Reborn: My Brother Chose the Abyss

Chapter 1

My dad called my brother, Chad, and me to his bedside right before he died, brandishing two inheritances.

One was $1 million in cash plus a McMansion in the suburbs.

The other was ownership of a company teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.

Chad, knowing the company was a lost cause, practically snatched the cash and the McMansion, leaving the failing business to me.

But Chad, that spendthrift, blew through the million and trashed the house in less than two years.

I, on the other hand, had the damn luck to receive an investment from a mysterious benefactor, turning the company around.

On the day the company went public, Chad, green with envy, doused himself in gasoline and tried to light us both on fire.

I opened my eyes again, and we were back. Back to that day by Dad's deathbed.

This time, Chad grabbed the company ownership with bloodshot eyes, crowing, "As long as I hold out for the mystery investor, I'll be the CEO living large."

Looking at my brother's smug face, I almost laughed out loud.

Because I was the mystery investor.

"What did you say? Say it again!" Dad hadn't quite caught what Chad said, only saw him snatch the will representing the company. His failing hearing definitely wasn't helping him.

"I'm the elder son, Dad! The company should be mine to inherit!" Chad clutched the will like his life depended on it. "Don't worry, Dad, I'll work my ass off, make the company bigger and better. You won't be disappointed."

I wasn't surprised by any of this.

Even though Chad and I were both Dad's biological sons, he only seemed to see Chad as his real kid. I was just some guy who happened to share his DNA.

I'd been lost by Chad when I was little and only found again last year when Dad got diagnosed with liver cancer and needed a transplant.

Too bad I wasn't a match. That made Dad think I wasn't his "real" son even more, so he rigged the inheritance to screw me over.

Last time, when I picked the company, Dad didn't get all worked up. He just glared at me and said, "Wesley, the company is our family's legacy. Normally, the eldest son would inherit, but your brother is being generous, giving it to you. You better work hard and treat him right, or I'll haunt you from beyond the grave!"

Those words cost me millions from my own pocket to save the company. But it still ended with Chad trying to kill us both on my best day.

I was lost in thought, barely registering Dad and Chad's heated argument.

But my silence made Dad think I was just "waiting to profit." He couldn't convince Chad to change his mind, so he turned his anger on me.

He grabbed the water glass beside him and hurled it at me, his voice cracking. "Did you put him up to this? You know the company's dead! You couldn't save me; are you trying to kill your brother, too?"

I wiped the water off my face, trying to look innocent. "Dad, I didn't say anything! You gotta believe me! And even if I did, Chad's too smart to listen."

"Chad, look at Dad, maybe we should..."

Chad immediately shook ...