Richard was not anything like how Mom and Jessica described him in my past life. He was not moody, controlling, or violent at all. Instead, I found him incredibly smart, though proud and with a high ego.

The tension between him and Mom surfaced shortly after we moved in.

Mom was a complete trophy wife: all looks and no brains. Honestly, she and Dad were actually a perfect match. Dad had always been a textbook rich kid with more muscles than brains. He only managed to marry Mom thanks to his family's money and his reckless confidence.

When my grandparents were still alive, they kept things stable. After they passed away, Dad's sketchy friends dragged him into investment after investment. He burned through his entire fortune and everything my grandparents left him. Mom immediately found her next target and divorced him.

My study abroad plans got shut down because Mom fought against them. Still, with my current grades, getting into a top university in the country would be a piece of cake.

...

"It's nice to see you again, Jessica!"

"Grace, is Mom home?" asked Jessica.

The housekeeper, Grace Cooke, replied, "She went shopping, but Natalie's upstairs studying."

Soon, I heard Jessica's footsteps heading toward my room. Then, she barged through my door without asking permission.

"Natalie, quit the act! No one is home, so who are you trying to impress by studying so hard?"

She marched over and snatched my books.

Even though Dad was the one raising Jessica, she still showed up almost every month to get money from Mom, along with clothes and jewelry. She always left with the entire trunk stuffed full. By the next month, she would show up wearing tattered, worn-out clothes again.

All the nice things got pawned off by our gambling-addicted Dad, turned into cash for him to blow.

In this life, Dad was not just an alcoholic but was a gambling addict, too. Truth was, Mom hated seeing Jessica struggle at Dad's place. She even discussed with Richard about bringing Jessica here to raise together.

Richard agreed, but surprisingly, Dad refused to let her go. After all, he depended on Jessica to keep squeezing money out of Mom.

Jessica said, "All that studying made you stupid. What's the point? You're not as pretty as I am, and Dad and Mom never liked you anyway. This easy life you're living is only happening because I gave it up, so enjoy it while you can. It won't last long."

Later, she rummaged through my things like she owned the place. I thought it made sense since in my previous life, this had been her bedroom.

She looked through everything and clicked her tongue, grumbling, "Seriously? You don't even know how to enjoy life. What kind of useless stuff are these? All you do is cling to these dumb books."

I ignored her and let her make a mess.

Then, a familiar voice called out from the hallway, "Jessica? Is that my sweet girl Jessica I hear?"

I watched coldly as they put on their touching mother-daughter performance.

Mom glanced at my ransacked room and said, "You won't find anything good in her room. Come to mine; I have new clothes and jewelry I just bought. Take whatever you want."

She was already dragging Jessica out, not sparing me a single glance or even a word of concern.

Grace came upstairs carrying a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. She stepped into my room and started cleaning without needing to ask.

"I've never seen a mom this biased," she muttered.

I did not mind, since Mom's good days were numbered anyway.

A few days later, I heard a loud fight break out downstairs.

Richard shouted, "Unbelievable! I pay for everything you eat and wear, and you're keeping a boy toy on the side!"

He slapped Mom across the face, and Jessica rushed in to shield her. However, he was furious and shoved her straight to the ground.

He growled, "And don't even get me started on your precious daughter! Wasn't the deal that we'd only take one kid? Then why does she keep running to my house? Every time she comes, half of our things disappear!"

Mom stubbornly shot back, "Jessica only takes what's mine, so it's none of your business."

"Yours? Look at yourself. I paid for every single thing you're wearing now. And now I'm supposed to support your whole damn family?"

"Richard, you've got some nerve! If you weren't infertile, would I be doing any of this?"

Mom's words completely set Richard off. He lost all control and started hurling her belongings out of the house. When she tried to stop him, he shoved her to the ground, too.

Nobody in the household dared to intervene. Jessica cowered in the corner, not moving an inch.

Originally, Richard married Mom because she was beautiful and came with two kids. After the marriage, he had invested in me as if I were his successor. However, in my past life, Mom took advantage of this and recklessly spent Richard's money.

Jessica might have been pretty, but she was completely empty-headed. That alone could have been tolerable, but these two were both greedy and foolish.

Mom kept a lover on the side, and Jessica went around bragging that everything Richard owned would one day be hers.

It did not take long for her words to reach Richard. Anyone would be uncomfortable knowing someone was eyeing their fortune before they were even dead.

Since none of us were his biological children, there was no real bond. He brought his nephew in to train as an heir and kicked both Mom and Jessica out.

In this life, Mom still got kicked out, but Richard did not make me leave.

He had said, "Natalie, you're better off with me than with that clueless mother of yours."

Every effort I had made so far finally paid off. Richard knew I was sharp, driven, and had a good eye for things. I always put him first and consulted him before making any big decisions. I even told him privately that I wanted to take his last name.

Mom never knew any of this because the only thing she cared about was shopping. She refused to leave, saying she would rather die in the house than walk out. However, she underestimated Richard, who was nothing like my weak and incompetent, born-into-wealth father.

A self-made man was not going to fall for her cheap tricks.

"Grace, pack a few of her things," he ordered before calling security.

Just like that, Mom and Jessica were thrown out.

As Richard walked past my room, he patted my shoulder. "Natalie, focus on your studies. Adult problems aren't for you to worry about."

I nodded quietly.

Fools stayed fools, no matter how many lifetimes they lived.

...

My daily life barely changed, and Richard valued me even more.

Mom secretly begged me to put in a good word for her with Richard, but I obviously refused. After that, she started calling every single day to hurl the most vicious insults at me.

Grace overheard one of these calls and actually questioned whether I was really Mom's biological daughter.

To Mom, the only child who mattered was Jessica.

Without Mom's financial support, Jessica's life got even harder. Her grades were terrible, and she hated school. Seeing this, Dad stopped making her go, though he was still drowning in debt and his life was a complete disaster.

I focused entirely on preparing for my college entrance exams, and Richard was so busy during this period that he was barely home.

Not long after, I got ambushed by a group of thugs on my way to school. That day, our car happened to be in the shop, so I was walking home alone.

I had just stepped outside the school gates when a man blocked my path. "So you're Natalie Shaw?"

Before I could answer, someone grabbed me from behind, covering my mouth and dragging me to an abandoned warehouse. The moment they ripped off the blindfold, someone kicked me to the ground.

"Enjoying the luxury life, Natalie?" Jessica stepped in front of me, staring down with a smug smile.