Chapter 1
Scarlett
"Tonight I'm teaching you all the latest smoky eye technique. This eyeshadow shade is this fall's signature color..." I explained to the livestream camera with practiced ease, my makeup brush blending softly across my eyelid.
Comments scrolled rapidly across the screen:
"Scarlett, you're gorgeous!"
"I need that shade!"
"Scarlett's makeup is always so flawless!"
With half a million followers, I'd carved out my own little place in the Sterling family—at least on the surface. I'm Scarlett Sterling, the adopted daughter of the Sterling family and a somewhat successful beauty influencer.
"Remember, layering is crucial for eyeshadow. Always build from light to dark..." I was demonstrating intently when sudden, heated voices erupted from downstairs.
I paused mid-application, listening carefully. It was my adoptive mother Emily's voice, and she sounded furious.
"That's all for tonight, everyone! Good night!" I hastily ended the livestream, shut down my equipment, and crept toward the door.
The voices became clearer.
"We've finally found our biological daughter!" Emily's voice trembled with barely contained excitement. "Isn't it time we got rid of Scarlett? That little nobody has been taking up space in our home for far too long!"
My heart stopped.
Little nobody?
"It's time she gets out of our house." My adoptive father Harrison's voice was cold enough to send chills down my spine. "At next week's family reunion, we'll reveal Victoria's true identity and announce that she's our real daughter."
Victoria? Who's Victoria?
My makeup brush slipped from my trembling fingers, making a soft thud. I quickly covered my mouth, terrified of being discovered.
They found their biological daughter? And they want to throw me out?
In that moment, I felt the world spinning around me. Growing up, I always knew I was adopted, but the Sterlings treated me decently—at least they pretended to see me as their daughter. I thought... I thought I would always be part of the Sterling family.
Suddenly, golden text appeared before my eyes: [Oh my God, her adoptive parents are kicking her out.]
I froze, rubbing my eyes vigorously. A hallucination?
Another line of golden text appeared: [Poor baby, they never really considered you their daughter.]
"I must be hallucinating from stress..." I muttered, but the text remained crystal clear before me.
[This isn't a hallucination! You need to save yourself!]
I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. Whatever these strange messages were, what mattered now was understanding the situation.
I tiptoed to the staircase, hiding in the shadows to continue eavesdropping.
"At next week's family reunion, we'll humiliate her in front of everyone." Emily's voice dripped with malice. "I want our entire social circle to know that we Sterlings have finally found our true daughter."
"Remember, don't let Alexander know," Harrison warned. "He's too soft-hearted. He'll try to stop us."
Alexander? My adoptive brother?
Another comment appeared: [See? Your brother is on your side!]
[He's your only hope now.]
My heart raced faster.
Alexander... it was true, he'd always been good to me, protecting me since childhood, gentle and caring. If even he abandoned me...
No, the comments said he would protect me?
"Victoria is so much smarter than Scarlett, and she has business acumen too," Emily continued. "Most importantly, she's our flesh and blood! How could Scarlett, an outsider, ever compare?"
"Exactly. We need to find a way to cancel Scarlett's engagement to Blake," Harrison agreed.
Blake? My boyfriend whom I was about to get engaged to?
I felt dizzy, on the verge of collapse. Not only would I be thrown out of the Sterling family, but I'd lose my fiancé too?
The comments continued to appear: [This is outrageous. They planned this all along.]
[You must stop this!]
[Use your brother! He's the key!]
I bit my lip hard, trying to think. Alexander truly was my only hope. If I could make him care about me more, make him unwilling to let me go...
A bold idea formed in my mind.
I quietly returned to my room, closed the door, and went straight to my vanity. I remembered a friend giving me something special, saying it would make men more... attached.
I opened the drawer, searching frantically. Finally, I found a small vial tucked in the corner.
A clear, odorless liquid.
I clutched the vial, staring at my pale reflection in the mirror. "I'm sorry, Alex, but to stay in this family, I have no choice."
A final comment appeared: [Is this really the right thing to do?]
But I had no other options.
Tomorrow, I would put this plan into action. Alexander was my last lifeline. I absolutely could not lose this family, could not lose everything I had.
Even if... even if I had to resort to this.
I gripped the vial tightly, a newfound determination burning in my eyes. The Sterling house was my home, Alexander was my brother, and Blake was my fiancé.
No one would take them away from me!