Elissa shook her head with a faint smile, wearing an expression of practiced tolerance. “It’s okay. I don’t mind suffering a little,” she said softly. “Please don’t blame my sister anymore. Growing up in such a harsh, remote environment, I can understand her jealousy. I’ll do my best to guide her and help her find the right path in life.”

Her faux magnanimity immediately won her a fresh wave of sympathy.

“Miss Elissa Ashford, you’re just too kind!” someone exclaimed, their tone brimming with admiration.

“Exactly! You’re so patient with her, but ungrateful wolves like that will never show you any respect.”

Hearing this, my eldest brother’s gaze turned icy as it landed on the diamond necklace in my hand. His voice left no room for argument. “Hand over the necklace.”

I felt a fiery sting behind my eyes as anger surged through me. “This necklace, ‘One & Only’, was a gift from Dad to me,” I said, my voice trembling with restrained fury.

My brother narrowed his eyes dangerously. “Alyssa, the Ashford Family took you in, but not so you could bully my real sister. If you can’t recognize your place as a foster daughter, then get out of this house!”

My heart clenched at his words. I simply couldn’t believe such words were coming from the same brother who had always loved and protected me.

The chill in my chest deepened, layer by layer until I laughed out loud—cold, biting laughter that sliced through the tension in the room. “This isn’t your house to throw me out of,” I said firmly. “And today, this necklace? No one is taking it from me.”

My second brother exploded in anger. He turned to the household staff scattered around the room and barked, “Are you all dead? Will you just stand there while she steals Miss Elissa Ashford’s necklace? Go grab it now!”

The housekeeper, an older woman who had worked for our family for years, rolled up her sleeves and stepped forward. I noticed the fleeting glances she exchanged with Elissa and it clicked—she’d been bought off.

Before she could get any closer, I grabbed a wine bottle from the side, smashed it against the pastry table and held the jagged neck in front of me like a weapon at her.

“Let’s see who dares take another step!” I growled, my voice laced with fury. “Think carefully—who is the real eldest daughter of this house? The Ashford Family payroll comes from my parents. If you dare touch me today, I’ll ensure you’re all packing your bags tomorrow!”

The room froze. Some staff had worked in the Ashford household for years and knew me well. Fear flickered across their faces as they hesitated, unsure what to do.

But the housekeeper didn’t falter. She suddenly lunged forward, ripping the necklace from my hand and holding it up triumphantly like a trophy. She turned to Elissa with a sycophantic smile, “Miss Elissa Ashford, I’ve watched you grow up. No one can pretend to be you or take what’s rightfully yours. This necklace was clearly meant for you.”

I didn’t hesitate. My foot shot out, kicking the housekeeper hard in the back of her knees. She stumbled forward with a gasp.

“You’re just a housekeeper in this house,” I snarled, my voice as sharp as the broken bottle in my hand. “Who gave you the guts to snatch something from me? What’s the matter—did Elissa pay you more than my parents?”

The housekeeper’s expression faltered. She avoided my gaze, her guilty conscience written all over her face.

Before I could press further, Elissa rushed forward, placing herself protectively in front of the housekeeper. Her tear-filled eyes sparkled as she whispered, “Sister if you’re upset, take it out on me. Why bully Auntie Margareth? She’s been with us for so many years. Even if she says something out of concern for me, it’s only because she cares about how often you take my things.”

Then, with a trembling voice, she continued, “I know this pink diamond necklace is Dad’s priceless birthday gift to me. You’ve always been jealous of this necklace—you even wore it behind my back several times when I wasn’t home. But that’s okay. I don’t mind, as long as, in the future, you no longer bully Auntie Margareth. If it makes you happy, I’ll just give it to you.”

At the end of her performance, a single tear rolled down her cheek—perfectly timed and pitiful.

I stared at her in disbelief, pointing at myself. “Me? Jealous?” I asked, incredulous.

What was there to be jealous of? I, the legitimate daughter of the wealthiest family in the country, jealous of a foster child dragged out of the mountains? Jealous of her shameless knack for twisting the truth?

I felt like I was going to throw up. But the crowd of onlookers had already bought her act.

“Some people really don’t know their place, red. “She gets a taste of the good life and thinks she’s a real heiress. Pathetic.” someone muttered.

“She even bullies the maids! Maybe she should take a good, hard look in the mirror—or better yet, her reflection in a puddle—before getting full of herself.”

“Exactly! Alyssa is downright cruel! She’s like the living embodiment of that story about the farmer and the snake. You take someone in and they turn around to bite you.”

“She’s the textbook definition of a delusional, ungrateful wretch.”

