Female Novel
Chapter 1216
"Grandpa Bernard, what if he isn't my brother anymore?"
Ian set down the glass he was holding, his fingers tracing the rim.
"What if he's not my brother, but someone else capturing my brother's soul? You meet me here
probably because you’ve also noticed his change in personality. Even though he’s trying to hide
himself, he’s different from the previous Eric. He wants to kill me now."
He can feel the malice and the intent to kill.
The current Eric wanted to kill him, wanted Maja, and wanted the whole Raymond Corporation.
But the old Eric wasn't like that.
Ian lowered his eyes, his expression bland.
Actually his relationship with Eric wasn't that bad.
Just as Fitch had pointed out, the entire Raymond family favored Eric, and Ian received little affection
growing up.
Even when he was out getting into fights and getting hurt, no one cared.
Like a lone wolf pup, he never complained to anyone about his hardships.
But whenever he was hurt or upset, he would retreat to the attic, hiding until his wounds healed.
At that time, Holden was busy. He hadn't stepped down from his position yet, and like Steve, he was
rarely home.
In the Raymond family, where Edith and Selena were, even if Ian had drowned in the pool, no one
would have noticed, let alone if he just didn't come down for dinner.
Whenever he was hurt, he would hide from everyone for a while, surviving on bread and staying in the
attic.
One day, the attic door was pushed open from the outside, and there stood Eric, coughing.
Ian turned his back to him, his small silhouette appearing rather stubborn.
What Eric brought was a hot meal, which he placed in front of Ian.
Ian didn't eat it, and bravely continued to gnaw on his own bread.
Eric sat across from him, watching him with a calm demeanor.
Ian didn't know how to feel about his older brother.
Jealous?
Not exactly, he just thought Eric was incredibly lucky. Everyone loved him.
He never rushed him to eat the meals Eric brought. Eric noticed whenever Ian wasn't at the dinner
table, he would personally bring a meal for him.
Eventually, the bread in the fridge ran out. Ian went two days without eating, not used to asking anyone
for food.
In the Raymond family, he was practically invisible and the servants followed suit.
By the third day of hunger, when Ian was about to pass out, Eric brought him another meal.novelbin
"Eat up, if you don't eat soon you're going to pass out. And if you pass out, your body will stink up this
place. Then the rats will come and chew off your pecker. You won't be able to find a wife then."
It was probably the most frightening thing young Ian had ever heard.
He even checked his pants instinctively, and was relieved to find it was still intact.
Eric, who had matured earlier than him, leaned against the wall and chuckled.
Ian didn't know what he was laughing at, but he picked up the fork and started to gulp down.
It was Eric who first discovered that Ian was allergic to dog fur.
Looking back now, Ian and Eric didn't talk much. From childhood to adulthood, they'd hardly spoken to
each other.
Because of the polarizing attitudes of the Raymond family, Eric knew he wasn't welcomed by Ian and
never tried to get close.
Eric had handled the distance masterfully.
When the news of Eric's death came, Ian was stunned. Amidst the wailing and mourning from the
Raymond family, he was a bit out of it.
His first thought was, finally, that pretentious Eric was dead.
His second thought was, that pretentious man was his brother, the golden boy everyone loved. It was
great that he was gone for good.
Ian wouldn't have to live in his shadow anymore.
The sadness came much later, only when he was alone and pushing open the door to the attic at night,
did he feel a hint of it.
He thought Eric was pretentious, always acting so warm and gentle. But the man had pretended his
entire life and never once had a quarrel with anyone.
Not like Ian, who was volatile and quick to anger.
Ian couldn't remember the details of his time with his brother. It was as if they'd never spent time
together. Many people envied him for having a brother like Eric, but they didn't feel like brothers at all.
But there was one thing he knew, which was that Eric would never want to kill him.
So the personality of the person who came back was too different from Eric's.
Silence fell over the room. Bernard didn't speak.
Ian repeated himself.
"He's not my brother. My brother could replace me as the chosen one. He wouldn't want to kill me."
After saying this, he was silent for a few seconds, a misty look in his eyes.
"But if this person dies now, then the real Eric is truly dead."
Bernard rubbed between his eyebrows.
"Yes, that's why I called you here. Others haven't realized it yet. They're all eager for the research
results. Many countries are on high alert, all looking for Eric. Now that he's appeared domestically,
there's been an increase in illegal immigration. Plus, there's a mysterious force behind your brother. We
haven't figured out where this force comes from and what their goal is. I called you here to ask for your
opinions."
"I won't give up my future wife."
Bernard shrugged.
"Then think about how to retrieve the microchip and how to turn your brother back to his old self."