“Are you deaf? I told you to get on your knees and say, ‘I’m a pretentious, pathetic shrew and a slum dweller!’ Say it! Then, I’ll convince my brother to spare you!”

Isabella was screaming in a shrill voice and did not notice that Davide was right behind her.

He had seen my photo. Naturally, he recognized me.

But Isabella was clearly oblivious. When she followed my gaze and spotted Davide, she looked surprised.

“Dav! How did you know I was here? Are you here to pick me up?”

She ran toward Davide, pointed at me, and complained to him. “This shrew dares to fight with me over some gifts! I wanted to get them for you and our parents. Teach her a lesson now!”

I raised an eyebrow. “What a coincidence! I also wanted to get them for my parents, since I’ll be meeting them for the first time.”

Isabella laughed.

“You pretentious shrew! You have a family, huh? What kind of people are they? Is your dad a drunkard or a drug addict? Is your mom a prostitute? Which district does she work in? Did they have to sell themselves to afford that black card?”

In my eighteen years of life, no one had ever dared to behave in such a way with me.

Oddly enough, I was not the angriest person in the room.

I sneered and looked at Davide, who seemed furious.

“Did you hear the way she insulted me and our parents, Davide?”

“What?!” Isabella gasped. “Dav? Is this Celina, your long-lost sister? Did I just—”

Shocked, she stumbled back and trembled uncontrollably.

The people around us cried out in shock as well.

“What? Is this young lady the Ferrero family’s long-lost daughter?!”

“I heard that when they lost her, everyone was out looking for her at the family’s order. They only adopted Isabella when they couldn’t find her!”

“It’s no wonder she looks so confident and brave. I wonder who Mr. Ferrero will side with, now that his adopted sister and his biological sister are fighting.”

Isabella glanced around, and her eyes lit up. She quickly grabbed Davide’s sleeve. With a disappointed face, she tearfully said, “I’m sorry, Dav. I was genuinely worried that when Celina came back, you and our parents would kick me out. That’s why I wanted to buy you the best gifts!”

“I know, my dear.”

Davide, who had been quiet the entire time, patted Isabella on the shoulder. Then, he looked at me and said coldly, “Isabella will always be my little sister and a Ferrero. No one can replace her.”

I stared coldly at my biological brother, whom I had met for the first time.

He chose to take her side and defend her even when he heard that Isabella had insulted our parents and me.

Someone like him did not deserve the gift I had bought with my own money.

I took back my black card from the shop assistant.

“I no longer want these things. You may sell them to whomever you like.”

Seeing Davide take her side, Isabella felt emboldened. She grabbed me by the wrist and raised the card in my hand.

“It’s no wonder you have a black card! It must have been a gift from my family! How impressive, Celina! The first thing you did after coming home was spend my parents’ money and act like you’re a billionaire! Not even I could bring myself to spend five hundred thousand dollars like this!”

Hearing that, Davide frowned in disapproval.

“I never wanted you to come back. Mom and Dad said you wanted to meet us very badly. I assumed you were having a hard time, so I relented and thought I’d let you return home out of remorse. Who would’ve thought that you’d be so ungrateful and wasteful with our money? I shouldn’t have let you come back!”

I let out a bark of laughter.

My biological parents were the ones who had sobbed and begged me to meet with them after finding out who my adoptive parents were.

But according to Davide, I was a dirt-poor woman begging to come home to them.

After all, humans were selfish and opportunistic. They would fawn over those who were powerful and stomped on those they deemed inferior.

“Fine, Davide! Go home to your parents and tell them that I won’t be returning. I neither want to be in your family nor do I plan to meet them!”

I yanked my wrist free from Isabella’s grip and walked out of the store.

Just as I texted Alessandro, my adoptive brother, Isabella dashed over and tried to stop me from leaving.

“Get back here, you damn beggar!”

She stared at me cockily. “Leave our black card behind, then you may leave.”

I sneered.

“You greedy idiot! This is an unlimited black card that can be used all around the world. Only four cards have been issued so far. What makes you think a small family like the Ferrero family can own one?”

“Are you still pretending you’re rich? It’s my parents’ money! It won’t go into the pockets of the beggars who adopted you. Give it back, or you won’t be leaving this store!”

‘Beggars who adopted me?’ I thought.

Out of respect for my biological parents, I had put up with her insults twice.

But my adoptive family was my bottom line. I would never let anyone insult them.

I smiled icily.

“Oh? How’re you going to stop me from leaving?”

“By teaching you a lesson, obviously!”

With that, Isabella raised her hand and tried to slap me.

I caught her wrist mid-air, my expression colder than ice, then kicked her in the stomach.

As she fell onto the ground, Isabella’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“You damn beggar, how dare you—”

Before she could finish, I swung a sharp backhand across her cheek and asked coldly, “Are you satisfied now?”

