: No Longer Pretending to be Poor

The day my mother was buried.

My father was marrying my aunt, and my cousin was moving in right along with her.

She also had her eyes on my fiancé.

"Sister, look at you, all drab and dreary. You're not good enough for Julian anymore."

When I refused, my father disowned me in a fit of rage.

He said, "What's the big deal? Just let your cousin have him! If you can't, then get the hell out of this house!"

I left immediately.

My poor aunt and cousin. I bet they have no idea my fiancé is bankrupt.

My father had always been a parasite, living off my mother's money.

And as for me, I was finally free of them!

After putting up with it for so long, I can finally stop pretending to be poor!

1

The day my mother was buried, my father married my aunt and brought home my cousin, Ella Shaw.

Ever since we were little, she loved to steal my things—from toys and dresses to my friends.

Now she was even plotting to steal my fiancé, Julian Thorne.

"I'm so envious, cousin. You always find such wonderful boyfriends. Unlike me, I've never even been in a relationship."

"My mother always taught me that a girl should stay pure and save herself for her husband. That way, she won't be looked down on."

"Julian, could you help me find a boyfriend? Someone just like you would be perfect. I really like your type."

Her flirting was so blatant it practically slapped me in the face, but for Julian Thorne, it was a bullseye.

With a smug, oily confidence, he lifted his T-shirt to show off his abs.

"Not every man has a rock-solid body like mine. If you don't believe me, come and feel for yourself."

Ella Shaw's eyes went wide like a deer's, her cheeks blushing as she said bashfully, "But if I do... wouldn't my cousin get upset?"

Julian Thorne grabbed her hand, pressed it against his abs, and began to caress her fingers.

"Of course not. We're just having a friendly conversation."

Ella Shaw bit her lower lip, her finger tracing circles on his abs.

Julian Thorne glanced around, and after making sure no one was watching, he yanked Ella Shaw into a nearby utility closet.

Before long, things got hot and heavy.

Having watched enough from the second floor, I timed my entrance perfectly.

I led a group of relatives to the door and kicked it open. Inside, the two of them were wrapped around each other, locked in an inseparable kiss.

Ella Shaw shrieked, "AHHH—"

Julian Thorne scrambled to pick up his clothes from the floor, his back covered in clear scratch marks.

My aunt cursed, "Jasmine Sterling, you damn bitch! What do you think you're doing? Are you trying to ruin my wedding to your father?"

I crossed my arms and scoffed. "How could I? My mother was just buried today, yet you couldn't wait to marry my father. With a passion like yours, who could possibly ruin this wedding?"

"And Ella Shaw certainly takes after you, seducing my fiancé for a romp in a utility closet. It really runs in the family!"

"Tsk, tsk. They say you shouldn't foul your own nest, but you two just have to go after my mother's man and mine, don't you!"

The guests erupted in laughter, immediately turning to point and whisper about my aunt.

My aunt spat. "You little bitch! Don't you dare try to sling mud."

"Your mother is dead. I'm helping her by taking care of your father. She ought to be grateful!"

"If you were any good, would your man be with my daughter? No, it's because you're useless. You deserve to have him stolen from you."

I started to clap.

"Well said, beautifully said. You've managed to make shamelessness sound so poetic."

My father's veins bulged, his neck flushing crimson.

"Jasmine Sterling! Who told you to talk to your stepmother like that? Apologize to her and Ella right now, or get out of this house!"

I fought to hide a smile as I turned to leave, worried that if I hesitated for a second, he'd take it back.

'If only I'd known it would be this easy, I would have given her another round of applause.'

My poor aunt and cousin. They must not know that my fiancé is bankrupt.

And my father, too, lived by leeching off my mother's money.

And as for me, I was finally free of them!

After putting up with it for so long, I could finally stop pretending to be poor!

: The Big Gift

2

I had even prepared a Plan B: a video of my father and my aunt having an affair while they were supposed to be taking care of my mom in the hospital.

But I never expected Ella Shaw and Julian Thorne to come through for me like that, hooking up the very first time they met.

Then again, I can't blame Ella Shaw entirely. After all, I'd spent three months laying the groundwork for this, flaunting Julian Thorne's status as a rich heir from a prominent family. He was handsome, gentle—tailor-made to be her perfect type.

The only thing she didn't know was that Julian Thorne's family was on the verge of bankruptcy.

Back at my villa of over 6,500 square feet in the city center, I edited the video I'd just shot. I blurred what needed to be blurred, added some background music, and a video destined to blow up the internet was born.

Add to that the emotionally charged essay I'd paid a fortune to have written, and a spot on the trending list was guaranteed.

Sure enough, within half a day, the entire internet was denouncing my father and my aunt's side of the family.

[WTF? Is this the melodrama of the year? Her dad marries her aunt on the day her mom is buried, and her cousin sleeps with her fiancé??? Then she gets kicked out by her own father!]

