Elaine was unbelievably lucky. Even though she wasn’t my parents’ biological daughter, they still adored her like she was. 

Quentin gifted her a custom luxury gown and said, “Here’s to my beloved sister, Elaine! I hope you always stay as beautiful as you are!” 

Meanwhile, my parents gave her a condo and a limited-edition sports car. 

Elaine happily kissed each of them on the cheek. “Thank you, Dad and Mom. And you, too, Quentin!” 

I sat quietly in a corner, eating my dinner in silence. Their joyful interactions made them look like a real family. 

Andreas had prepared a necklace, but Elaine wasn’t satisfied with it. 

Mom said, “Elaine has been wanting to work in Professor Landon’s lab recently. Andy, doesn’t your father know him well? Could you help her get in through proper channels?” 

When Mom spoke, she deliberately emphasized the words “proper channels”. The professor she mentioned was my mentor, George, whose lab was notoriously difficult to get into. During my sophomore year, he made an exception to recruit me. 

Someone had spread rumors that I’d slept with my senior, Samuel Godfrey, to force myself into the program. 

Later, when people asked Elaine about it, she said with a dazed expression, “I don’t know. Isadora often doesn’t come home, so I don’t know what she’s up to…” 

From then on, everyone believed I was sleeping my way around for opportunities. Some people even defended Elaine, going to George to complain that since Elaine had published in academic journals as a freshman, why hadn’t he chosen her instead? 

George had only responded with one sentence. “I don’t take manipulative students.” 

Elaine had stolen that paper from me and published it under her name. However, I hadn’t explained a word, because even if I had, no one in the family would have believed me.