My Substitute CEO Bride

"Are you not curious why this little girl could easily hold you off and lead us right to you?" The masked man's words snapped Barther out of his thoughts. He studied the girl closely, and as soon as he sensed her true energy, the realization hit him.

"This girl is from the Patel family?" Barther asked, his voice filled with disbelief.

The masked man nodded. Barther could not believe it. If that were true, there was only one possibility-this girl could be his sister.

Memories from the past flooded back to him.

His family, the Patel family, once held influence not just in Grenford but throughout the Western Territory and even the Northern Territory. Their fall from grace stemmed from the mistakes of his parents-a forbidden love that went against everything their families stood for.

His father, Ronald Patel, was once the favored heir of the Patel family, while his mother belonged to the Draw family, a long-standing rival. For generations, the two families clashed in business and beyond. Yet amidst this bitter rivalry, Ronald fell in love with the Draw family's heiress.

Both families cast them out, but his mother was already pregnant with him by then.

Then, on the day he was born, his father left, leaving only his mother and him behind.noveldrama

Eventually, his mother returned to the Draw family, reduced to living as a servant because she was no longer the esteemed heiress she once was. He vividly remembered the names people called her the fool abandoned by a man.

As for Barther, he was labeled a wild child.

Not long after, his mother began to suffer from morning sickness again. Barther knew she was pregnant with another man's child, who had the surname Calhoun.

Nielsen Colhoun then became Barther's stepfather. He was the eldest son of the Calhouns, who were steadily growing in power.

Barther's childhood was spent in the dark shadows of bitterness and shame, surrounded by twisted circumstances. Yet, against all odds, his father eventually returned to him.

His father had dismantled and absorbed the Draw family, creating a new Patel family in Grenford.

Meanwhile, the original Patel family in Motadine gradually declined after his father's departure, losing much of their power and now only holding influence around Motadine. From that point on, the two Patel families had no contact with each other.

However, his father's triumphant return did not change his mother's tragic fate. The day before his father took over the Draw family, his mother gave birth to that child. Burdened by guilt toward his father, she left the Draw family on a rainy night, never to be seen again.

Barther never learned where she went.

This was the story of the Patel family. Now, it confirmed that the girl in front of him, named Smiley, was indeed his half-sister.

The masked man looked at Barther and asked, "I know I can't beat you, so what do you plan to do with this child?"

Barther was momentarily at a loss. He looked at Smiley and recalled his mother. He asked, "Have you ever seen your mother?"

Smiley shook her head.

"Then..." Barther began, but before he could continue, Francel charged at him again while swinging his staff. Barther defended himself, and as they fought, the twisted emotions inside him flared up once more.

"No... So what if she's my sister? Where's my mother now? I have to become a god! That's the only way to find her!" Barther roared. His inner turmoil spilled over as he landed a powerful punch, sending Francel flying.

"It's all because of this child! If it weren't for her, my mom would never have left, and she would've reunited with my dad! I have to kill her! I have to avenge my mom!"