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Home / Mafia Maikling Kwento / This Time I’m Done Fighting / Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 9

Lahat ng Kabanata ng This Time I’m Done Fighting: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 9

9 Kabanata

Chapter 1

Reborn as the long-lost Rogers heir, missing for fifteen years, I avoided every chance to bond with my two brothers in this family.When they tossed me Vivi’s discarded, ill-fitting gown for the family gala, I smiled and put it on.When they sent Vivi to get an elite education while ordering me to scrub the utility room, I picked up the mop without a word.When they let Vivi chase love and dumped her rejected suitor on me, I didn’t fight. I accepted her leftovers with a calm nod.This was all because in my past life, I had spent my entire life desperate for my brothers' approval, only to end up despised by everyone for it.When I died in the crossfire of a gangland shootout, my own son pushed my body away in disgust. "Mom, did you really waste your whole life on such a petty fight with Aunt Vivi? Dying for the family would have been a more dignified end. At least then you wouldn't have disgraced our name."I left this world filled with resentment, only to open my eyes and find myself

Chapter 2

The next morning, when I came downstairs, the living room was humming with activity.Vivi was in the center of the leather sofa, her arm linked affectionately through Fred's as she leaned on his shoulder, showing him several gold-embossed invitation samples."I want champagne-colored ribbons, Fred. White is too plain. After all, this is my official debut as a member of the Rogers family."Vivi's voice was as sweet and cloying as ever."No problem, my little princess. Anything you want." Fred smiled and ruffled her hair, his eyes filled with adoration."Vivi is at the right age for a formal debut. It's time the other powerful families got to know the jewel of our family," Bryan said, leaning back on the sofa. Though his tone was restrained, his eyes were full of approval as he looked at Vivi."We'll use this opportunity to make all five families remember your name."The three of them looked as intimate as a perfect portrait of a powerful family, and I was the outsider who had mistakenly

Chapter 3

My eyes began to sting. My mind filled with memories of sunlight in the countryside and the smell of chopped onions.I was lost at the age of five during a family shootout. It was my adoptive parents who saved me and took me in.They gave me fifteen years of a normal life, pulling me out of hell and back into the world of the living.But sadly, they passed away in a car accident at the beginning of this year. My brothers only found me because they saw me in a news report about the accident.Only after I was brought back did I learn that my birth parents had died years ago in a mob hit, leaving behind a vast empire and two young heirs.They'd adopted Vivi because her father, a loyal consigliere to my parents, had also died in a hail of bullets while protecting my father.I carefully placed the photo album at the very bottom of my suitcase.I took out my bank card. It held the insurance compensation my adoptive parents left me, plus the money I had saved from scholarships and part-time j

Chapter 4

For the next few days, I did my best to be invisible around the estate.They were busy with Vivi's debut, and no one had time for me anymore.My brothers even gave Vivi a custom Beretta engraved with the family crest as a gift to mark her coming of age. I saw it by chance when the gun was delivered.The black gun was engraved with the intricate Rogers family crest, glinting coldly under the light.When Bryan handed the gift to Vivi, his voice held a rare trace of warmth. "Welcome to the family business, Vivi."Vivi excitedly picked up the gun and expertly racked the slide with a crisp metallic click.A glint of ruthlessness flashed in her eyes, a stark contrast to her usual wide-eyed innocent act.Fred stood by, clapping, but then he turned and saw me in the doorway. His smile froze.His gaze flickered, and he cleared his throat awkwardly. "Helena... if you like, I can take you to the shooting range sometime. We can pick a suitable one for you, too. For self-defense."I glanced at the