Having been beaten twice, Isabella was no longer cocky. She bawled.

When Davide stepped forward, she hid behind him with tears in her eyes.

“This trash hit me! You have to avenge me, Dav!”

Davide helped Isabella to her feet and held her in his arms protectively. Then, he glared at me.

“Is this how your adoptive parents taught you to behave, Celina? I was right about you! You were indeed raised by crude, low-life scums!”

He beckoned to his men with a wave of his hands, and they instantly surrounded me.

“As your older brother, I’ll have to teach you a lesson on behalf of those low-lives!”

With that, the men behind me tried to subdue me.

I managed to take one down, but the second was faster and stronger. I was no match for him.

A blow to my ribs sent me sprawling to the ground.

Two men subdued me and dragged me to Davide and Isabella.

Davide turned toward Isabella, who looked very pleased, and spoke to her in a gentle voice.

“Don’t cry, Belle! You can hit her the same way she hit you earlier. You can do whatever you like. I have your back!”

With Davide’s assurance, Isabella felt emboldened to hurt me. She slapped me twice and spat in my face.

“Where is that attitude of yours now, stupid trash? Come on, fight back!”

With that, she kicked me in my lower abdomen, grabbed my hair, and forced me to look up at her.

I endured the sharp pain and glared at them both with gritted teeth.

“How dare you treat me this way?! I’ll get back at you, and there’ll be no mercy!”

Isabella laughed.

“We run this city! How could a slum-dwelling beggar like you fight me?

“Today, I’ll show you what happens to those who offend me!”

She took out a nail file from her purse and cut me on the cheek.

A sharp, burning pain shot through my skin, and blood oozed out.

A bystander said regretfully, “I knew this would happen. After all, she’s only the long-lost daughter of the family. Of course, they prefer the adopted daughter who’s lived with them for so many years.”

Another person said, “I told her not to upset Miss Ferrero, but she didn’t listen and thought that her identity could protect her. Now, she suffers the consequences!”

“She is so pretty. It’s a shame that they’re trying to disfigure her.”

Isabella sneered and tried to cut my face again. Terror surged through me at the thought of being disfigured, and I pleaded for her to stop.

Isabella said, “I won’t stop until I’m satisfied!”

“Make her stop, Davide, or you’ll regret it!” I shouted.

Davide said in disdain, “I’ll explain the situation to Mom and Dad. You’d better apologize, Celina. If Belle forgives you, I’ll allow you to be part of the family.”

“Part of the Ferrero family? Ha! Do you think I want that?”

Utterly furious, Davide glared at me.

“What then? Do you think the scums who adopted you will come to your rescue?

“They must’ve been ecstatic after learning that you’re a Ferrero. They probably hope you’ll stay with us forever, so that they can live an easier life with our money and power.

“Stop being stubborn and apologize right now! I’ll help you out financially since we’re related by blood.”

The phrase “related by blood” seemed to irk Isabella.

She approached me with a vicious glint in her eyes, grabbed my hair, and whispered in my ear, “You slum-dwelling trash, first you win over my parents, then you make Dav show you mercy? Want to take my place? Keep dreaming!

“Dav! The black card is not on Celina! Why don’t we strip her clothes off and see where she’s hidden it?”

Isabella turned around to look at Davide, and he nodded.

“Sure, do whatever you like!”

“No!” I screamed.

Just then, my phone rang.

I struggled and tried to answer it, but Isabella snatched the phone from me and answered it instead.

Alessandro’s voice boomed through the speaker.

“How’s shopping going, Celina? Do you need me to come pick you up?”

I immediately cried for help. “Save me, Alex!”

Davide frowned and took my phone.

“Alex?”

Hearing my cry for help, Alessandro said anxiously, “Who are you? How dare you mess with my little sister?! Let her go, or I, Alessandro Gallante, and my family will come after you!”

Davide and Isabella exchanged looks of fear.

“Gallante? The same mafia family that controls all the crime families across the entire country?”

After a pause, they both suddenly burst out laughing.

“Hahahaha… Now I know who taught this stupid trash to lie!” Isabella said.

Davide kept mocking Alessandro.

“You should’ve namedropped a more convincing family. The Gallante family is powerful and mysterious, especially the Don of the family, Alessandro! He's my idol. Normally we can't meet him even if we want to!

“How dare a scum like you impersonate him! I dare you to come over right now. The Ferrero family will be waiting!”

They hung up on Alessandro, and Isabella slammed my phone on the ground. She raised her brows and mocked me.

“Your beggar family is just as pretentious as you! Stubborn trash, I’ll beat you until they come for you!”

She lifted her hand to slap my injured cheek.

There was a screech of tyres, and a familiar limousine came into view.

Alessandro opened the door and stormed toward us in fury. “Who the hell thinks they can hurt my little sister?!”