“Sister, don’t you hate it?” The night before my arranged marriage to Caleb Thorne, the heir of the powerful Thorne family, my stepsister suddenly knocked on my bedroom door. Seeing I didn’t answer, she continued, talking to herself. “Three years ago, your mom died in a car crash. A month later, Dad married my mom.” “Even the dynastic marriage your mother had arranged for you, my father just handed it over to me.” “Sister, you don’t actually believe your mom’s death was just an ordinary accident, do you?” Of course, I knew my mom’s death had everything to do with my stepmother. So, for everything you owed my mother and me, you wouldn’t get away with a single penny. Jasmine Vance, dressed in a million-dollar wedding gown, looked like a princess straight out of a fairytale. “Sister, I don’t understand what you mean.” I knelt to adjust the hem of her dress. “Heh, I hope you never understand, Sister.” Jasmine giggled, covering her mouth. But the next second, her laughter died. The dagger I’d hidden in my sleeve plunged deep into her abdomen. Blood quickly soaked through the pristine white gown. It was like a crimson rose blooming on fresh snow, stark and terrifyingly beautiful. Jasmine collapsed to the ground in pain, staring at me in disbelief. “You…” “Jasmine Vance, was it fun stealing my life? But anything that belongs to Cassidy Sterling, I’d rather destroy it than hand it over to someone else!” “Whether your little mistress mother and you were involved in my mom’s car crash or not, I’m putting it all on you.” “Don’t worry, you’re just bleeding a little, it’s not fatal. It just means tomorrow, I’ll be the one marrying into the Thorne family.” My smile in the dimly lit room was chilling. But then, everything went black, and I fell into an empty void. When my consciousness returned, I woke up in my own room. Wasn’t this supposed to be Jasmine’s bridal room, the one she’d stolen from me? The mansion showed no signs of an upcoming wedding. I grabbed my phone and saw the date: three years ago. Was that vivid experience just a dream? A grin spread across my face. “Mom, Mom!” “Mom, where are you?” I rushed downstairs, just as I saw Mom getting into her car, preparing to leave. A cold sweat broke out all over me. I screamed, “Mom, get out! Don’t take the car!” I darted to the car, clutching the door handle tightly, refusing to let the driver start. My mom frowned, looking at me. “It’s the weekend, why aren’t you sleeping in? What are you doing?” “Just get out of the car. I just want to be with you today.” Big tears streamed down my face. The scenes from my dream replayed vividly in my mind. My mother’s memorial service had been eerily silent, only me kneeling before her coffin, quietly burning paper offerings. After Mom left, Dad revealed his true colors, immediately bringing his mistress and illegitimate daughter back home. Even the memorial service, I had to arrange a place for it alone. While their family of three ate a happy family dinner, I had lost the closest person to me. My mom didn’t understand what was happening to me, but she got out of the car and comforted me anyway. If the dream had truly become reality, then I must have been reborn. So I wept tears of joy, because I had a chance to change the ending! That day passed peacefully.
But the next day, Dad still brought Jasmine home. Just like in my previous life, she looked shy, constantly darting glances at me. Seeing my mom’s cool, calm demeanor, I realized she had known about Dad’s affair for a long time. A stepsister two years younger than me. But unlike my previous life, Jasmine showing up now only solidified her title as an illegitimate daughter. “Cassidy, Jasmine will be your sister from now on. Please take good care of her.” Sister? The one who orchestrated my mom’s death, drove a wedge between me and my dad, and eventually replaced me to marry into an elite family? She wasn’t worthy. “Doesn’t Dad know I have a bad temper? It’s best to keep her away from me, or I might just lose control and hit her.” My dad glared at me, then unleashed his anger on my mom. “Look at the daughter you raised! So grown up, yet so thoughtless!” My mom had always been soft-spoken, usually deferring to my dad at home, never daring to contradict him. So, when I was about to speak, I was surprised by my mom’s response. “Did I give birth to her alone? Did you not raise her?” “Always look at your own issues first.” My mom rolled her eyes at him, then pulled me towards the dining room for dinner. I happily ate two bowls of rice. This was my mom, the one who always protected and stood up for me. My dad’s voice, comforting Jasmine, drifted from the living room. As long as she and her mother were here, I couldn’t rest easy. Jasmine stayed in the room diagonally opposite mine, about half the size of mine. That night, there was a knock on my door. Jasmine stood before me, holding a glass of milk, her voice still stammering. “Sister…drinking milk at night helps…helps you sleep.” “You didn’t put some slow-acting poison in it, did you? How could I drink something without an analysis report?” I folded my arms across my chest, leaning against the door as I watched her. Jasmine trembled with fright. “I just took it from the fridge. I didn’t bring anything when I came here.” I feigned sudden realization, nodding my head. “Didn’t bring anything? So you plan to take everything here for yourself?” “Sister, I’m innocent too. I couldn’t choose where I was born. You both have a father; I didn’t have one growing up. Why can’t you pity me?” Jasmine’s eyes welled up with tears. Was she trying to play on my emotions?
