My Brother Gifted Me the Billionaire Villain

My brother, Silas, is a massive show-off. His public persona? The ultimate doting older brother.

When we were kids, if the other girls paraded around in pretty dresses, Silas would grit his teeth and scrape together the cash to buy me one. Now that were older, the other girls have hot boyfriends. So, naturally, Silas got his most gorgeous friend drunk and literally handed him over to me.

He puffed out his chest, his voice dripping with pride. "Whatever other girls have, my sister gets too!"

I swallowed hard. Staring at the man sprawled on the sofa radiating pure, dangerous testosterone, I took a quick step back. "There is absolutely no way I'm taking this!"

Chapter 1

My brother has always loved showing off. I was four, and he was seven.

Mom and Dad were swamped with work and couldn't keep an eye on both of us. They originally planned to send me to live with relatives for a while, but things took an unexpected turn. Before we even made it out the door, we bumped into Silas, who had just gotten home from school.

Silas had a bunch of his male classmates trailing behind him. When they saw me standing there, blinking blankly in my pigtails, they immediately started chattering.

"Whoa, Silas, you have a little sister?"

"She's so cute! Can she play with us?"

"Yeah, come on!"

Basking in his friends' hype, my brother's eyes lit up. He tilted his chin up, the corners of his mouth curving into a self-satisfied smirk. "Of course. My sister is totally obsessed with me."

Me, literally holding my bags to go to our relatives' house: "?"

I stared at the boy lying through his teeth and stayed silent. Is showing off a required skill for a destined nobody? Yes.

I woke up inside a novel, but I wasn't the female lead, nor was I the evil villainess. I was just an average background character. The only person in our family with any real plot relevance was my show-off brother.

He would eventually hate the main villaina guy from a poor background with way too much pride. Silas would target him, get beaten down to the dirt, target him again, and eventually snap and physically assault someone. Hed get expelled from school, drift through life, accomplish absolutely nothing as an adult, and end up with a miserable fate.

He was the definition of a pure stepping-stone character.

Having read the whole book, I just thought he brought it on himself. I didn't feel an ounce of pity for him.

But Mom didn't know his true nature. Still, she didn't embarrass him in front of his friends. She pulled him aside and lowered her voice. "Silas, we're taking your sister to stay with relatives for a bit. She can't play with your friends today."

Can't?! That was basically slapping my brother in the face in front of his audience!

The boy's face flushed bright red, his eyes widening. A second later, he grabbed Mom's hand. All his bravado evaporated as he begged, "Mom, I'm big now! I can take care of her! Don't send her away"

By the end of his plea, his voice actually cracked.

Mom exchanged a conflicted look with Dad, clearly still worried. "Are you sure you can take care of your sister?"

Soaking in the envious stares of his friends, Silas thumped his chest in promise. "Of course! As long as I'm breathing, I'll never let her suffer!"

Me: Yeah, right.

But Mom and Dad believed him. And just like that, I stayed home.

Mom and Dad left early and came home late, and Silas still had to go to school.

I figured he was just running his mouth. After all, his elementary school wasn't exactly close to our house. It was June, and by noon, the heat was sweltering.

I was just getting ready to fend for myself when the front door suddenly swung open. Heavy panting echoed down the hallway.

I turned around to see a red-faced boy tugging at his collar to fan himself while kicking off his sneakers. He was clearly burning up.

He must have sprinted the whole way back. Gasping for air, he caught me staring at him. His voice was still squeaky as he wheezed, "Hold on, Wren. Let me catch my breath, and I'll warm up some food for you!"

I blinked. He actually rushed all the way back?

Maybe he thought I was starving, because Silas didn't even rest for a few minutes before marching into the kitchen. He was only in first grade and barely tall enough to see over the counter. He dragged a stool over, climbed on top of it, and struggled to shove a frozen pizza from the fridge into the microwave. Three minutes later.

Chapter 2

Beep. He didn't even think before reaching in to grab the hot plate!

My eyes flew wide open, and I rushed over. "Don't"

The word barely left my mouth. Crash. The plate shattered into a dozen pieces on the floor.

Silas howled, clutching his burned fingers. But before he could even recover, his gaze dropped to the mess and the blood on the floor. He froze.

I followed his line of sight down. A jagged piece of ceramic had sliced into my calf, and dark red blood was oozing out.

Before I could even say a word, Silas's breathing hitched. Forgetting his burned hand entirely, he dropped to a crouch next to my leg.

"Wren! Wren, you're bleeding!" he stammered, his voice cracking slightly. "Don't be scared! I'm here!"

"I'm not"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes, but a second later

The little boy looked up. His eyes were bloodshot, shimmering with tears. He bit down hard on his lower lip, his hands balled tightly into fists as he fought desperately to keep the tears from falling.

