes still red. "Mason, please, just stop, okay? Apologize to Mackenzie. She'll forgive you if you just admit you were wrong…" Before he could finish, I drove my fist straight into his face. "Kieran Jorgensen, who the hell are you trying to fool? Isn't everything that happened to me today your doing?" Once upon a time, I had been the apple of my family's eye. My parents pampered me endlessly. When I told them I loved the northern lights, my mother had put her publicly traded company aside to take me to Antarctica. When I said I loved fireflies, Mackenzie suspended an overseas work project and flew back home overnight just to catch them for me. My fiancee, Everly Lockwood, had nearly fallen out with her own family and severed ties with them just to attend the same university as me. Back then, even my most offhand remarks were treated like top priority. They showered me with so much love and tenderness that I once believed their devotion would last a lifetime. Then, Kieran came along and tore it all apart. At first, Kieran wore a school uniform faded from countless washes. During breaks, he would hide in a corner, gnawing on dry bread. Our teacher told us that his parents had divorced and that he lived with his elderly grandmother, surviving on welfare. My heart ached for him. I took the initiative to befriend him, sharing my snacks and stationery. On weekends, I even dragged him home. When my mother heard about his circumstances, her eyes reddened with tears, and she accepted him as her godson. Mackenzie went even further, declaring that she would cover all his tuition and living expenses from then on. Back then, we were so close that we were practically inseparable. I shared everything with him. When I first fell in love, he would carry love letters between Everly and me and help us exchange gifts. I had thought we were the best of brothers, never realizing that the way he looked at Everly had long since changed into something else. Nor had I noticed how the two of them had begun using me as an excuse to share details of their daily lives, secretly arranging to watch newly released movies together and even going on trips behind my back. It wasn't until my 18th birthday, when I had eagerly anticipated Everly's gift, that I pushed open a door and came face-to-face with the most devastating sight imaginable. Chapter 2 The Beginning of My Ruin My girlfriend and my best friend had been wrapped in each other's arms, tangled together on the bed in the room I'd prepared. In that instant, all the happiness I'd ever known came crashing down. I snatched the birthday cake off the table and hurled it at them. Kieran dropped to his knees in front of me, tears streaming down his face as he pleaded, "Mason, I'm sorry! I didn't mean for this to happen…" I trembled with rage and raised my hand to slap his hypocritical face. However, before I could strike him, Everly seized my wrist in a painful grip. She shoved me backward with such force that my forehead slammed into the corner of the table. Agonizing pain shot through me, and warm blood instantly blurred my vision. She shielded Kieran behind her, her gaze as cold as a blade. "If you have to blame someone, blame me. Leave Kieran out of this!" Yet, he only beat his fists against her shoulder, crying out, "This is all your fault! You made Mason misunderstand us! Mason, I swear I'll never see Everly again. Please, don't tell anyone about this, especially your mother… I don't want to lose the family I've fought so hard to gain. You know I've had nothing since I was a child." Back then, seeing his reddened eyes, I had been foolish enough to soften. I pressed a hand against my bleeding forehead and nodded through my sobs, agreeing to keep their filthy secret. Little did I know that my moment of weakness would lead me straight into an abyss, from which there would be no escape. Not only did Kieran fail to change his ways, but he became even more brazen, taking everything from me one piece at a time. In the end, he resorted to the most despicable means imaginable to kill the mother who had cherished me like her most precious treasure. Once again, tears flooded my eyes. … At some point, Everly pushed through the crowd and pulled Kieran into her arms. Mackenzie, too, crouched beside him and gently rubbed his cheek, reddened where I'd struck him with the cake. But when she turned to look at me, her eyes were glacial. "Are you done making a scene, Mason? What's the point of dredging up all this ancient history? You failed to hold on to Everly's heart. She had every right to choose Kieran. Why should everyone else take the blame for your failures?" A chill spread through my body, leaving nothing in my heart but bitter contempt. Eight years had passed, yet she was still just as incapable of distinguishing right from wrong. The people I'd trusted with my whole heart had betrayed me together. Kieran had schemed relentlessly to steal everything that belonged to me. Yet somehow, in Mackenzie's eyes, I was to blame. The fury I'd suppressed for so long erupted instantly. I screamed at her, "Ancient history? What about Mom? Was her life just ancient history, too? Kieran caused her death. Do you think you can just sweep that under the rug?" The anger on Mackenzie's face froze. She stared at me in bewilderment, completely stunned. "What are you talking about? Wasn't it because you deliberately made things difficult for Kieran back then, and Mom got caught up in the argument and had an accident?" Looking at her bewildered expression, I felt as though an icy hand had clenched around my heart, squeezing so tightly that I could barely breathe. Back then, everyone had believed Mom's death was an accident. Even the daughter she had cherished most never bothered to investigate the truth behind it. … After I caught Everly and Kieran together, they had broken their promise to stay away from each other. Instead, they had grown