I know my birth was a mistake. My mother stood in for a wealthy heiress. After not finding love, she orchestrated my conception and was sent to a mental hospital. Before she passed away, she held my hand and said, “Don’t be like me, Adeline. You need to live a life more brilliant than mine.” Later, as I huddled in the corner clutching expired bread, four men stormed in with eyes burning red. My financier father handed me a platinum card. “Five million a month as an allowance, but don’t expect me to call you daughter.” Three brothers blocked the door, sneering, “With your tainted blood, you think you’re fit to be part of the Thompson family?” I turned my life around, entered a talent show, and shot to fame, starring in films that grossed ten billion. During a live stream, my childhood friend declared, “Adeline deserves the best love in the world.” On a stormy day, the four men knelt outside the villa, pleading, “Adeline, come home, please look at us.” I huddled in the corner with expired bread. The room in the orphanage was very dark, and I was afraid to sleep alone. I don’t know how long it was before the door opened. A man I didn’t recognize was looking at me, followed by three older boys. One of the boys glanced at me coldly and said, “Dad, she looks just like you.” I shrank further into the corner. I recognized the man. My mom said Dad looked just like me. But I didn’t dare call him that because Mom said Dad hated me. If he saw me, he would definitely kill me. Thinking of this, I quickly lowered my head. The man in front was very tall, his leather shoes creaking on the floor. He called out to me, “Adeline?” I shook my head desperately. Mom had said never to admit to that name. The boy in the blue shirt suddenly sneered, “Dad, is she an idiot who doesn’t even know her own name?” The other two boys laughed along. They were handsome, just like Dad. One of them kicked an empty can by my feet. “Dad, it’s disgusting to see her eating garbage.” The tip of a leather shoe hit my toe, causing pain. Dad reached out and pinched my chin. His nails scratched me painfully, but I didn’t dare move. I always knew my birth was a mistake. My mother stood in for a wealthy heiress. After not finding love, she orchestrated my conception and was sent to a mental hospital. Everyone said I was illegitimate. “Her mouth and nose are just like mine,” Dad said, suddenly letting go. He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his fingers vigorously. “Filthy.” “Dad, can we go now?” one brother urged. “I have a tennis game with friends.” The boy in blue grabbed the back of my collar and lifted me up. I couldn’t make a sound as it choked me. They didn’t even let me take that leftover bread. When the car stopped in front of a white villa, I nervously pinched my palm. Just now in the car, Dad introduced these three brothers. The oldest is named Jasper, the second Declan, and the third Finn. They are my half-brothers. “Get out!” Someone pushed me, and I stumbled onto the cobblestone path. The air was filled with the scent of grass, and the fountain’s water splashed coolly on my face. “Country bumpkin,” Declan looked at me with disdain. “I heard you don’t even know how to use a toilet?” “Declan,” Jasper, the one with glasses, coughed softly, “watch what you say. After all, she was picked up from the slums.” I clutched the wrinkled corner of my clothes, feeling a bit embarrassed, and lowered my head. “Get inside,” Dad tossed the platinum card on the entryway cabinet. “Nanny Johnson, take her for a bath.” The hot water from the shower startled me. So, bathwater can be warm, and towels can be as soft as clouds. I stared at myself in the mirror, unable to resist touching the nightgown on my body. Such soft clothes… “Hey, what are you dawdling for?” Finn’s impatient voice came from outside the door. I hurried out, “Sorry, brother, it’s Adeline’s first time using a bathtub, it took too long.” The chandelier in the dining room was beautiful. I looked at the fork and knife in front of me, unsure of what to do. Do I have to use a fork and knife to eat? “Going to eat with your hands?” Finn sneered from his chair. “Well, in the orphanage, you only had expired bread, right?” Father slammed the knife and fork down heavily. “Finn, don’t talk while eating.” I mimicked their grip on the knife, but the steak slid off the plate with a “whoosh.” Sauce splattered on Declan’s white sleeve, and he jumped up as if electrocuted. “Do you know how expensive this shirt is? Figures, a country bumpkin who can’t even use utensils.” “Declan,” Jasper suddenly raised his voice, “stop it, isn’t the house noisy enough already?” I stared at the beef on my plate. It smelled so good… Suddenly, someone took my knife and fork. Jasper had somehow circled behind me. He took the knife and fork, and the steak obediently cut into small pieces. “Got it?” I was just about to say thank you when Jasper spoke again. His voice was cold, “Not knowing how to use a knife and fork is embarrassing for the Thompson family…” I felt like crying, Dad, and my brothers didn’t like me. But I held back my tears. Mom said no one likes a crying child. I chewed the meat in my mouth, unable to taste it. But the long-lost warmth in my stomach made my nose tingle; it was the first hot meal I’d had in six months.
