After Dad declared bankruptcy, Mom started to demand a divorce. I stayed out of it, watching as my sister shoved me aside and ran to Dad, saying: “Dad, don’t be sad. I’ll stay with you!” In my previous life, after our parents divorced, my sister went with our wealthy Mom while I stayed with our bankrupt Dad. But then Mom remarried a jerk, lost everything, and ended up with nothing. My sister suffered too. Meanwhile, Dad’s business flourished, and he became a tycoon. Jealous of my success, my sister arranged a reunion that resulted in my fatal car accident. Now, we’ve been transported back to the day our parents finalized their divorce at City Hall. This time, with a smirk, my sister declared, “I love Dad, I want to stay with him.” Little did she know, I was even happier inside. I refuse to live that life of hiding and dodging again! My sister clung to Dad’s arm, acting all sweet: “Dad, please let me stay with you! You’re my favorite, and I’m not afraid of a little hardship.” Seeing his usually spoiled daughter say this moved Dad deeply. He didn’t notice Mom standing nearby with a scowl. “No way, Amy will suffer with you. I have to take her with me,” Mom insisted. My sister would struggle with Dad, but what about me? My parents were fiercely fighting over my sister’s custody, as if I didn’t exist. In the end, they couldn’t change my sister’s mind about staying with Dad, so Mom reluctantly picked me. I got into my stepdad’s luxury car with Mom. My sister skipped away holding Dad’s hand. Before leaving, she shot me a taunting look. I didn’t care. After all, Mom was wealthy now, and Dad’s situation was a mess. In my past life, Dad and I spent every day hiding from debt collectors. I couldn’t concentrate on my studies. His career failure and Mom’s departure devastated him. He gave up, drank heavily in a dingy apartment, and ignored everything. Despite being a top student, I couldn’t afford tuition and had to drop out to support us. We came from the same womb, but my sister was luckier. She was pretty and knew how to charm our parents, who adored her. Being younger, they expected me, as her older sister, to concede to her. Even during the divorce, they only wanted her. But in this life, she chose Dad, letting him boast in front of Mom. In the car, Mom started berating me. “You’ve always been plain and unlikeable. We’re going to live with Uncle Ryan now, so don’t embarrass me.” It’s laughable; what kind of mother says such things about her own daughter? But whatever, the car rolled into the upscale villa district. I knew my stepfather was rich, but I didn’t know he was this rich. He got me into the city’s best private school. A driver picked me up and dropped me off every day. To make up for having dropped out in my past life, I studied hard. I ranked in the top three every year. Mom, who usually ignored me, was eager to attend my parent-teacher meetings. She loved being envied by other parents and praised as an excellent parent by teachers. Since my stepfather had no children of his own, I thrived in this household. I even started planning to study abroad. “Kids shouldn’t think about going abroad. Don’t think you can do anything just because you’re a top student,” my mom snapped before my stepfather could speak. Later, I realized you don’t need a reason to dislike someone. Even between a mother and daughter.
My stepfather wasn’t as Mom and my sister described him in the past: unpredictable, domineering, and violent. I found him intelligent but proud and self-respecting. Their conflicts surfaced soon after we moved in. Mom was a total pretty face with no brains. Honestly, she and Dad were a perfect match. Dad, a true rich heir, was always simple-minded and physically strong. He married Mom because of his brute force and money. When my grandparents were alive, they supported him. After they passed, Dad got dragged into investments by his foolish friends, losing everything he and my grandparents had. Mom quickly found someone else and divorced him. My study abroad plans were halted by Mom’s opposition. But with my grades, I could easily get into a top school in the country. “Amy’s here!” “Aunt Nora, is my mom home?” “She’s out shopping, but your sister’s upstairs reading.” I heard Amy’s footsteps coming toward my room. Without my permission, she opened my door. “Nean, why pretend? No one’s home. Who are you trying to impress with all this studying?” she said, snatching my books. Though Dad raised her, she came here monthly to get money, jewelry, and clothes from Mom. She’d leave with a car full and still wear shabby clothes the next month. Dad, now a gambler, traded good things for cash to squander. Mom hated seeing my sister suffer with Dad. She even asked my stepfather if they could bring her here to live. He agreed, but Dad refused to let her go. He relied on my sister to get things from Mom to sustain his life. “You study so much it’s making you dumb. What’s the use? You’re not as pretty as me, and Mom and Dad don’t like you.” “This good life is only because I let you have it. Enjoy it while it lasts.” She rifled through my things. Of course, this room was her princess room in the past life. She rummaged through everything. “Tsk tsk, you don’t know how to enjoy life. What are all these things you bought?” “All you do is bury your nose in those books.” I ignored her antics. “Amy, is my precious daughter Amy here?” I coldly watched their mother-daughter act unfold. Mom saw my room in chaos. “You won’t find anything good here. Come to my room. I just bought new clothes, jewelry, and accessories. Take whatever you like.” She dragged my sister out without a glance at me or a word of concern. Aunt Nora brought in a glass of fresh orange juice and tidied up my room. “I’ve never seen such a biased mother.” It didn’t bother me. Her good days were numbered.
