In my past life, my teacher, Emily, climbed the social ladder by currying favor with me and eventually became my stepmother.

Who would have thought that after marrying Michael and getting pregnant, she would conspire with others to poison me and leave my body in the wilderness, all to make her unborn child the family heir.

When I opened my eyes again, I was reborn.

This time, I won't let her rise to power at my expense. I will make her life a living hell.

*****

My mother died in childbirth, but Michael didn't plan to remarry.

It wasn't because he was particularly faithful to my mother. Their marriage was a business alliance, with no real feelings involved.

He just thought that with an heir already in place, a wife was unnecessary.

During my full-month celebration, Michael publicly announced in front of all the elites in Northbridge that I was the sole heir to the Taylor family.

Michael doted on me to the extent that he would give me the stars if I asked for. My grandmother, Linda, adored me, treating me like her precious gem, showering me with endless love and affection.

But as a child, I still longed for motherly love.

When I was five, our family hired a piano teacher, Emily. She was gentle and caring, warming my little heart with a motherly touch.

No one have guessed that her kindness was just a ploy to gain favor with Michael and become his wife, Mrs. Taylor.

She drugged Michael with an aphrodisiac and had a one-night stand with him.

She thought this would make Michael marry her, but she miscalculated.

Michael was a philanderer with many lovers outside, having seen and experienced all sorts of women and their tricks.

He saw through Emily's clumsy scheme but didn't mind, planning to give her some money to dismiss her.

Emily, of course, was unwilling to leave. She cried to me, saying she would soon have to leave.

Her meticulous care and companionship over time had made me dependent on her.

I didn't want her to go, so she took the opportunity to plead with me to ask Michael to marry her so that she could stay with me.

At that time, my brain was not fully developed, and I was swayed by her, throwing tantrums and demanding she become my stepmother.

Michael didn't want to marry her, but he couldn't stand my hunger strike and softened his heart, agreeing to my request. Emily got her wish and became Mrs. Taylor.

But they only got the marriage certificate and didn't make it public.

She acted very well, treating me with the same kindness for ten years, and I genuinely came to see her as my mother.

Later, she became pregnant. To ensure her child would become the Taylor family heir, she deliberately made me ingest almonds, to which I was severely allergic, leading to shock. She then conspired with outsiders to have me kidnapped, planning to abandon my body in the wilderness.

When they were moving me to the trunk, I briefly regained consciousness and clearly heard her conspiring with the kidnappers.

Only then did I see her true colors, but I was dying from the untreated allergic reaction.

Although I knew Michael would avenge me, I was still unwilling to die like that.

Fortunately, heaven had mercy on me and gave me a chance to be reborn and take my revenge.

Before I died, I saw a flash of white light and then passed out.

I heard a familiar, cold male voice by my ear.

When I tried to open my eyes, I saw Michael holding me in his arms, playing with my chubby little hand. His eyes were cold as he looked at Emily, who was kneeling on the ground. He spoke nonchalantly.

"I don't know what kind of charm you used on Jessi to make her insist on having you as her mother, but since my daughter has asked, I will agree to it."

Emily looked embarrassed and tried to argue. "Mr. Taylor, you're joking. I genuinely care for Ms. Taylor and truly like you. How can you say I charmed her?"

Michael's expression showed his impatience. "Whether you're sincere or not doesn't matter to me. Since you are so eager to become Mrs. Taylor, I will grant your wish. But remember, your position in the Taylor family depends entirely on Jessi. If you truly care for Jessi, you must devote yourself to pleasing my daughter.

"Otherwise, I will make sure you fall from grace."

Emily's face turned pale, and she softly agreed.

I rubbed my eyes at the right moment and called out. "Daddy."

Seeing me awake, Michael's harsh expression immediately softened. "Daddy's here. Jessi, are you hungry?"

I nodded gently.

Michael patted my back, stood up holding me, and started towards the dining room.

Emily tried to follow us and called out. "Jessi, are you hungry? Do you want me to feed you?"

But before she could take a few steps, the butler stopped her.

I ignored her and nestled my head against Michael. He paused, glanced at the butler, Robert, who immediately understood, and motioned to the servants in the living room.

They covered Emily's mouth and dragged her out. She struggled and looked terrified, trying to free herself.

But it was futile. Our servants were well-trained, stronger than average, and skilled in handling such situations.

