The President’s Mistake A Tale of Love and Regret



Nathaniel suppressed a sigh, moved a chair for Frey, and then sat cross-legged opposite Taylor.noveldrama

He took the bottle from Taylor's hand, not minding it had just been used. Years ago, the brothers would share a bottle of strong liquor, eat roast chicken, and chase down enemies together.

After a drink, Nathaniel looked at Taylor and said, "Go on, don't beat around the bush if you have something to say."

Taylor lowered his head, laughed, took another sip, and then gestured to the fairy tale books around him. "Nathan, did I ever tell you about my sister?"

Nathaniel nodded. He had helped Taylor search for his sister, more than once.

The orphanage management had been chaotic, and back then, there were no surveillance cameras. Finding a child lost after a fire was nearly impossible.

Despite Nathaniel's best efforts at home and abroad, Taylor's sister remained lost.

She had been only five years old when they were separated.

Taylor himself had been just a kid, barely able to remember her appearance, with no photos to help him in the search.

Taylor turned and took a SpongeBob picture book from the shelf, chuckling softly. "Look at these children's books. There are so many now. I can't even collect them all."

"In the orphanage, my sister and I just wanted enough to eat. Forget books, we fought over a worn-out Harry Potter book. I lost a tooth just to get a copy for her."

"I watched her smile and vowed to protect her. I even gave her the amulet our mother left me."

"Our family valued boys over girls. My mother spent a lot to get me a wooden plaque from a priest, saying I would study for a doctorate and bring honor to the family!"

"My sister loved reading," Taylor said, nodding at the row of bookcases. Frey had never seen him smile like that.

He continued, "She would sneak out

to collect up scraps with words and pictures, bring them back, and pester me to read to her. I was only in the fourth grade, but I read everything to her." Content belongs

"I borrowed books from school to show her. She loved the Detective Conan series. I fought with classmates to borrow it for her."

"Later, I was expelled, and the orphanage director didn't help me get back in school. That year, there was a fire, and my sister disappeared."

"I couldn't give her anything. I

couldn't give her beautiful clothes, delicious cakes, not even a fairy tale book of her own. I only gave her an amulet from our mother, a wooden sign she was deceived into believing."

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"Nathan, my mother was quite foolish, wasn't she?"

"Fake priests came to the village, selling good luck charms for ten thousand dollars, saying the child

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would become rich and powerful t

My mother saved up to buy me one. Later, my father beat her when he found out. The villagers reported it, but the fake priests had already vanished without a trace."