On a scorching sunny day, Brian Taylor trudged through the bustling streets, his heart heavy with worry and disappointment. The relentless heat bore down on him, a fitting backdrop to his current state of mind. He had spent the entire day searching for a part-time job to support himself and his girlfriend, Mabel Lawson. After countless applications and rejections, he found himself resorting to the only option available: becoming an Uber driver. Brian’s prospects were dim, shaped by a background that often left him feeling inadequate. Hailing from a small, rural town, he was frequently viewed as uneducated, a label that gnawed at him. Unlike many of his peers, Brian was not an orphan. He had a loving, albeit struggling, mother who worked tirelessly to provide for them, but her meager income was never sufficient. He had never met his father, only seeing him in faded photographs that offered little comfort. The only family he truly knew were his foster grandparents, who welcomed his mo

Helena's Heaven, more commonly known as the Fantasy of Your Reality, was a sanctuary for the affluent, a place where extravagance reigned supreme. For Brian, it felt like a world apart—a stark reminder of everything he lacked. After helping Claire unload the delivery from the car, he followed her into the hotel room, his heart heavy with the knowledge of his own insignificance. As Brian stepped into the room, he was immediately met with a sea of elite students, all of them draped in designer attire. And there, in the midst of them, was Mabel. “Guys, look who we have here,” Sharon sneered, her voice dripping with disdain. “The poor and stinky Brian from the countryside,” she continued, her laughter echoing through the room. Brian stood frozen, absorbing the insult, his silence a defense mechanism. He knew that speaking up would only invite more ridicule—these were people who could erase him without a trace. Claire, however, wasn’t about to let Sharon have the final word. “And look w

“Come and give Grandpa a hug,” Mr. Graham said, his voice thick with emotion as he enveloped Brian in a warm embrace. Brian stood there, caught in a whirlwind of confusion. Should he feel joy at this unexpected affection, or sadness at the revelation of a family he never knew existed? His mother had kept secrets from him—secrets about his lineage, about the elite world of the Morrises. But if he hailed from such a powerful family, why had they struggled so long just to survive? “If you don’t mind, can I ask you something?” Brian finally ventured. “You can, but not here. Let’s go somewhere calm and quiet to discuss,” Mr. Graham suggested, his eyes reflecting a seriousness that piqued Brian’s curiosity. They drove back to the Everest Hotel, where the atmosphere shifted dramatically. People stared at Brian with a mixture of envy and disdain. Many had tried every possible avenue to get close to the Morrises, but here was Brian—the beggar—granted access to this elite world, and that on

“Brian’s waiting for us!” Stella shouted, tugging at the dreamy-eyed Ruby, who was lost in her thoughts. Brian had halted his steps, glancing back at them with a mixture of curiosity and impatience. As they approached, he crossed his arms. “What do you guys want?” he asked, his tone casual but guarded. “Can you join us for lunch?” Stella offered, a hopeful smile on her face. “Sorry, I can’t. I have a lot to do today,” Brian replied without a moment’s hesitation, his focus shifting back to his phone. Stella frowned, her determination flaring. “Brian, it’s not good to reject a pretty girl’s offer!” Brian met her gaze, but it was Ruby’s expression that caught his attention. Her cheerful smile had dimmed, replaced by a shadow of disappointment. In that moment, he realized it wasn’t merely Stella inviting him—it was Ruby who genuinely wanted him there. Something shifted within him. “Okay, I’ll come with you guys,” he said, attempting to lighten the mood. “Now smile, Ruby! You look m

What kind of girl is Arden? Why is my mom so terrified of her joining hands with the Morrises? What dark secrets did she and the Morrises drag from the depths of our family’s past? And why did my mother insist that my dad died before I was born? The questions swirl in Brian's mind, each one a sharp thorn that digs deeper with every passing moment. Mr. Morris even showed me pictures of Arden and me alongside our parents, and I can't shake the feeling that these images hold the key to understanding the tangled web of my family's history. As the weight of these thoughts presses down on him, Brian feels a throbbing pain in his head. He doesn't know how to navigate the chaos that has become his life. Why did his mom instruct that man to erase anything linking Arden to the Morris family? What kind of woman is my mother, and how many lives has she ruined to ensure that I remain distanced from Arden? How did she acquire the funds to pay off those who work for her, keeping the truth buried b