A few days later, I heard a heated argument downstairs. “How shameless! Living off me and keeping a pretty boy outside!” Uncle Ryan slapped my mom. My sister rushed to intervene. Still angry, my stepfather shoved her to the ground. “I haven’t even talked about your precious daughter. Didn’t we agree to take one daughter each?” “Why does she keep coming here and taking half the stuff?” Mom retorted, “She’s taking my things. Not your business.” “Yours? Look at yourself. What isn’t bought with my money? And now I’m supporting your whole family!” “Ryan, you have the nerve to say that. If it weren’t for your infertility, would I need to do this?” This completely enraged my stepfather. He lost his temper, throwing Mom’s things out. She tried to stop him but was pushed down too. No one dared intervene, and my sister cowered in a corner. Initially, my stepfather married Mom for her looks and the two kids. After marriage, he invested in me, grooming me as a successor. In the past life, Mom exploited this, recklessly spending his assets. Though my sister was pretty, she was empty-headed. But their greed and stupidity knew no bounds. Mom had a lover, and my sister shamelessly claimed everything would be hers in the future. Word quickly reached my stepfather. She wasn’t even dead, and they were eyeing his estate. Who wouldn’t be upset? He couldn’t bond with them as they weren’t his own. He brought in his nephew to groom as an heir and kicked them out. In this life, Mom was kicked out again. But my stepfather didn’t kick me out. “Nean, following your clueless mom is worse than staying with me.” All my efforts weren’t in vain. My stepfather knew I was smart, ambitious, and had vision. I considered his opinion before making any major decision. I even discussed taking his last name privately. My mom, who only cared about buying clothes, was oblivious and uninterested. She refused to leave, saying she’d rather die there. She underestimated my stepfather. A man who built his business from scratch is different from my weak, incompetent rich heir dad. He wouldn’t be fooled by her petty tricks. “Miss Nora, pack some clothes for her in the bedroom,” he instructed. He called security. Just like that, my mom and sister were thrown out. As my stepfather passed my room, he patted my shoulder. “Nean, focus on your studies. Adult matters don’t concern you.” I nodded. Fools remain fools, no matter how many times they live. My life wasn’t affected at all; in fact, Uncle Ryan valued me even more. My mom secretly urged me to plead with my stepfather. Of course, I didn’t go. She called every day, hurling the nastiest insults at me. Aunt Lydia overheard once and doubted if I was even her biological child. Ha, in her eyes, only my sister mattered. Without my mom’s support, my sister had an even harder time. Her grades were bad, and she hated school. Seeing this, dad stopped sending her to school, but he was buried in debt and living a mess. I was single-mindedly preparing for college entrance exams. Uncle Ryan was busy and rarely home. Not long after, on my way to school, a group of thugs blocked my path. It happened that day our car was in for maintenance, so I was on my own. Just after leaving the school gate, a man stopped me. “Are you Nean?” Before I could answer, someone covered my mouth from behind and dragged me to an abandoned warehouse. Once the blindfold was off, someone kicked me to the ground. “Sister, enjoying the luxury mansion?”
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