THE SECRET BEHIND THE NERDY MAN

2

The car door shut with a heavy thud, leaving only the faint scent of leather and cologne lingering in the cabin. Kai leaned back against the seat, his body weak. His lips were cracked, the edge of his brow still damp with blood. He didn’t say a word. His eyes stayed fixed on the window, watching his own reflection in the glass.

“Master Kai…” the old driver’s voice from the front seat wavered. “Shall I take you to the hospital first?”

Kai didn’t respond right away. He only moved his head slightly, refusing.

“At least let a doctor—”

“I said, no.” Kai’s voice cut in, soft but firm.

The car fell silent. The two bodyguards seated in the back lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes. They were used to the young heir’s quiet nature, but tonight his presence felt different—cold, heavy, suffocating.

The car slipped through New York’s busy streets, the glow of city lights streaking across the windows. Kai’s gaze was still distant. In his head, Catherine’s voice echoed cruelly: “What dream are you chasing, Kai? Just because I let you tag along doesn’t mean I ever wanted to stay with you. You’re nobody.”

His fists clenched, knuckles turning white.

The old driver glanced at him through the rearview mirror. “Master Kai, your father is waiting at home. It seems he’s… furious. The video of your beating has already spread online.”

Kai drew in a deep breath, then closed his eyes. “Let him. I’m ready.”

---

Tall black gates loomed ahead as the car approached. When it stopped in the grand driveway of the mansion, a line of house staff stood waiting in perfect formation. One of the bodyguards opened the door, but Kai didn’t step out immediately. He steadied his breathing first, calming himself. Only after a few seconds did he get out.

The crystal chandelier in the foyer blazed with light. Two figures stood beneath it. A man in a gray suit, stern and imposing—his father, Leonard Winslow. Beside him, a graceful woman in a deep blue gown, her eyes clouded with worry—his mother, Helena.

“Kai…” his mother’s voice caught as she rushed to him, gasping when she saw his face. “My God, what have they done to you?!”

Kai lowered his head. “I’m fine, Mom.”

“Fine?!” Helena nearly broke into tears. “Look at you—your face, your body! How can you say you’re fine?”

Leonard’s sharp gaze burned into him, his hand gripping the black cane he always carried. “Who dared lay a hand on my son?” His voice was heavy with threat.

Kai paused before speaking quietly. “People who… shouldn’t matter to me.”

Helena grabbed his arm, frantic. “Kai, why didn’t you tell us from the beginning? Why keep it hidden? Why let yourself be humiliated like this?”

Kai gave a faint, bitter smile. “Because it was your order. Because I had to learn how to live as an ordinary man.”

The room fell silent.

Leonard exhaled harshly. “Learning to live ordinary doesn’t mean letting yourself be trampled!”

Kai met his father’s eyes calmly. “Then what’s the point of all this if I never truly experienced it? What is the value of our family’s power if I don’t know what it feels like to be looked down on?”

Helena covered her mouth, fighting back tears. Leonard stood still, his jaw tightening.

Kai stepped further inside, past them. “I did exactly what you asked. I lived as Kai the ‘loser,’ the nobody. And this—” he gestured to himself, bruised and bloodied—“is the result.”

Helena wrapped her arms around him at once. “Enough, you need treatment. Come, let’s get you patched up.”

They gathered in the vast family room, its tall windows framed by heavy curtains, the fire crackling in the hearth. Kai sat on the sofa while Helena stayed by his side, holding his hand tightly. Leonard stood in front of him, his gaze unyielding.

“Explain to me,” Leonard said. “Why that woman? Why choose a girl so far beneath you?”

Kai lowered his eyes. “Because I wanted to know what it felt like… to be loved for who I am.”

Helena choked back a sob. “And instead, she made a fool of you…”

Kai nodded faintly. “I knew the risk. Maybe I knew from the start that I was only… a joke to her. But I had to be sure. And today, I got my answer.”

Leonard studied his son for a long moment. “Then enough. From now on, you won’t live under a false name again. I recognize your determination, Kai. You will return as your true self—Kai Winslow, heir to this family.”

Kai’s eyes glimmered with defiance. “No.”

Everyone in the room froze.

Leonard frowned. “What?”

“I won’t ‘return’ just like that.” Kai slowly rose to his feet. “I’ve felt what it means to be humiliated. I know how it feels to be treated like trash. I won’t simply reappear with the family name as my shield. I want… to prove myself in my own way.”

“Kai…” Helena’s voice trembled with worry.

Leonard scoffed in anger. “Don’t be foolish! The world doesn’t wait for those too slow to claim their place!”

Kai stared at him unwaveringly. “Then let me prove I’m no longer the weak child you think I am.”

The tense air was cut by a soft knock on the door. A servant stepped in, his face stiff with unease. “Sir, there is a guest… waiting in the parlor.”

Leonard’s brows furrowed. “Who?”

The servant swallowed hard. “Mr. Donovan. He says… it’s an urgent matter concerning the Winslow heir.”

Kai’s head snapped around. Donovan. The name was all too familiar—young CEO of a rival conglomerate, cunning, ruthless, and, above all, his own cousin.

Helena stood quickly, her face pale. “Why is he here? Did we even have an appointment with him?”

Kai said nothing, though his heart thudded violently. Once again, Catherine’s words stabbed through his mind: “You’re nobody, Kai!”

His fists clenched tighter than before.

Leonard turned to him. “You’ll come with me. Even if you want to forge your own path, you can’t erase the blood in your veins. You are still my son, Kai—the only heir I have.”

Kai lifted his head, his eyes burning with a new resolve. “Fine. I understand.”

He strode toward the door, his parents’ eyes following every heavy step. His body ached, but his spirit was beginning to burn.

When Kai opened the parlor door, a mocking voice greeted him at once.

“Well, well… so this is the hidden heir. Kai Winslow. Word is, you were rejected in public by some ordinary girl. How shameful, isn’t it?”

Dean Donovan smirked, raising his eyebrows as his gaze locked onto Kai.