Chapter 6
Listening to Lyra’s words that morning, I could only sigh inwardly. She still hadn’t adjusted her mindset. I didn’t have the time or patience to argue with her, especially not before school. There were more important things to focus on now–like preparing for the start of my new life.
When I stepped into the new classroom, I immediately felt the weight of curious and judgmental eyes. But I had braced myself for this moment and my heart remained steady.
Then, a shrill voice pierced through the chatter.
“Is she the girl your family is sponsoring? Gosh, she looks so tacky!” The voice, intentionally loud, was laced with disdain.
I turned my head and saw a girl seated beside Lyra. Her expression said it all–mockery, disgust and smugness. She made sure everyone heard her.
“She thinks she can
What a joke!”
90 from rags to riches and bully our class beauty? That’s hilarious.
A few other girls nodded in support, their stares laced with hostility.
I chuckled. So this was the kind of game Lyra enjoyed sowing discord, building cliques, staging social warfare. How
ironic that the girl who once took my place now feared losing it. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree. No matter how polished the surface, one’s nature always reveals itself. Some traits were embedded deep in the bones, no amount of wealth or upbringing could erase them.
Later, the homeroom teacher invited me to the front to introduce myself. I walked up calmly, meeting the stares of my classmates, some curious, others hostile and a few outright amused.
“Hello, everyone. My name is Michaela. I am the biological daughter of Mr. Alaric Sterling. Unfortunately, I was swapped at birth by the family’s nanny, which resulted in her daughter being raised in my place, while I grew up in her home. Recently, my real parents discovered the truth and brought me back. Now, I’ve transferred here. I hope we can get along.”
I bowed politely.
Gasps rippled across the room. Whispers broke out. Students glanced between me and Lyra, stunned. The mockery had died. In its place was silence–and curiosity.
Lyra’s face turned ghostly pale. Her eyes burned into mine, seething with rage. But inside, I felt a lightness. Sometimes, the best defense is to strike first.
After class, several students approached me–some sympathetic, others inquisitive. I knew better than to believe all of them were genuine. They were the children of elite families; they knew where to place their bets. None of them would side with an outsider–not over the true daughter of the Sterling Family.
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But that was fine. I didn’t need allies. I just needed clarity.
Later, when I went to the restroom, Lyra blocked my path.
“Why the hell would you say all that?” Her eyes flared with fury.
“Say what?” I blinked, feigning innocence. “That you’re the daughter of the maid?”
“You!” Her voice cracked, trembling with anger. She shoved me hard. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? Mom and Dad haven’t even revealed your identity yet! You humiliated them in front of everyone!”
I shrugged. “Why would they be humiliated? They’re victims too. Your mother’s the one who did this–to both of us.”
Lyra’s face twisted into something inhuman. Her eyes bulged, her voice shaking with pure hatred. “If I had known… I would’ve sold you off to some old creep in the countryside. Or poisoned you so you’d shut up for good! You should’ve been locked in a cage like a dog!”
My heart stopped. She knew.
She knew about that… The old bachelor marriage, the threats, the abuse. Those things only the nanny’s family and I had known.
So Lyra had known all along.
All hope that she might have once been innocent vanished in that moment.
Before I could respond, the bell rang. She gave me one last, murderous glare before storming off.
After school, a few girls invited me to a “welcome ceremony.” Their faces were stiff, uneasy. I knew something was off. But I didn’t want to offend them, so I followed.
They led me to an abandoned sports hall behind campus. As soon as I stepped in, the two girls ran out and slammed the doors shut behind me.
Bang!
“Welcome, new student!” came a voice, slow and venomous.
Clapping echoed in the empty hall.
Lyra stepped out from the shadows, eyes glinting with satisfaction.
Beside her stood several tall boys, all looking like the kind who had long abandoned any sense of discipline. One had bleached blond hair, another chewed gum lazily. Street punks -exactly the kind of trash she’d summon.
“Is this the girl who bullied you?” one of the boys asked, wrapping an arm around Lyra. “Yeah,” Lyra purred, leaning into him. “She even said she’d kick me out of the Sterling Family… You have to protect me, Justin.”
I narrowed my eyes. So this was Justin–heir to the Rowe Family, a business partner of ours I’d heard of him and I knew he was in school. But indaina by the scene before mo Chapter 6
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ours. I’d heard of him and I knew he was in school. But judging by the scene before me, academics weren’t exactly his focus.
“When did I say that?” I replied calmly, still holding my ground. “If you want to frame me, at
least make it believable.”
“Shut up, you useless tramp!” Lyra shrieked. “If it weren’t for your disgusting face, I wouldn’t have had to become the adopted daughter! You! people like you–should just rot! You should’ve died unknown in some slum! A whore! A piece of dirt!”
“Hey, sweetheart,” Justin said as he stroked her hair like she was a cat. “No need to get so worked up. I’ll deal with her for you.”
“Justin, you’re always so sweet to me~” she cooed, burying her face in his chest.
I stood frozen, a bitter taste rising in my mouth.
So this was what she had become–vile, cruel and utterly without shame.
But I wasn’t scared.
If she wanted war, then war she would get.
