I flew home early to surprise my sister Nikki, but found our villa empty. Then I spotted fabric peeking from a locked dog kennel. Inside, Nikki was curled in a crate too small for a beagle. "Nikki?" I whispered, offering her favorite cream cakes. She shook violently. "No! Cakes are for Master. Dogs only eat kibble." Melissa's sickly-sweet voice came behind me: "Nikki prefers being a dog." My pregnant stepmother wore the Dragon Seal - our family's power symbol that Mom split between Nikki and me. Smugly patting her belly, Melissa said, "It's a boy. Both seal halves will be mine." I smiled darkly. She didn't know Dad married into our family's power... and became sterile after Nikki's birth accident. 1 The cherished youngest daughter of the Shen family, now chained up in the yard like an animal. The sight of the iron collar around Nikki's neck sent a blade of agony through my heart. No wonder I hadn't heard from her in the three years I'd been abroad. Every time I asked my father, he'd brush me off, saying she was buried in her studies. Her bedroom had been taken over. The villa's decor was completely changed, erasing every last trace of my mother's presence. I pulled Nikki from the kennel, trying to brush the dust from her clothes. The dress she wore was one I'd given her three years ago. Now it was little more than tattered rags, barely covering her. I took off my own coat and wrapped it around her frail shoulders. "Melissa," I said, my voice dangerously low. "How dare you treat a daughter of this family this way. You've got a death wish." "Is that any way to talk to your mother!" My father, Mark, appeared behind Melissa, flanked by a group of men I didn't recognize. Their eyes raked over me with open hostility. "My mother is dead," I snapped. "This woman is nothing." "Sarah! Melissa is my wife, which makes her your mother and the lady of this house! You will apologize to her this instant, or you are no longer my daughter!" "A gold-digging maid from the countryside who slept her way into this family is not my mother. And you, Mark, have you forgotten whose name is on the deed to this house?" My mother was the 75th heir of the Dragon Syndicate, a titan who straddled the worlds of legitimate business and the underworld. She commanded the Dragon Seal, giving her authority over eight thousand branches across the continent. A woman of immense power, who had somehow fallen for a man from nothing like my father. She had threatened to end her own life just to get her family to agree to let him marry in. Nikki and I were our mother's daughters. We both carried her blood. Before she died, she split her Dragon Seal in two, giving each of us a half and warning us never to use its power unless it was a matter of life and death. Then, a sudden illness took her from us. My father claimed a young Nikki couldn't be without a mother figure and brought Melissa, his supposed childhood sweetheart, into our home. "When I agreed to let her in this house, it was as a maid," I seethed. "Not as its mistress!" Mark's hand flew, slapping me hard across the face. "I'm the man of this house now! If you don't like it, you can get out!" I cupped my stinging cheek. "Don't you forget, you're living in a villa my mother bought before you ever entered the picture. This is our property. If anyone's getting out, it's you and her!" "You ungrateful little—" He raised his hand again, but Melissa stopped him, a picture of false sincerity. "That's enough, dear. She's just a child, she doesn't know any better. I won't hold it against her." She turned to me, her voice dripping with fake concern. "Sarah, darling, it's not what you think. I haven't been cruel to your sister. She's the one who hates studying. She said she'd rather live like a dog." "I tried to stop her from moving into the kennel, of course. She threw terrible tantrums. When I refused, she went on a hunger strike. I was at my wit's end, so I finally gave in. If you don't believe me, ask your father. Or ask Nikki herself." Mark snorted. "Nikki's a lost cause. She'd rather be a dog than go to school. A child that pathetic isn't worthy of being my daughter." Nikki tugged on my sleeve, her voice a rough whisper. "It's true, Sarah. I don't like school. I like being a dog. I like the kennel." She let out two sharp barks. "Woof, woof." "You are not a dog! You're a person!" I cried, my heart breaking. I scanned the grounds and realized with a jolt that none of the old staff were here. The butler, the maids, the bodyguards—all replaced by these hostile strangers staring at me. "I don't care what happened before," I declared, my voice ringing with authority. "But I'm back now. And my sister will not be treated like an animal in her own home!" Melissa's smile was a venomous mask. "Of course, Sarah. From now on, you can be the one to discipline her. Clearly, we can't." She picked up a tennis ball from the ground and tossed it across the lawn. Instantly, Nikki dropped to all fours and scrambled after it. She clamped the ball in her teeth and trotted back, dropping it into Melissa's outstretched hand. Melissa threw it again. As Nikki started to chase it, I grabbed her, pulling her upright. "Nikki! You are a person, not a dog! You walk on two legs and hold things with your hands! Promise me, please, promise me you'll stop this." She just shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "No, I'm a dog. I like being a dog." Melissa laughed, a loud, ugly sound, dangling the ball. "Want to play some more?" Nikki's tongue lolled out, and she panted excitedly. "Yes! Yes!" "Enough!" I roared, turning on Mark. "Mom begged you on her deathbed to take care of Nikki! This is how you do it?" He shrugged, completely indifferent. "If she wants to throw her life away, there's nothing I can do." "The key," I demanded. "Unlock the chain around her neck." No one moved. I glared at the staff. "Are you all