"Sebastian."

It wasn't Nora’s first time to ever hear that name. Sebastian Hunt was a well-known name in the US business world. In fact, he was even considered a god-like figure in Houston.

"I'll try to talk about it with him."

"Thank you, Grandpa."

There were loud voices coming from outside the study.

Nora walked out and saw Sally, who was supposed to go home, was standing behind her parents.

To Nora’s shock, her parents had brought Sally, her replacement, to the family dinner.

"Nora," Mrs. Riley said, holding Sally who was wearing a white dress that made her shine even more.

"Take Sally to see Grandpa."

This was to emphasize Sally's position at the family dinner.

Meanwhile, Nora stood frozen on the second floor. After a long moment of surprise, her heart tightened with pain and she felt like she couldn't breathe.

On the other hand, the older Mr. Riley walked out of the study.

"It's already late at night. Mr. Jones, please send Miss Duncan home early."

One sentence was enough to decide Sally’s fate.

Immediately, Sally’s face turned pale. She couldn’t help but bit her lower lip, feeling hurt. Even though she was rejected on the spot, she didn't seem upset.

Instead, she obediently said, "Yes, Grandpa."

The butler, Mr. Jones, reminded her, "You should call him Mr. Riley, MIss."

Sally’s lips grew even paler, while tears were welling up in her eyes. Mr. and Mrs. Riley were about to speak in her defense, but the butler insisted she leave the mansion.

As for Nora, she just ate her meal absent-mindedly. After dinner, Mr. and Mrs. Riley quickly took her away and rushed home. When they arrived, Nora saw Sally directing the servants to move her belongings while wiping away tears.

Sally cried so hard that her eyes were swollen.

When she saw Mr. and Mrs. Riley, she said as she sobbed, "The happiest thing in my life is to be your daughter. But what Grandpa said today reminded me that I’m living in Nora's room, so I shouldn’t be occupying the space. I’ll move out tonight."

Sally had never shown any desire to move before. But after facing Grandpa today, she suddenly decided to leave the room. The servants carefully carried her things out, one by one.

The porcelain vase that Nora had used in her room as a child was replaced with an antique Sally had bought. The oil painting Nora’s friend had given her was thrown into the basement, replaced by a landscape painting by a famous artist.

The precious tulips Nora had planted were long gone, replaced by roses that Sally preferred.

When Nora woke up after the car accident, she realized she had even lost her room. She saw all this unfolding before her parents’ eyes. The items were moved out one by one and Mr. and Mrs. Riley looked at Nora with some guilt.

But Mrs. Riley still called the servant, saying to Nora, "It’s just a room, why make such a big deal out of it? Nora, you have a new room anyway. If you want, you can … "

Nora looked up at her and didn’t respond.

Mr. Riley also added, "Nora, Sally is your younger sister. She was humiliated by your grandfather today. Don’t fight with her over the room. Let her live in it now!"

Nora forced a weak smile.

"My parents will decide these things. What more do you want me to say?"

As soon as she said that, she turned around and went upstairs to her room.

After closing the door, Nora received a call from her grandfather.

His voice was unusually cheerful as he told her, "Nora, Sebastian agreed to the marriage. The wedding date has been moved forward since this is urgent, so it will be set for next month."

A heavy weight finally lifted off Nora’s heart.

"Thank you, Grandpa. But … can you not tell my parents yet?"

The older Mr. Riley could only sigh softly as he said, "You stubborn child … Alright then."

After the call, Nora found her diary. The last entry had been written five years ago. She tore out all the pages that mentioned her parents and Benjamin, then picked up the pen and wrote a new entry.

[I just had family dinner. I got engaged with Sebastian Hunt.]

The next day, the older Mr. Riley sent someone to deliver a set of expensive jewelry. At the same time, the Hunt Family also sent a wedding ring meant for Nora. Benjamin also came along to deliver it himself.

"Nora, are you so eager to get married? My marriage ring was delivered by my uncle’s special assistant," Benjamin said with a self-assured tone.

Nora looked at him, but kept silent. She decided to not tell him the truth.

"Get in the car," Benjamin said.

"I happen to be free today. I’ll take you to try on the wedding dress."

"No need," Nora refused.

Benjamin sneered, looking down at her condescendingly.

"What are you playing at now? Do you think I’ll look up to you like this?"

Nora’s heart sank as she looked at his annoyed expression. Suddenly, she remembered the wish she had written in her diary. She wished to wear the most beautiful wedding dress in the world in front of Benjamin.

She hesitated for a moment, then got into the car.

When they arrived at the bridal shop, Benjamin didn’t let her choose. He directly picked a wedding dress for her to wear. The size didn’t fit and the clerk didn’t seem to care much. The heavy wedding dress left red marks on her skin.

As soon as she walked out of the fitting room, she heard Benjamin gently coaxing Sally.

"I’ve let Nora wear the wedding dress you tried on. Sally, when are you going to think about yourself?"

