My Neighbour Is My Cousin Brother

The Perfect Revange Begin

Chapter Seven: The Sweet Taste of Revenge

The taxi ride back to his small, lonely apartment had been the longest thirty minutes of Mark’s life. He had stared at the passing city lights, his reflection in the window looking pale and ghostly. He looked like a man who had lost everything. And in that silence, something shifted.

The sadness didn't vanish; it curdled. It turned into a thick, black sludge of resentment. Leo had used him, branded him, and then tossed him aside like a piece of scrap paper because his "real" prize had arrived. Leo thought he could just pay a tuition bill and walk away into the sunset with Lily.

"No," Mark whispered to the empty backseat. "You don't get to do that, Leo. You made this bed. Now, I’m going to make sure you never leave it."

Mark didn't go into his apartment. He walked to the park across the street, sat on a cold bench, and took out his phone. He didn't call Leo. He called his mother. Then, he called Leo’s mother.

His voice was a masterpiece of cracks and hushed sobs. He told them he was "confused." He told them Leo was acting "strange" since a woman named Lily arrived. He planted the seeds of doubt with the precision of a surgeon. By the time he hung up, both mothers were in a state of high-alert maternal fury.

Mark stood up, straightened his cheap sweater, and felt a cold, sharp smirk pull at the corners of his mouth. Leo had called this a game. Well, Mark was about to show him who the real MVP was.

An hour later, Mark arrived back at Leo’s mansion. He didn't sneak in. He waited at the gates until he saw the black sedan carrying his parents and Leo’s parents pull up.

"Mark! Oh, my poor boy!" his mother cried, jumping out of the car. She rushed to him, seeing his red-rimmed eyes (which Mark had rubbed raw for effect) and his trembling hands.

"I don't know what to do, Mom," Mark whispered, his voice small and fragile. "He told me it was over. He said Lily is the one he truly loves. He said I was just... a mistake."

Leo’s father, a man of few words but deep principles, looked thunderous. Leo’s mother was already vibrating with indignation. "A mistake? After he kissed you in front of the whole world? After he told us you were his soulmate? We’ll see about that."

The four parents, with Mark trailing behind like a wounded lamb, marched into the mansion.

They found them in the living room. The scene was sickeningly romantic. The fireplace was crackling, casting a warm glow over the velvet furniture. Leo and Lily were sitting close together on the sofa, their hands entwined. Leo was leaning in, his voice low and tender as he spoke to her.

"Lily, I’ve waited so long for this—"

"Leo!" His mother’s voice sliced through the romance like a guillotine.

Leo jumped to his feet, his eyes widening as he saw the small army entering his sanctuary. His gaze landed on Mark, who was tucked behind his mother, looking down at his shoes with the most pathetic expression he could muster.

"Mother? Father? What is the meaning of this?" Leo asked, his voice regaining its cold edge. He looked at Mark, his eyes narrowing. "Mark, I thought you left."

"He didn't leave, Leo," Mark’s father said, stepping forward. "He was discarded. Is it true? Are you tossing this boy aside because an old flame showed up?"

Lily stood up, looking confused and elegant. "Leo, who are these people? I thought you said the family was handled."

"The family is right here, Lily," Leo’s mother snapped. She turned to Leo, her face flushed. "You made a public spectacle of this boy. You told us—your own parents—that you loved him. You made us advocates for your relationship. And now, the moment she walks back in, you think you can just throw Mark away? Like he’s nothing?"

"It was an arrangement!" Leo shouted, losing his composure for the first time. "Mark knew that! He agreed to it!"

Mark chose that moment to step out from behind his mother. He let a single, perfect tear track down his cheek. He looked at Leo with eyes that screamed betrayal.

"I agreed because you told me you loved me, Leo," Mark lied, his voice a haunting, fragile thread. "You told me the arrangement was just a way to protect us until the timing was right. I gave you my reputation. I gave you my first kiss. I let the whole world call me names because I thought I was yours. And now... now you tell me I was just a 'placeholder' for her?"

The silence that followed was heavy with the weight of Leo’s parents' disappointment.

"Leo," his father said, his voice low and vibrating with authority. "You have disgraced this family. You have played with a young man’s heart and used your parents as pawns in your cowardice. There is no 'leaving' Mark. You made a commitment in the eyes of the public and in the eyes of this family."

"I am not marrying him!" Leo roared.

"Then you are not the CEO of this company," his father replied coldly. "I will not have a man who lacks basic integrity at the helm of my legacy. If you can lie to your family and break a heart this easily, you cannot be trusted with the lives of ten thousand employees."

Leo turned pale. He looked at Lily, who was backing away, her eyes wide with the realization that Leo’s "perfect life" was a house of cards.

"Leo," Lily whispered. "I can't be part of this. This is... this is a mess."

"Lily, wait—"

But Lily was already grabbing her coat. She saw the writing on the wall. She was a woman of status, and she wasn't about to be the "other woman" in a cross-continental family scandal involving a jilted cousin. She walked out the door without looking back.

Leo stood in the center of the room, his world crumbling. He turned his gaze to Mark.

Mark wasn't crying anymore. He was standing near the fireplace, the orange light reflecting in his eyes. He waited until the parents were busy arguing in the foyer before he stepped closer to Leo.

The "weak lover" act vanished. Mark tilted his head, a slow, predatory smirk spreading across his face. It was the exact same smirk Leo had used on him for a week.

"The cake is delicious, Leo," Mark whispered, so low only Leo could hear. "You baked it with your lies, your ego, and your public stunts. Now, you’re going to sit there and eat every single bite."

"You did this," Leo hissed, his hands balled into fists. "You brought them here."

"I just told them the 'truth' you taught me," Mark replied, his voice a cool silk. "You wanted a partner, Leo? You wanted the world to think I was yours? Congratulations. You got exactly what you wanted. We’re getting married. And I’m going to make sure every single day of that marriage is a reminder of exactly what you owe me."

Leo looked at Mark—really looked at him—and saw the monster he had accidentally created. The quiet, boring student was gone. In his place was a man who had learned how to wield power from the master himself.

"I will make your life a living hell," Leo vowed.

Mark’s smirk deepened. "You already did, Leo. Now it’s my turn to return the favor. Husband."

Mark turned back to the parents, his face instantly shifting back into a mask of tragic heartbreak. "Mom? Dad? I think Leo needs a moment to process. Maybe we should start talking about the wedding date? To settle the rumors... for the family's sake?"

As the parents led Mark away, discussing guest lists and PR strategies to "save" the family name, Leo stood alone in the ruins of his living room. He had thought he was the puppeteer. He had thought Mark was the doll.

But as he watched Mark walk away, he realized the strings had changed hands. And for the next year, he was going to have to dance.