Chapter 2
My chest felt heavy, as if a stone had been lodged there. I took a deep breath, forcing down the stinging tears in my eyes.
“Alright, tomorrow I’ll bring you the antique watch from home…”
“No need.”
Alex Sterling took Vanessa’s hand, lacing his fingers with hers. The plain band on his middle finger was unassuming, yet he’d worn it for ten years.
Only because it was the first gift Vanessa had ever given him.
“If the person giving the gift is wrong, then nothing is right.”
“Mrs. Thorne, Vanessa and I have a date. We’ll be leaving now.”
With that, he walked away, his arm around Vanessa, not sparing me another glance.
It seemed I had been delusional.
“Slap!”
Before I could even process my emotions, a loud slap landed on my cheek.
A ringing sound echoed in my eardrums. My face went numb, then a burning sting spread across it.
“You little bitch! Still coveting the family’s assets? I’m telling you, the Thorne family won’t give you a single penny as dowry! Dreaming of that antique watch? In your dreams!”
“But that was my mother’s…”
Before I could finish, another slap landed.
My eyes red, I met her distorted, furious face.
“Your mother’s been dead for ten years! She didn’t leave you a separate will before she jumped into the river.”
“If I hadn’t brought my lucky star daughter into this family, the Thornes would have been cursed into extinction by you long ago.”
I staggered backward, fumbling, and knocked over a cup of scalding hot green tea.
The tea splattered on the back of my hand, but it was nothing compared to the chill in my heart.
My father was superstitious. She had specifically sought out a psychic to analyze my and Vanessa’s birth charts.
That’s why, before my mother’s memorial rites were even over, she was able to bring her illegitimate daughter, claiming her to be a lucky charm, and they officially moved into our family home.
My father loved to boast about his second daughter’s special ‘blessed’ constitution, and the rumors had long since reached the Hayes family.
Mr. Hayes, desperate to save his son, didn’t hesitate to stoop low, manipulating the Thorne corporation to drain its assets, and then proposed a substitute marriage.
And there was another, bigger secret, one I had kept buried deep until the day I died.
Seeing that I wasn’t arguing or crying, Mrs. Thorne snorted.
“Just like your pathetic mother, a complete pushover.”
“After you’re married, remember to rake in plenty of money and bring it back to the Thorne family.”
I swallowed the metallic taste in my mouth, letting her yank my hair as she dragged me outside.
“The Hayes family has more than one son. If you play your cards right, you might even snag that playboy second son.”
In her dreams. I silently replied.
In the last life, after Vanessa married Marcus, the second son, Julian Hayes, immediately branched off from the family, cutting ties with the greedy Thorne family at lightning speed.
When Mrs. Thorne dumped me at the door, the servants nearby were still gossiping:
“That lady just ran off, leaving her daughter to be bullied by her stepmother.”
“I say, what man doesn’t change his mind? Just turn a blind eye, and it’s over.”
“They’re too used to good lives, can’t handle a little setback. All these rich ladies are like that…”
I couldn’t take it anymore and roared, “Shut up!”
The few women immediately fell silent, startled.
When they realized it was me, they all relaxed.
“What’s all this noise about?”
Vanessa, holding Alex Sterling’s hand, came closer.
“Sister, how can you be so mean to the servants?”
Her soft, delicate voice immediately garnered a chorus of agreement.
Alex Sterling frowned at me.
“Although your mother’s death left you with psychological trauma, what they’re saying isn’t wrong.”
“Can’t you be a little more lenient?”
The elderly woman leading the group jutted out her neck in agreement.
“Mr. Sterling is right, we didn’t mean to.”
I laughed, exasperated, and lunged forward to hit her.
Vanessa spread her arms wide, desperately blocking me.
“Martha has taken care of me since I was little. If you’re angry, take it out on me, ah!”