Chapter 1

When I was accompanying Zoey at a social event, my parents called.

Between toasts, I gave her a heads-up.

Then I stepped outside to answer the phone.

"Come home tonight."

It was the first phone call in twenty years.

I still found the commanding tone familiar.

After hanging up, I let out a sigh and returned to our private dining room.

As I opened the door, I saw several business partners toasting Zoey.

"You are a really loyal person, Miss Samantha. You stick to the same type for so many years."

"This one has been around the longest and has the most similar look."

"Miss Samantha, you personally picked this guy, so in both life and work, he definitely..."

The voices abruptly ceased when I entered the room.

During social gatherings, everyone would make subtle jokes behind my back.

At first, I didn't understand.

I often asked Zoey about it.

At that time, she looked up at me from a pile of unfinished documents.

She touched my head like stroking a pet.

"They just can't stand to see me happy. You can ignore their words, or you'll end up being fooled."

Hearing her say this, I let out a deep breath.

However, sometimes, she murmured during our intimate moments.

And that hurt my heart.

Unfortunately, I no longer had the courage to confront Zoey about it.

I endured it until the social gathering ended.

Zoey held my hand, but her expression seemed distant.

I glanced at the time.

"I'll take you home first, then I have to go somewhere."

She furrowed her brows lightly and asked, "Where are you going?"

Her face flushed, and alcohol made her clingy.

I gently kissed her to reassure her.

"Take me with you. I go wherever you go. You can't just leave me behind. I promise I'll be quiet and wait for you."

She was drowsy when she looked at me, but it seemed she was looking at someone else.

In the end, I gave in and nodded.

I took her to my parents' place with me.

However, as the car pulled into the driveway, her complexion worsened.

After I got off, I intended to let her wait in the car for a while.

Unexpectedly, she got out of the car before I could stop her.

I tried to grab her, but she had already entered the villa.

I hurriedly followed.

My parents were already waiting for me.

After twenty years, I saw them again.

Words couldn't describe how I was feeling.

I stepped inside the house.

I was about to say something.

But Zoey spoke first, calling out, "Madam?"

I took a glance at her silently.

My mom's excitement was also evident.

"Zoey, you..."

She then looked at me behind her.

It seemed everything became clear to her.

My parents didn't say anything, perhaps because Zoey was there that day.

So, they let me leave back then.

However, when Zoey returned home, she appeared lost.

She took the initiative for a long time in bed that night.

At one climax moment, I asked her how she knew my parents.

Her eyes were hazy as she replied with a word.

"Samuel."

That caught me off guard.

Within a second, all my enthusiasm was extinguished.

My name was Emmett Grayson, and Samuel Grayson was my older brother.

All these years, no one knew that I was from the Grayson family.

My birth was never expected after all.

In my earlier years, I lived in the countryside with my grandmother.

My parents sent me a fixed allowance every month.

However, they never actively reached out to me.

They claimed they thought my brother would feel hurt because of this divided love.

Later, my grandmother fell ill while I was still in college.

I had no other choice.

I tried to contact them.

However, I couldn't reach them.

Fortunately, I met Zoey in a hospital while she was receiving intravenous therapy.

She froze when she saw me.

She approached me on her own.

Then she talked to me and offered her help.

In the end, she pulled me out of the darkness.

But my grandmother passed away.

Zoey accompanied me to hold the funeral.

My parents never showed up.

I had long given up on trying to contact them.

Naturally, Zoey and I became lovers.

After graduating, I went straight to work at her company.

In the past, I didn't care how other people teased me.

But today, it was Zoey who spoke that name.

That shattered my self-deception.

Later, Zoey fell into a deep sleep.

I sat on the balcony, gazing at the window, and spent the whole night smoking.

What I had heard earlier echoed in my mind.

Samuel and I truly resembled each other.

We were like twins.

Most importantly, I tried to get our parents' attention during our childhood.

I deliberately imitated Samuel's habits.

As a result, I couldn't even tell the difference between us anymore.

I curled up in a lounge chair all night.

I tried to comfort myself.

I reminded myself of the vastness of the world, and there must be a lot of people named Samuel.

What a coincidence it was that he turned out to be my brother.