In my previous life, after Mom died in the car accident, I was so insecure, so afraid Dad would give everything to Jasmine. I tried so hard to be kind and forgiving, to tolerate everything. But in the end, I still lost everything, didn’t I? So, I, Cassidy Sterling, was born to be a villainess. I couldn could never be the tragic heroine. Feelings are the cheapest thing in this world; they change in an instant. Only what you hold firmly in your hands is truly yours. “My mom’s marriage was sabotaged, and I ended up with a half-sister. And *I*’m not pitiful?” I quickly shut the door, not wanting to see Jasmine’s pathetic face. My dad decided to host a banquet for Jasmine. He was going to acknowledge Jasmine’s identity to everyone. Was it just out of guilt? Or did he want to use Jasmine to secure another high-status marriage to consolidate his business? I thought the latter was more plausible. My dad was naturally cold-hearted; he only loved himself, that was clear. On the day of the banquet, many prominent families and their daughters arrived. I knew most of them, but Jasmine didn’t know anyone. Even dressed in a lavish gown, she stood in the center, unnoticed. She had a rather… off-putting vibe, honestly. “Cassidy, who is she?” Seeing Jasmine approach, my friend immediately asked. Of course, she knew who Jasmine was; she was just doing it on purpose. So, the several girls standing next to us immediately burst into laughter. Jasmine’s head was almost touching the floor, and she kept tugging at the hem of her dress. She seemed to gather courage and said, “Hello, my name is Jasmine Vance.” “Your name doesn’t matter, little sister. Go play somewhere else. Don’t bother us.” I smirked dismissively, waving my hand. “Sister, this is the banquet Dad is holding for me. How can you treat me like this?” Jasmine’s voice trembled; she sounded deeply wronged. But in my previous life, when she took everything from me with that innocent smile, there wasn’t a hint of sadness on her face, was there? “If you can’t handle it, call the cops. See if they care.” I let others mock her, even leading the taunts myself. Someone interrupted it all. “You’re Cassidy Sterling?” “I didn’t expect you to be so harsh to your own sister, completely devoid of sympathy.” Striding forward was Caleb Thorne, the Thorne family heir. He was just as he had been in my past life, drawn to weak, fragile women. Or rather, drawn to Jasmine. “Who could be as chivalrous as Sir Thorne?” I feigned politeness. Because… I couldn’t afford to offend him. “Miss Sterling, you should go back and read some more. You have no sense of honor or propriety.” Caleb Thorne dropped that line, then left with Jasmine. “Cassidy, your stepsister is something else. She just met him, and she’s already got Caleb Thorne’s attention?” “Don’t let her snatch your fiancé in the end.” My friend’s warning made me a little distracted. The Sterling and Thorne families had a childhood betrothal, arranged by our elders. My grandfather and Caleb Thorne’s grandfather were war buddies, who had endured hardships together. So, after they both retired from service and successfully started their own businesses, they set up this arrangement. However, Caleb Thorne’s father had caught a lucky break in his youth, and since then, his net worth had skyrocketed. He was now the wealthiest man in the city. Here, Caleb Thorne could pretty much do whatever he wanted; no one dared cross him. Marrying Caleb Thorne was the fantasy of many women. I had never liked him since I was a child; I found him hypocritical and falsely righteous.
But I knew I would marry him, because compared to men, status and wealth were eternal. This life was no exception. Jasmine couldn’t steal what was mine. I hired a few thugs to rough up Jasmine. If she came home covered in bruises the next day, everyone would know her reputation was ruined. But as I went to the underground parking garage to get my car, I saw a few guys loitering around it. “Boss, aren’t we supposed to kidnap the second Miss Sterling?” “What do you know? Didn’t you see the second Miss Sterling get into Sir Thorne’s car?” “Yeah, go ahead and get yourself killed if you want.” “So, what are we doing now?” “Of course, we’re kidnapping the first Miss Sterling! We’ll get a bigger reward from Sir Thorne, won’t we?” Hearing their discussion, I was terrified and ran back frantically. My heels clacked loudly on the ground. The thugs immediately spotted me and chased after me quickly. “Sir, please help me!” I bumped into someone and immediately cried for help. I didn’t expect it to be Julian Reid, the new rich guy in town. His ruthless business tactics were infamous, as was his reputation for being completely aloof with women. I’d just pulled a dramatic move by bumping into him. Was he going to think I was trying to stage some kind of dramatic scene to get his attention? In my previous life, Julian Reid’s beloved was Jasmine. How they met, I had no idea. Could it be… this kidnapping? “Please!” I clutched Julian Reid’s arm, my eyes almost pleading. But he simply pried my fingers off without a word, then walked towards his car. After the car remote unlocked, the thugs closed in on me. I was distraught, my mind a mess. Why could Jasmine capture his attention, but I couldn’t? Was I, a bad person, destined for bad things? But the good I did in my previous life didn’t yield any results either! The thugs’ reeking hands made my mental state tense. “Get away! All of you, get away!” I ripped off my heels, using their thin, sharp heels to strike at them frantically. Each blow opened a bloody gash. No one could save me; I had to save myself. If I couldn’t escape their grasp, I’d make sure it was a mutual destruction. A luxury car suddenly sped over, directly hitting and sending two of the men flying. The window rolled down, revealing Julian Reid’s cold profile. Before he could say anything, I hopped into the car. Only after the car drove away did my heart finally calm down. “You… do you think I deliberately tried to get your attention?” I broke the silence. To my surprise, Julian Reid slammed on the brakes. Not wearing a seatbelt, my forehead hit the dashboard. I winced, about to complain. “Get out.” “You’re safe now.” I looked around at the silent, dark streets, my eyes wide. But I still chose to get out. “Julian Reid, I’ll remember you.” What answered me was the car’s exhaust, speeding away into the night. He really didn’t hold back. No wonder people said he was heartless. My heels, stained with blood, had been thrown away before I got into the car. Now, I was barefoot, hailing a taxi home, which worried my mom terribly. “Cassidy, where are your shoes? Does your foot hurt?!” “Didn’t like them, threw them away.” I replied nonchalantly, and my mom finally relaxed. After showering, I immediately went to Jasmine’s room. She was leisurely applying a face mask. She jumped when she saw me. “Sister?” “Why are you back?” “Why shouldn’t I be back? I’m just curious, how did you get Caleb Thorne to drive you home after your first meeting?” I ripped the mask off her face, rubbing it off on her clothes with a hint of disgust.
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