My CEO Brother Wants Me

Lucien sat by the window of the long black luxury sedan, his arm resting against the door as he stared outside. The city moved past them in a blur of lights and glass buildings, but he wasn't really looking at any of it.

Across from him, his mother kept glancing his way.

"Lucien," she said gently, "about what happened earlier..."

He didn't turn.

"I told you already," he said. "I couldn't control it."

Seraphina sighed softly and leaned back in her seat.

The outburst that morning had been bad. He had shattered a vase, they'd raised their voices, even one of the house staff had to be sent home in tears.

It wasn't the first time, and they weren't sure it would be the last.

His father, Alaric, sat beside him, calm as always, hands resting on his cane.

"Your therapist made another recommendation," Alaric said.

Lucien didn't react, but he was listening.

"He thinks it might help if we adopted a child," Alaric continued. "A young girl. Someone who could stay close to you. Someone you could bond with."

That got Lucien's attention. He looked over, then said, "No one can replace Lina."

The car went quiet immediately.

Seraphina's expression softened at the name.

"We know that," she said gently. "No one is trying to replace her."

Lina was his younger sister, gone barely a year. The house hasn't felt the same since.

"This isn't about replacing her," Seraphina went on. "It's about helping you heal. If you want to get better, you have to be open to trying what's recommended."

Lucien looked back out the window. He didn't reply again.

The car eventually slowed down as they got to a tall building, Clayview Orphanage. One of the many places the Hale family funded.

The manager, a middle-aged woman hurried forward as they stepped out.

"Mr. Hale, Mrs. Hale, welcome," she said warmly. "It's an honor to have you here."

Seraphina smiled politely. "Thank you. We're hoping to meet some of the children today."

"Of course," the manager said quickly. "Please, come in."

Lucien followed behind his parents, uninterested. He didn't want a sister. He didn't want anyone trying to fill Lina's space.

"We're looking to adopt a young girl," Seraphina said as they walked. "Around five or six."

"That's awesome. We have several children in that age group," the manager beemed. "There's a class session currently ongoing."

They entered a classroom and saw children seated around small desks while a teacher wrote on the board. Boys and girls both. Some were curious, some shy while some seemed to be used to visitors to react at all.

The manager smiled. "You can take your time."

Seraphina glanced at Lucien. "Do any of them catch your eye?"

He shook his head immediately. "No."

As he turned to leave, a small body ran straight into him making books and pencils scatter across the floor. The little girl gasped, stumbling back.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she said quickly, bowing her