When I Became A Billionaire, I Was Abandoned By My Family

A few years ago, I invested in an old, run-down apartment, and now it's been demolished for redevelopment. Overnight, I became a billionaire.

I called my mom and told her I'd be home soon.

She asked why I was coming back so suddenly.

Half-jokingly, I said, "Business isn't doing well. I went bankrupt."

She was silent on the other end of the line for a while before she finally responded with a simple "Okay."

When I got home, I rang the doorbell for a long time, but the person who answered was a complete stranger.

After asking around, I found out that my younger brother had won 20 million in the lottery, and he and my mom had moved out a long time ago. They kept it a secret.

Under the scorching sun, I followed the directions I was given and finally found a standalone duplex villa.

As I approached the door, I overheard my brother complaining, "The sun is so hot. Why are we rushing to deposit money in a fixed term? It's making me dizzy!"

Mom replied, "It's for your future wedding. Nancy's business failed. Are you planning to give the money back to her?"

"Pfft... isn't it natural for a sister to give to her brother?" my brother retorted with self-righteousness.

"Exactly, after all, she's going to get married, and even if she takes the money back, it'll just go to someone else's family."

***

I stood still, the sun beating down mercilessly, yet I felt a chill deep in my bones.

Maybe it was because I had walked too far.

My body and mind were utterly exhausted.

My eyes were sweating from the heat—it was just too hot.

But it's okay. My younger sister is closest to me. She would always be on my side no matter what.

I stood there for a long time. Then my mom came out with the trash and ran into me.

She had a hint of surprise on her face, but in the next second, she quickly forced a smile, "When did you get here? Why didn't you call?"

"I did call, but you didn't answer," I replied coldly.

Mom put down the trash and led me inside, explaining, "We just moved here, there's a lot to do, and I forgot to tell you. But I know you're always smart, so I figured you'd find your way here."

She opened a new pair of disposable slippers for me from a collection of styles in the shoe cabinet.

"You've eaten, right? Today your brother and I were out running errands, so we didn't cook."

"Yeah," I responded blandly.

The villa seemed small from the outside, but it was actually quite large inside, especially with its high ceilings. Walking in, I immediately felt tiny under the luxurious chandelier, which flaunted the owner's wealth.

"Why did you suddenly move here? It's so hard to find," I deliberately avoided mentioning my brother's lottery win.

"Oh, this is a friend of Hyman's house. Their whole family moved abroad, so they offered us to stay here. We're helping them take care of the place," my mom said as she wiped down the furniture.

Whenever my mom lies, her eyelids blink incessantly.

"So how long are we renting out the apartment I bought? I'm planning to move back in."

My mom's hand paused for a moment, "That apartment was sold."

"How could the apartment be sold just like that? Why didn't you consult with me?"

"What's there to discuss? It's just a second-hand apartment!" My brother Hyman walked out of the room, dressed in a well-fitted suit that was clearly expensive.

"We moved in here, and the place needed some renovations, so we sold it to cover the costs," my mom said, looking innocent.

"So you just sold it, didn't you? The apartment I bought was sold without even asking me."

I looked at her, questioning.

"It's sold, so what? You keep saying it's yours. Where would you be without our mother? Buying an apartment is no big deal," Hyman sneered with disdain in his eyes.

"I paid for that apartment, and I can't even ask about it, can I? If you're so capable, why don't you buy one yourself?"

"Who says I can't? This place is..."

"Hyman, don't argue with your sister!"

My mom hurriedly interrupted, giving Hyman frantic looks.

Hyman realized he almost let something slip, so he shut his mouth.

"Since the apartment is sold, where am I going to sleep tonight?" I looked further inside, probing.

This villa must have at least five rooms.

"Nancy, you should stay at your friend's place tonight! This is someone else's house, after all. We can't just let you sleep wherever."

I stood up and looked at the two of them, suddenly feeling like strangers.

If I didn't already know that this villa was bought by Hyman, I might have believed them as I always did.

"Hah! There's no place for you to stay here, and we have no money to lend you either," Hyman snorted coldly.

