Asher Chloe NovelGiving Up the Wealthy Life

1
For ten years, my sister called me a jinx.
Because the moment I, the long-lost son, returned home, her perfect life shattered.
The company went bankrupt. Our parents jumped from their office window. My sister tried to follow them more times than I can count.
But when my own heart failed from exhaustion, it was her on the operating table next to mine, giving me the heart that would save my life.
"Live well, Asher," she whispered as the anesthesia took hold. "But in the next life... please, just stay away from us."
My eyes were wide open as they wheeled her into surgery.
During the transplant, my body rejected her heart. I stopped breathing.
When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day the family's lawyer first found me.
I shook my head and gave him a small, respectful salute. "Thank you for the offer, sir, but the state raised me. It's time I started paying that debt back."

The lawyer looked at me like I was an alien. He couldn't comprehend someone turning down a life of unimaginable wealth for a reason like that.
"The Kingstons are one of the wealthiest families in the city," he said, his voice laced with disbelief. "Do you have any idea what you're giving up?"
I just shook my head. If they were that wealthy, why send a lawyer instead of coming themselves? It was obvious they weren't exactly thrilled about my existence. Its pathetic that it took me a whole other lifetime to figure that out.
I refused again and again, even signing a document swearing I would never make a claim on the Kingston estate. Finally, he left.
I let out a long breath and started the slow walk back to the children's home. I'd been working delivery jobs since graduation and had saved up a decent amount of money. Enough to buy some dolls for the younger kids and a new hand cream for our house mother.
But as I reached the gate, I saw a figure standing there, poised and impatient.
It was my sister, Chloe.
"Asher Kingston," she said, her voice sharp. "When you get home, I'm warning you, don't say the wrong thing. Especially not to Caleb. He's the most important person in our family."
Her words were a lightning strike that left me stunned and reeling.
She remembered, too. She had been reborn.
I swallowed the bitter taste in my throat and shook my head. "You have the wrong person. My name is Asher Stone."
"I don't know you," I added, my voice flat. "Please leave."
Chloe's eyes narrowed, disbelief etched on her face. "What kind of game are you playing now? Trying to be clever?"
"Don't bother. Mom and Dad still don't even know you exist. As far as they're concerned, Caleb is their real son."
Hearing that, a profound sense of relief washed over me. Good. At least in this life, I wouldn't be responsible for the Kingston family's karma. Their bankruptcy, Chloe's death... none of it would have anything to do with me.
The thought was liberating.
"Miss... I'm sorry, do you need something else?" I asked, my tone polite but distant. "If not, you're blocking the driveway. There's a lot of traffic here; it's dangerous."
With that, I brushed past her.
Inside the yard, a group of kids playing in the mud saw me and ran over, their faces bright with excitement.
"Asher! You're back!"
"Did your family come for you? Are you leaving us?"
I could feel Chloe's stare on my back as I shook my head. "They're all gone. You guys are my family now."
Ignoring the way her body went rigid, I took one of the kid's muddy hands and led them toward the house. "Guess what I brought you guys? I heard you've been craving snacks. Let's sneak some before Mrs. Gable finds out!"
Their happy shouts echoed through the yard. I couldn't remember the last time I had felt so light.
The next morning, I was getting ready to head to my old high school to give a speech at the assembly for the incoming freshmen. Staring out the window, my mind was filled with dreams for the future.
In my last life, when I arrived at the Kingston mansion, they were in the middle of celebrating Caleb's birthday. My sudden appearance was an awkward interruption. They already knew Caleb wasn't their biological son, but after so many years, he was the only son they had ever wanted.
They said it was good that I was back. The company needed an heir.
I changed my application from West Point to the finance program at Wharton. I threw myself into Kingston Industries.
They gave me all the pressure and gave Caleb all the love.
And then... what happened then?
Caleb sold the company's most vital secrets. We went bankrupt overnight. My parents couldn't handle it; they died by suicide. Even Chloe became a ghost, haunted and resentful, looking at me like I was her enemy.
She always said I was a jinx. If it wasn't for me, she'd still be the beloved heiress of Kingston Industries, the happiest girl in the world.
I never argued. I just worked, trying to give her the life she'd always known. I worked until my heart gave out.
I closed my eyes, picturing my parents' faces one last time. Mom, Dad. I can't be a son to you in this life. I hope that without me, your family of four can finally be happy.
When I opened my eyes again, the school gates were right in front of me, and a thrill of excitement ran through me. After the children's home, this place was my second home.
My favorite teacher, Mrs. Davis, met me at the curb.
"Asher, are you still set on your plans?"
I was about to smile and nod when a voice cut through the air.
"Asher Kingston! I knew you hadn't given up!" Chloe was running toward us, her face flushed. "You want to study finance, right? Well, I'll have you know Dad already signed his shares over to Caleb. You won't get a thing!"
"The Kingston fortune belongs to Caleb!"
Watching her hysterical outburst, I felt a sense of absurdity. Wasn't I a victim in all this, too? If Caleb's mother hadn't switched us at birth and left me for dead, I wouldn't have been found half-frozen on the steps of the home. If Caleb hadn't betrayed the company, our parents wouldn't have died.
Was it all my fault?
Not wanting to reveal my secret, I just lowered my head and tried to walk past her. But she grabbed my arm, her nails digging into my skin.
"Our family is happy now, Asher. Why did you have to show up?"
"Do you want to watch us fall apart all over again? Is that what will make you happy?"
"How can you be so cruel?"
I tried to pull away without hurting her. After all, she had saved my life once...
Mrs. Davis stepped between us. "Excuse me, miss. Asher is my student. If you have a problem, you can speak to me."
"Please don't harass a child." She pulled me behind her, her eyes sharp. "Asher, do you know her?"
I clung to her sleeve like a lifeline. "No! I don't! She was at the children's home yesterday saying all this weird stuff!"