My Brother's Crazy Girlfriend Wanted Us Out

Before my brother, Noah Spears, brought his girlfriend home, he made a point of warning me. "Stacey, don't call me 'big brother' anymore. Your sister-in-law will get jealous." I was stunned. I was his own flesh-and-blood sister. What did she have to be jealous of? But I didn't say anything. I let it go. After all, my brother was thirty years old and had only just found a girlfriend to bring home. That was no small thing. That day, to show how sincere we were, my mother, May Spears, made a point of preparing an envelope with twelve thousand dollars in cash. I'd bought a designer bag and a gold bracelet, and I'd even brought the deed to a house, planning to give it to them as their marital home. But the moment I walked through the door, my brother's girlfriend, Ashley Jenkins, smashed a glass on the spot, all because Mom had called him "son." "You old hag, don't you think that's disgusting? "My man is thirty years old, and you're still calling him 'son'? What, are you trying to remind me that he'll always belong to you?" Mom went pale, completely at a loss. My brother stood off to the side without a word. I was about to step in and smooth things over when she swung her hand at my face. "And you! You think you're any better? Always going 'big brother this, big brother that.' What are you, a hooker?" Chapter 1 Ashley Jenkins crossed her arms and glared at my mother, the words flying out of her mouth like knives. "My man has a name, but you keep going 'son this, son that' every chance you get. Your own husband's dead, so now you want mine as a replacement, is that it? "If you're that itchy, go find a banana and swat it out. Stop lusting after other women's men, you sick pervert!" Mom had always been soft-natured. Dad had sheltered her from everything while he was alive. After he passed away, I made sure she never suffered a single slight either. Being pointed at and cursed out like this was more than she could take. Her eyes reddened instantly, and her lips trembled, but she couldn't get a word out. I hurriedly set down the shopping bags in my hands and went over to shield her behind me. "Apologize to my mom!" Ashley looked me up and down with nothing but contempt. "And who the hell are you? Who are you to demand an apology from me?" I turned to my brother, Noah Spears, who stood off to the side like a block of wood. "Noah, so this is your 'sweet and gentle' girlfriend?" I bit down hard on the words "sweet and gentle." Noah looked a little awkward, but he still spoke up in a small voice. "I think Ashley has a point. Men and women are different, after all. You and Mom should be more careful about what you call me from now on." I couldn't believe my ears. Ashley, meanwhile, gave a cold laugh. "Hear that? That's your brother talking. You're a grown woman, and you're still going 'big brother, big brother' all day long. What are you, a hooker? "Where there's an old pervert, there's a young one. Mother and daughter, cut from the same cloth!" Behind me, Mom was shaking with rage, her face flushed red. Worried her heart couldn't take it, I pointed at the door. "You're not welcome in this house. Get out right now!" Then I turned to Noah. "And if you won't break up with her, you can get out too!" That only made Ashley angrier. "This is my man's house! What gives you the right to kick us out? If anyone's getting kicked out, it's you two!" Seeing that I'd truly lost my temper, Noah quickly stepped in to play peacemaker. He held Ashley by the arm and flashed me an apologetic smile. "Stacey, come on, we're all family here. Ashley is just blunt. She gets jealous and says whatever's on her mind, but she means well. "Aren't you the one who's always nagging me to bring home a wife? You even said you'd give her a generous welcome gift. Why are you kicking her out now?" I sneered inwardly. When I'd wanted him to bring home a wife, I'd meant a normal person. Now he'd brought home a lunatic, and she still wanted a welcome gift? She should take a good look in the mirror and ask herself if she deserved one. I was about to speak when Ashley's sharp eyes caught something. Chapter 2 Ashley immediately spotted the orange bag on the floor that held the designer purse. She hurried over, picked up the purse, and turned it over and over in her hands. Then she eagerly opened the other shopping bags and tore into the packages one by one. "Is all this for me?" Noah rushed over, eager to please. "All of it's for you. Do you like it? Mom even got a big envelope of cash ready for you. Hang on, I'll go get it!" He scurried into Mom's bedroom, dug a thick envelope of cash out of a