Dad arranged for me to live in the attic. Although it only had a small window, I could see the beautiful flowers in the yard. Except for mealtime, I could only stay in the small attic. If I behaved and polished my brothers’ shoes, they occasionally took me out. Though tiring, it was much better than the orphanage. Today, they were in a good mood and willing to take me to the mall. Declan’s voice was harsh, “Adeline, if you dare touch anything, don’t expect dinner tonight.” Seeing me silent, he grabbed my ear again, “Deaf? Answer me!” I shivered, lowered my head, and whispered, “Got it, Declan.” He snorted coldly, “Don’t call me Declan, you’re just an outsider.” I sat quietly in the corner, nodding obediently, but I was starving. The smell of roasted chestnuts and meat pies made my mouth water. My stomach growled. Suddenly, I heard a “ding.” It was a piano. Before Mom passed, she taught me how to play the piano. A cleaning lady was wiping the piano bench, and I was drawn over as if by magic. I wanted to touch it, just once. I couldn’t help but play the tune Mom often played for me. I forgot what it was called. I felt like crying, unsure if the melody was too moving or if I just missed Mom. “Stupid girl!” Someone suddenly grabbed my ear, and Declan dragged me off the piano bench. “Didn’t I tell you not to wander? You dare touch things!” Many people around were discussing something. I couldn’t hear clearly. Declan yanked my hair and shoved me into the car. It hurt, but I didn’t dare cry. If I cried, there’d be no food. I was locked in the attic. The smell of food wafted from the kitchen, making me so hungry I wanted to cry. A servant secretly tossed me a bun, and I gobbled it up. I suddenly missed Mom a lot. Why did she have to leave me so soon?
The temperature dropped at night, and I had no thick clothes, so I curled up under a thin blanket. The next morning, my throat ached. Cold wind blew in through the window, and I wrapped myself tighter. I felt dizzy and didn’t leave my room all day. Half-awake, I heard someone angrily calling me. Declan kicked open my door with a “bang.” He stormed to my bed with a broken guitar. “Adeline, are you trying to get yourself killed?” I hurriedly propped myself up, not knowing why he was so angry. “Declan, what’s wrong?” “Still playing dumb?” He grabbed my collar and dragged me off the bed. My knee hit the floor hard. “The guitar has bread crumbs on it. Everyone knows you love bread.” “Yesterday when I played the guitar, I saw you hovering around. Don’t think I didn’t notice!” “How could it be such a coincidence?” He grabbed my trembling hand. “The evidence is clear, what are you pretending for?” I shook my head desperately, my voice hoarse. “It wasn’t me, I didn’t leave my room all day, I really didn’t touch the guitar…” “Yesterday, I watched you play the guitar, just admiring, not lurking.” Finn leaned against the doorframe, sneering, “Hands and feet raised in the slums are dirty. Not enough to steal, now you learn to destroy?” “Declan, isn’t your guitar limited edition? Make her pay, after all, Dad gave her the platinum card.” I argued loudly, “I didn’t steal anything, and I didn’t break the guitar. You’re framing Adeline!” Jasper’s footsteps echoed down the hallway. “Yesterday, I watched Finn play the guitar. I felt admiration, not sneaking around.” Declan leaned against the doorframe with a sneer, “People raised in poverty have sticky fingers. Stealing isn’t enough, now you’re learning to destroy things too?” “Finn, isn’t your guitar a limited edition? Make her pay for it. Anyway, Dad’s platinum card is with her.” I defended myself loudly, “I didn’t steal anything, and I didn’t break the guitar. You’re falsely accusing Adeline!” Jasper’s footsteps echoed from the hallway. I looked up, hoping for salvation, but his eyes were cold. “If something’s broken, there must be consequences. Declan, how do you suggest we handle this?” “Jasper, I really