Nora froze as she held up the hem of the skirt. Her eyes fell on the wedding dress that had caused her skin to react.

It turned out that it was the dress Sally had tried on?

Nora felt a sharp, burning pain in her heart. She suddenly pushed open the door of the lounge and was met by Sally's panicked eyes.

"Nora ..."

Sally said carefully, "I just thought this wedding dress was beautiful and asked Benjamin to recommend it to you. I didn't mean anything else... Are you angry with me?"

Benjamin stood behind Sally, protecting her, telling Nora coldly, "I should have married Sally. If you hadn’t suddenly woken up and interfered, do you think you deserve to wear this wedding dress?"

Nora couldn’t help but stare at Benjamin in disbelief.

Her heart ached as she managed to ask, "If I don't deserve it, why did you let me try it on today?"

Benjamin frowned, answering, "If Sally hadn’t thought of you, do you think I would have allowed it? Now that you’ve tried it on, that’s all there is to it."

Without waiting for her response, the shop assistants began to remove the wedding dress from her.

"Miss Duncan had already reserved this wedding dress," one of the employees said, sneering.

"Some people are so shameless, taking the dress and even trying to steal the man."

"Mr. Hunt clearly doesn't like her. Yet someone still keeps trying to get close to him. It’s really pathetic," another added.

"Miss Duncan is the only daughter of the Riley Family. Does this woman really think she’s worthy of this dress just because she calls someone 'sister'?" a third said mockingly.

The employees continued to insult Nora without hesitation. After being in a coma for five years, Nora's movements were slow and unsteady. When she heard their cruel words, she was about to confront the store manager and have them disciplined. However, Benjamin waved her off.

"Nora, I see a rash on your arm. It looks like you’re allergic. You should go to the hospital quickly."

Sally, who knew the truth, pretended not to hear the insults. The employees quickly forced Nora out of the store. With no other option, Nora went to the hospital.

When she returned home, Benjamin was waiting for her.

"I made a mistake about the wedding dress shop," he said.

"I’ll make it up to you. Let’s go see the meteor shower tonight."

Although Nora didn’t want to go, Mr. and Mrs. Riley were excited to hear this and immediately agreed.

That evening, Nora sat in the car. The route they were taking was the same as the one they had planned five years ago to watch the meteor shower. But the night wind was cold, the sky was clear of stars. It didn’t look like the right weather for a meteor shower at all.

They climbed up the mountain to find the best view. Then, Benjamin suddenly said he had to return to the car for a meeting. He left Nora alone to set up the tent.

Half an hour passed, the wind grew stronger and mixed with light rain. Yet, Benjamin was nowhere to be found. Nora realized something was wrong. With no signal on her phone, she returned to the main road, only to find the car was gone.

She was stranded on the empty mountaintop.

"Benjamin? Benjamin!" Nora shouted, but received no reply.

Heavy rain quickly poured down from the sky, soaking Nora completely. She felt like being drowned. Fortunately, she had made a guide to this place five years ago. So, she managed to find the path down the mountain.

Unfortunately, the rain was coming down hard. Not to mention, the night was pitch black. Nora could barely see the road.

She walked down step by step, trembling with cold and fear. She didn’t know how many times she fell, her body covered in mud and soon washed away by the rain. Her knees and arms were bruised.

The only sound that night was the thunder roaring above her and the rain pounding down, mixing with the despair she felt in her heart.

Finally, after hours of walking, she reached the foot of the mountain. She waited until the early morning. When the rain stopped, before she saw a car driving through the suburbs. The kind driver gave her a lift.

When she arrived home, her parents and Sally weren’t there. Mrs. Burnett, her maid, was shocked to see Nora in such a state.

"Nora, how did you end up like this? Didn’t Mr. Hunt say he would take you back to the hotel after the meteor shower?"

Nora sat on the ground, exhausted. Her heart sank. Did her parents trust Benjamin so much that they didn’t even call her to confirm? Or did they simply not care about her at all?

Unable to speak, Nora remained silent as Mrs. Burnett cleaned her up. Afterward, she saw Sally’s latest post on her iPad. The photo showed Sally with Benjamin and her parents at a concert. They all smiled at the camera, looking like one happy family.

Even worse, Nora saw that Sally was wearing a small dress and the gemstone jewelry her grandfather had sent the day before.

Benjamin had also left a message.

[This is your punishment for your unrealistic delusion!]

After being caught in the rain, Nora developed a fever. She felt dizzy, like a fish stranded out of water. Her heart raced and it felt like it might explode. But her throat was tight and she could hardly breathe.

She heard noises downstairs. Sally and her parents had returned. A moment later, Sally came into Nora’s room with a cup of boiling hot tea.

"Nora, mom was worried you might have a fever, so she asked me to bring you this," Sally said, making a point to puff out her chest so Nora would notice the necklace she was wearing.

