I couldn't bring myself to touch the medicine at home. I couldn't be sure if there was anything else mixed into those pills. So, after leaving the house, I found a pharmacy and took some fever-reducing medicine, which gave me a bit of strength.

I rested in the backstage lounge at the school's anniversary celebration, waiting for my turn. My classmates noticed that my complexion wasn't good, and one of them asked with genuine concern, "Harmony, you look really unwell. Should we postpone your speech to a later time?"

A classmate handed me a bottle of water, their eyes filled with sincere worry. It made me feel even worse—my classmates cared about my well-being, while my own family was solely focused on Gemma, disregarding my feelings.

I gave a faint smile and was about to reply when Gemma suddenly appeared before me.

"Harmony has a fever, and she's very weak. I'm really worried about her. I don't even know if she'll be able to go on stage later," Gemma said, her eyes welling up with tears, grabbing my hand as if genuinely concerned.

Internally, I sneered. Was she still planning to replace me?

My voice was a bit hoarse due to the fever as I coldly pulled my hand away. "But who caused my fever?"

She seemed taken aback by my reaction, her hand retracting, and her body trembling slightly.

Two days ago, it had been pouring rain, and she called me, claiming that she was being bullied outside. I had been naive enough to believe her and rushed out to support her. However, when I arrived at the address she'd given me, she was nowhere to be found. She had already returned home.

I was afraid that she might be in danger, so I searched for her everywhere, getting drenched in the process. She didn't answer her phone, and I was afraid to tell my family that I couldn't find her, fearing they'd blame me. In the end, I spent the entire night in the rain and came home with a high fever.

That was when she began plotting against me.

Gemma pretended to be pitiful in front of my classmates, biting her lip, eyes reddening, and apologized, "I'm sorry, Harmony. I didn't know you were searching for me all night..."

However, Gemma, that was not what you said at home!

She told our family that I insisted on going out with my friends and that it was pouring rain outside. She had advised me not to go, but I didn't listen, and that was why I had a fever. She even made it seem like it was all her fault, causing our parents and Tim to be even more disappointed in me, saying I was not as sensible as she was.

I wanted to explain but I was too weak to speak. I had to endure my parents' incessant scolding while she played the role of a good person.

I was thoroughly disappointed in my sister.

Seeing Gemma's pitiful appearance, my classmates were at a loss and nervously looked at me.

"What's the use of saying sorry?" I stood up, my heart aching, and left.

I didn't want to see her, not at all!

My classmates were there, watching.

How could Gemma pass up such a perfect opportunity to put on a show!

She hurriedly chased after me, repeatedly saying, "Harmony, I'm sorry. Please don't be angry with me, okay?"

Her pitiful appearance garnered sympathy from the onlookers passing by.

I quickened my pace, wanting to avoid any further interaction with her.

It wasn't until I reached a secluded spot that she successfully caught up to me.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at my angry expression, hesitantly saying, "Sister, I was wrong. I won't do it again. Please don't be angry. You can do whatever you want as long as it makes you feel better."

"Alright, you said it," I replied.

She had a faint smile on her face as she nodded.

I raised my hand and gave her a resounding slap, using every ounce of my strength to release all the grievances, resentment, and fear I had bottled up inside.

Instantly, a clear palm print appeared on her face. She looked stunned, gazing at me with vacant eyes.

That slap was just a brief release of my inner anger. I left her standing there and walked away.

It was time for something important.

I had hired a group of people who were waiting in the same place where I had been humiliated in my previous life.

It was a dark and desolate alley not far from the school. There were always thugs and hooligans lurking around that area, which was why no one suspected anything when I was violated there in my previous life.

However, I clearly lost consciousness inside the school; how did I end up there?

I didn’t believe this was a coincidence. I wanted to get to the bottom of it.

Standing at the intersection, looking down the pitch-black alley, the fear and unease from my previous life rushed over me.

"Hey, there's some movement. She must have brought someone with her, right?"

"Hurry, hurry, get ready."

"I heard that the one she brought looks pretty good! She's a top student at this university; we're in for a treat!"