drawer, and held it out to Ashley with both hands. "How's that? You're not mad anymore, right?" Ashley's eyes were practically glowing, but she only said, airily, "It's all right, I guess." I had no time for either of them. I'd noticed that Mom's face had gone pale and her lips were tinged purple. I quickly dug the pills out of her purse and had her take them. "Mom, do you want to go to the hospital?" Mom shook her head. "I just need to rest a bit." She was about to sit down on the couch when Ashley plopped right down next to her, knocking her so hard that Mom swayed and nearly fell to the floor. I caught her and glared at Ashley. "What do you think you're doing?" Ashley crossed her legs and lifted her chin high, looking down on us like a queen. "Seeing how sincere you all are, fine, I'll meet you halfway. "But now I have a few announcements to make, so stand there and listen carefully." "You..." I was about to cut her off when Mom tugged at my arm. "Let's hear what else she has to say." A smug smile tugged at Ashley's lips. "First, after the wedding, this house is going to be a home for just me and my man. You two have to move out, and not a single day later. After that, there's no need for us to keep in touch, so don't bother. "Second, the bride price is sixty-six thousand dollars, and the gold jewelry set is twenty-eight thousand. That's ninety-four thousand total, and it has to be paid in full today. "And third..." She turned to me. "Stacey, I hear you run a company?" I looked at her without responding. She went on anyway. "Noah told me your company makes over a hundred and forty thousand dollars in profit every year. For a woman to get that far, who knows how many dirty tricks you pulled? "I may find your behavior disgraceful, but the money's innocent. You'll get married sooner or later, and you can't exactly bring a company with you into your husband's family, can you?" I leaned against the table and watched her. "So?" "So, sign the company over to Noah." She'd opened her mouth and immediately smeared me as some kind of slut, and now she wanted to take something for nothing. I almost laughed out of sheer anger. "I started that company myself. Why should he get it?" She didn't miss a beat. "Because my man is the only man in this family. Everything in this family, including what's yours, should belong to him." As she spoke, she glanced at the packaging scattered across the floor. "You spend money like water, so you must have pocketed plenty over the years. "I won't hold what you've spent in the past against you. But now that he has me, a good wife, to look after him, are you still planning to hog the company and the savings all to yourself?" I froze for a moment, not because she'd convinced me, but because I was stunned by the sheer confidence behind her nonsense. I looked at my brother. "Noah, is that what you want too?" He finally raised his head, avoiding my eyes. "Stacey, Ashley isn't entirely wrong. I'm getting married, so I should keep some distance from you two. We need boundaries. "Besides, you'll get married sooner or later. Giving the company to me keeps it in the family. That's better than letting some other man have it." I took a deep breath, and a flood of memories suddenly surged through my mind. When we were kids, Mom and Dad were busy with work, so it was Noah who rode me to and from school on his bike every day. Chapter 3 On rainy days, Noah would drape his whole raincoat over me while he got soaked to the bone. When kids picked on me, he charged in and fought them, and he ended up with four stitches in his forehead. When he got home, Dad gave him a beating, but he didn't make a sound. He even winked at me and said, "I'm fine." So later on, when he turned out to be bad at school, bad at his jobs, bad at everything, I never looked down on him. I figured, worst case, I'd support him. If he liked playing video games, he could play. If he liked traveling, he could go. I made more than enough to cover it. But now that he had a girlfriend, he actually wanted Mom and me to walk away with nothing, and he acted like it was perfectly reasonable. The nitroglycerin had only just kicked in, and Mom's face was still pale. She spoke up in a shaky voice. "Son... Noah, how can you say that? That company is something your sister worked so hard to build..." Noah suddenly roared, "Mom, shut up! What does an old woman like you know?" Mom flinched in fright. At the sight, Ashley grew even smugger. She leaned back against the couch and slowly rubbed her belly. "If you won't agree, fine. Then I won't marry him, and I'll get rid of the Spears heir in my belly too!" Mom's eyes went wide, her voice