I hadn't seen her all night.

And when I bumped into my sister at the dining hall, there was a strong salty smell emanating from her.

Suppressing my nausea, I took a gulp of water and went upstairs.

But I couldn't help but utter a few words when I caught a glimpse of her being scantily clad.

"Mom and Dad don't like it when you stay out all night. You should be more careful..."

Before I could finish, there was a loud crash.

I was startled.

Turning back, I saw that she was still hungover, and the glass in her hand had collided with the edge of the table, shattering into pieces.

The scattered shards instantly cut her palm, and blood began to flow.

I hurried to get the first aid kit.

But before I could take a few steps, she pushed me against the refrigerator door.

"Mom and Dad aren't here, who are you pretending for!" she exclaimed.

Ever since my sister's biological parents showed up three years ago, she had changed completely.

She had become another person, from gentle and quiet to wanton and rude.

From intelligent and considerate, she had turned into selfish and thoughtless.

Even the slightest disturbance from Mom and Dad could touch raw nerve with her.

Even I, as their biological child, had become a thorn in her side.

"Go ahead, go tattle to Mom and Dad about how I'm bullying you, and have them kick me out!"

She yelled, shaking my arm excessively.

I instinctively struggled, causing her to lose her balance and fall to the ground with a thud.

"Don't touch me!"

She would rather grope in the glass shards on the floor than let me help her up.

As she struggled to stand, she immediately stepped on her kicked-off high heels.

"You're in for a disappointment. Mom and Dad will never kick me out."

Looking down at me, she sneered contemptuously.

"I'm about to marry into the Carl family. From now on, you, Mom and Dad, and the entire Zack Group will have to listen to me."

The Zack Group, managed by Mom and Dad for over twenty years, was on the brink of bankruptcy.

Although I appeared to be a true heiress, in reality, I was just an ordinary girl with the title of a wealthy young lady.

The villa belonged to the bank, the luxury car was from a supplier.

The handbag was rented, the gown was thrifted.

Even in such a destitute state, my sister still cared about the authenticity of being a true heiress, and I couldn't understand why.

"She's your sister. How can you do this!"

Mom and Dad, returning from an unsuccessful business trip seeking financing, couldn't help but reprimand her as they walked in and heard her boastful display.

My sister's eyes immediately turned red, but she stubbornly held back her tears, refusing to let them fall.

"I didn't want to go."

The house was already chaotic enough, so why argue over these trivial matters?

I sighed and stepped forward, hoping to end this farce, but instead, it only fueled my sister's desire to compete.

"You don't need to act like a good person!"

She gritted her teeth and glared at me furiously.

Clearly, she was directing the anger vented by Mom and Dad towards me.

"Other than being the biological child of the Zack family, what makes you better than me?"

The words were rude.

But not wrong.

My sister was the first child of Mom and Dad, raised with high expectations, while I, a second child, was just interfering in matters of family honor and glory.

Being a lazy bum, lying flat and playing video games were my three major goals.

I thought I could just be biding my time like this for the rest of my life, until three years ago.

When my sister's true identity was revealed, there was a noticeable shift in Mom and Dad's attitude.

My sister became the one who has been hung out to dry.

And I became the silly girl with a crown.

"She's your sister, how could she possibly be worse than you!"

My dad's hands trembled with anger as he stared outside, reluctant to give her an extra glance.

My mom's anger flared up even more.

The blind date that we finally managed to arrange was ruined like this, and the possibility of a marriage alliance with the Zack family was gone.

My sister, however, seemed satisfied with my parents' frustrated and helpless expressions.

She deliberately raised her hand and toyed with the diamond ring, bigger than a pigeon's egg.

"I know you only have eyes for Sabrina, but there's nothing we can do. Harry, the young master of the Carl family, has set his eyes on me, Shealy. We will get married soon. If you want the Zack Group to revive, you figure it out!"

Could she become a wealthy wife overnight with just one night's effort?

It seemed unbelievable to me.

Thinking of discussing this matter with my parents, I was about to knock on the study door when I heard a commotion inside.

"It's all your fault! If my daughter suffers because of this, I won't let you off the hook!"

My mom was crying and complaining non-stop.

My dad coughed urgently, as if he had been choked.

Through the door, I could almost see the smoke swirling inside.

"You know what our daughter is like, it's not like I knew she would turn out like this."

"Our family is cursed. What sins have we committed?"

"Well, at this point, we can only hope that our daughter can let go of it and not take it to heart."

Regardless of my parents' outward attitude, it was the first time I heard their biased words about me from their own mouths.