They started anxiously adjusting their belts, but when I approached them, their actions suddenly froze.

"What's going on? Did she come here on her own?"

"Wait, wasn't it said that they would drug her? Did this girl willingly walk into the trap?"

"Who cares! We've got the money; let's just get the job done!"

Even though I stood before them fully conscious, they still intended to harm me.

They revealed lecherous smiles, but I responded coldly, "Get them!"

They stood bewildered, not understanding what was happening.

Meanwhile, the group of bodyguards who had been silently observing everything emerged from the darkness and apprehended them, pinning them against the wall.

"What... what do you want, beautiful lady?"

"We haven't done anything; why are you detaining us?"

Their eyes filled with fear, and they tried to appease me.

"Do you know me? Why did you immediately try to assault me when I appeared? And who is this 'she' you're talking about?" I scrutinized each of them closely.

There were six of them, and I remembered every face clearly.

The leader had blond hair and tried to smile pleasantly while his face was pressed against the wall. "Miss, you must have misunderstood something..."

"Oh? Just based on your action of taking off your pants just now, I could already sue you guys for indecent behavior." One of the bodyguards handed me a video recording, and I waved it in front of them.

Now, none of them could smile.

"You better tell the truth. Who told you to do this, or else..." I threatened, looking at them.

They exchanged glances, unsure if they should speak.

The leader with blond hair was more cooperative and said with a forced smile, "Miss, we didn't mean to harm you. It was that girl, umm, what was her name?"

"Gemma!" a fellow next to him chimed in.

"Yes, Gemma. She gave us money and said she'd bring you here today for us to commit indecent acts on you. At first, we didn't want to do it, as this could easily land us in trouble. However, she said she would drug you, and you wouldn't remember any of us afterward, so we reluctantly agreed..."

Hearing them admit that it was Gemma, I couldn't help but laugh bitterly.

In my past life, I only knew that she drugged me because on that day, I had only consumed the fever medication she gave me. However, I had always been unwilling to believe that she had orchestrated everything.

My heart felt like it was being pierced, as my trust in her crumbled.

I couldn't understand why she would do this to me. Clearly, she had already won everyone's favor and affection, so why couldn't she tolerate me?

"I've said everything I should. Shouldn't you let us go now?" The voice of the leader with blond hair startled me. He gave an awkward smile, signaling for me to release him.

My hands clenched tightly. Given a second chance at life, I couldn't just look out for myself; I had to seek revenge.

I didn't know why Gemma had pushed me to the brink of death, but I absolutely couldn't let it slide!

Of course, I wasn't as malicious as her, but I wouldn't make it easy for her either! A wicked smile played at the corner of my lips. "How about this: you promise me one thing, and I'll let you go, deal?"

"You name it, we'll definitely help you out!" The leader's gaze was unwavering.

I told them to scare Gemma a little.

This group of people was hired by her to deal with me, and when she saw them again, she would surely be frightened. I gave them some money, and they gladly accepted the task, promising to handle it beautifully.

On a lazy weekend, I sat on the bed, excitedly playing with my laptop.

The leader and his crew were quite efficient. Not only did they scare Gemma as I instructed, but they also recorded a video for me. I watched as WhatsApp notifications kept popping up with videos. I opened them one by one.

Gemma was soaked from head to toe, looking like a drowned rat.

With red eyes, a helpless expression, and an angry demeanor, she kept yelling, but it was all in vain. The leader and his gang paid no attention. Watching her in such an embarrassing state was truly satisfying. Gemma, who had always lived a pampered life, had ended up like this today!

Before long, there was a serious roar from downstairs, "Harmony! Get down here!"

It was my dad's voice.

However, why did he suddenly shout like that?

I hurriedly went downstairs, completely forgetting to shut down my laptop. In the living room, I saw Gemma, drenched from head to toe, nestled in Tim's arms, with a look of fear in her eyes.

"Gemma, what happened to you? It's not raining outside, how did you end up soaking wet?" I pretended to be oblivious, genuinely concerned about my sister's condition.

Just as I was about to touch her, she instinctively moved closer to Tim's embrace.

