Chapter 2148
Although they shared the same father, Sanderson lived like a stray dog, every day bullied and taunted by all sorts, being called an unwanted mongrel.
His brother, Graham, however, was the apple of everyone's eye. The high and mighty even felt that for Graham to lay eyes on Sanderson was a desecration of their cherished golden boy.
One day, Sanderson confessed to Grandma that he hated Graham, didn't like him one bit, and wanted to drive him away from their father's side.
Her grandma, stern and sorrowful, slapped him across the cheek, then pulled him into a weeping embrace, saying, "Even if you feel this way, you can't say it out loud. Otherwise, your father and his family will cast you out! You're a smart boy, Sanderson. Your grandparents can't offer you much, but you must go back to your father so he can set you on the path to success!"
"You must endure, for the sake of your future!"
In the end, Sanderson couldn't stay with his grandparents.d2
But his father bought him a small house near a prestigious school, and there he stayed with his grandparents, living a life that, if nothing else, was better than before. Sanderson didn't have to worry about food or clothes anymore.
He studied with a vengeance, absorbing knowledge like a sponge.
Each term, he topped his grade, each time receiving heaps of praise and awards, which Grandma would then report to his father with pride.
At first, his father didn't care much.
It wasn't until Sanderson won a full scholarship to a top university that his father started to see him in a new light and was finally willing to meet him.
To keep pace with Graham, Sanderson skipped grades and managed to apply to universities alongside him.
However, Graham didn't perform as well as Sanderson did on the exams. Sanderson was over the moon with his results.
Yet, in the end, Graham was admitted to one of the world's top-ranked institutions, while Sanderson, due to his stern old grandmother's strong opposition, ended up studying liberal arts instead of business as he had wanted.
To this day, Sanderson still believed that if he had studied business, he would have been far more capable and would have reduced his losses significantly.Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.
But in this world, there are no "ifs".
Despite being constantly outshone by Graham, Sanderson remembered his grandmother's words: to endure, always endure.
When they graduated and returned home, the Strand family threw a lavish party for Graham.
At the party, Sanderson laid eyes on Lenora for the first time.
She was wearing a light green dress adorned with beautiful flowers and birds, immediately becoming the center of attention.
Sanderson fell for Lenora at first sight, and by then, his father was already treating him quite well.
Seeing Sanderson's gaze fixed on Lenora, his father remarked, "Fancy her? She's the jewel of BrightStar Enterprises, the only daughter for three generations. That's a match that's not easily made." Sanderson took it for granted that his father would help him court her.
That night, Graham invited Lenora to dance, and Sanderson thought to himself how great it would be if Graham fell for her. Then, if she married Sanderson, Graham would finally understand the sting of heartache.
But by the year's end, Graham and Lenora announced they were married, having done so without the consent of either family, in an act of free love. Sanderson was struck as if by lightning.
During that time, Sanderson had been in touch with Lenora. They had met twice at academic conferences and had talked quite a bit.
Sanderson believed that Lenora had a fondness for him too, so he went to find Lenora.
What he got in return was her cold, humiliating rebuke.
In the end, she said, "You, a bastard, having the audacity?? If my father or brother found out, they would take it as an insult. They could even kill you for it."