deaf?" "Get the key," Melissa finally said, and only then did one of the men move. So, they answered to her, not to me. The moment the chain was removed, a wave of panic washed over Nikki. She ducked her head, trying to crawl back into the kennel. "I don't want to be in the house! I'm a dog! I have to stay in my kennel!" I swept her into my arms. "Shh, Nikki, it's okay. I'm going to take you to a doctor." There was no time to clean her up. I drove her straight to the hospital. The examination revealed a horror story. It wasn't just severe psychological trauma; her body was a roadmap of abuse. Clusters of scars and bruises covered her chest and back, conveniently hidden by her clothes. The doctor told me she had been whipped and beaten with rods. There were large patches of burn scars from scalding water. She had multiple healed rib fractures. There was even damage to her skull. Listening to the doctor's clinical description, I couldn't stop the tears from falling. These people weren't human. They were monsters. I held Nikki tight. "Don't be afraid, Nikki. I'm here now. I'll protect you. No one will ever hurt you again." When we returned to the villa, Melissa was waiting for us, cradling her pregnant belly. "Sarah, dear. Your half of the Dragon Seal. It's on you, isn't it?" My luggage was in the living room, torn open and its contents strewn everywhere. "Who gave you permission to go through my things?" "Sarah," Mark said, his tone impatient. "Just give your mother the seal. The baby she's carrying is your brother. From now on, all of our family's assets will be his to inherit." I laughed, a cold, sharp sound. "The Dragon Syndicate values bloodline above all else. Only those of my mother's line can lead it to prosperity. You really think the bastard in her stomach is worthy of even being considered as the heir?" Mark's face turned a sickly green. "How dare you! That's your brother, not some bastard!" "She knows the truth," I said, looking directly at Melissa. She buried her face in Mark's chest, sobbing theatrically. "I've only ever been with your father. How could you say something so vile about me?" "Apologize to your mother!" Mark roared. I ignored his tantrum, pulling Nikki with me towards my old room. He kept shouting at my back. "Your mother spent all day getting your room ready! She even bought your favorite fruits! Is this how you repay her kindness?" I slammed the door in his face, locking it. I could hear him yelling for his thugs to break it down, but Melissa's saccharine voice eventually calmed him. After giving Nikki a bath and changing her into fresh clothes, I watched her fall into an exhausted sleep before finally lying down myself. Tomorrow, my own people would arrive. And then, we would settle this. I drifted into a restless sleep around midnight. When I opened my eyes again, the space beside me was empty. Nikki was gone. Adrenaline shot through me. I leaped out of bed and ran out of the room. I found her in the dining room. She was on her knees, serving breakfast to Melissa's nephew, Gary. Gary saw me and sneered. "My aunt said Nikki is going to be my wife. She was born to serve me." He looked down at my sister. "Good dog. You did a good job today. Here's a treat." He spat a half-chewed piece of bread onto the floor. Nikki immediately bent down and licked it up. Gary roared with laughter. "You'll even eat my leftovers! You really are a dog!" He then climbed onto her back like a horse. "Giddy-up! If you run fast, I'll give you another treat!" And so, my sister crawled around the room on all fours, with that vile boy riding her. "Faster! Are you trying to starve? If you don't speed up, you won't even get kibble later!" Nikki tried to crawl faster. Gary pulled a few pieces of dog food from his pocket and threw them on the floor ahead of her. She scrambled to eat them. "Stupid mutt! All you care about is food!" I couldn't take it anymore. I launched myself forward and kicked Gary clean off my sister's back. He hit the floor with a heavy thud and scrambled up, screaming at me. "You bitch! You hit me!" He yelled for the guards. "Get her! Tie her up!" "Who dares!" I roared, pulling Nikki into my arms and shielding her. "Gary, if you get on your knees and apologize to my sister right now, I might consider letting you live. Otherwise, don't say I didn't give you a chance." "Oh, listen to you!" he scoffed. "You think this is still your mother's house? This family is run by Mark now! The Dragon Syndicate belongs to Mark! My uncle is in charge! Who the hell are you to yell at me?" He gestured to the guards. "Grab her!" The bodyguards surged forward, seizing me and Nikki. Melissa rushed over, playing the peacemaker. "Sarah, please. I've spoiled my nephew rotten, I know. He doesn't mean any harm. He's just playing with Nikki." She gave me a sly look. "Tell you what. You give me your half of the seal, and I'll make him apologize to you both." "You want the seal? In your dreams!" Melissa's face contorted with rage. The mask was gone. "You ungrateful bitch! Fine! Search her! The seal has to be on her!" "So, the act is finally over," I said with a sneer. "Watching you pretend to be nice was making me sick." "Hmph. You little tramp. If you were as obedient as your sister, I might have let you stay on as one of my pets. But you're too wild. I can't train you. I guess I'll just have to have you sent away to be taught a lesson." "You wouldn't dare." "Once I have the complete seal, the entire Dragon Syndicate will be mine. What wouldn't I dare?" "Ma'am, I found it!" a guard announced. He handed my half of the seal to Melissa. Her eyes gleamed with triumph. She took her own half from around her neck and clicked the two pieces together. "Perfect! The Dragon Syndicate is finally mine! An empire that spans a continent, endless wealth… it's all mine!"
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