“Olivia’s such a good girl. How could Mom ever give you up?”

Ethan Bennett ruffled her hair in agreement.

“In my eyes, Olivia is my only sister!”

Then he kicked me and threatened,

“If you don’t apologize to Olivia, you can forget about stepping foot in the Bennett home!”

In this life, I couldn’t care less about that so-called life-or-death family bond.

And I refuse to be the spineless Madison Clark I once was.

Whoever crosses me will get it back double.

I shot Ethan a fierce glare and sneered,

“Is that a tumor sitting on your neck?”

“If I really wanted her dead, I’d stab her with a knife—not just let her scrape her knee.”

All three of them stared, wide-eyed, stunned.

Leaning on the bedframe, I forced myself to stand.

“Let me clear something up—you’ve misunderstood. I’m not here to ‘reunite with family.’ I’m here to cut ties.”

“Based on Olivia’s standard of living and my seventeen years of emotional damages, you can just pay me the equivalent in cash. From now on, I don’t want to see you people ever again.”

My mother’s breath came hard and fast with rage.

“You want to cut ties with us? Outrageous!”

“In your eyes, is money more important than your father, mother, and brother?”

“We’ve already announced your existence to the world. Doing this puts us in a terrible position!”

Ethan scoffed,

“I knew it—she only acknowledged us for the money. What a disgrace to the Bennett family.”

Years ago, after Olivia’s biological mother swapped us, she left me in a dumpster to fend for myself.

It was my grandmother, who scavenged for a living, who took me in and raised me with great hardship.

Two years ago, Grandma was diagnosed with severe lung disease. I juggled school and odd jobs, just trying to save enough for her treatment.

They refused to help.

Instead, to punish me, they abandoned me in the hospital.

When I was discharged a month later, I returned to the house I had spent six miserable years in during my past life.

Olivia stood in the doorway with her arms crossed, her expression venomous.

“You’re really hard to kill. Not even that could finish you off.”

“Even if you’re back, so what? As long as I’m here, Mom, Dad, and Ethan will never give you a second glance.”

Her bulldog barked at me from her side.

I smirked coldly.

“Relax. I’m not interested in fighting you over a pile of garbage.”

I didn’t want them—but in this lifetime, Olivia wouldn’t get them either.

Suddenly, she grabbed my hand and shoved it against herself, then stumbled back two steps and screamed, pretending to fall.

The scene played out just as Ethan walked in.

He rushed over and slapped me hard across the face.

“Madison Clark! How dare you push Olivia? Just because you’ve got Bennett blood doesn’t mean you can throw your weight around!”

I licked the blood from the corner of my mouth, then jumped up and slapped him back—harder.

“Stray dogs cross the street to avoid me. What the hell are you?”

“Hit me again, and I’ll break your arm.”

Ethan had never suffered such humiliation in his life. His eyes went blood-red with rage.

In the past, whenever Olivia framed me, I would freeze in fear.

But now, I hooked my lips into a smirk, yanked her up by the arm, and said,

“That fall was pathetic. Do it again—for real this time.”

Her pupils dilated in shock.

I gritted my teeth and shoved her to the floor with all my strength.

Her body hit the ground with a dull, heavy thud.

By the time Ethan snapped out of it, Olivia’s wails were echoing through the entire mansion.

I clapped my hands and smiled in satisfaction.

“Remember that feeling. Next time you cross me, it’ll hurt even more.”

Ethan Bennett shot me an angry glare before carrying the sobbing, wailing Olivia Bennett off to the hospital.

The housekeeper told me my parents had a social engagement tonight and wouldn’t be home for dinner.

I kicked the bulldog that had been barking at me from the corner and strolled leisurely upstairs.

God, it felt amazing not to be the doormat anymore.

The next day, the four of them sat around the dining table, each face darker than the bottom of a burnt pan.

Olivia dabbed at her tears now and then, sniffling pitifully.

My father cast me a sharp look and told the housekeeper to bring another chair.

Auntie Wang brought it over, but no one moved to make room.

I gave a short, cold laugh and stepped in to spare her the awkwardness.

“Don’t bother. From now on, just send my food up to my room.”

“I don’t exactly have an appetite staring at them.”

It wouldn’t be long before Olivia, just like in my last life, would find some excuse to kick me off the table entirely, leaving me to eat with her dog.

When they didn’t react, I picked up a piece of bread, eating as I turned to leave.

Suddenly, my father slammed the table with a loud crack and barked,

“Leaving before your elders finish speaking? Have you no manners at all?”

“Just like your mother and brother said—rotten to the core.”

I met his glare without a hint of deference.

“You’re the one who chose to speak the moment I stood up. What am I supposed to do?”

“And no matter how rotten I am, I’m still your blood. If there’s a problem, maybe it’s in the source.”

He froze mid-breath, nearly choking on his own anger.

“You’ve gone too far! Disrespectful! Today you’re getting a proper lesson!”

He roared for the butler to fetch the family discipline.

Olivia’s eyes glinted with satisfaction as she curled her lips in a smirk.

My mother pressed her lips together in silence, while Ethan looked like he was settling in to watch the show.

