I nodded, satisfied, wiping away my tears. This time, I would meticulously execute the plan I hadn’t had a chance to start in my previous life.
- 2.
I was reborn one week before Chloe showed up at Sterling Manor.
That morning, I clutched at Julian like a scared little bird, sobbing into his embrace.
“I had a terrible nightmare. Someone said I wasn’t your sister, and they wanted to kick me out of the Sterling house. Waaah… I don’t want that! I love my brothers more than anything, I want to be with you forever!”
Julian stroked my hair, comforting me, while my other brothers stood behind him, smiling with satisfaction. I knew they reveled in my complete, unquestioning dependence. The kind of helpless dependence they craved.
This time, when Chloe again accused me of trying to run away, I subtly brought up that morning’s ‘dream, playing the part of the long–suffering, obedient sister to perfection. It worked. I successfully avoided being imprisoned.
Sebastian, my second brother, was a doctor, reportedly the youngest Chief Physician Metropolis General Hospital had ever seen. He pulled some strings, and the DNA test results were ready in less than a day.
The next evening, he brought Chloe into Sterling Villa and instructed Mr. Henderson, the butler.
“From now on, the Second Miss will live here with us. Please prepare her room.”
The test results were obvious.
Sebastian was busy. He left instructions for Mr. Henderson to take good care of her and returned to the hospital.
With my brothers gone, Chloe dropped her innocent facade. She approached me, her face alight with triumph.
She whispered a threat, “Blair Sterling, there’s only room for one young lady in this house. Soon, I’ll make sure you’re out.”
Mr. Henderson showed her several rooms, all spacious and well–lit. Chloe picked and chose, clearly dissatisfied. “What, are you serious? Am I a charity case? Who wants to live in these cramped, corner rooms?”
She pointed to the room in the very middle of the third floor. “That one. That’s mine.”
Mr. Henderson looked troubled. “But… that’s Miss Blair’s room…”
“It’s alright, Mr. Henderson,” I said, nodding at him. “If she likes it, let her have it. As long as my brothers are here, anywhere feels like home.”
Nothing was a secret in this house. I knew this scene would reach my brothers‘ ears very quickly, so of course, I had to play the part of the long suffering, obedient sister to perfection. Besides, that room… it was perfect for my plans.
While I was packing my belongings, Chloe came by to assert her dominance again.
“Take all your stuff. I don’t want to move in and find the place still full of your trash. Oh, and you don’t even need to u
your bags and disappearing for good soon enough anyway.”
be packing
8:37 PM
<
I put down the clothes in my hand, sighing softly. She really knew how to get under my skin.
I grabbed her wrist, pushing up her sleeve. Chloe cried out in pain, tears streaming down her face, unable to wrench her hand free from my grip.
“Does that hurt? What does it feel like to be hit with an iron pipe?”
Her face was filled w
terror. “How… how do you know?”
Chloe used to be a delinquent, smoking, drinking, fighting–she did it all. The day after I was reborn, I rescued Stella, our class monitor, from an alley near school where Chloe was bullying her. The injuries on Chloe’s arm weren’t from her drunken adoptive father at all. They were from the iron pipe I’d picked up and used on her.
“You’re the one who was wearing a mask and sticking your nose where it didn’t belong?”
I didn’t answer, my finger tracing over her wound.
“You know what? My brothers hate liars the most. If they found out…” I smiled faintly. “You’d be in a lot of trouble, wouldn’t you?”