Chapter 5

I heard later that Fred had pulled every string that night, only to find my file classified at the highest level.But their dear sister Vivi was quick to soothe them.Vivi told her brothers that the medical field often recruited unknown volunteers for drug trials, treating them as 'guinea pigs' or basic data points. No matter how impressive the transport was, Helena was probably just doing the lowest grunt work in that ivory tower."After all, she can't even remember basic chemistry formulas. How could she possibly be a core researcher?"Her explanation put their minds at ease, and they accepted it.I went straight to the airport with the lab project staff who came to pick me up. Before being sequestered, I needed to study at the University of Zurich for a year.The plane flew smoothly at cruising altitude, the world outside a blanket of black.The cabin was silent save for the low hum of the engines. I leaned against the window and slept more soundly than I ever had before.In my dre

Chapter 6

A year later, I officially joined my mentor in the sealed laboratory deep in the Alps.The core research area of the project had no internet or cell service. The number of times I even looked at my phone could be counted on one hand.I threw myself into researching a new immunotherapy, and found the life deeply fulfilling.One evening, just after I'd taken off my sterile suit and stepped out of the white building, I put my SIM card back into my phone. The screen nearly froze under the flood of incoming messages.Hundreds of missed calls. All from Fred.Before I could even read the texts, the phone buzzed again. I answered, and a roar immediately came from the other end."Helena! Where the hell have you been? A whole year! Do you have any idea how long we've been looking for you?"I held the phone away from my ear and rubbed my aching temples. "I already told you, my research project is sealed off. No signal, no internet.""Is something wrong?" I was confused. In the past, the family

Chapter 7

I went back to New York anyway.The air there was still thick with the smell of gasoline and a suffocating, damp chill.I brought no luggage, standing alone in the VIP wing of the private hospital.After all, my mentor in Zurich was a world-renowned cardiovascular authority. If Bryan really needed a transfer or a more aggressive surgical plan, I could actually help.Perhaps it was just for that last shred of a blood tie.I stood at the door to his room, took a deep breath, and fought the nausea churning in my stomach.The door was ajar, and I could hear Bryan's cold, hard voice from inside.Even fresh out of surgery, his temper was as foul as ever. It was no wonder he had a heart condition."Transfer? To Europe?" Bryan snorted, his voice weak but still arrogant. "What good doctors are there? Just a bunch of bookworms who only know how to run experiments.""But Don, Professor Wagner in Zurich is truly...""Enough," Bryan cut in impatiently. "That girl Helena studies there for two year

Chapter 8

Back in Zurich, I fed the plane ticket from New York into a shredder.The suffocating smell of disinfectant and the false affection of my family were now sealed off beyond the Alps.I was fast-tracked into the Ph.D. program and spent sixteen hours a day in the sterile lab.My life gradually found its rhythm. I even managed to buy an apartment on the shores of Lake Zurich with my full scholarship and patent royalties.During this time, Fred kept calling, refusing to give up.His tone shifted from initial accusation to cautious flattery, even a hint of humility I had never heard from him before."Helena, Bryan's temper is getting worse and worse. You're the only one who...""I'm busy.""Vivi's not doing well after marrying into the Moretti family. That bastard has a mistress and he's hitting her... Bryan won't do anything about it, can you...""That's the path she chose."I would always cut him off coldly and hang up. They probably still thought I was putting on an act, still throwing a

Chapter 9

The day I left, Fred insisted on driving me to the airport.The air in the car was more suffocating than the ICU. Fred kept rubbing the steering wheel.I guessed he was probably thinking that if he hadn't been distracted by Vivi's fake fall on that stormy night, if he had asked just one more question about that car, maybe things would have turned out differently.As we neared the security checkpoint, he finally spoke, his voice hoarse. "Helena, will you come back again? Bryan acts tough, but he really cares about you. We... we all miss you.""And we all... really want to make it up to you."This was the brother who couldn't even remember my severe mango allergy, now talking about making things up to me.What were they afraid of? The family's decline, or losing me, their 'get-out-of-jail-free card'?"Fred.""I have just one question.""If I hadn't won that medical award, if I had really been just a lowly grunt worker like Vivi said, and had come crawling back in disgrace..."I took a st

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