After eighteen years of wandering alone, I looked like a tomboy covered in dirt when I was found and brought home.
Just as I was about to shower, there was a loud scream in the bathroom. The fake heiress rushed out. She pushed me down before she threw herself into Mom’s arms and cried.
“He… He peeped on me while I was showering. He even tried to touch me inappropriately!”
Mom was furious, and Dad raised his arm to punch me. My brother was so enraged that he even wanted to throw me out!
However, I was a girl! Did they forget that the child they lost was a girl?
Susan Smith screamed as she ran out with clothes covering her body. I was stunned for three minutes before snapping out of my daze. But that was only after the other family members heard her scream and ran upstairs.
“Mom, that’s not what happened. I—”
“Shut up!”
Mom was furious. “Even if Susan isn’t your biological sister, you shouldn’t have bad intentions toward her!”
Dad raised his arm to punch me, but I immediately dodged. “You’ve misunderstood me! I didn’t go inside on purpose. Isn’t this supposed to be my room?”
“How dare you dodge?! No matter whose room it is, you can’t peek at Susan while she’s showering!”
“Dad, I told you that they’re not good people. That family stole him because they wanted a son, but they didn’t raise him well. Now, he’s grown up into such a horrible person. I think we should just throw him out!”
I was at a loss for words. They did not understand that I had been taken by mistake, not kidnapped!
I was a girl. I had a buzz cut, but I really was a girl!
“I didn’t do it! I’m a girl!”
Susan cried, “Mom, look at him. He’s still making excuses. He’s trying to humiliate me!
“When he came in earlier, his eyes wandered all over me. He even tried to take advantage of me in the bathroom. He even… even exposed his…”
As Susan continued to speak, she cried even louder.
Liam Smith’s face was full of anger. He stepped forward and grabbed my arm. “You monster! How dare you disrespect my sister?!
“Get out!”
Dad was furious too. “Prepare his punishment. I’m going to teach him a lesson he won’t forget!”
Mom held Susan in her arms and comforted her, while the other two restrained my arms. Getting worked up, I angrily yelled, “Susan Smith, you’re framing me!
“The room is huge, and there’s a security camera at the door. Just take a look at the footage, and we’ll all know the truth!
“I didn’t even go inside. I was just standing at the door!”
Liam got angrier after listening to me. “You’re still trying to defend yourself!”
“You really are blind!
“It’s only been a day since I got back. Even if I were looking for a target, I wouldn’t be that desperate! A fox preys farthest from his hole. There are cameras. Check them before you blame me!”
When Mom heard what I said, she hesitated. “Why don’t we take a look at the footage? If he really did it, we won’t keep him around!”
Dad thought about it and prepared to get the security footage. But Susan immediately screamed, “No!”
“Mom, I was unclothed. How can they see that? I don’t want that!” she wailed.
Her face was red from embarrassment, and she looked at me with outrage, as well as hatred, in her eyes.
I did not know where this hatred came from. This was my home, and I was a girl. Not to mention, I had not even spotted her. Even if I had, both of us were girls. What was the big deal?
Yet, my parents believed her.
Mom considered her words. “Susan never lies, but the family you’ve lived with is disorderly and undisciplined. It’s not that I don’t believe you, but with her reputation, there’s no need for Susan to frame you!”
“That’s right! Reese Smith, your motives were impure! Dad, Mom, I see no further need for discussion. Just get him out of here!”
When I heard all of this, I automatically sneered. “Whatever she said is right? If I remember correctly, you told me that this was my room. So, what exactly were your intentions?
“Either you deliberately misled me, or Susan rushed into this room to frame me!”
I turned the accusation back on them, and Liam was instantly taken aback. “How dare you?!”
I raised my head and looked at him fearlessly. “Answer me. Why won’t you speak now? The room’s mine, isn’t it? So, why are you in my room, Susan?
