Chapter 2

Christian’s eyes welled with tears, but he remained silent.

When we arrived at the Williams estate, my eyes were immediately drawn to the majestic statue at the entrance.

That thing looked like it was worth a dozen pigpens.

My biological sister, Barbara, ran up to me, her voice dripping with fake sweetness.

"Maia, welcome home."

"I heard you didn't have much before. If you need anything, just ask me. Don't go taking things on your own."

I walked right past her, straight to the statue, and pointed.

"Christian! This is mine."

Christian froze for a second, then smiled.

"You like this, sweetie? I'll buy you a better one..."

"No, I want this one!" I interrupted, jamming my fingers into the statue's carved mouth. "Right now."

Barbara couldn't help but shriek.

"Are you insane? That's a priceless antique! It guards the house!"

"Guard the house?" I sneered.

"I'm more useful than this rock. With me here, the Williams family will be printing money."

Eleanor quickly stepped in to keep the peace, handing me a black card.

"Maia, take this. Spend whatever you want. Consider it a makeup gift..."

I didn't take the card. My eyes were still locked on the statue. "How much cash can this thing be worth?"

Barbara, as if finally catching me red-handed, lunged forward and grabbed Eleanor’s hand.

"Mom! You can't! She only cares about money! We should treat money like garbage!"

She slapped her own card—loaded with half a million dollars—onto the statue's head.

"Look! I'm donating my entire monthly allowance to the stray cat shelter!"

"We'll donate Maia's share too, to wash the scent of greed off her!"

She reached out again, trying to snatch the black card meant for me.

Just before her fingers touched it, I snatched her card off the statue’s head and shoved it into my back pocket.

Then, I grabbed a heavy decorative brass candlestick nearby and smashed it right into the statue's head!

Crash! A piece of marble chipped off.

The entire courtyard fell into a dead silence.

"You... you..." Barbara’s finger shook violently.

I weighed the candlestick in my hand and looked at her. "I'll accept the donation."

"As for my money..."

I turned my head, my gaze sweeping past my pale parents before landing squarely on Barbara.

"If you ever reach for my things again..."

I raised the candlestick and smashed the statue again!

Crash!

"I will smash this statue, and then I will smash you, just to hear the sound it makes."

I tossed the candlestick aside, slipped the black card from Eleanor’s frozen hand, and patted both cards in my pocket.

"Money is my life," I told Barbara, pronouncing every word clearly.

"Touch my life, and I'll take yours."

Without looking back, I picked up the chipped statue and walked upstairs through the stunned silence.

"Put the guardian statue by my door."

"From now on, I'm the one protecting the Williams fortune."