even more brazen. Kieran deliberately flaunted his relationship with Everly in front of me, telling me about the limited-edition watches she had bought him and the vacation destinations she had taken him to. He had even gone to Mom and twisted the truth, accusing me of bullying him. "Mom, Mason's hated me ever since Everly started paying a little more attention to me. He's been getting his classmates to corner me and shove me around at school. They've even thrown my books into the toilets… I can't take it anymore…" Watching his eyes grow red with tears, I trembled with desperation. I wanted to defend myself, but his aggrieved sobs drowned out my words. "I know Mason resents how close Everly and I have become, but I haven't stolen anything from him!" My mother frowned deeply, disappointment filling her eyes. "Mason, I've taught you to treat others with kindness. How could you be so intolerant of Kieran?" She turned, picked up the wooden ruler from the corner of the room, and brought it down hard on my back. The searing pain cut straight to the bone. I sobbed uncontrollably, choking out desperate denials, but Mom refused to listen. "Kieran has been timid and unfortunate since childhood. If you hadn't bullied him so relentlessly, would he have come to me for help?" She beat my back until the skin split open, leaving me unable to sleep on anything but my stomach for days. Later, I developed a high fever that refused to break for three days and three nights. Only then did Mom finally soften. She stayed by my bedside and said helplessly, "Alright, I'll speak to the Lockwood family and arrange for you and Everly to get married as soon as possible. That way, you'll stop letting your imagination run wild." Chapter 3 The Scars That Exposed His Lies With tears in my eyes, I was just about to tell Mom that I wouldn't marry Everly when I saw Kieran standing behind her. His face, which usually appeared so delicate and harmless, was twisted with hatred and malice. Without warning, he thrust out his hands and shoved Mom down the stairs. The dull thud of her body hitting the ground became the nightmare that haunted me every day and night for the next eight years. Kieran threw himself onto Mom's lifeless body, wailing as though his heart had been shattered. When my sister came rushing over at the sound of the commotion, he screamed at her, "Mackenzie! It was Mason! He was arguing with Mom, and he shoved her!" Mackenzie glanced at Kieran's reddened eyes. Without even giving me a chance to explain, she immediately decided I was guilty. "Mason, you heartless monster! Mom loved you so much, and you actually laid your hands on her over something so trivial!" I sobbed so hard I could barely catch my breath, desperately trying to explain. "I didn't! Kieran pushed her! Mackenzie, please believe me just this once. It really wasn't me!" She violently shook off my hands, the disgust in her eyes threatening to consume me. "How am I supposed to believe you? You've been harassing Kieran every day lately. He's been doing everything he can to avoid you. Why would he hurt Mom? We must have been blind to raise a monster as consumed by jealousy as you!" She didn't give me another chance to defend myself. Instead, she ordered someone to lock me in the attic. Kieran pressed himself against the door, his voice dripping with smug satisfaction. "Look at you, Mason. I'm the only boy of the family now. Why do you think Mackenzie distrusts you? I've been telling her how you bully me relentlessly simply because Everly doesn't love you. "She's been thoroughly disappointed in you for a long time. Everything you've lost was always meant to be mine." I screamed and sobbed hysterically from behind the locked door, desperately trying to tell my sister the truth. But no one was willing to listen to a single word I said. On the day of Mom's funeral, the mournful sounds of the service drifted up from downstairs. I clung to the window and cried until I lost consciousness, yet I wasn't even allowed to accompany her on her final journey. Eight years had passed. I had been tormented every single day and night, while Kieran enjoyed the life that should have been mine as though he had every right to it. … Mackenzie stood frozen in place. She turned to look at Kieran, suspicion filling her eyes. Kieran trembled with fright. He immediately threw himself at her feet, tears appearing on cue. "Mackenzie! Don't listen to Mason's nonsense! He's just angry that I've been living so well in our family all these years, so he's making up lies to slander me! "Mom loved me so much. I was grateful to her for everything she did for me. How could I possibly hurt her? Back then, Mason lost control and pushed Mom. I was terrified out of my mind. I wouldn't dare to lie about that!" Mackenzie furrowed her brows. Uncharacteristically, she didn't comfort Kieran. Instead, she pulled out her phone and called her assistant. "Investigate every detail surrounding my mother's fall from the stairs eight years ago. Don't overlook a single clue!" A flicker of panic crossed his eyes, but he quickly burst into even louder sobs. "Mackenzie! You can't possibly believe him! Have you forgotten? Back then, Mason was so jealous of how close Everly and I were that he tricked me into going to a remote mountain ravine and threatened to break my legs! "If you hadn't found me, I might not even be alive today—" Before he could finish, I abruptly yanked up my sleeve, revealing the crisscrossing old scars that covered my arm. "Are you sure I was the one who sold you off, Kieran? Tell me then—why are all these bloodied, mangled scars on my body?" For a year after Mom's death, I had wandered through life like a soulless corpse. Then, one day, Everly knocked on the attic door. After hesitating for a long time, she finally spoke. "Mason, I'm going to marry Kieran, but I still have feelings for you. If you're willing, I can continue taking