Chapter 217: A Brother’s Mission
Harry froze the moment Alaric called him by his real name. For a second, he tried to play it off with a goofy smile.
“Dad, what are you talking about? Are you crazy? I’m Caspian!”
But Alaric didn’t respond—he just stared, eyes steady and unblinking, as if he could see right through Harry’s act.
Harry hesitated, debating whether to keep pretending. But the look on Alaric’s face told him it was useless.
“So Caspian spilled the beans?” he grumbled. “Seriously? I thought he was the quiet one. Guess I was wrong.”
His frustration bubbled up. “Man, Caspian is so unreliable! I’m the one always running my mouth, not him. I thought I could count on him to keep the secret…”
He trailed off, annoyed he hadn’t even gotten a heads-up. Then again, being holed up in the mountains with no cell service didn’t help.
Alaric shook his head. “It wasn’t Caspian. He didn’t say a word.”
Harry blinked. “Then… you figured it out yourself?”
Alaric nodded. “More or less.”
Harry crossed his arms. “Then shouldn’t you be questioning Caspian too? Just because he grew up with you doesn’t mean he gets a free pass. The DNA test proves I’m your son too.”
Alaric chuckled. “You’re definitely different from Caspian.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Harry squinted. “You saying I’m less responsible? That he turned out better just because you raised him?”
Alaric was momentarily speechless.
Harry pressed on. “If you raised him so well, he wouldn’t have run away—twice! So maybe you’re not as good at this as you think.”
Alaric sighed and gave a wry smile. “Do you always talk back like this to your mom and Elisa?”
Harry replied without hesitation, “Elisa’s slow, lazy, greedy, and always blowing other people’s money. But Mom? She’s perfect. No complaints there.”
That made Alaric smile, despite everything.
Seeing he’d broken the tension, Harry continued, “Yeah, we messed up. Swapping places and lying to you wasn’t right. But honestly, the fact that you didn’t even notice? That’s on you. We’re completely different people! How could you not tell?”
He paused, his tone a little softer. “We thought we were special to you. But if you couldn’t even tell the difference… it kinda hurt.”
Alaric opened his mouth but couldn’t find the words. It was supposed to be a prank, but now he felt like he was the one at fault.
“Yeah… It was our mistake. I’m sorry,” he said sincerely.
Harry blinked, surprised. Then he scratched his head and chuckled awkwardly. “No need to apologize. Let’s just move on and forget it ever happened.”
“Alright,” Alaric nodded.
“Wait—does Mom know about the switch?”
“No. But I’ve told Caspian that you two… are triplets.”
Harry’s eyes widened. “Triplets?! So who’s older—me or Caspian?”
Alaric smiled. “Caspian was born first.”
“Ugh, seriously? Why do I have to be the younger one?”
“Can’t help it. He came out first.”
Harry pouted, then grew more serious. “Since we’re triplets… why were we separated? Did you not want Mom? Or me and Elisa?”
Alaric’s expression turned solemn. “Of course not.”
“Then why?” Harry’s eyes darted to the side. “Cormac told me Caspian was conceived when you were in a coma… so that means all three of us were. If you didn’t know about us, then it must’ve been that mean grandma who bullied Mom, right?”
Alaric was stunned. He hadn’t expected Harry to connect the dots so quickly.
“You’re really smart,” Alaric murmured.
Harry scowled. “I don’t need praise. So it was that mean grandma. That’s so unfair! Mom is the mother of your kids—you can’t let your mom treat her like garbage just because she’s your mother. I won’t let that slide.”
“Don’t worry,” Alaric said seriously. “I won’t let anyone hurt your mom again.”
Harry nodded in approval. “Good. Because if you mess up—if you’re ever bad to her, or you two get divorced—don’t think you’ll get to keep any of us. I’ll make sure you end up with nothing. Got it?”
Alaric couldn’t help but laugh helplessly. And deep down, he knew Harry wasn’t bluffing.
If it came down to it, Harry and Elisa would definitely choose Galatea. And Caspian would too.
“I got it,” Alaric said with a smile. Then he turned serious again. “But today, I’m here because I need your help.”
He didn’t beat around the bush—he told Harry everything about the Nash family’s collapse.
Harry went silent for a full ten seconds.
“What did you say?” he finally whispered. “Ravenna and Orion… they died?”
He had never really grasped the concept of death before. Now, faced with the idea that someone he knew—someone kind to him—was gone forever, it shook him.
“That’s awful… how could they both be gone like that?” His voice trembled. “Cormac must be crushed.”
Alaric nodded. “He is. That’s why I need you to keep pretending to be Caspian—for now. Stay by his side, help him through this.”
Harry’s chest tightened, but he nodded. “Alright. I’ll do it.”
Meanwhile, at that very moment, Cormac sat alone in his villa, surrounded by half-packed boxes. The house had been mortgaged off to pay debts, and tonight would be his final night here.
Though he’d always lived alone, the silence now felt oppressive. The house no longer had any warmth.
He sat on the stairs, his body chilled by the cold tiles beneath him. When he heard the front door open, he assumed it was someone coming to claim the property.
But to his surprise, the person who walked in was Harry.