Seeing that Nora ignored her, Sally wasn’t bothered.

She smiled sarcastically and added, "By the way, Nora, I asked Benjamin to do all of this yesterday on purpose."

Nora’s heart skipped a beat and a sharp pain twisted in her chest. Before she could react further, Sally threw the boiling hot tea in her own face and started crying uncontrollably.

"Ah!"

The boiling tea splashed all over Sally's face, leaving painful red marks and breaking her fair skin. The teacup shattered on the floor, while the sharp edges cut into Nora's calf.

Mr. and Mrs. Riley rushed upstairs quickly. Sally covered her face and cried uncontrollably in their arms, hiding her right hand to keep them from seeing the wound.

"Mom and Dad, don’t blame Nora," Sally said, sobbing.

"She got angry when she saw what I posted on Instagram Live ... but I didn’t expect this … "

Hearing this, the usually gentle Mr. Riley frowned and pointed at Nora.

"What did Sally do wrong? Yes, you were wronged … but Sally kindly brought you warm tea, but you treated her like this!"

Mrs. Riley also looked distressed.

"Nora, we’ve always taught you to be sensible. But today you’ve really disappointed us."

Nora’s head felt heavy and her chest felt tight as if it were blocked by cotton. She was pale, struggling to defend herself.

"It wasn’t me who splashed the tea. It was her..."

"Did Sally splash it on herself? If she did, how culd her face be burned? She’s a lovely girl! How could you be so cruel, Nora?" Mr. Riley scolded, then told Mrs. Burnett to take Sally for a cold shower.

"Sir, Miss Sally shouldn’t have splashed the tea deliberately … " Mrs. Burnett tried to speak up for Nora, but Mrs. Riley shot her a fierce look.

Sally, with tears in her eyes, pulled off the necklace.

"This necklace was given to Nora by Grandpa. It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have said I wanted to wear it just because it looked pretty..."

"Good girl," Mrs. Riley said with care.

"If you like the necklace, wear it. We’ll make the decision for you. Don’t be afraid of her."

With that, Mrs. Riley shoved the necklace back into Sally’s hands and helped her out the door to go to the hospital. Nora was exhausted, her calf wound still bleeding, but her parents turned a blind eye. She could only watch as the necklace was snatched away.

Before leaving, Sally gave Nora a mocking smile, covering her face as she left. Nora was left behind to be scolded by Mr. Riley.

"We’ve had a plan in mind for a while. We didn’t want to mention it before because we were afraid it would upset you. But today, you splashed tea on Sally. Let’s take it as your apology to her," Mr. Riley said in a firm tone.

He then told her the plan, "Your mother and I have decided to let Sally change her surname to Riley and give her half of the 10% of the shares that are under your name, so Sally can truly become part of the family."

Nora’s body swayed when she heard it. In fact, she almost collapsed. She looked at Mr. Riley in disbelief. It was her who had been hurt, but she was being forced to apologize to the person who had caused the harm.

Mr. Riley then continued, "Also, you have such a cruel tendency, Nora. You won’t be able to maintain a good relationship with the Hunt Family when you marry. The wedding ring will be handed over to me for safekeeping and I will give it to you when you are older!"

Finally, he added, "I’ve already decided on these two things! Don’t think about complaining to Grandpa!"

After that, Mr. Riley rushed to the hospital. Mrs. Burnett came in with a first aid kit and quickly bandaged Nora’s wound. Nora was faint with fever and pain. The physical pain from her calf and head was unbearable, but the pain in her heart felt like a sharp knife piercing her chest.

The whole mansion was empty. She could only call the number her grandfather had given her.

When the call connected, Nora apologized hoarsely, "I’m sorry, Mr. Hunt. I wasn’t able to keep the wedding ring you gave to me yesterday."

There was silence on the other end for a moment before a low voice responded, "Have you been crying?"

The long-lost concern, once offered by a stranger, now felt warm. Nora’s nose turned sour. Immediately, the tears she had just managed to stop came rushing back.

"Don’t worry too much about the wedding ring. I’ll take you to choose one you like when I have some free time. You can call me anytime at this number. By the way … " he then paused.

"Just call me Sebastian from now on."

"Okay," Nora agreed through her sobs.

At the end of the call, Sebastian gave her an address and invited her to come play golf to relax.

Nora had a fever for two days. But once she recovered, she went to the golf course. She wore a sun hat, radiating her quiet elegance.

Unfortunately, Nora was quickly stopped at the entrance of the golf course. She gave her membership number, but the staff said it had already been used.

"How could that be?" Nora asked, confused.

After all, she hadn’t played in five years. But such a high-end venue wasn’t supposed to allow anyone else to use her membership. The staff confirmed again that the membership number didn’t belong to Nora.

"There’s already a Miss Riley at the venue," the staff said apologetically.

Not far away, Nora saw the "Miss Riley" they were talking about. It was Sally.