I was the kidnapped heiress of the Sterling family. When my biological parents finally found me, I was hawking phone cases, three for ten bucks, at a street market. Looking up at their disdainful faces, a series of comments floated across my vision like a livestream chat: [Here comes the evil stepsister. My poor fake-heiress protagonist just got another bully.] [Boohoo, the protagonist is so tragic. Later she gets locked up by her psycho adopted brother, then tortured by the male lead. She breaks down and jumps off a building.] [It's a tragedy novel, what can you do? Once she dies, the male lead and the second male lead will regret it forever.] [Exactly. Just endure it for now. The best part is when the guys spend their whole lives repenting.] I stared at the floating text, confused. Regret? Repentance? What use is that? I turned to look at the teary-eyed fake heiress. A man’s hand was reaching out to comfort her shoulder. I suddenly stood up and slapped his hand away. "Don't touch her." 1 My action stunned everyone. Mrs. Sterling was the first to react. "Anna, what are you doing? Julian is your biological brother." According to the DNA report they just handed me, I was indeed their daughter. I didn't answer. I stared straight at Julian, instinctively shielding the fake heiress, Stella, behind me. Meeting my gaze, Julian adjusted his cuffs to hide his annoyance. He flashed a perfect, practiced smile and introduced himself. "Hello, Anna. I'm your biological brother, Julian." I ignored his outstretched hand. "First time meeting your sister, shouldn't you bring a gift?" Julian glanced awkwardly at his parents and coughed lightly. "It was sudden. I didn't prepare anything. I'll make it up to you." "It's fine. That watch looks nice." I had been eyeing his Rolex since they arrived. It looked expensive. Julian looked down at his wrist. "It's a men's watch..." "I don't mind." I cut him off mid-sentence. The floating comments exploded: [The evil sister is so greedy! Asking for a luxury watch before even stepping in the door.] [So petty. Typical poor person mentality, acting like she's never seen anything good.] [Later she steals the protagonist's stuff at home too. The author needs to kill her off sooner.] 2 In the end, Julian gave me the watch. I tossed it directly to my buddy, Cole. Cole had been watching over my stall this whole time, his eyes red. "Boss, what am I gonna do if you leave with them?" I grabbed a tissue and wiped his face, disgusted. "Do whatever you need to do. Sell this batch of cases first." "That watch should be worth a lot. Find a reputable pawn shop and sell it. Don't get scammed. It should cover your mom's surgery." Hearing this, Cole cried even harder. I jumped, slapping the back of his head. "Stop it! People will think I did something to you." Cole's sobbing quieted down. I pointed at the Sterlings' black Bentley. "Your sister is going off to enjoy the good life, not dying." "When I make it big, I'll come back for you." Cole held the watch with both hands, looking like an abandoned puppy, nodding pitifully. I couldn't help but wipe his tears again before walking towards the Sterlings. Mrs. Sterling looked at Cole with disdain. "Anna, are you close with that hoodlum?" "You're a Sterling now. Watch your behavior. Those types are trouble." Mr. Sterling nodded in agreement, telling me to cut ties. I smiled. "Not that close. Just that when my adoptive parents beat me until I was bleeding, Cole and his mom took me to the hospital." "Otherwise, I'd probably be dead." Silence fell instantly. The Sterlings exchanged awkward glances and ushered us into the car. Sensing Stella didn't want to sit next to Julian, I took the middle seat in the back. Julian glanced at me but said nothing. The comments went wild: [Here it comes! The evil sister is starting to compete for favor.] [I'm scared to watch. The protagonist gets bullied so badly later. Her adoptive parents mistreat her too.] [That's why the second male lead brainwashes her into thinking she's unlovable. It's all the evil sister's fault.] [Wait, Stella was adopted after Anna was kidnapped. Anna's tragedy has nothing to do with her. Why blame Stella?] [I feel like Anna was helping Stella just now? Stella clearly didn't want to sit near Julian.] [Also, Anna took the watch to pay for her friend's mom's surgery. are you guys blind?] [Whatever. She hurts Stella later. Just wait, you won't be able to defend her then.] 3 In the car, the Sterlings asked about my adoptive parents. I raised an eyebrow. "They went to prison five years ago for child trafficking and abuse. Probably still sewing uniforms." I knew early on I wasn't theirs. No one treats their own child that cruelly. The atmosphere grew awkward again. I didn't try to please Julian like the comments predicted. Instead, I closed my eyes, organizing my chaotic thoughts. From the floating text, I gathered I was the cannon fodder villainess in a tragic romance novel. Stella was the protagonist. Julian was the psycho second male lead. The male lead was Gavin, the heir to the Grand Corporation and Stella's fiancé. Later, Stella would be mentally and physically abused by these two men in the name of "love." Eventually, she would break down and jump off a building. Only then would the men regret everything. They would blame me, the one who bullied her, for her death. In the story, I was tortured by them, forced to apologize to Stella's photo, and finally thrown into the ocean. This plot was insane. The men drove her to suicide, but they blamed me to alleviate their guilt? I decided then and there to stay far away from these two psychopaths. Since I was now a rich daughter, I needed to secure some cash. As for Stella, I had no interest in meddling. As long as I didn't bully her, the future tragedy wouldn't be on me, right? 4 Back at the Sterling mansion, the parents left for work, leaving me with Stella. Stella took me to my room. It was full of clutter and old furniture. Clearly, the Sterlings didn't value their biological daughter much. The comments said they were sexist, viewing daughters only as tools for marriage alliances. Stella stood at the door, biting her lip nervously. "Sister, don't be mad. It was too rushed, Mom and Dad didn't have time to clear the room." "But I wiped everything down this morning. They gave me money to decorate it for you. What do you like? I'll buy it." Stella finished in a rush, then rubbed the back of her head, as if afraid I'd slap her like I did Cole. I smiled, running a hand over the clean desk. "Buy whatever. I'm not picky. But I like gold. Real gold." Stella's eyes lit up. She started writing in a notebook. I glanced over and saw a small note at the bottom: Sister likes gold. Must save money to buy gold for Sister. I looked at her, puzzled. Was she a people-pleaser? We hadn't even known each other for five hours, and I hadn't been nice to her. Why buy me gold? After writing, Stella hurried away as if on an important mission. 5 Dinner was lavish. I ate heartily while answering questions. Learning I dropped out of high school, my parents decided to send me to a private academy. "Is Stella at that school?" I asked. Silence fell over the table again. Why did they always go silent? Too much internal drama. Finally, Julian spoke. "If Anna is uncomfortable, maybe we should transfer Stella to North High? That way they won't conflict." The parents nodded. The comments exploded: [The evil sister is at it again! North High is the worst school in the city. Stella will get bullied to death!] [Julian is pushing this so Stella becomes isolated and has to rely on him.] [Disgusting. The parents are bad, Julian is worse, but Anna is the worst.] Wait, what did I say? I just asked a question! Seeing them decide Stella's fate so easily, I spoke up. "Is the family bankrupt? Can't afford two tuitions?" They denied it immediately. "Then fine. Stella and I go to the same school. No need to transfer her." I continued eating. I felt Stella's grateful gaze but ignored it. I hate that look. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Julian smiling perfectly, but his grip on his chopsticks tightened.
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