It was her father’s birthday. Midway through the ride, Narissa asked to stop and buy a gift, but Drake coldly refused. “There’s no time. A gift isn’t urgent right now.”

The car pulled up directly to the entrance of the banquet hall. Drake went to park the car and shortly after, Narissa received a text from him, telling her to head inside first.

As she entered the grand hall, the soft, calming music filled the air. Just as she walked in, Bella, who had always been at odds with her, appeared with a group of people and immediately surrounded her.

The other party looked down at her with disdain, pinching her nose as if she were disgusting.

“Narissa, how can you be so disrespectful? Is the Sterling Family out of money now? You didn’t even bring a single piece of jewelry. You’re embarrassing us, the noble ladies of high society.”

The women behind her giggled, their laughter dripping with mockery. “You call yourself the eldest daughter of the Sterling Family? You’re even worse than your sister.”

Bella sneered, "It's laughable. You're the daughter of Astrid, the renowned actress who was adored by all of the capital, yet, look at how you turned out, you’re worse than the daughter of a mistress. No wonder your father ended up cheating!"

Narissa’s mother, Astrid, had been a renowned actress who won every major award in the entertainment industry. When Narissa’s father first laid eyes on her, he was instantly smitten and relentlessly pursued her until she agreed to marry him.

To be with the man she loved, Astrid left her career behind and gave birth to Narissa. Tragically, when Narissa was sixteen, Astrid died in a car accident.

During the time when Narissa was falsely accused, her father had been caught multiple times in ambiguous, flirtatious situations with women. It was later uncovered that one of those women was none other than Liora’s mother.

At that time, Narissa asked her father, "Why are you doing this? Can you face mom?"

Her father’s expression changed, becoming cold. "If I truly owed your mom, I should never have raised you. I should have killed you when you were born. If not for you, how would your mom have died?"

This sentence still cut through Narissa’s heart like a knife when she thought back on it. After her mother died, her father blamed her for her mother’s death. Like everyone else, he believed that everything was her fault.

Narissa felt a deep, hidden pain. If only she hadn’t asked her mother to go buy the cake, perhaps none of this would have happened. But now, it was too late.

To her, her mother was the one she couldn't allow anyone to insult.

So, even though she knew Bella's words were meant to provoke her, Narissa couldn’t hold herself back. She raised her hand and slapped Bella across the face. “Shut up. I won’t let you speak badly about my mother. And even if I’m not a Sterling Family member, I’m still a board member of the company. You have no right to speak to me like that.”

Bella’s eyes instantly reddened, her anger bubbling to the surface. “You filthy woman, how dare you slap me! My father won’t let this go!”

Narissa looked at her coldly, a cruel smile curling on her lips. “I’ll be waiting for him.”

Just then, a gentle and elegant voice came from behind. “Narissa, what are you doing here?”

Upon hearing the voice, Narissa froze, the weight of all her suppressed emotions crashing over her. Her eyes welled up and she turned to look.

But just one glance was enough to freeze her blood and send a chill through her entire body.

The person who appeared was dressed in a pure white suit. His features were as handsome as a painting and his eyes, soft as a gentle breeze, landed on Narissa.

It was her older brother, Evan. Behind him stood a group of friends, including Liora, who was dressed in a pristine white gown. She looked fresh, graceful and charming, with a soft and sweet demeanor.

As she observed, Narissa saw Drake, her ex-boyfriend, standing by Liora. He looked at her with gentle affection, smiling as he whispered something to her.

Seeing this scene, Narissa felt her mind momentarily go blank. Before she could say anything, she heard Bella crying as she rushed up to Liora, accusing her, “Liora, your sister is so mean. I just asked why she didn’t bring any jewelry to the banquet and she hit me. She even said I’m the daughter of a mistress. Do I deserve to be hit because my mother was a mistress?”

Narissa immediately wanted to rebut, but before she could, Liora spoke up first, her eyes reddening. “Narissa, even if what Bella said wasn’t right, you can’t hit people.”

Narissa looked coldly at Bella. "If she hadn’t insulted my mother, I wouldn’t have hit her."

Upon hearing this, Drake frowned, a trace of annoyance flashing in his eyes. "Narissa, that’s Liora’s friend and the daughter of the Thorne family. Even if she was wrong, you shouldn’t have hit her in front of everyone."

Surrounded by countless curious and judgmental gazes, Narissa clenched her fists, feeling isolated and cold inside. Just as she was about to say something, a figure stepped in front of her.

It was Evan, his handsome and gentle face showing an apologetic smile as he turned to Bella. "Narissa has been pampered since she was young, so I apologize on her behalf."

Narissa's expression immediately stiffened as she glared at him. "Evan, I'm not at fault. It's her that has a filthy mouth."

Evan's smile remained soft, but his eyes turned cold. Sering this, Narissa's mind cleared in that moment, realizing that her brother was angry. But why?

He parted his lips with a neutral smile and spoke emotionlessly, "Narissa, it's all the same."

Narissa gritted her teeth, her gaze fixed on his calm yet distant face, her heart tightening with pain.