[For real? What century are we living in? How can something this absurd still happen?]

[OMG, I'm so angry just reading this I think I'm getting an aneurysm.]

[This is the first time I've ever hoped a video was just for clout. It's fine, we'd forgive you.]

[Sobbing. Please tell me this is fake!]

And with a little fuel added to the fire from my burner account, people quickly dug up my aunt's and Ella Shaw's ConnectSphere profiles.

One was a classic manipulative schemer, the other a pure-as-the-driven-snow type. Their latest ConnectSphere posts were flooded with seventy or eighty thousand hate comments each.

My father was lucky—he doesn't use ConnectSphere. But his identity was exposed anyway. A company chairman, no less.

The power of netizens is immense. They even managed to tank the company's stock.

The company's official ConnectSphere page was completely flooded with scathing comments.

[Did you know your boss is sleeping with his wife's sister?]

[A fish rots from the head down. With a boss like that, the products have to be garbage.]

[Just bought something so I could leave a one-star review. You get the money, I get to trash you!]

My father was furious. He called to scream at me.

"Jasmine Sterling, you posted that video. Delete it right now! Then issue a public apology and say you fabricated the entire thing!"

"Do you have any idea how much damage your selfish tantrum has done to my company? Why would you blow such a trivial matter this far out of proportion?"

"Come home tonight. You're going to get on your knees and apologize to your aunt and Ella in person."

I looked down at the paternity test results for my father and Ella Shaw sitting on the table and let out a cold laugh.

I hadn't suspected anything more, but then a follower sent me a private message. They said that no normal father would ever do something like that, and I should probably get a paternity test for him and my cousin.

'Who would have thought... I'd still underestimated just how disgusting my father and my aunt could be.'

My cousin is only a month younger than me.

I curled my lip into a smirk. "Sure thing. I'll be back tonight, and I'll even bring another big gift for you all."

'I just wonder what the looks on their faces will be when they see this particular gift.'

3

When I got home that evening, the three of them were sitting down to dinner. My aunt was in my late mother's seat, wearing my mother's custom-made cheongsam and her jadeite bangle. She was completely transformed.

The moment she saw me, she immediately put on the airs of the lady of the house.

"Jasmine Sterling, how have you become so reckless? Spreading rumors online is illegal. If I wasn't taking into account that you're my niece, I would've already called the police to have you arrested!"

I shrugged and smiled faintly. "Is that so? Then go ahead and call the police. We'll see if what I said is true."

With that, I crossed my legs and sat down on the sofa, looking perfectly nonchalant.

Ella Shaw put down her chopsticks and started playing the innocent victim.

"Jasmine, it's one thing for you to slander Mom and me, but how could you slander Dad? Do you have any idea how much money his company stands to lose because of your selfishness?"

"If you're doing this to get back at me for being with Julian, you can just say so. We're truly in love, but I don't want our relationship to drive a wedge between you and your father."

"Jasmine, I'm willing to step aside."

As she spoke, fat tears rolled down her cheeks.

GAG~

My father slammed his hand on the table. "Jasmine Sterling, look at Ella, then look at yourself! Aren't you ashamed? She's a month younger than you."

"What's so hard about yielding to your younger cousin? If you can't do it, then get the hell out of this house!"

I scoffed. "Dad, do you even hear yourself? Kicking your own daughter out for your niece? Anyone who didn't know better would think Ella Shaw is your daughter, too!"

An unnatural look crossed my father's face.

My aunt said guiltily, "What nonsense are you talking about? Keep making things up, and I'll rip your mouth apart!"

Ella Shaw rubbed her nose and said nothing.

'So that's how it is. It couldn't be clearer. They all ganged up to hide the truth from my mom and me.'

'Fine. Well played. But if I don't turn this entire house upside down, then my name isn't Jasmine Sterling.'

I sneered, "I don't believe you. Do you dare take a paternity test?"

My father immediately flew into a rage. Stiffening his neck, he shouted, "Why the hell should I get a test? I didn't call you here to make a scene! I called you here to get on your knees and apologize to them! As long as they forgive you, you can come back home."

My aunt chimed in, "Jasmine, don't blame your father. What you did was just too much. He wants to teach you a lesson."

"Oh, Jasmine, you're still young. When you're older, you'll understand that we only have your best interests at heart!"

"Just get on your knees and apologize, and we can all still be a family. Your aunt will still dote on you just like before."

Ella Shaw smiled, gloating, and even pulled out her phone to record a video.

I casually pulled the paternity test report from my bag and waved it in their faces.

"Apologize for what? For secretly getting a paternity test for my father and Ella Shaw? For the results confirming they're father and daughter?"

I smirked, my smile dripping with mockery. "In that case, I am truly sorry!"