Chapter 3

I held out my hand to Tiffany, my voice cold:

“Give me back my phone!”

But Tiffany ducked behind Brandon, stuck out her tongue at me, and rapidly tapped the phone screen. She exited the family group, deleted the contacts, all before I could even react.

Once she was done, she showed me the empty contact list, her eyes gleaming with triumph.

“I don't care about the phone. Just give me back the charm!”

Attached to my phone case was a faded, worn-out little bear charm.

My adoptive parents bought it for me from a street vendor when I was three, after some kids threw rocks at me while I was scavenging and made me cry.

It was the first gift I had ever received.

For eighteen years, I had kept it with me, treasuring it like gold.

Tiffany's gaze fell on the tattered little bear, and a flicker of malice crossed her eyes.

She slammed the phone on the ground and stomped on it.

“Ugh, you call this piece of trash a treasure? It's probably crawling with germs. It should have been thrown in the trash a long time ago.”

“The Sterlings don't tolerate such dirty things. I'm just helping you declutter!”

With that, she ground her high heel into it several times. The once-chubby little bear was instantly crushed, its cotton stuffing spilling out.

My face went pale. I quickly bent down to pick it up.

But just as my fingers touched the charm, Tiffany's heel came down hard on my hand. Excruciating pain shot from my fingertips through my entire body.

I bit down hard, yanking my hand back. My knuckles were already bruised and swollen, a sickening sight.

The next second, Tiffany shrieked and dramatically collapsed to the ground.

Her eyes welled up with tears instantly. She looked at Mr. and Mrs. Sterling, sobbing plaintively:

“Mom, Dad, I was just trying to help Jade get rid of some dirty things, but she deliberately pushed me... Is it because I'm the fake daughter that I deserve to be bullied like this...?”

Caleb immediately shielded Tiffany, glaring at me with utter disgust:

“I only recognize Tiffany as my sister. A malicious woman like you doesn't deserve to be my sister!”

“I'm warning you, don't cause a scene here, or you'll never set foot in the Sterling family home again.”

Brandon's face instantly turned furious. Without a word, he roughly shoved me away.

The force was immense. I stumbled back several steps, my lower back hitting the edge of a flower bed with a painful thud. The pain was so intense I couldn't straighten up.

He glared down at me, his voice icy:

“Get down on your knees and apologize to Tiffany right now! We raised her with love. No one has ever dared to upset her. How dare you, a wild girl we just met, hurt her?”

Only then did Mr. Sterling, who had been observing coldly, finally speak, and his words immediately condemned me.

“Jade, since you pushed Tiffany, you should apologize to her.”

Mrs. Sterling sharply chimed in:

“The Sterling family values respect and rules. When you make a mistake, you must kneel and apologize sincerely!”

They acted as if they were blind, completely ignoring my injured hand.

Or rather, they simply didn't care about me.

My hand still throbbed faintly, but my heart felt strangely calm, even a little mocking.

Just wait.

When my parents show up,

They'll be the ones on their knees, crying and begging.