The next morning at breakfast, Romina ground me a cup of coffee by hand and smiled sweetly.

"Sister, I recommend the Moretino single-origin beans. You'll love them."

Oh? If you were so eager to wait on me, I wouldn’t hold back then.

I held out my hand and gave her a sweet smile. "Thank you."

As Romina passed me the coffee, her foot slipped.

Scalding coffee splashed across my thigh. My skin flared an angry red on contact.

Romina fluttered her hands, helpless, head bowed, tears falling. "Sister, I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to..."

My mother frowned, scolding. "Ophelia, you can't even take a cup of coffee without dropping it? What if you'd burned Romina?"

[zero out of ten for this performance, the secondhand embarrassment is unreal!]

[the male lead's about to show up, she's working herself up for the big move!]

Right on cue, Orlando appeared.

Romina threw herself into his arms, sobbing. "I... I'm so clumsy... I burned my sister..."

Orlando's eyes filled with concern. He murmured to her for a moment, then turned a cold stare on me.

"Romina made that coffee for you herself. What are you playing at?"

I glanced down at my nearly cooked skin, pulled out my phone with my payment QR code on the screen, and walked over to Romina.

"Don't cry, Romina. I'm not blaming you at all."

"Thank you... thank you, Sister... I really didn't mean to..."

"Let's not dwell on it." I cut her off and held the payment code up in front of her. "But we should settle the medical bill, yeah?"

Romina froze.

I waited a beat. When she didn't move, I waved the phone in front of Orlando instead.

"Or... will Mr. Hale cover it for his fiancée?"

Orlando's face went dark and he said nothing. My mother jumped in to smooth it over.

"Is money really the issue here? Your sister's been frightened. That's what matters."

"You're so good at making money. I suppose it's fine if you don't get a share of the family fortune. We'll just give it all to Romina."

My father snorted. "I agree."

Orlando nodded too. "After the wedding, I'll set aside part of the family business for Romina as well."

Tsk. That was the heroine for you. A couple of tears and she got everything.

Be as generous as you liked. You still owed me my bill.

I lifted my leg, pointed at the red, raw skin with one hand, and kept waving the payment code in front of Orlando with the other.

"No objections from me. But settle the medical bill first."

[the villainess has actually lost it... why won't she just make a scene...]

Orlando's hands shook as he pulled out his phone. His voice cracked with fury. "Sent."

Another five million.

The note read: Take it. Stop giving Romina a hard time.

I sighed and texted back, "Please. I'm the victim here. And you still owe me twenty-five million."

Orlando read it, and his face went darker still.

He didn't so much as look at me. He wrapped an arm around Romina and walked out.

I didn't care where he went. As far as I was concerned, he was off rounding up the cash.

If he didn't pay the balance today, I'd chase him for it tomorrow.

By evening, Romina pushed open my door, sniffling.

"Sister, my pink diamond ring is gone! Orlando gave it to me as an engagement gift..."

She held up her phone to show me a photo.

The smile froze on my face.

I knew that ring.

A year ago, Orlando took me to a Sotheby's auction and told me to pick anything I wanted.

I chose that seven-carat pink diamond.

He bought it without a word.

But he never gave it to me. When I finally couldn't help asking, he said flatly, "Oh. Gave it to someone else."

So from the very start, it was always going to be Romina who won.

[the villainess is shook! she totally stole it!]

[here for the face-slap arc!]

Orlando followed her into my room, voice ice cold. "Ophelia. That doesn't belong to you. Hand it over."

My mother arrived too, face grim. "Are you getting back at your sister? If you took it, give it back now."

"Sister..." Romina wrung her hands. "If you like it, I can give you other jewelry, but not this ring..."

I almost laughed out loud.

What, now I had to prove my own innocence?

Fine. But it would cost you.

"How about a bet?"

I looked at them, daring them, and said it slow and clear. "Ten million. We go check the security footage and see if I actually took it."

Silence.

I pressed them. "Well? Or we can make it five million."

While we were still at a standstill, a maid came running. "Found it! Miss Romina! The ring slipped down into the crack by the bed!"

Orlando blinked, then couldn't help looking at me.

[okay I'm shook! it really was a misunderstanding!]

[hold on, something's off about this villainess, she really doesn't seem to want the male lead anymore...]

The comments stopped agreeing with each other and split into two camps.

