My dad stopped arguing.
My mom had admitted it. There was no point
in holding on to my brother.
After this was over, the mayor would get
revenge on them.
<
He closed his eyes.
He had never expected a mother’s love for
her child.
But then, he perked up.
He looked at me and the mayor and smiled.
“Even if you ruined Brian, my daughter is the
mayor’s daughter! I can still live a good life!”
“You were born to be our stepping stone.”
He was happy, thinking about his future.
He didn’t notice me and the mayor looking at
each other.
Some people think they’re geniuses, but they
forget that they aren’t that smart.
Especially Mayor Shaw.
And especially with me, who came back to
life.
I smiled and dropped another bomb.
“Oh, you mean the daughter you switched at
birth?”
“Yeah, my…” He stopped, his face turning
L
pale.
“How did you know?”
He thought this was his deepest secret.
He was planning to profit off of my brother
and live a good life with his daughter.
But I wouldn’t let them.
I would make sure everything went back to
normal.
I still remember the chaos at the Shaw
mansion when I told them who I was.
And I remember Lily, who had never said a
word to me, glaring at me with hatred.
She watched as the DNA test came back.
She watched as her wealth disappeared.
She was kicked out of the Shaw family like a
stray dog.
Honestly, it wasn’t enough.
I suffered everything for her.
The mayor paid her living expenses because
he had raised her for fifteen years.
<
But I wasn’t going to let her go.
I set up some temptations for her.
Like a handsome suitor, a best friend, an
investment…
She fell for it.
Every decision was hers.
Even when the mayor found out, he didn’t say
anything.
I did it all after she became an adult.
If she had been careful, she would have seen
the poison under the honey.
But she didn’t.
She was just like her dad.
She thought everyone else was stupid.
The Pearson’s were all geniuses.
After hearing my words, the Pearson’s were
shocked.
My dad grabbed my collar.
“Where’s my daughter! What did you do to
her?”
“I’ll kill you, you bitch!”
The security guards held him back.
He was red in the face, still yelling.
I enjoyed watching him.
“Your daughter…
وو
I paused, and he looked at me expectantly.
“She killed herself.”
I mimed climbing a ladder and jumping off.
“Her body was a mess.
وو
I had to clean up her debt.
My dad screamed.
My mom fainted.
The daughter they were counting on was
dead.
Their son was an idiot.
And I, the girl they thought was a stepping
stone, was still standing here.
Old and new hatred came together, and my
dad broke free and grabbed a chair.
He was going to hit me.
But I didn’t move.
He was happy that I wasn’t going to dodge.
But someone kicked him away.
He fell to the ground.
The person put handcuffs on him.
“You’re under arrest for kidnapping!”
The police took them away.
The party was in chaos.
The mayor cleared his throat.
The room fell silent.
Everyone knew what he meant.
No one was going to risk their reputation for
these two.
“I invited you here to celebrate my son’s
graduation and to introduce my daughter.”
“Ashley, say hello.‘
وو
I stood next to the mayor and greeted
everyone.
After I reconciled with the mayor, he sent me
to study abroad.
After I reconciled with the mayor, he sent me
to study abroad.
That’s what gave my former parents the
wrong idea.
They thought the student abroad was their
daughter.
But I wanted them to think that.
They thought they were smart, but they were
just going to fall hard.
As I watched the police take them away, the
weight on my chest lifted.
They were going to suffer.
And I could finally move on.