“It’s my first day back, and the family already knows. You went to my room to shower at noon, yet you accused me. I might as well say that you intentionally tried to seduce me!”
Hearing this, Susan instantly lost it. “As if I would! What could a country bumpkin like you possibly have that’s worth my attention?!”
“Obviously, it’s because you’re not their biological daughter. You’re afraid of being sent back, so you staged this whole thing!”
“Shut up!” Susan roared as she attempted to grab me, but I evaded her.
“Struck a nerve, did I?” I said coldly.
Mom snapped out of her daze too. “Susan, did you really…?”
“Mom! Even you don’t believe me?!”
Susan cried and said, “This is my home, and I had no idea this is his room now.
“I came here only because the showerhead in my room was broken. How could I have known that it’d become his room?”
When Mom heard this, she nodded. “It looks like a misunderstanding.”
Susan immediately backtracked. “No! He did it on purpose!
“If it’s just a misunderstanding, why didn’t he leave the room immediately? He tried to come closer and take advantage of me! Mom, look!”
She rolled up her sleeves and showed the faint marks on her arm. “Look. He did this. I had to fight desperately to get away! You… You have to stand up for me!”
She stomped her feet and cried uncontrollably. The marks on her fair arm were clear enough to make her look like a victim.
It seemed that I could not clear my name no matter how much I explained.
I took a deep breath. Facing my family’s wrath, I swallowed my anger and asked, “You claim that I took advantage of you. Is there any other evidence? I wanted to check the security footage, but you refused. Now, you’re accusing me of hurting you just based on these marks?
“You all injured me earlier. Can I also claim that you had bad intentions toward me?”
I showed my arm as well, and there were vivid red marks.
Then, I stared at Liam. “You made these, so you had bad intentions toward me!”
“Ridiculous! How could I take advantage of you? Reese Smith, you’re twisting words and being completely unreasonable!”
I spread my arms. “Yeah, you find it ridiculous too. So, how is it possible that I did that to her? I’m not even a man!”
Dad’s face turned red with anger. “You’re not a man? You’re not even human!”
“I told you! He’s lived in that place for over a decade, so he’s a complete gangster. You insisted on taking him back home. Look at what happened now!” he yelled at Mom again.
“You little punk! I’m going to kill you!”
He then raised his arm to punch me, but I immediately dodged. “If I touched her, wouldn’t my fingerprints be on her? Let’s call the police. We can go to the station and have her checked!
“If my fingerprints are found, say whatever you want, and I’ll accept it. You can even kick me out. But if they’re not found, we’ll see how you’re going to apologize to me!”
“You brat! Come here!”
“I’m not going over. You’ve wronged me. Today is my first day meeting you, yet you’re trying to beat me. I’m not going near you!”
Liam strode over and seized me by the arm instead. “Are you done causing trouble yet?”
I pointed at my nose in disbelief. “I’m causing trouble?”
“Who else? The moment you got back, you turned the whole family upside down. Susan’s my sister, my only sister. Remember this. If you have any inappropriate thoughts about Susan, I’ll be the first to make you pay!
“Don’t waste your breath on him, Dad. Just punish him. After that, we’ll throw him out!”
Dad nodded. He then began to push and shove me toward the stairs. Susan was still weeping in Mom’s arms, and I was so enraged that I could barely speak.
Their so-called punishment was to use a rattan cane, and it was about two fingers thick. If it struck me, I would be doomed.
I immediately said, “Mom, I’m your daughter. Are you just going to stand aside and watch them hurt me like this?”
Mom instantly gasped. “Reese, what are you talking about? You’ve made a mistake, and you’re still denying it. Do I not know whether I gave birth to a boy or a girl?
“That family stole you only because they wanted a son. It’s been so many years, and this is how you turned out? You still won’t admit your fault!
“Hit him hard!”
Liam raised the cane to hit me, but I immediately shouted, “You can’t cane me! You don’t have the right!”
“What did you say?”