care of you and give you somewhere to live." Her words struck me as unbearably ironic. The woman who had once promised to love me for the rest of her life was now preparing to marry the very man who had murdered my mother. That very day, overwhelmed by unbearable despair, I slit my wrists in an attempt to end my life. When the excruciating pain hit, I thought I would finally be free. But when I opened my eyes again, I found myself in a dilapidated warehouse. Chapter 4 The Truth Caught on Camera Kieran stood to one side with his arms crossed, a contemptuous sneer curling his lips. "Mason, can't you be smart for your own good? I'm about to marry Everly, and you're still clinging to her like a lovesick fool. Do you really think you're still the precious heir of the Schaefer family?" Before I could react, the warehouse doors swung open, and two thugs strode inside. I struggled desperately against the coarse hemp rope binding my wrists and roared, "Have you lost your mind, Kieran? Go ahead. I dare you to lay a finger on me!" To my dismay, he slapped me across the face. The force sent my head snapping to the side, and blood immediately seeped from the corner of my mouth. "Me, losing my mind? You only have yourself to blame for standing in my way!" He crouched down and gripped my chin painfully between his fingers, his eyes brimming with venomous hatred. "From the day you brought me into your family, everything you had should have been mine. Everly belongs to me, and so does your family's fortune! A worthless piece of trash like you doesn't deserve to keep breathing and getting in my way!" With that, he straightened and nodded toward the two thugs, his voice as cold as ice. "Break his legs. Make sure he can never stand again. That way, he won't be able to compete with me for anything ever again!" The two men immediately lunged at me. One pinned my shoulders down while the other pressed my legs firmly against the ground. I twisted and struggled with all my strength, but the rope dug painfully into my wrists, leaving me unable to break free. "Shut up, you fucking rascal! Mr. Jorgensen said breaking your legs is just the beginning. Never forget who's really in charge of the Schaefer family!" The man holding me down slapped me viciously across the face. The other only increased the force of his blows, the wooden club striking with such brutality that it felt as though it would crack my bones. I closed my eyes, convinced I was going to die there that day. Suddenly, the warehouse doors were kicked open with tremendous force. Mackenzie stormed in with several people behind her. The moment she saw what was happening, her eyes widened, and they turned bloodshot. She rushed forward and screamed, "Stop!" Hope flared in my heart. But Kieran reacted even faster. He threw himself at my sister's feet, wailing hysterically. "Mackenzie! Thank goodness you're here! Mason has gone crazy! He accused me of stealing Everly from him and threatened to have my legs broken. I fought desperately to escape!" The two men who had been restraining me immediately released their grip and bowed to Mackenzie. "Mason forced us here, Ms. Schaefer! He said Mr. Jorgensen had stolen his fiancee and ordered us to break Mr. Jorgensen's legs. We didn't dare disobey him!" I went rigid, staring at the scene unfolding before me in utter disbelief. How dare Kieran do this? How could he pin all his own crimes on me? "Mackenzie, it wasn't me! They're lying! Kieran was the one who hired them to break my legs! Look at my knees!" I struggled to lift my legs, but the moment I moved, such excruciating pain shot through me that my vision went black. Yet, Mackenzie wouldn't even look at me. She helped Kieran to his feet, then glared at me with undisguised disgust. Kicking a wooden crate beside her, she screamed, "How could you be so vicious, Mason? I should have realized when Mom died that you were heartless! Now, you're breaking Kieran's legs over a woman—are you even human? Since you're so fond of using violence to solve your problems, you'll stay here today and find out for yourself what it's like to be at someone else's mercy!" With that, she helped him leave. Before departing, she even ordered her men to lock the warehouse doors behind them. The heavy bang of the doors slamming shut cut off the last trace of light from outside. I collapsed onto the cold floor. The agony in my knees mingled with the pain tearing through my heart until I could barely breathe. She was my sister. How could she keep falling for Kieran's lies, again and again, and keep driving the knife into the deepest wounds in my heart? … That night, I passed out from the pain several times. Every time I regained consciousness, I felt as though I had fallen into an endless hell. Eventually, I dragged my broken legs all the way back home, crawling and limping along the way. I knelt outside the gates, begging Mackenzie to hear my explanation and believe me just once. Yet, she refused to open the door. Instead, she sent the butler outside with a message. "Someone as vicious and treacherous as you will never be allowed to set foot inside the Schaefer Residence again." Torrential rain drenched me as I stared at the tightly shut gates. At last, I understood that I had already lost the sister who had once spoiled me beyond measure. … Mackenzie's face had turned deathly pale. Her lips trembled, but she couldn't utter a single word. Almost instinctively, she turned to look at Kieran beside her. He was trembling all over, his face as white as a sheet. Just then, the phone in Mackenzie's pocket began vibrating frantically. With trembling fingers, she answered the call. Her assistant's urgent voice came through the receiver. "Ms. Schaefer! We've found it! The surveillance footage from the staircase at the old family residence eight years ago has been recovered. It shows Kieran pushing Madam Schaefer down the stairs from behind!"