--Vernon''s dream--


    His love for Big sis Chloe was Eros, a passionate and romantic love, and he didn''t shy away from the feeling.


    In fact, he wanted to embrace and dere it to the whole world about it.


    The naive him was so in love that he told his Big brother about it;


    ''Big bro, from now on, I will be fighting for Big sis Chloe''s love too. So you better watch out, haha!''


    Back then, his Big bro didn''t react much. He just smiled thin and replied;


    ''Watch out for what you want, cute little Vernon,'' Vincent said, addressing the teenage Vernon with the nickname Big sis Chloe gave him.


    It sounded condescending, and Vernon also felt the same way.


    But he didn''t seem to catch his Big brother''s hostility.


    After all, they were brothers, and Vincent had always treated him nicely. So, everything was just meaningless fun, right?


    But that wasn''t the case anymore. Because that day, his Big bro suddenly called him, saying theirte father took Big sis Chloe to his room.


    Vernon panicked and said, ''I will beat him to death if he dared to touch Big sis Chloe!''


    He rushed back to the house, and his Big bro told him to enter the room right beside their father''s room.


    The room had a connecting door, and Vincent intentionally let it open a bit, so they could eavesdrop on the conversation between Chloe and theirte father.


    When Vernon entered the room, it seemed the conversation was ongoing.


    ''Big bro, where is Big sis Chloe? I will kick my father''s ass for--mmf!''


    Vincent quickly covered his mouth and told him to shut up because the connecting door was slightly opened, so Chloe and their father might''ve heard them.


    ''What happened, Big bro?'' Vernon asked, now in a low voice.


    ''They are discussing something. You''re a littlete, but I will summarize it for youter,'' Vincent said.


    Thus, Vernon hides behind the connecting door with Vincent while eavesdropping on the conversation between Big sis Chloe and theirter father.


    Unfortunately, he was already toote. Because by the time Vernon arrived, theirte father only had two questions to ask;


    -


    ''So, you have the answer now?'' Vaughn asked with a repressive tone.


    ''Um, yes... Mr. Gray...'' Chloe replied weakly.


    This was weird for Vernon because he had never heard his Big sis be this meek.


    ''Well, what do you think? About my two sons, Vincent and Vernon,'' Vaughn mentioned. ''Which one do you like the most?''


    There was a long pause until Chloe replied;


    ''Vincent Gray.''


    ''And why so?''


    ''Because Vincent is smarter and better at everythingpared to Vernon. That little kid is... not--not g-g-good enough...'' Chloe stammered a little before she continued, ''I would rather marry Vincent. Because I''m born poor. So I need to marry Vincent....''


    ''Hmm, I see. So that''s your resolve,'' Vaughn Gray said. ''Is there more reason when choosing my first son?''


    ...


    ...


    Again, there was a long pause until Chloe opened her lips;


    ''Vernon will probably end up being a disgusting useless man in the future. He is dumb, and untalented, and not good in anything,'' Chloe said, but her voice got weaker and weaker as time passed.


    Then, she ended the conversation the most painful sentence Vernon ever heard in his life;


    ''He will never be as good as his Big brother. That''s why I would rather marry Vincent.''


    -


    Vernon heard everything, and he was so shocked he thought he would faint right now.


    He stared at the door in a daze, and Vincent gently closed the connecting door to ensure the other side won''t hear him.


    Vincent put his hands on Vernon''s shoulder and patted him gently, ''I don''t know how to say this, Vernon. But dad knows that you and I are in love with Chloe, so he asked Chloe about it.''


    ''I didn''t expect her to be so mean though. Why does she need to say that you''re dumb and untalented? I thought she cares for you deeply, but it seems that she is just using you to get close to our family.''


    Vincent patted Vernon''s head as if he was also saddened by Chloe''s words and added;


    ''Vernon, you should know that all women are trash. They are only after your money, that''s why your Big sis Chloe wants to marry me instead of you.''


    ''Because in her eyes, you and I are just a pile of money. But I have my worth because I have everything that you don''t, while you... you''re a pitiful excuse of a human. It''s all her words though, not me.''


    ''So me her if you want to be angry, Vernon Phoenix Gray.''


    --Vernon''s dream end--


    Vernon opened his eyes abruptly. He stared emptily at the ceiling under the dim light, still trying to process his dream.


    Vernon gritted his teeth, and his jaw tightened as he tried to fight this urge to destroy everything around him.


    "That fucking dream again, I''m so tired of dreaming the same exact shit over and over, man," Vernonined.


    It wasn''t the first time and surely wouldn''t be thest.


    That scene was like a video that kept reying in his head in repeat. Whenever he wanted to think about something sweet with his Big sis Chloe, that memory of how much his Big sis despised him came up, making him unable to control his rage.


    Because whenever he wanted to believe that his Big sis Chloe was genuine, he would be reminded of the truth.


    That Chloe only saw him as a pile of money. She stayed with him right now because he had money.


    Imagine if he was just a nobody, then Chloe would probablyugh in her face and call him a wasted lowlife.


    "She is not genuine, I know that...." Vernon murmured as his chest started to tighten out of rage. "I can''t be an idiot, I need to hate her, I need to make her suffer, just like what she did to me!"