“Poor Miss Elissa Ashford,” a third added, shaking their head in mock pity. “The real daughter being tormented by some upstart pretender—a pheasant trying to strut around like a phoenix. How tragic!”

Their words stabbed at me, but I didn’t flinch. They could side with Elissa all they wanted. I wasn’t backing down. Not this time.

“A perfectly good birthday party, ruined by this rat shit of hers, so bad luck.” someone muttered loudly, their voice dripping with disdain.

My eldest brother’s face twisted with anger as he turned to me. “Haven’t you caused enough trouble? Are you only satisfied when the Ashford Family’s reputation is dragged through the mud?” His voice was cold, his words razor-sharp.

“This necklace is called ‘One & Only’ for a reason,” he continued. “Dad wanted to make it clear to the world that Elissa is his only biological daughter.”

He sneered, his gaze cutting through me like a knife. “We’ve spoiled you for far too long, letting you forget your place. Do you even remember where you came from?”

My second brother chimed in, his voice filled with mockery. “Why don’t we just send her back to that mountain village she crawled out of? With the Ashford Family’s resources, finding another girl with a matching blood type for Elissa wouldn’t be difficult.”

Their words struck me like icy shards, chilling me to my core. These were the brothers who had once doted on me and stood by my side through everything. Now, their venomous accusations painted a far darker picture.

Memories from my past life surged forward. Back then, my parents had spent a fortune searching for children with matching blood types to mine, ultimately letting me choose one to bring home as an adopted sister.

But after seeing the photos sent by these children, out of all the candidates, my brothers unanimously chose Elissa. I thought nothing of it at the time. I hadn’t cared who it was—after all, they were only meant to grow up alongside me and donate blood when I needed it, so it didn’t matter who it was.

Thinking about it now, it all seemed far too calculated. The way they both reacted at that time was strange. Two people with very different personalities would pick a girl simultaneously. In my previous life, they also took advantage of me during this very same party when my parents had been away on a business trip.

My brothers had used the occasion to throw a grand celebration for Elissa, publicly declaring her as the true daughter of the Ashford Family. I, meanwhile, was reduced to nothing more than a paid-for foster child, a walking blood bank.

I was scolded by everyone for being shameless. And, in the end, because of a few words of provocation from Elissa, my brothers forced me to drink an entire bottle of highly concentrated white wine before locking me in the dark basement.

By the time my parents returned, my body was starting to rot from the alcohol allergy that killed me.

In my past life, their betrayal had left me broken. I had cried until my voice gave out, unable to find the strength to defend myself.

But not this time.

I straightened my back, my voice steady and resolute. “You know exactly who the true daughter of the Ashford Family is,” I said, meeting their furious gazes without flinching. “Bullying me in front of all these guests? Let’s see how you explain this to Mom and Dad when they return.”

My boldness caught the room off guard. Whispers rippled through the crowd and I noticed some of the guests beginning to waver.

“Could she really be the Ashford Family’s true heiress?” someone murmured, doubt creeping into their voice.

“Now that you mention it,” another guest said, “her features resemble Mrs. Ashford’s. And she carries herself differently—she doesn’t look like someone from a small village.”

Elissa’s composed facade cracked for a split second. Panic flickered in her eyes before she quickly replaced it with an expression of heartbreak.

Biting her lip, she forced tears to well up in her eyes. Her voice trembled as she spoke. “Sister, I already said you could have the necklace. Why do you insist on ruining my birthday? Do you hate me that much?”

She choked back a sob, her voice breaking. “Fine. If it will make you stop embarrassing the Ashford Family, I’ll admit it—I’m just the adopted daughter. You’re the real heiress. Are you happy now?”

Then, as if the weight of her words was too much to bear, she turned to the crowd and bowed deeply. “I’m so sorry, everyone. This is all my fault. I don’t deserve such a grand celebration as an adopted daughter. I’ve let you all down.”

Tears streamed down her face as she delivered her pitiful performance, each sob perfectly calibrated to stir the crowd’s sympathy. She looked like the picture of self-sacrifice, a poor, selfless girl humiliated by her cruel, ungrateful sister.

The room erupted.

“Alyssa! The Ashford Family has given you everything—food, clothing, shelter—and how do you repay them? Forcing your benefactor into such a pitiful state? Don’t you fear being struck by lightning for your cruelty? How do you even sleep at night?”

“You’re worse than an animal!” someone else spat, their disgust evident.

“What kind of terrible karma must the Ashford Family have to end up saddled with someone like you? A leech clinging to them, tarnishing their good name!”