Something invisible tugged at my chest. I let out a soft breath.

His small frame was trembling, yet he was still trying so hard to act tough.

But looking at him now, he wasn't entirely annoying.

Silas didn't know the first thing about first aid. He squatted by my leg, hovering his small hands over the bleeding cut, wanting to press down on it but too afraid to actually touch it. Seeing the blood snake down my pale calf and pool on the floor, his hands shook like leaves in the autumn wind.

His breathing grew heavy and rapid as he kept chanting, "It's okay, Wren. It's okay. It's okay."

After agonizing over it for what felt like forever, he couldn't take it anymore. He sprang to his feet. "Wren, I'll be right back!"

With that, he bolted out the door like a tornado.

Me: "??"

What was he doing?

Before my brain could even process his exit, a boy's ear-piercing scream echoed from the street. "Help! My sister is dying!"

"Somebody, please help her!"

"Help!"

If you listened closely, you could hear the raw sob tearing through his voice.

He was probably sobbing his eyes out while yelling. A faint warmth spread through my chest, but the moment the actual words registered, my vision went black. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole.

Like, seriously? I got a tiny scrape; I wasn't bleeding out!

But Silas had lungs of steel. His screaming made the whole neighborhood think a murder had just occurred.

It was dinner time, and Mrs. Miller from next door sprinted out of her house in her loungewear. She grabbed my brother, who was running around screaming like a headless chicken. "Silas! What happened?!"

Seeing an adult, Silas hastily wiped his tears, dragged Mrs. Miller into our house, and pointed directly at mestanding perfectly still like a statue. "Mrs. Miller! My sister is bleeding so much!" he yelled frantically.

By the time he actually brought someone back, the blood had already started to clot. It looked a bit messy, but it honestly wasn't a big deal.

Mrs. Miller dug out our first-aid kit, cleaned up the cut, and slapped a bandage on it. She even helped sweep up the shattered ceramic pieces. Right before she left, she gave us a stern warning. "Keep the wound dry. No water."

Silas nodded so hard his head looked like it might pop off.

After walking Mrs. Miller to the door, my brother marched back to his room, dug out his secret stash of snacks, and dumped them in front of me. "Here, Wren. Eat up!" he said generously.

His voice was still thick with congestion from crying. I studied his red, puffy eyes. Did I really scare him that badly?

The thought made me soften, and I instinctively tried to comfort him. "Silas, I'm okay. Don't cry."

Hearing that, Silas instantly froze in the middle of sneaking a glance at my bandaged leg. He jerked his gaze away, his hands fumbling at his sides.

His little face flushed a deep crimson, and he stubbornly craned his neck. "I was not crying! The wind outside was just really strong!"

I raised an eyebrow, staring at his stubbornly defensive little face. ""

Chapter 3

Right, right. It was just the wind. Whatever my brother said goes.

That night, Mom and Dad found out about the incident. They patiently taught Silas that he couldn't just grab hot things out of the microwave with his bare hands; he had to use oven mitts.

Silas listened with a dead-serious expression, then confidently declared that it was a piece of cake. He swore hed execute the mission perfectly tomorrow.

Unfortunately for him, he never got the chance to show off his new skills. Because I was going back to kindergarten.

Mom and Dad had already talked to the principal about transferring me since I was supposed to stay with our relatives, and the paperwork was almost done. Now that the plan had changed, they specifically went over after work to sort out the paperwork. I was officially heading back to kindergarten the next day.

Silas's shoulders slumped heavily when he heard the news. He secretly stomped his feet, his jaw tight, but there was nothing he could do.

I thought he had finally given up on his chance to play the hero, but I was wrong.

The very next morning. When I woke up, the first thing I saw was a tiny figure in the kitchen, wearing oversized oven mitts and pulling a warmed-up mug of milk out of the microwave.

He was only in first grade, but he was trying so hard to act steady, like a little adult.

Spotting me, he waved and called out happily, "Wren, hurry! Come drink your milk!"

Mom and Dad walked in right at that moment. Amused by the scene, they praised him, "You're such a good big brother."

The corners of Silas's mouth instantly twitched upward into a huge grin, though he quickly forced it down to act cool. "I'm the older brother," he said smoothly. "Taking care of my sister is my job."

Mom and Dad exchanged a look and burst out laughing. Silas's face flushed a little from their teasing, but he joined in with a goofy grin of his own.

Outside the window, the soft morning sunlight spilled over their faces. In front of them sat the striped dining table, set with mugs of milk, freshly toasted bread, and sunny-side-up eggs. Nearby, a few stuffed bunnies and bears were scattered across the fabric sofa in organized chaos. Time seemed to freeze in that exact moment, painting a picture of a warm, perfect family.