didn’t…” I reached out to tug his sleeve, but he stepped aside. Finn smirked maliciously, “Go kneel outside. You’re not allowed to get up until dinner.” I couldn’t hold back my tears any longer. I still hadn’t fulfilled what Mom asked of me. I wanted to be strong, but I couldn’t. Finn dragged me out by the arm, his nails nearly cutting into my skin, “Stop whining! You think crying will get you out of this?” I stumbled as he threw me onto the cobblestone path in front of the villa, sharp stones digging into my palms. Declan stood on the steps with his arms crossed, nudging my leg with his shoe, “Kneel properly. A child like you should follow the rules meant for you.” I bit my lip hard. The sky was gloomy, like it was about to rain. Finn cursed irritably, “Damn it, you should just kneel until you drop!” “Pretending to faint won’t work either,” Declan’s voice suddenly came from above me. He crouched down, his tone mocking, “It hurts, doesn’t it? Say ‘I’m just a worthless child,’ and I’ll plead for you.” My throat burned, but it was nothing compared to the ache in my heart, “I didn’t break the guitar…” “Ingrate!” He grabbed the back of my neck and pressed me into the ground, “Then kneel until you understand your place!”
When the raindrops hit my back, the pain seemed to disappear. The stones beneath my knees had worn through my skin, blood mixed with rainwater seeping into the soil. I stared at the spreading ripples on the ground, a buzzing in my ears. Before leaving, Finn kicked me, my forehead hit the edge of the fountain, and warm blood mixed with rainwater flowed into my eyes. As my consciousness began to fade, I heard footsteps approaching. “Adeline?” Someone was calling me. This voice… Impossible! I shook my head. It couldn’t be him. He found his family and left the orphanage before Auntie Lin adopted me. I must be delirious. I struggled to lift my head, seeing a dark figure rushing through the rain curtain. A scorching palm pressed against the back of my neck. I shivered violently; this heat was more searing than my fevered forehead. “Don’t touch me…” I shrank back instinctively, my soaked nightgown sticking to the wounds, it hurt, “My brothers said… moving will increase the punishment…” He knelt down and pulled me into his arms, his voice trembling, “How long have they made you kneel? Speak!” I blinked, rainwater trickling from my lashes into his collar. This face hadn’t changed much from my memory, the scar on his brow still there. That winter in the orphanage, when he shielded me from the falling shovel, blood also trickled down his brow like this. I wanted to say five hours, or six? But my head hurt too much to think clearly. “Ezra?” I reached out to touch his face, but my fingers flinched away as soon as they touched him, “Am I dreaming?” He clasped my wrist to his chest, his palm scorching, “I’m real, Adeline, I finally found you.” Dad walked over, frowning, “What’s going on here?” I couldn’t stop trembling. Dad had said he didn’t want outsiders to know I was his daughter. Now that Ezra found out, he must be very angry. The arms holding me tightened abruptly. I heard Ezra coldly laugh, “Mr. Thompson, what exactly did Adeline do wrong to deserve this treatment?” Finn rushed over, “Dad, this child broke my guitar. I told her to reflect here, she deserved it… Ah!” A dull thud of bone on bone. Ezra punched him in the stomach, his voice icy, “Say one more thing about her, and I’ll make sure you never play guitar again.” I cried, throwing myself at him, “Ezra, don’t fight because of me.” Declan supported the staggering Finn, “Ezra Bennett, you’re fighting over an unworthy child?” “Unworthy?” Ezra lifted me, “Finn Thompson, is this how you treat your sister?” “And she dares call herself my sister?” Finn sneered, “A child like her, letting her live with the Thompson family was already more than enough!” Ezra held me tighter, “Fine, if the Thompson family doesn’t want her, I will!”