“Apologize! Apologize to Miss Elissa Ashford immediately!” another demanded, their voice trembling with indignation.

The room buzzed with righteous fury, a storm of accusations and insults swirling around me. But just as the intensity reached its peak, a tall figure stepped out from the crowd, silencing the chatter with his mere presence.

It was James Hansley—the man I had been engaged to me as a baby.

He stepped into the room, dressed in a sharp black suit, his hair slicked back to a gleaming perfection. His looks might’ve passed for charming if the following words hadn’t overturned my stomach.

“Alyssa,” James began with the self-assurance of a man who believed the world revolved around him, “I know you’re acting out because you’re madly in love with me. That’s why you keep insisting you’re the Ashford Family’s true daughter.”

The room fell silent as he continued, each word grating more than the last. “But you’ve gone too far today.”

Seeing Elissa’s pearly appearance, he was heartbroken and immediately stated.

“The only person I love from beginning to end is Elissa and I will only marry Elissa as a wife in this life; I won’t look at you more than once, even if you stalk me.”

Then, with an air of smug righteousness, he added, “I’ve seen women like her, you—insatiable, bullying, wanting to be my wife, don’t you look at yourself as a city slut?”

He turned back to Elissa with a saccharine smile, pulling out a handkerchief to gently dab at her tears. “My wife,” he declared, loud enough for the room to hear, “must be as kind and graceful as Elissa.”

I didn’t miss the glint of triumph in Elissa’s eyes as she leaned into his gesture, though she quickly masked it with her usual air of humility. “James,” she murmured, her voice soft and trembling, “don’t speak so harshly about my sister. Sure, she’s a little jealous, a little mean-spirited, a little shallow and maybe she has a habit of twisting the truth and fantasizing about being the real Ashford daughter—but apart from all that, she doesn’t mean any harm.”

When people were speechless, I almost laughed out loud.

James—a man whose family owed their entire fortune to the crumbs of business my parents had tossed their way—accusing me of scheming to marry up? I’m not poor and crazy and I’m not stupid.

Before I could respond, a few guests who were friends with Elissa jumped at the chance to add their own insults.

“Alyssa, look at that face you’re making—are you that bitter? James has made it crystal clear that he’ll only marry Elissa. You’re a clown, so get lost where you came from.”

Someone else snickered behind a raised hand. “She’s probably still dreaming herself into thinking she’s the real Ashford heiress and even dreaming about marrying The Young Master James Hansley.”

The crowd erupted in laughter, but Elissa raised her hand delicately, silencing them. “Please, everyone,” she said, her tone full of false compassion. “Let’s try to be understanding. I was born lucky, but my sister wasn’t. She grew up in a mountain village without a mother and father. Her relatives even sold her to a man in his sixties to be his wife. She’s just desperate for love. We should show her some compassion. After all, people with psychological trauma need support, not scorn.”

I stared at her, speechless.

In my twenty years, I have never seen a person who can be shameless to such an extent.

Every word she spoke was a twisted version of her own story. If my parents hadn’t intervened in time to adopt her, she’d have been married off to that sixty-something-year-old man years ago. Yet here she was, weaponizing her past as my own, painting herself as a saint while making me the villain.

I stepped forward, my voice cold and sharp. “Elissa, if anyone here has psychological trauma, it’s you. If I had known you’d turn out to be this shameless, I would’ve begged my parents to leave you to rot in that mountain village with that sixty-something-year-old man. The two of you would’ve been perfect for each other.”

Elissa’s face turned red, her eyes brimming with tears as she played her part to perfection. “Sister,” she sobbed, her voice breaking, “why must you twist everything around? Must all the misfortunes of the world be my fault for you to feel better? Fine, blame me. If it’ll make you happy, then go ahead. Just... don’t scare our guests anymore, please.”

My eldest brother couldn’t take it anymore. “Enough, Alyssa!” he barked. “Even a dog would be more grateful than you. The Ashford Family should’ve known better than to take you in.”

After saying that, he let my second brother go to the study to get a document.

When I looked at the equity transfer agreement that was taken out and Elissa’s name written on it, I froze in place like lightning struck me.

It was a transfer of ownership document—sixty percent of the Ashford Family’s shares, signed over to Elissa.

The room fell into a stunned silence.

Sixty percent. Enough to control every major decision within the company.

My mind raced. Before I left the country as an exchange student, my father had shown me this very same document, telling me it was meant to be my birthday gift when I returned.

I knew my father wouldn’t lie to me.

But now, here it was, with Elissa Ashford’s name on it.

The only ones who could’ve orchestrated this betrayal were Theodore Ashford and Gregory Ashford—my so-called brothers.