"Harmony, how can you even have the audacity to ask?" Tim glared at me, visibly frustrated.

Why shouldn't I have the audacity?

"Gemma is like this because of you!" My dad's blood pressure skyrocketed, his face turning red with anger. He slammed the coffee table, startling me.

"Gemma, please tell us what happened. We're all here to support you," my mom said with a concerned expression, her heart full of sympathy.

Hold on, what was going on here?

Gemma's eyes suddenly welled up with tears. Before she could speak, she burst into tears, and Tim hugged her even tighter.

She sobbed while making an accusation, "Today, on my way back, a group of thugs cornered me. They harassed me with malicious intent.

"They claimed that Harmony hired them to assault me..."

Her voice trembled even more, and she ultimately gazed at me with a pretended look of disappointment, crying even louder, "Harmony, I'm sorry. I know I've upset you, but you can't treat me like this. I'm your own sister..."

I stood there in a daze, utterly dumbfounded. How did I never realize she was such a good actress? If my parents had sent her to pursue an acting career earlier, she might have won an Oscar by now!

Those people had merely frightened her a bit, and in the videos, they didn't do anything out of line. How did it become a story of me hiring thugs with malicious intent to ruin her innocence in her version?

Clearly, she was intentionally fabricating everything!

"It wasn't me, I didn't do it," I protested. If she had claimed someone had mistreated her and blamed me for it, I could have accepted it and faced some scolding. However, to pin such a ridiculous accusation on me? Only a fool would admit to that!

"Shut up!" Tim's gaze turned ice-cold, as if he were looking at a criminal, clearly disgusted. "If I hadn't said I'd pick up Gemma today and coincidentally stumbled upon this, who knows what Gemma would be like now! And yet, you still want to defend yourself!"

"Oh, Gemma! What kind of karma have you created to end up like this?" The nanny held a towel and took Gemma from Tim's arms, cradling her and wiping the water off her body. "Harmony, what's done is done, why won't you admit it? Poor Gemma, being bullied like this..."

The nanny's eyes were filled with sympathy as she held Gemma's cold little hand, trying to warm her up.

"I told you it wasn't me!" I desperately argued, wanting to explain the sequence of events properly.

I was about to speak, but Gemma spoke before me, "Harmony, I understand. You've always felt that I stole our parents' favor and resented me. But hiring someone to harm me, isn't that a bit too much..."

Tears fell softly, like gentle raindrops.

"Harmony, you're becoming more and more outrageous!" Tim's gaze was like a sharp blade, piercing my heart.

My mom and dad began to scold me as well, and the more pitiable Gemma looked, the more venomous their words became.

My breathing became shallow, and my chest felt increasingly suffocated.

This was how they were. No matter what I said, they refused to listen to my explanations.

"Enough!" I screamed hysterically, "Can you please let me finish speaking!"

I stared at them in a daze, and it was only then that they shifted their attention to me. However, there was no doubt that their expressions were serious, devoid of any concern for me, and even tinged with impatience.

"Mr. and Mrs. Xander, I've found evidence that Harmony framed Gemma!"

I don't know when, but the nanny hurriedly came upstairs. She had gone to my room.

Holding my laptop, she came down from upstairs, brimming with excitement, and stood in front of my parents.

My eyes dimmed, and my heart skipped a beat.

I hadn't closed the WhatsApp conversation on my laptop, and my chat history with the leader was still there.

Even if I hadn't done anything, they would surely think otherwise.

"Those people also recorded a video of Gemma, showing the entire process of them mistreating her," the nanny pointed at the screen and explained.

"Harmony, look at what you've done!" Tim scolded loudly.

"It wasn't me, I just had them scare my sister a bit, I didn't ask them to harm her. It was her own..." I explained with all my might, trying to clarify the situation.

Gemma, with red eyes and a hoarse voice, said, "Harmony, I thought they were just making empty threats, I didn't expect it was really you..."

She cut in before me, throwing herself into Tim's embrace and crying uncontrollably.

Then the nanny moved the mouse and switched to another chat page. "There's also this, Harmony scheduled a meeting with several internet celebrities, claiming she had explosive news to leak to them."