Surprised, I stopped my hand that was about to knock on the door.

But when I turned around, I almost collided with a figure standing behind me, who came here silently.

"Shealy."

Tears streamed down my sister's face, her beautifully done eye makeup smudged into a dark mess.

But it didn't stop her from appearing vulnerable, sending a shiver down anyone's spine.

It was a strange feeling.

For the past three years, she had stopped playing the role of a good sister. At first, she secretly competed with me, but later, she confronted me openly.

She challenged me more than once, claiming that as an adopted child, she was more valuable than me, the biological one.

Although I never wanted to compete with her.

Those hurts were stark-naked.

"From now on, don't call me sister!"

Shealy bit her lip.

After the blood droplets burst into her mouth, she completely took the gloves off with me.

She ran back to her room and brought out a suitcase.

Without a word, she grabbed it and headed for the front door.

"Oh, I almost forgot to give you this."

Just before leaving, she returned and stuffed something into my hand.

I looked down and saw that it was a subpoena.

"The Zack Group has entered bankruptcy liquidation, and soon, this villa will be repossessed by the bank."

Even if she believed that my parents treated her unfairly and were extremely unjust, this family had raised her for over twenty years.

But at this moment, it was about the downfall of our parents.

In addition to the pleasure of revenge, she could only have the ridicule of her own.

"I don't know how much longer you can stay in this house. But I'm different. Do you know about the villa in Mable County No.1? Harry will pick me up and take me there."

Mable County No.1 was a residential area located in the financial district. A large flat there was worth 12 or 14 million, not to mention a villa.

It was far superior to our villa, which was tucked away in a remote location.

But for the Carl family's power, this was not surprising.

"Forget it, anyway, you won't have a chance to try in your lifetime."

She put on her sunglasses and smiled confidently.

"Sabrina, tell your parents that they don't need to chase me away. Starting today, I, Shealy Zack, will change my surname back to Zayn and completely cut ties with your Zack family."

Surname Zayn?

What's the point?

Well, she's an adult. Who can always bear the consequences of her actions? She can do whatever she wants.

But I.

Looking at the summons in my hand, I really didn't expect that things at home had become so difficult.

No wonder my parents forced me to go on a blind date with Harry. If I had known that earlier, I would have taken it seriously.

"Darling, you're here."

A Maserati stopped in front of the door, and Shealy walked up, pretending to be charming.

To be honest.

I'm not jealous or trying to pry into their privacy. I just genuinely wanted to see what kind of person Harry had become after all these years.

Unexpectedly, after he kissed Shealy, he looked up and noticed me.

Our eyes met.

He raised his eyebrows flirtatiously at me.

I was quite startled.

Not because he flirted with me in front of Shealy.

But because this man, he was not Harry at all!

Shealy noticed that he was distracted and turned to look at me.

He whistled and nodded in my direction.

"Who's she?" asked Harry.

Shealy smiled mysteriously and arrogantly raised her chin.

She whispered something in his ear, and they both burst into laughter.

"So it's her, no wonder she looks so cheesy."

He said out of the blue.

Then he stepped on the gas pedal.

After a loud roar, he sped away with Shealy.

I was puzzled and suspicious as I closed the door.

Just as I was about to go back upstairs, my parents came down.

"Dad, a summons."

As soon as my dad saw what I was holding, he quickly snatched it away, a fleeting awkwardness on his face.

"How did it get delivered to our house?"

Then he changed the topic and asked all sorts of questions and my future plans.

"Just go to work. Didn't you say that the company is short of staff? So I'll go."

Actually, I didn't know if there were any other ways to help my parents through this crisis.

The arranged marriage had already been ruined by me.

But even if I had no value anymore, it shouldn't stop me from making a little bit difference.

"Weren't you always interested in freelancing?"

My mom saw through my little plan and glared at me fiercely, taking out a check from her bag.

"Take this money. Your dad's company may be struggling, but you don't need to add to the chaos. While we still have the ability, go and do what you want to do."

Standing at the forefront of the times, who doesn't want to become famous overnight?

But when I kept talking about wanting to be a self-media personality, it was just a way to escape the high pressure from my parents and return to a carefree life.

However, my mother kept it in mind.

Even though things had become so difficult at home, she still wanted to support me.

My nose felt tingly, and I couldn't help but tear up.

I averted my gaze, put the check back into her hand, and tried to appear inattentive and careless.

"Just talk casually. With my current situation, it's impossible for me to become popular. I might as well go work for dad and at least have a monthly salary in my bank account."

"Hey, you!"

My mom wanted to insist, but my dad stopped her, looking pleased.