Chapter 2

I stood at the door, frozen.

Serena scraped her fork against her plate, making a sharp, grating noise.

"Richard, Eleanor, I’m hungry."

Eleanor immediately took out the food she had kept warm in the oven.

A sweet, doting smile was plastered across her face. "Here you go, Serena, sweetie. It's all your favorites."

I quietly put down my backpack and grabbed a plate from the kitchen corner.

I was about to grab some food and eat in my room like I always did.

But Serena suddenly shrieked.

"Sienna! What are you doing?!"

"Eleanor and Richard prepared this aesthetic lunch just for me! I haven't even taken photos for Snapchat yet!"

Richard immediately grabbed the dish I had touched and threw it into the trash.

He looked at me with pure disgust.

"Sienna, you are so selfish! This is Serena's Insta-worthy lunch. How dare you touch it without her permission?"

I froze.

Today was my birthday.

I had thought, just for a second, that some of this food was meant for me.

Eleanor grabbed my arm and dragged me away from the table.

"Sienna Vance, since you refuse to pay for your family subscription, we are no longer your parents. Don't you dare think of yourself as a Vance anymore!"

A bitter taste filled my mouth.

The eldest daughter of the Vance family?

Had I ever actually been that?

Serena always dragged me along to social events when we were younger.

She wore designer dresses and custom jewelry.

I, on the other hand, wore faded, oversized t-shirts.

When people asked who I was, Serena would always smirk.

"Oh, she's just the housekeeper's kid. My mom felt sorry for her, so she let me bring her along."

Seeing Serena still pouting, Richard immediately called a Michelin-star restaurant to deliver an identical meal.

Then he turned to me, his eyes cold and distant.

"Sienna, you won't even spend a dime of your tutoring money on us."

"From today on, you're moving to the servants' quarters in the back. And don't you dare tell anyone you're our daughter!"

I bit my lip, grabbed my backpack, and turned to leave.

But Serena rushed forward and ripped at my collar.

A sharp pain shot through my neck. Loose pearls scattered all over the hardwood floor.

Serena held up a sparkling diamond necklace with a triumphant grin.

"This is Grandma Rose's heirloom necklace. Why do you have it?"

"Oh, I get it! You stole it! You're a thief!"

I clutched my neck, looking at Richard and Eleanor in disbelief.

This was the heirloom Grandma Rose had personally given to me before she fell ill.

But Eleanor only looked at me with cold indifference.

"Serena, sweetie, this was always meant for you. This little thief has kept it from you for years."

Serena immediately locked the diamond necklace around her neck.

She pointed a finger at me.

"Should we call the cops on this thief?"

A dial tone echoed in the quiet room.

I met Richard's icy gaze.

My heart shattered. Tears spilled over my eyelashes.

Then, his voice cut through the air.

"911? Yes, I'd like to report a burglary at my estate. We caught the thief red-handed."