The Bennett family villa was even bigger than the Thompson’s. I shrank behind Ezra, palms sweating. Uncle Bennett sat on the sofa, sizing me up. I instinctively hid more behind Ezra. “Dad,” Ezra stepped forward, “you promised me that as long as I was a good heir, Adeline could live here.” Uncle Bennett kept a stern face, he looked like someone who rarely smiled. No wonder Ezra doesn’t like to smile either, he’s just like his dad. My heart pounded, but Uncle Bennett didn’t say much, just arranged for someone to take me to a room. How does that saying go? You can’t judge a book by its cover. Uncle Bennett and Ezra were both very kind to me. Unlike in the Thompson family, my room in the Bennett villa was beautiful, with a large floor-to-ceiling window. The sunlight streaming in was warm, like a princess’s room in a storybook. Auntie Taylor, the housekeeper, said that as soon as Ezra returned to the Bennett family, he started setting it up for me. It’s the best-lit room in the villa, even better than Ezra’s. Uncle Bennett found out I liked playing the piano and hired a piano teacher for me. After my first piano lesson, I cried for a long time under the covers that night. It was the first time I felt loved since Mom passed away. Time flew by, and before I knew it, I was seven. I started attending the same private school as Ezra. On the first day of school, I clung tightly to Ezra’s backpack strap at the school gate. I was terrified everyone would hate me for being a lowly child. “Ezra, I don’t want to go to school. Can’t I just stay at home?” He held my shoulders, patiently explaining, “Adeline, you’re grown up now. When it’s time for school, you have to go. If anyone bullies you, just stand up for yourself. If you can’t handle it, tell me, and I’ll get back at them for you.” “You’re a princess, and being friends with a princess is their privilege.” To my surprise, my classmates were very friendly. I even made a great friend named Nora Williams. During lunch, my desk would be piled with snacks from classmates. At the orphanage, I only ate expired bread, and at the Thompson house, I often went hungry. Now I constantly received delicious foods, like I was meant to have them all along. Dad and my brothers never came to bother me again. Maybe disappearing from their lives was a good thing. Ezra said I’ve become more confident now. At my elementary school graduation, I even performed a piano solo. “Adeline!” I had just stepped off the stage when an auntie in a suit stopped me. She crouched down to meet my eyes, speaking softly, “I’m a manager from Starlight Entertainment. You can call me Auntie Green. Your performance was amazing. Are you interested in shooting commercials? Or acting in TV dramas?” I clutched the hem of my dress, stepping back. “Adeline?” Ezra quickly approached, protectively hovering by my side. Auntie Green immediately stood up, handing over a business card, “Ezra, our company is preparing a family drama. The role of the young female lead is perfect for Adeline. We can discuss the pay, and it won’t interfere with school…” In the car on the way back, I stared out the window. Ezra handed me a warm milk, “If you don’t want to go, I’ll turn her down right now.” I shook my head, asking him, “Ezra, can acting make a lot of money?” He frowned, “Why do you ask? The Bennett family isn’t short on money.” “But I want to earn my own. Auntie Taylor said my piano lessons are expensive, and the dresses you bought me cost a lot.” The car went silent for a few seconds. “Adeline,” he wiped my mouth gently, “these things are what you should have.” “I want to try. Auntie Green said acting is simple. Two days on the weekend can earn five thousand.” Ezra rubbed his temples, looking resigned, “Adeline, the entertainment industry is complicated.” “But I want to be useful.” He was silent for a long time, eventually giving in. The day the TV show aired, I sat nervously in front of the TV, palms sweating. I didn’t have many scenes, only a few. Nora messaged me non-stop, “Adeline! Check Twitter! You’re trending!” Could you please share the specific text you would like me to address? #Nation’s Sweetheart Adeline# followed by a flame icon. Opening the real-time discussion, the screen was almost completely covered with live comments. [I need all the info on my baby girl in three minutes!] [Those crying scenes were phenomenal! Our darling daughter’s acting outshines the popular starlets!] [I found out! She’s the adopted daughter of the Bennett Corporation, and she’s won international awards for piano!]
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