I stood there quietly watching my family. I thought about the ending of the original bookhow Mom and Dad would worry themselves sick over Silas, their hair turning white in their middle age, their faces gaunt and exhausted. A sudden thought swelled in my chest.

I didn't want that. I wanted us to be okay. All of us.

After that day, Silas and I got a lot closer.

Just to prove to Mom and Dad that he kept his word

If I tried to pick up my toys, he would snatch them away. "I got it! Go rest!" Then, hed end up sweating buckets, huffing and puffing.

Me: ""

If I wanted a snack, he would push his heavy allowance jar across the table. "I have money! Go buy whatever you want!"

Then, he would turn around, giving me his "cool guy" back profile. In reality, he was biting his lip, looking like he was in physical pain over his lost savings.

Me: ""

I guess I didn't need snacks that badly.

Later, my kindergarten let out for the day. When I walked out the front doors and spotted the little boy standing not too far away, I froze.

Silas was wearing a heavy backpack, standing with a few of his friends. He waved at me frantically. "Wren!"

Who knows what he had been bragging about to his friends. Seeing me just standing there, he marched right up to me. "Wren, I'm here to pick you up!"

Someone next to him chimed in right on cue.

"Silas, your sister is so tiny! She's so cute!"

"Yeah, really cute!"

Silas immediately puffed his chest out as far as it would go. He even proudly rocked back on his heels, blinking down at me with eyes practically begging for praise.

Me: "??"

Catching on, I let out a sickeningly sweet voice. "Silas~"

Chapter 4

Hearing that, Silas's mouth curled up so high it practically touched his ears. He puffed out his chest even further. "Yeah, Wren, I'm right here!"

The boys: ""

Me: ""

Alright then. Ive seen people show off their wealth, and Ive seen them show off their looks, but Ive never seen someone show off their sister before.

I let out a soft sigh, shaking my head as I reached out and grabbed his hand. "Let's go. Time to go home."

Silas chuckled, his voice softening by about eight degrees. "Okay~"

This pick-up routine quickly became a habit. All the way through elementary school, my brother walked home with me every single day after classes let out.

Of course, his school let out later than mine, so most of the time, I was the one waiting for him. Slowly, I got used to that, too.

Until one day.

After school, I waited in my classroom for a solid hour. I finished all my homework and glanced out the window, but I still didn't see that familiar figure.

Winter was approaching, the days were getting shorter, and the sky was already turning dark. I gripped my backpack straps tightly, my palms starting to sweat.

Silas was in middle school now, and the middle school building was a bit of a walk from the elementary school. I didn't overthink it. I packed up my bag and hurried over to his classroom in the middle school wing. There were only a few kids lingering inside, but one quick scan told me Silas wasn't among them.

A couple of the students recognized me. Seeing me show up alone, they paused, their eyes widening slightly.

One of the guys scratched the back of his head, looking confused. "Silas left the second the bell rang. The teacher didn't keep us late today, so we actually got out ten minutes earlier than usual."

Hearing that, I froze. He got out earlier than usual?

I didn't say anything else. I just turned around and headed downstairs. Maybe something came up last minute, and that's why he didn't come get me?

He was probably already home by now. But to my surprise, Silas didn't get home until after I did.

Mom was already prepping dinner in the kitchen. Seeing him walk in so late, she naturally asked, "Where were you? Why didn't you walk home with your sister today?"

I glanced over at him. His dark hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat, even though it was late autumn. His cheeks were flushed red, like he had sprinted the whole way back.

When he saw me sitting safely on the sofa, his shoulders dropped in a heavy sigh of relief. "I had some stuff to take care of," he explained briefly. "I thought I could grab Wren a little later."

Mom didn't press him any further.

I took another long look at him. Was it just my imagination, or was his lip split? Did he get into a fight?

The thought faded as quickly as it came, and I brushed it off.

Until the next day at school.

During the long recess after second period, my desk-mate came back from the restroom shooting me a really weird look. "Wren, your brother's name is Silas, right?"

I nodded, not denying it. "Yeah."

Silas picked me up so often that it wasn't just his class who knew him; everyone in my class knew who he was, too. At first, people joked about our relationship, but once they realized we were siblings, the gossip died down.

Seeing me nod, my desk-mate paused. She glanced around carefully before dropping her voice to a whisper.

"Apparently, your brother got a bunch of older guys to gang up on a kid in his class. The kid's parents marched right into the school demanding answers. It's blowing up. I heard your parents are here too!"

I shoved my chair back violently, the legs scraping a harsh, screeching sound across the floor. "What