Soon, the sound of slaps and Emily's screams faintly reached us. Robert warned her, "How dare you overstep in front of Mr. Taylor? You climbed into Ms. Taylor's life with shameless schemes and dare to cross the line. Today, I will teach you the rules. Remember this lesson well."

"Keep hitting her! Harder!"

Although Michael allowed her into the Taylor family to take care of me, she was only given a nominal title and was actually more like a respectable nanny. Considering Emily's deceit, Michael would not let her off easily; he had to teach her a lesson to establish authority on my behalf.

In my past life, Emily had also been slapped by Robert to set rules. It was Michael's ruthlessness that kept her in line for ten years, pretending to be caring until she became pregnant. Thinking she had a secure position, she then hastily planned to kill me.

Sitting in a high chair, I slowly drank my porridge. Michael occasionally added some food to my plate. I looked up and sweetly smiled at him. "Thank you, Daddy!"

Michael happily patted my little head.

I wondered, 'Emily, I wonder how you'll manage to remain the lady of the house without my intervention this time?'

The next day, I woke up in a luxurious princess bed. The room was filled with pink, plush toys, and Barbie dolls, showcasing how much the Taylor family's only daughter was cherished.

Standing in front of the mirror, the child reflected back at me was exquisitely delicate and adorable, but her eyes held a deep and cold look.

Emily wanted to be a wealthy lady living in luxury. I would make sure she can see all the riches before her but never reach them, condemning her to remain a lowly servant for life.

Voices came from downstairs.

"Where is Jessi?"

It was Linda, my grandmother. She had arrived.

"Ms. Taylor is still asleep upstairs," Robert respectfully replied.

"Let her sleep a bit longer; children always need more rest.

"Bring that shameless woman here. I want to see what kind of remarkable person she is."

In front of Linda, I was always a well-behaved and considerate child. Whatever I wanted to do, I would ask her opinion first, except this time. Compared to the spoiled heirs of other wealthy families, I might have been a bit proud, but I was always seen as well-mannered and exceptional.

Over time, everyone in our circle knew I was a good child, always receiving praise for my family's good upbringing and my obedient nature.

The servants spread this reputation, and outsiders would often compliment me, wondering why their children couldn't be as easy to raise as me.

Linda would beam with pride, her smile never fading.

After my mother died in childbirth, Linda did consider having Michael remarry, but he was a rebellious type and didn't listen.

He only wanted an heir, regardless of gender. Moreover, his marriage to my mother was arranged, with an agreement before they wed that she would only have one child, and regardless of gender, this child would be the sole heir of the Taylor family.

No matter how much Linda wanted Michael to remarry, there was nothing she could do if he refused. Pushing him too hard might also cause friction between the Taylor family and my maternal grandparents.

So, even though I was a girl, not a boy, and Linda was a traditional matriarch who favored boys, I was her granddaughter and brought her pride. She loved me more the longer she looked at me.

Being so cherished, Emily suffered.

She had used despicable means to take the position of Mrs. Taylor and manipulated a five-year-old girl like me. Linda would never acknowledge her in the elite circles, and instead, she would torment her mercilessly.

In my past life, whenever Linda was about to torment Emily, I would distract her with my antics, allowing Emily to escape many times.

But this time, she wouldn't be so lucky.

I quietly hid at the corner of the stairs, observing. Emily was dressed in a white dress, looking haggard, her eyes red, and her cheeks swollen, looking quite pitiful.

Emily stood there, trembling and silent.

Linda, dressed in elegant attire, lowered her eyes, gently blew on the tea she was holding, took a small sip, and then set the cup down before lifting her eyes to scrutinize Emily.

"You must be Emily. Such a small-minded person, dreaming of becoming a phoenix. You should measure your worth and see if you are destined to enjoy such a life."

Linda stood up and walked closer to Emily, tugging at her white dress, noticing the Hermès label, and her face showing disdain and contempt.

"Wearing branded clothes, aren't you enjoying yourself? You never had the chance to wear such things in your past life, and now you easily wear them, feeling quite smug, aren't you?"

Emily shook her head in terror, denying it, and continued to keep her head down.

Linda continued, "Jessi is a child of the Taylor family. You dared to use her for your ambition, showing no regard for the consequences. You have some nerve.

"Let me tell you, you will never enjoy these riches, but you will certainly endure the suffering."