Chapter 3

Ashley choked on her breath, completely struck dumb.

Mom immediately intervened, ordering Ashley to apologize.

Through gritted teeth, Ashley squeezed out a suffocated "I'm sorry," turned around, and ran off in humiliation.

I watched her scurry away without feeling any satisfaction. I didn't care about her apology; clapped-back retorts were just my default survival mechanism.

After getting medication from the clinic, we returned to the villa. I stepped out onto the second-floor balcony to get some fresh air.

Suddenly, a dull thud echoed below.

Ashley had somehow sneaked onto the balcony behind me, and right in front of my eyes, she threw herself over the railing, letting out a bloodcurdling scream.

"Ahhh! She pushed me!"

Leo was in the garden below and rushed over instantly, his voice piercing the air.

"Mom! Dad! She pushed Ashley off the second floor!"

Within seconds, the entire household was swarming the lawn. Mom and Dad saw Ashley sprawled on the grass, clutching her ankle, and their hearts nearly broke.

Ashley sobbed hysterically, holding her leg.

"I just felt my apology this afternoon wasn't sincere enough... I came to apologize properly, but she shoved me off the balcony!

"My ankle hurts so much! I think it's broken!"

Hearing her testimony, Mom, Dad, and Leo whipped around to glare at me, their faces twisted with rage.

"You crossed the line! How could you be so malicious?!"

Leo pointed his finger inches from my nose, screaming for me to be kicked out.

I walked down the exterior stairs with calm, measured steps. I glanced at Ashley's swollen ankle and let out a dry chuckle.

Seeing my reaction, a flash of triumph crossed Ashley's eyes before she put on an even more heartbroken expression.

Mom clutched her chest in fury. "Your sister is hurt, and you're laughing?!"

I fired back without missing a beat. "I'm laughing at how pathetic her acting is.

"When someone is actually pushed off a second-story ledge, they don't land cleanly like that. Only someone who willingly jumps has the presence of mind to adjust their posture and merely twist an ankle."

Everyone froze.

Mom's lips parted, and Dad looked at me in disbelief.

Leo was the only one who scoffed stubbornly.

"You're full of crap! How would you know what being pushed looks like? You think you've been shoved off a roof before?!"

I nodded matter-of-factly.

"Of course I have. Disobey orders, and they shoved you right off the roof of the barn. When you don't see it coming, you break bones. Every single time."

Ashley's mouth snapped shut. She clutched her ankle, unable to utter a single word.

Mom gasped in horror, tears streaming down her face as she rushed forward to pull me into a tight embrace. Dad looked like he had been slapped across the face, guilt devouring him.

I looked down at Ashley, my voice icy.

"Framing people with lies? Back on the farm, you'd be starved in a cellar until you were screaming for scraps."

"No!"

Panic seized Ashley. She clung to Dad's trousers, begging for sympathy.

This time, Dad looked at my crooked little finger—broken long ago and never set properly—and couldn't bring himself to defend Ashley.

Ashley was locked in her room without dinner for a full twenty-four hours. By Monday morning, she looked visibly drained.

Her fiancé, Chase, was the heir to a prominent partner family, raised alongside her since childhood.

Hearing what happened, he slammed his fist against his desk at school.

"A dirty stray from the backwoods thinks she owns the place?!

"Don't cry, Ashley. It doesn't matter if your parents are blinded by guilt. I have a way to put her in her place."