Upon hearing his words, Bella blushed slightly. She lowered her eyes, then said shyly, "For your sake, I'll let this bad woman go."

Liora’s face twisted with hurt and grievance. “I know you’ve always disliked me and you despise my mom for being a mistress. But, Narissa, my mom and dad couldn’t help what happened. We didn’t choose our own birth. If I could, I would’ve wanted to be the legitimate daughter of my dad, with a brother who loves me.”

She sighed in helplessness. “Not everyone is as lucky as you, born into the Sterling Family as the eldest daughter. I’m sorry!” Tears welled up in her eyes and she couldn’t hold them back any longer, running off in distress.

Drake instinctively wanted to chase after her but paused, his dark eyes fixed on Narissa. There was a mix of disappointment and displeasure in his gaze. "Narissa, do you know how happy Liora was that you could come out today? Yet, you say such hurtful words. I’ve been too indulgent with you in the past and that’s why you’ve turned out this way."

He turned and hurried out without looking back and the people around them cast awkward glances. Narissa felt her anger boil over.

It was Liora’s mother who had seduced her father, yet she had the audacity to say such things about wanting to take her family away.

Fury surged through her, but when she met her brother’s calm gaze, her heart froze. She felt absurd and sorrowful. “Evan, do you also think this is my fault?”

Evan’s expression softened with helplessness. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, his eyes filled with a hint of fatigue. Looking at his younger sister, whom he had watched grow up, he couldn't help but sigh and explained in a soft tone, “Narissa, we were just picking out a gift for you, that’s why we didn’t pick you up earlier.”

The tone in his voice seemed as if he was dismissing something, which made Narissa freeze for a moment. She remembered how her brother used to gently deal with people who pursued him, only to later discard the things they had given him.

Now, however, the person he was brushing aside was her. Narissa remained silent, just quietly looking at him.

In truth, he hadn’t always been like this. Back when their mother had died in the car accident, he had always been so protective of her.

When they were younger, his favorite toys were off-limits to everyone, but if she wanted them, he would give them to her without hesitation.

Even when he went abroad for his studies, he made sure to come back every month to visit her and bring her gifts.

It wasn’t until the car accident happened, where she survived only because their mother had shielded her with her body, that her brother became even more protective. He hired bodyguards to ensure her safety, constantly fearing that something would happen to her.

But everything changed after Liora and her mother appeared.

Narissa tugged at her stiff lips and slowly said, "I understand."

Evan's expression briefly turned cold, but he quickly regained his composure.

That moment was so brief that Narissa thought she had imagined it, but then, with a slight parting of his lips, Evan said, "Since you understand, don't do it again next time."

Narissa clenched her teeth, her expression tense. "What do you mean?"

Evan's expression turned cold as he retorted, "Do you really want me to be so blunt? You know that Bella is Liora's close friend, yet you still call Wilde a mistress and say you're not targeting Liora?"

Hearing this, Narissa struggled to suppress her anger and finally understood what he meant. "But, she was the one who spoke ill of Mom first."

Thinking he would understand, she was instead met with disappointment in his eyes. "Drake was right, you’ve really been spoiled."

The words struck Narissa like a blow, leaving her stunned. Even though she knew Drake would side with Liora, she hadn’t expected her brother to do the same.

In disbelief, her heart sinking, she asked, "Bella said Dad cheated because Mom wasn't good enough. Don’t you feel angry when you hear that?"

Evan stared at his proud, headstrong younger sister and replied, each word deliberate, “At that time, Liora was just a newborn. How could she understand anything? Liora is right, though. Her birth wasn’t something she could choose. You don’t need to blame her for it."

Narissa didn't even know how she had been targeting Liora. At this moment, it felt like she was momentarily transported back to the time before she entered the private prison.

When Liora was attacked, her father dragged her out of bed, accusing her of deliberately hiring someone to kill her, calling her malicious.

Although she hadn't done it at all, they said someone had identified her, making her meet with countless disdainful stares. At that time, all she wanted was to explain and uncover the truth.

Her brother had stepped in, looking at her with a cold, emotionless gaze and said, "Narissa, no matter what you’ve done, I will always stand by you. But you still need to face the consequences.”

He stood by her side because she was his biological sister, not because he believed in her.

In order to punish her, they had been eager to send her to a private prison, unwilling to even listen to her explanation.

Now, Evan looked at her with a calm gaze, but a trace of disgust flashed in his eyes as he said, "Narissa, you are my sister, so no matter what, I will stand by your side without question. ButI don't want to see this kind of thing happen again."

Instantly, Narissa felt unfamiliar with the tall, familiar man in front of her.

That year, she broke down in tears at her mother's funeral and her brother was only seventeen at the time. He tightly held her hand, his voice hoarse and restrained, "Narissa, stop crying. Even without Mom, there's still me, your brother. I'll protect you for the rest of your life and never let anyone hurt you."

Back then, he kept his promise. No matter what happened, he would always stand by her, protect her and believe in her.

But now, though he still stood by her side, his heart had already shifted. She understood that the brother who once promised to protect her for life no longer loved her.