“Don’t forget that legally speaking, I'm not your family member yet. I’m still a stranger to you. If you dare cane me, I’ll definitely sue you!”
When he heard my words, his hand trembled. But Dad took over instead. “You little brat. How dare you threaten us?!”
After that, he struck me hard with that cane. I instantly gritted my teeth in pain.
“You trash! You caused chaos in this family the moment you came back. I’ll kill you!”
For some reason, I had the strength to push him away, kick Liam aside, and run away.
“Stop him!”
The servants chased after me. However, I led them in circles in the villa neighborhood while I shouted, “They’re killing me! They’re killing me!”
Coincidentally, a family in the neighborhood was hosting a birthday party. When they heard the commotion, they came out. Witnessing the scene, they curiously asked, “Mr. Smith, what’s going on?”
Dad’s face turned blue with rage. “That little brat…”
“Dad, we shouldn’t spread family matters outside. It’s okay if I suffer a little injustice!
“After all, Reese just returned home, and he didn’t have a proper upbringing.”
Those who did not know the full story immediately added, “Every family has its struggles. But kids who were raised by others just aren’t the same as the kids we raised ourselves!”
“Look at his shifty face. You can tell he’s not a good person at a glance!”
“How can this little gangster be part of our villa community? We should call the police!”
I smiled. “Yeah. We should call the police. I had improper intentions toward Susan today, so I should be arrested!”
I exposed our unsavory family business myself, which made Liam so angry that he immediately called the police.
However, I sighed in relief. I looked at Susan, who was standing at the side, and ruthlessness flashed in her eyes.
The servants threw my luggage out, and my clothes were scattered all over the ground.
I slowly walked over to gather them. My undergarments were lying there as well, and someone at the side gasped. “Gosh! Those are women’s clothes!”
“No wonder the Smith family wants to cut ties with him. He’s a pervert!”
“This is like inviting a fox into a henhouse. You can’t let him in ever again!”
The malicious comments from all sides rendered me speechless. I was a woman. Was it not normal for me to have women’s undergarments?
Right then, Susan trembled as she said, “Mom, I’m scared. This isn’t the first time he’s done this!”
At this point, Mom was also convinced. She looked at me with disappointment. “Reese, you’ve disappointed me. Just leave and never come back again!
“You’re not our son!”
I silently finished packing my luggage before I took my phone out of my pocket. I remained calm as I called the police. “Hi, I’d like to report a crime. Someone framed me of harassment, and they violently assaulted me. I require a medical examination for my injuries. The address is…”
After I hung up, the family was enraged. Dad even rushed toward me. “You trash! How dare you call the police and turn the tables?!”
I chuckled. “Why wouldn’t I dare? When the surveillance footage is reviewed, the truth will be clear. What’s the matter? Are you scared?”
I swung his hand aside and said to Susan, “You said I touched you. Let’s scan for fingerprints, then. I, Reese Smith, am not easily intimidated!
“Susan, you framed me using your reputation, so I’m seeking justice!”
A flicker of guilt crossed Susan’s eyes, but Liam yelled, “Enough! Susan’s reputation is more valuable than you. Get lost!”
“Get lost? Sure. Come with me to the station, and I’ll willingly face any consequences!”
When Liam heard this, his eyes turned red with rage. “Alright. Since you refuse to let this go, let’s see the police!”
He grabbed my arm and pushed me toward the car. The police officers arrived a minute later, and we all went to the police station.
Susan still stuck to her story. When the police wanted to review the surveillance footage, the whole family answered in unison, “The cameras have malfunctioned!”
I chuckled. “It’s okay. I can prove my innocence.”
Then, I presented my ID. After the police officer saw it, he wore a complex expression.
He looked at Susan. “Are you sure that he harassed you and even exposed his privates?”
Susan teared up. “Yes.”
He immediately rebuked her, “You’re lying!
“Tell me. How did she behave inappropriately toward you when this is her?”
The police officer slapped my ID down in front of her!