"Fine! Where's Mandy? Where did she go?" I was tired of arguing with him. After waiting so long, my sister still hadn't come out. Normally, she would've come out by now, even if it meant wheeling herself out.

"She... she went out of town with a friend." My mom's eyes flickered with discomfort when she mentioned my sister.

"She's disabled. Which friend would take her out of town? Which friend? Why don't I know about this friend?"

Not even she would believe such nonsense.

"Mom already told you, Mandy went out. What's with your attitude?" Hyman stood in front of my mom, clearly impatient, pointing a finger at me.

"At least come up with a more believable lie. Since Mandy lost her legs, which friend has ever wanted to be close to her?"

"Don't forget, the reason she's suffering with a broken leg now is because you ran away from home back then. She went looking for you, and that's how she..."

I stared at Hyman, eyes locked on him.

Back then, the coach of the national athletics team personally came to our home to invite Mandy to Becon City to compete.

On the day she was supposed to leave, Hyman and my mom had a fight, and he ran away. Mandy rushed back from the station to find him, and in her search, she got into an accident and lost her legs.

"That was her own fault, nothing to do with me!" Hyman said with indifference.

My fists clenched. I didn't want to waste time arguing with him.

I bypassed him and asked my mom, "Where exactly is Mandy?"

My mom sniffed, "Forget it, Hyman. She'll find out sooner or later. Just tell your sister."

"Mom!" Hyman still wanted to stop her.

"If you don't tell me, I'll sit here until you do."

After hearing this, my mother frowned.

"She got married. Someone came to propose recently. The man's family is well-off, and he's a good person. Everything about him is quite nice."

"Married? She's only twenty! Where is he from? I'll go check it out!"

Mandy used to tell me that her dream was to travel all over the country. After she lost her legs, she always asked me, "Sis, do you think I'll ever be able to climb those mountains again?"

Marriage was never part of her plan.

My mom fell silent.

"Answer me! Where did Mandy get married?"

I pressed harder.

Seeing their silence, a sense of foreboding crept over me.

"Did you sell her off?"

"What do you mean, sold her off? What are you saying? It's the modern age. We couldn't force her to do anything she didn't want to."

"Shut up! Did I ask you? Mom, tell me yourself!"

"Her husband's family is from another province. I don't know exactly where. After they gave a bride price of twenty thousand, we lost contact."

I was stunned. Was there only twenty thousand as a bride price?

"You sold your daughter for twenty thousand, didn't you?" I questioned.

"Hyman was being hounded by creditors at the time. We had no choice. I..." My mom quickly covered her mouth, realizing she had said too much.

This was something I had never been told about.

"Hyman! You're a beast! You sold your own sister to pay off gambling debts! You are disgusting." I punched Hyman hard in the face.

"And what about you? What right do you have to criticize me? You went bankrupt in business and came back just to borrow money from me, didn't you? Let me tell you, this house is mine, bought with my two million lottery win, and you won't get a single penny! I'm cutting ties with you today! Get out of my house right now!"

Hyman didn't hold back, throwing me out while pointing at the door.

"Are you finally telling the truth? I thought you said this house belonged to a friend." I sneered.

"Get out now!" Realizing he had let something slip, Hyman lost his nerve and became furious.

"Mom, say something!"

Since everything was out in the open, it was time to settle things.

My mom lowered her head, her eyelids drooping, "Nancy, you're going to get married one day too. It's not like Hyman; he's the one who will carry on the family line. Stop making a fuss."

I let out a bitter laugh.

"I've paid no less than five million over the years to cover his gambling debts. He needs to pay me back, doesn't he?"

"How could you, as an elder sister, be so calculating?" My mom lifted her head at these words, looking at me with a resentful gaze.

"So, you don't plan on paying me back, do you?"

My mom remained silent.

"What about the money from selling the house? Are you not planning to return that either?"

"Sold is sold. Where would I find the money to repay you? Nancy, you've always been sensible. Why have you changed?"

"Oh? And what if I insist on getting this money back?"

I asked with a cold smile.