3
A sharp fist slammed into my forehead. A warm trickle of blood ran from my nose. Kicks landed on my stomach, sending waves of agony through me until my vision blurred. Through the haze, I saw Jessica grab a vase from the coffee table and bring it crashing down on my head.
A bolt of sharp pain, and then I felt my forehead. My hand came away wet with blood.
My appearance must have been terrifying, because Jessica and her friends finally stopped
I staggered to my feet, my eyes locked on her.
A flicker of fear crossed her face, but she quickly masked it with bravado. “It’s your own fault for being a thief!” she spat.
“Fine. I’ll be generous since you’re Leo’s sister. Give me back my things right now and kneel and apologize, and I’ll let this go for today.” She waved a dismissive hand and sat back down on
the bed
Leo, ever the sycophant, put down his phone and began massaging her wrist. “Camille, hurry up and give her back the jewelry! See how forgiving Jessica is being?”
“I didn’t steal anything!” I roared. “How can I give back something I don’t have? This whole thing was a setup by Jessica!”
Leo’s eyes darted away. My heart sank. That look on his face… he knew. He was in on it.
But he still pressed on. “Then just pay her back! The jewelry was worth tens of thousands. Paying her a hundred thousand in compensation is more than fair!”
“Do it now,” he threatened, “or I’m calling Mom and Dad and having them throw you out!”
He was so brazen, constantly holding the threat of being disowned over my head.
I closed my eyes.
membered a conversation I’d had with my parents just a few weeks ago
“Camille,” my mom had said, her voice gentle, “we adopted Leo because we felt guilty that you were so lonely as an only child, especially since we were always so busy with work.”
“You two got along well enough over the years, so we let it be. But now he’s demanding to take over the company and wants us to transfer all the properties we gave you into his name.” “The boy has gotten greedy. We were thinking, since we’re already paying for his wedding, maybe it’s time to tell him the truth and have him move out.”
At the time, my heart had gone soft. I’d argued against it, thinking about how Leo had lived his whole life as the Vaughn family’s young master. The shock of the truth would be too much for him. My parents had reluctantly agreed, and we dropped the matter.
But today, Leo’s actions had frozen my heart solid.
I made a decision. The moment I got home, I would tell my parents to kick him out.
Not ruining his wedding day would be my last act of kindness as his sister.
I turned and walked toward the door.
Leo’s shout echoed behind me. “Camille, you dare leave without paying?”
Then came the gasps of the guests.
“Oh my god, I can’t believe the Vaughn’s daughter is like that behind closed doors.”
I spun around in shock.
Leo was holding his phone up for everyone to see, a triumphant smirk on his face.
On the screen was a video…
My pupils constricted.
