Chapter 0002

Three days later, Louis was discharged from the hospital under the astonished gazes of the doctors.

It was hard to believe that such a healthy people had just been experienced a severe car accident three days ago.

Louis hailed a cab to a middle-class community located in the suburbs west of the city, where a group of middle-class families resided.

He arrived at the doorstep of the Smith family's mansion and rang the doorbell.

Before long, his foster mother opened the door.

When she saw Louis, she first appeared surprised, then her face filled with a look of disgust.

"How come you're discharged so early? What a freak!"

Louis coldly looked at the woman in front of him, whom he had called "mom" for seventeen years.

"Hmph, come in! It just happens that your father and I are about to announce something related to you!"

Inside, the cheerful birthday song and the laughter of families did not make Louis feel warm, but rather colder.

Obviously, the Smith couple was celebrating Mason's birthday.

Ironically, as their adopted son, Louis had never had his own birthday.

Louis lowered his eyes and had a deep breath, trying to drive away those distracting thoughts in his mind.

After all, he had seen through the true face of this family.

During the three days in the hospital, none of them went to visit him.

They never considered him as a family member.

Mason was surprised as he saw Louis. With his contemptible face and squinting eyes, he sneered, "Freak!"

Mrs. Smith sat down and raised her voice, "Louis, how dare you come back to this house? Ungrateful wretch, you are bringing disasters to us. You ought to leave! We won't harbor you anymore."

Louis stared at them carefully, his eyes devoid of any emotion.

A few seconds later, he said with a smile, “Don’t worry. I will leave.”

"Wait, Louis, have some cake before that." A seemingly kind voice suddenly spoke.

Louis turned to see that it was his foster father, Mr. Smith.

Yet, Mr. Smith had never scolded him, although he remained silent when others did.

At that moment, Louis thought he would consider the father-son relationship of over a decade.

But just then, Mr. Smith continued saying, "It might upset you, but the truth is that you always bring bad luck to us. Now that you are 18, I think it’s time for you to start living on your own. Have a piece of cake as a farewell."

Louis nearly froze, barely believing what he heard, while Mrs. Smith and Mason almost burst into laughter.

Mason taunted, " Freak!"

Mrs. Smith sneered, "You should leave as soon as possible. Don't make us take drastic measures."

Louis stood still, glancing over the three members of the family.

His eyes turned cold as he said in a low voice, "No need."

He then quickly left. Behind him were three pairs of eyes, each with a different attitude, but none were kind.

Louis opened the door of his cramped room under the stairs, intending to pack his luggage.

However, his brows furrowed uncontrollably when he saw the scene inside.

The room was completely empty, as if he had never lived there. All his belongings were gone.

Clenching his fists, Louis turned and headed back to the Smiths.

Seeing him approach, they looked as if they had expected this, even smirking.

Louis looked at his adoptive mother and asked, "Mother, why is everything in my room gone?"

Mrs. Smith looked at Louis and replied nonchalantly, "I threw away all that garbage!"

She paused, then added disdainfully, "It was just a bunch of useless stuff anyway. I can’t bear those stinky stuffs to stay in my house, just like their owner."

Louis clenched his fists tighter; some of those items were very important to him.

As Louis was about to say something, his eyes caught sight of a silver ring on Mason's figure.

The cool silver ring has some notable patterns on it, which is the only token that could symbolize Louis’s real identity.

He looked at his disgusting brother and coldly said, "Mason, give the ring back to me! Why did you take my ring without my permission? Are you a thief?"

Mason's face twisted in anger at Louis's accusation, and he retorted, "Why should I give it back to you? Our family raised you for almost eighteen years. What have you ever done for us?"

Louis replied firmly, "I will pay back every cent you’ve spent on me. Now give it back to me!"

Having decided to leave the Smiths, Louis was determined not to owe them anything.

Mrs. Smith sneered, "Pay back? Are you kidding me? How and when will you achieve it?"

Louis looked at her calmly, "You don’t have to worry about what method I use; you only need to know I will pay you within three months."

Mrs. Smith snorted coldly, “ At least five million dollars!”

Louis frowned, knowing that she was trying to embarrass him, but he didn't argue and agreed to the term instead, “Okay, five million dollars, within three months.”

He was extremely calm, as if he was very confident that he could make five million dollars in three months.

At that moment, Mr. Smith smiled and spoke up, sounding exasperated as if dealing with a rebellious child, "Alright, Louis, don't force yourself. Everything will be OK."

His hypocritical smile made Louis feel sick.

Ignoring him, Louis looked directly at Mason and repeated, "Give it back to me!"

However, Mason arrogantly laughed, "No way! So what will you do now?"

His face even showed a provocative smirk, seeming to enjoy embarrassing Louis.

Without hesitation, Louis lunged forward to snatch the ring from Mason's hand.

Mason's eyes widened in shock, but he quickly reacted, clenching his fist tightly and shouting, "You bastard! Don’t touch me!"