Orlando cleared his throat and transferred me another sum, his voice low. "I'm sorry. It was a misunderstanding."

I checked it and muttered, "Why'd you only bet five million? Cheapskate."

Orlando's jaw clenched. He looked one breath away from bursting a vein.

I ignored him, shut the door, and opened my phone.

I booked an appointment to terminate the pregnancy.

Orlando and Romina's engagement party was a lavish affair.

At the party, Romina gave a speech thanking the Bennetts for twenty years of love and care.

She wept with emotion, like she was accepting an award onstage.

The guests nodded their approval. "Adopted, but truly closer than blood."

Someone glanced at me and murmured:

"Heard that one's the biological daughter? Looks pretty ordinary to me."

"Raised by poor folks, after all. No breeding in her."

Orlando held Romina close, tenderly wiping away her tears.

I thought I'd let it all go.

But seeing it play out in front of me, my chest still ached, faint and dull.

The voices around me blurred, like I was hearing them through glass.

I couldn't watch anymore. I got up to go back to my room.

The moment I pushed the door open, I stopped cold.

The room had been torn apart, every drawer hanging open.

I lunged for the nightstand.

The jade bracelet my adoptive mother left me was gone.

I rushed back to the ballroom.

In the crowd, Romina was showing off the bracelet on her wrist. "Pretty, isn't it? My sister let me borrow it."

I walked over, voice trembling. "Give it back."

Romina startled like I'd frightened her, her knees buckling, and the whole of her went down.

The bracelet on her wrist struck the floor hard.

Crack.

It split into pieces.

Romina covered her mouth, face white. "Sister... I, I didn't mean to..."

The guests whispered, pointing at me like I was the punchline of a joke.

Orlando came over.

First thing he did was gently help Romina up. Then he nudged the shattered pieces aside with the toe of his shoe.

"It's just a bracelet. Name your price."

My eyes burned. I crouched down and gathered the pieces one by one.

A shard sliced my finger. The blood that welled up felt like it was coming straight from my heart.

"My adoptive mother left me this."

My voice shook beyond my control. "It's the last thing she gave me before she died."

Orlando pressed his lips together.

He knew what she meant to me.

Three years ago, when she passed, I nearly fell apart. He was the one who stayed with me through that darkness.

But Romina only cried harder.

Orlando drew her into his arms and soothed her softly. "Don't cry. It hurts me to see it. There, now."

My mother walked up. "Ophelia, you're the one who scared Romina. Stop causing scenes."

My father spoke too. "It's just a bracelet, and a cheap-looking one at that. I'll buy you ten of them."

I found a bag and carefully tucked the broken pieces inside.

This wasn't something money could fix anymore.

I walked up to Romina, raised my hand, and slapped her across the face.

Smack!

The whole room fell dead silent.

Orlando was the first to react. He swung his hand up.

Smack!

He slapped me back.

My cheek burned, and the taste of rust filled my mouth.

I turned my head back to look at him. His face had the cruelty of a circling vulture.

"Ophelia. You're not fit to insult my Donna."

[oh my god! the male lead went way too far! that was the villainess's late mother's keepsake!]

[the lead's an actual animal! he knew exactly how much that bracelet meant!]

[no way! I'm with the villainess on this one! I'm forming an Avengers team with her!]

I wiped the corner of my mouth and looked at the bright red on my fingertip.

I rubbed it hard between my fingers until the blood was gone, then said coldly:

"Cut the talk. Pay up. Twenty-five million."

Then I turned to the so-called biological parents. "I don't want this family."

With that, I walked out of the ballroom.

Behind me, my mother's voice followed. "Let her go! Let's see how far she gets!"

Outside, I flagged a cab and went straight to the hospital.

My phone buzzed.

Orlando had sent the money. Twenty-five million, with a note: I'm sorry.

I didn't reply. I had no intention of forgiving him.

At the hospital, the doctor asked me carefully, "Are you sure? If you're sure, sign here."

I signed.

When it was over, I went straight to the airport, my face pale.

I was going to find Damian.

In the departure lounge, a text came in from Orlando.

"Effie, I want to sit down and talk. Calmly."

My stomach turned.

Was he serious? Now he wants to call me "Effie"?

The announcement came over the speakers. "Now boarding the flight to San Francisco..."

I sent Orlando one last reply.

"Go fuck yourself."

I blocked him and stood up.

Then I walked to the gate without looking back.