trembling. "What did you say? You're... You're pregnant?" I frowned without thinking. But Noah was too busy being happy to notice how strangely the two of us were reacting. "Ashley, you're pregnant with our baby? Why didn't you tell me?" Thinking she had us under her thumb, Ashley smiled even wider. "I only found out a few days ago. I meant to surprise you, but I never expected..." Her voice suddenly turned aggrieved. "Your family actually treats me like this? I'm carrying a Spears heir, and nobody even cares. If I marry into this family, I'll never have a good day in my life. "I might as well break up with you now. I'm not having this baby for you either. Let's just never contact each other again!" When she got up to leave, Noah panicked completely. He crouched down in front of Ashley and grabbed her hands. "Don't be mad, Ashley. Please don't be mad. Don't worry, I'll make this right for you!" Then he stood up, wearing an expression like we owed him millions. "Mom, what are you two doing? "I'm not young anymore, and I finally found a wife. Instead of thinking of me, you're dead set on ruining it, is that it?" He grew more and more worked up. "Those little requests Ashley made, which one of them isn't for my good? "Telling you not to call me 'son' or 'big brother' is for the sake of peace in the family! "So what if the company is Stacey's? She's a Spears, and the house should go to the Spears men! "You're being so selfish. Do you want me to stay a bachelor for the rest of my life?!" After he roared out that last line, his chest heaved, and he glared daggers at Mom and me. As if we had truly done something unforgivable. I was about to fire back when Mom suddenly collapsed. I caught her in my arms just in time. She slumped against me, her face ashen, her lips a frightening shade of purple. "Mom! Mom, what's wrong?" I looked up and shouted at Noah, "Mom's heart is acting up! What are you standing there for? Call 911!" My yell snapped Noah out of it, and he fumbled his phone out of his pocket. His finger had barely touched the screen when Ashley snatched the phone away. "Oh, so now she's putting on a show?" She gave a cold laugh and glanced at Mom in my arms. "A heart condition? Who are you kidding? It didn't act up earlier, it didn't act up later, but the second we bring up our terms, it suddenly acts up?" Chapter 4 "Old hag, that trick won't work on me. When I want something, I get it!" With that, Ashley grabbed Noah's sleeve and pulled him toward the door. "Come on. Don't let them guilt-trip you. "Your mom is faking it to make you cave. But cave once, and you'll be caving forever. If you let her get a grip on you now, you'll be living under her thumb for the rest of your life." It was a baseless claim, but Noah hesitated for only two seconds before following her out. "Noah!" I practically screamed. "Aren't you gonna save Mom?!" He stopped. His eyes lingered on Mom's face for two seconds, and then he said something I'll never forget as long as I live. "Mom, stop acting. Think hard about what we said. If you don't agree to Ashley's terms, you'll lose me as your son." With that, he turned and followed Ashley out. The door slammed shut. I was shaking all over with fury, but I still grabbed my phone and dialed 911. "Hello, I need an ambulance. The address is..." At the hospital, the doctor said it was a good thing we'd gotten her there in time. Mom wasn't in any serious danger and only needed two days of observation. I breathed a sigh of relief, but I couldn't help thinking about Noah, who had walked out on us. It suddenly hit me that the big brother who used to stand up for me when we were kids had been gone for a long time. The next day, I'd just brought Mom her meal when the door to her room swung open. Ashley followed Noah in. She glanced at the spoon in Mom's hand and curled her lip. "Didn't I say she was faking? Wasn't she lying on the floor gasping for air yesterday? And now she can feed herself? "Tsk, tsk. With acting like that, it's a shame she isn't off winning an Oscar." I stood up. "Who said you could come here? Get out!" But she sprawled carelessly in the visitor's chair. "Even if you are faking, my future mother-in-law is in the hospital, so I have to show my face, or people will talk. While I'm here, I might as well ask: have you thought over what we discussed yesterday? "I can wait, but the baby in my belly can't. Anyway, we're already at a hospital. If you won't agree, I'll go get rid of it right now. It'd be so convenient..." "I said get out. Don't you understand plain English?" I raised my voice and pointed at the door. "My mom needs rest, and she doesn't want some rabid dog