The butler handed my father a rattan whip as thick as my wrist. He glared at me with severity.

“Disrespecting your elders, harming your siblings, a vile nature with no remorse—do you admit your fault?”

In my past life, thanks to Olivia, I had suffered many such punishments.

The worst time, I was whipped until my back was split open, the wounds deep enough to show bone, and I nearly died from complications. I was bedridden for two months.

My eyes flicked to the whip and my stomach clenched, but I kept my chin high and shot back,

“Under mutual respect, I’m a polite young lady. If you think I was rude, maybe you should first reflect on your own attitude.”

His gaze on me grew even colder. He pointed the whip at me.

“Sharp-tongued brat! You caused Olivia’s car accident before, and yesterday you pushed her, giving her a concussion—how dare you talk back?”

So this was all about taking Olivia’s side again.

“You’re all blind, of course you didn’t see her run me over and break my leg, then frame me. She only—”

The rest of my words were cut short by the whistle of the whip slicing through the air, striking my back.

Once. Twice…

The pain exploded through my scalp, my body arching involuntarily as I shivered, teeth clenched against the agony.

After five blows, my father flung the whip to the ground and barked,

“Now do you understand your mistake? Will you apologize to Olivia?”

I straightened slowly, met his gaze with defiance, and suddenly smirked.

“I’ll apologize—if you tell me how much you’ll pay me for it.”

His eyes bulged in fury, fists tightening until his knuckles whitened.

“Ungrateful wretch! I’ve never seen such a vile child in my life!”

He was shaking with rage, and my mother quickly stepped in to calm him, helping him sit back down.

“Alright, alright. We know her nature now—just take your time to teach her. Don’t get yourself worked up.”

Then she turned her reproach toward me—

“Your dad stayed home this morning just to have breakfast with you, and you had to stir up chaos until the whole house was in an uproar?”

“Today you’re going with Mr. Tom, the assistant, to change your last name back.”

I forced myself upright despite the pain.

“I’m not changing it.”

Everyone turned to look at me. Ethan Bennett’s voice rose in anger.

“Madison Clark, don’t be ungrateful!”

I took a deep breath, rolled my shoulders, and said,

“My name is already registered in the SAT system. Changing my last name would affect my exam.”

The last name had been given to me by Grandma Grace, and I wasn’t giving it up.

Margaret Bennett nodded slightly, accepting the excuse.

She pulled out two bank cards and handed one to me and one to Olivia Bennett.

“This is your allowance for the month.”

But Olivia’s card had $100,000, and mine only $50,000.

“Why do I only get fifty?” I asked, displeased.

Richard Bennett’s voice was cold.

“Because you’re devious and not worth a single strand of Olivia’s hair.”

I clenched my teeth.

Fine. If that’s how they wanted it, I’d take the rest myself.

I tucked the card safely into my bag. This was enough to get Grandma Grace a full medical check-up.

Margaret sighed.

“On the 20th of next month, Olivia will turn eighteen. We’ve decided to hold your official ‘return to the family’ banquet on the same day—two happy occasions at once.”

It seemed they’d forgotten that day was also my birthday.

In my last life, I’d been humiliated beyond belief on that day.

I was going to refuse, but then an amusing idea came to mind, and I smiled in agreement.

When the time came, I’d give them a surprise they’d never forget.

The Bennetts transferred me to a new school, but I didn’t bother going.

In my previous life, desperate for approval, I had obediently followed Olivia to school—

Only to be isolated and bullied under her lead, missing the best window for Grandma Grace’s treatment.

Ignoring my injuries, I patched myself up, took the money, and went straight back to my hometown to bring Grandma to the city for treatment.

By the time she was settled, it was already evening.

When I returned to the Bennett house, Ethan was proudly reporting Olivia’s grades to our parents.

“Olivia improved a lot in her last practice SAT—already above the threshold for top universities. If she keeps it up, her actual score will be great.”

Richard grinned from ear to ear, his eyes full of pride for Olivia.

The moment I walked in, their smiles vanished.

Olivia hurried over, grabbing my hand with fake concern.

“Madison, why did you skip school today?”

“There’s only a week until the SATs. Even if your grades aren’t great, you shouldn’t just give up. I can tutor you.”

“Mom and Dad care most about our academics—you can’t embarrass them.”

In my last life, when she found out I’d already been offered early admission to Harvard, she had her little clique torment me until I was half-dead, tore up my acceptance letter, and threatened me into silence.

I yanked my hand away and said mockingly,

“All that one-on-one tutoring and you barely scraped past the cutoff?”

“You really are slow.”

Olivia’s jaw clenched, her cheeks flushing red.

Richard hadn’t had much education and had made his fortune by marrying into Margaret’s family business.

He was often mocked for relying on his wife’s money, so he placed an obsessive emphasis on his children’s academic achievements.

I ignored them all and headed upstairs to sleep.

To care for Grandma during her surgery, I’d already requested a week off from school.

On the day of the SAT, Olivia “kindly” packed my admission ticket and test materials for me.

“Don’t be nervous. Even if you don’t get into college, Dad can always get you a job—maybe as a janitor.”