For My Sister's Glory, I Became ScumChapter 1

My older sister, Fiona Carter, is the only one from our small town to make it to college. But just when she's about to leave for a high-paying job, I lock her up in the cellar.

On the day I leave the country to take the job in her place, she scratches the door so desperately that her nails break. It's then she curses my name out loud and wishes me dead.

But Fiona eventually finds a way to build a better life herself. A year later, she secretly makes her way to the big city and rises into the upper class.

From then on, she forbids anyone from mentioning my name.

I send Fiona an email every year. The first year, I tell her I locked her up because I was jealous of her.

The second year, I tell her I'm doing great abroad. I've even sold our late grandma's bracelet to buy a motorcycle. Everyone thought it looked awesome.

The third year, I tell her I'm getting married to a city girl who's even prettier than she is.

Then, in the fifth year, the emails suddenly stop.

Eventually, Fiona returns to our hometown as a successful woman. At a business gathering, someone raises a toast to her.

"Hey, isn't your brother named Billy Carter? I heard he's in northern Marova…"

"I don't know that good-for-nothing!"

Fiona hurls her glass to the floor in disgust.

A businessman involved in cross-border trade freezes for a moment, then sighs and shakes his head.

"I thought you might know him. That kid, what he did for his sister… Well, I guess that's fate…"

* * *

I floated behind my sister and watched her smash her glass. The crystal shards glittered under the lights, their glimmer mirroring the coldness in her eyes.

Everyone fell silent at once.

The business associates who had been crowding around her and flattering her just moments ago were now too scared to say a word. No one dared mention Billy Carter's name again.

My name was off-limits around my sister, Fiona Carter. To her, having me as a brother was the one embarrassment that marred her otherwise impressive reputation.

Fiona was now the CEO of a multinational trading company. She wore a custom-tailored designer suit, and the Patek Philippe watch on her wrist glinted under the lights.

She'd drunk quite a bit, and there was a fierce look in her eyes. I knew that look could only belong to someone who had been through hell and survived.

Thank goodness. She was alive, and that was all that mattered. Even in the afterlife, I could hold my head high as her younger brother.

When the business gathering ended, Fiona's assistant opened the car door for her.

Someone blocked the car's path. It was Walter Bennett, who worked in cross-border trade. He was the one who'd mentioned my name at the table earlier.

"Ms. Carter."

Fiona rolled down the car window with a contemptuous sneer.

"What? Did Billy send you to ask me for money? Tell him he's not getting a penny. If he wants to die, he can do it somewhere far away. I don't even want to see him."

I floated beside Walter. I was so anxious that I wanted to cover his mouth and beg him not to tell her anything.

A flicker of sympathy crossed Walter's deeply tanned face. He sighed and pulled a grimy black box from his coat.

The box was wrapped in layer after layer of different-colored tape, making it look like a piece of old junk.

"The kid asked me to bring this to you. It's the fifth year now, and this is the last one."

Fiona looked at the box as though it were the most disgusting thing she'd ever seen. She suddenly raised her hand and knocked it to the ground.

"Only Billy would treat trash like this as something precious. Get lost!"

The box broke open when it hit the ground. There was no money or gold bar inside. In fact, there was nothing in it but an old Nokia phone with a cracked screen and a missing back cover.

Fiona seemed startled for a moment, but her expression quickly turned cold again.

"Drive!"

The driver didn't dare hesitate. He stepped hard on the gas, and the wheels of the black Mercedes nearly ran over the broken phone.

Walter crouched down and picked up the phone in silence. He brushed the dust off it.

As he watched the car speed away, he muttered a curse under his breath. "Billy, you gave your life for nothing."

I floated beside him with a bitter smile. As long as Fiona was alive, I didn't care if my life had been wasted. It was worth it.

Inside the car, Fiona leaned back against the leather seat and rubbed her temples hard. She muttered curses under her breath, complaining about her bad luck and how I just wouldn't leave her alone.