The Fake Brother Left, So I Had to Become the CEO (And Then I Married Him) Chapter 1

I never imagined the "switched at birth" trope from those trashy novels would actually happen to my family.

The good news: I am my parents' biological daughter.

The bad news: My older brother is not my parents' biological son.

The worse news: Everyone in my family, except my brother, is a complete airhead. If he wasn't holding the fort, we would have gone bankrupt years ago.

When I was being tortured half to death by company affairs, my executive assistant gently reminded me.

"Miss Evelyn, if Mr. Smith is no longer a member of the Davis family, couldn't he just work for the Davis family as an employee?"

I thought he made a lot of sense.

That very night, I put on a sexy slip dress and ran straight to Ethan Smith's apartment.

* * *

When Ethan Smith brought the real son, verified by a DNA test, back home, my mind went completely blank.

No, I was just joking before! How could this actually be real?

It wasn't until the real son shouted, "Since you don't welcome me, I'll just leave!" that I panicked.

I was so confused. What role was I supposed to play in this "switched at birth" drama?

Should I play the oblivious sister who inexplicably defends the fake brother?

Or should I play the edgy, rebellious sibling, pointing at the fake brother and declaring he doesn't share our noble bloodline?

It was so hard to choose.

Before anyone could say another word, Liam—the real son—snatched the keys from the gardener, hopped onto the riding lawnmower, and drove it straight into an oak tree.

Okay, we believe him. He's the real son.

As the saying goes, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

I always had a feeling my older brother, Ethan, wasn't biologically related to my parents.

The reason was simple.

Our entire family consisted of absolute sweet, naive airheads.

My mom was a beautiful, empty-headed trophy wife. My dad was a wealthy heir who knew nothing about business.

I was a third-generation heir who inherited both the beauty and the complete lack of business acumen.

But Ethan was different. He wasn't just smart; he was incredibly capable.

From my earliest memories, he comfortably sat on the throne of being ranked number one in his grade. He didn't even have to take the SATs; he was offered a full ride to a top-tier Ivy League university.

But I was a certified academic disaster.

In other words, if he wasn't my brother, I wouldn't have even known you could get scholarships through academic decathlons.

I had shared my suspicions with my parents before, but they just said I’d read too many novels and fried my brain.

Only Ethan, standing nearby, had a dark, unreadable expression as he looked at me thoughtfully.

But I was seriously just joking!

We dragged Liam out of the tree in the front yard.

Ethan Davis—oh, I should call him Ethan Smith now.

He suddenly took a step back.

"Mom, Dad, thank you for raising me all these years. I will return all the shares in the group to you, and I will step down from the CEO position for Evelyn. Goodbye."

Before anyone could process it, he grabbed a simple duffel bag and left the Davis estate.

I was furious.

We had lived together for over twenty years, and he didn't show a single ounce of attachment.

I quickly chased after him. Thinking about his usual attitude towards me, I couldn't bear it anymore and demanded:

"Did you never see me as your sister?"

Ethan didn't turn around; he only left me with the sight of his tall back.

The setting sun cast a long, somewhat lonely shadow behind him.

"Yes."

That single, light word slammed into my heart.

Before I could even react to that "yes," Ethan spoke again.

"Evelyn Davis, I never wanted to be your brother at all."

With that, Ethan got into his car and vanished from my sight.

I burst into loud sobs, crying even louder than Liam had.

"Mom! He's a bad person! He doesn't want me anymore! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!"

Liam froze, suddenly unsure if he should be crying too.

At dinner, our family of four sat around the table, biting our nails.

Because we were faced with an urgent problem that needed an immediate solution.

"Who's going to the company tomorrow?"

The four of us looked at each other in dismay.

Back when my dad took over the company, he almost drove it straight into bankruptcy.

It wasn't until Ethan went to college and started managing the company on the side that things started to improve.

At the same time, he also founded his own tech company, Zenith Tech, and its momentum and revenue were on track to surpass the Davis Group.

So, before he even graduated, my dad announced his retirement.

He took my mom on a fabulous trip around the world, and then settled into a happy life of fishing and playing chess every day.

I am a freelance photographer. Although I have some fame in the industry, I really don't know how to manage a company.

The three of us simultaneously turned our gaze to Liam, the real son.

Liam scratched his head awkwardly and pulled out his Advanced Electrician Certification and a "Worker of the Month" medal.

"Ethan's—I mean, Ethan Smith's—parents... one was a college professor, and the other was an award-winning high school teacher. How did you...?"

I asked, genuinely confused.

Liam just scratched his head.

The three of us silently shut our mouths in unspoken agreement.

It wasn't that we looked down on his education or profession, but we felt incredibly sorry for the Smith parents.

They must have doubted their own parenting methods more than once. After all, looking at Ethan, it was clear there was nothing wrong with their genetics.