barking at her. And whatever's in your belly..." Before I could finish, a slap landed across my face. Clutching my cheek, I slowly turned my head and stared at Noah in disbelief. He stood in front of me, his hand not yet lowered, his expression conflicted. Ashley leaned back smugly in her chair, her lips curled practically up to the sky. Mom was shaking all over with rage. "Noah, how could you hit your sister?" Ashley spoke up before Noah could. "If a mother can't raise her daughter right, then it's only natural for the big brother to teach her some manners, isn't it? "With an attitude as disrespectful as hers, if nobody straightens her out now, who knows how many people she'll offend down the line!" That seemed to give Noah courage, and he puffed out his chest. "That's right! Who told her to talk to Ashley like that just now? Ashley already said she'd get rid of the baby, and Stacey still told her to get out. That's just provoking her!" Then his voice softened again. "Stacey, I was always good to you when we were kids, wasn't I? Why can't you give me even one small thing?" I looked at him and said nothing. He went on, "That's your own nephew in Ashley's belly. Can you really stand to have him die because of you before he's even born?" Chapter 5 Mom spoke up. "Noah, do you have any idea that she's preg..." "Mom." I cut her off and looked at my brother's face, so familiar and yet so foreign. My voice turned cold. "Noah, you're dead set on marrying her, aren't you? Even if she wants you to throw Mom and me out of the house?" Noah was taken aback. He glanced at Ashley, then nodded firmly. "That's right! If you don't agree, then we'll cut ties, and the Spears family line can end with me!" Mom clutched her chest, heartbroken. I smiled and nodded. "Fine. I agree to your terms." Ashley's eyes lit up instantly, and she said smugly, "Smart choice!" After they left, Mom held me and cried. "Stacey, I'm useless. I couldn't protect you. You're not really going to give the company to your brother, are you?" I patted her back, my voice calm. "Mom, don't worry. What's mine is mine. Nobody can take it from me." Mom looked up with tearful eyes. "Then when you agreed just now, what were you planning?" I looked at her. "Mom, if he's willing to throw away his own family for a woman, then he can't blame his little sister for not saving him any face. I want to see if he'll still defend that woman so hard once he knows the truth." Mom hesitated, then sighed. "I may be soft most of the time, but this time, I'm with you. Go ahead and do it." With that settled, I handed Noah a hundred and forty thousand dollars up front. I also promised that on the wedding day, I'd hand over the company transfer agreement and the house deed transfer papers together. Their wedding came together at lightning speed. I heard the venue decorations alone cost twenty-eight thousand dollars. They printed three hundred invitations, and the guest list ran on and on. Every aunt, uncle, and cousin under the sun was invited, along with "old friends" they were barely connected to. Ashley even posted daily progress updates on Instagram, like "Countdown to my dream castle wedding!" and "Thank you to my husband for giving me a fairy-tale beginning!" The comments were a sea of flattery. Noah was even more full of himself. He told everyone he met that he had a wife, a baby on the way, and a cozy home, and that his sister was even going to give him a "big gift." I didn't like a single post. I just waited quietly. On the day of the wedding, I showed up fashionably late. When Ashley saw the document envelope in my hand, her eyes lit up at once, and she waved the emcee over. "Come here, come here! This is my husband's sister. She's prepared a very special wedding gift for us. Read it out loud so all our family and friends can hear!" I raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?" "Of course I'm sure!" She deliberately raised her voice. "From now on, I'm the CEO's wife at Spears Group. We've got two reasons to celebrate today, so of course everyone should share in the joy!" I handed over the envelope. The emcee pulled out the documents and skimmed them. He paused, glanced at Noah, and asked in a low voice, "Mr. Spears, are you sure you want me to read this?" Noah stood beside Ashley and gave a grand wave of his hand. "Read it! Today is our happiest, proudest day. If my wife says read it, you read it!" The next second, the emcee's voice carried through the entire hall over the microphone. "Noah Spears's Infertility Diagnosis Report..." The emcee wasn't speaking loudly, but the microphone carried every word to every corner of the banquet hall.