In my previous life, after my parents divorced, my younger sister Fiona went with my father, Michael, who had a yearly salary of a hundred thousand dollars. Meanwhile, I left with my mother, Jessica, with nothing but the clothes on our backs.

However, my father was fired by his company after that. He went bankrupt in an instant and lived in poverty.

Meanwhile, my mother started her own business from nothing and ended up being one of the richest in Arman City with a net worth of over a hundred million dollars.

Fiona was jealous of me and stabbed me to death the day I was to inherit Jessica's company.

When I opened my eyes, I had returned to the day my parents divorced.

When I saw Fiona wanting to live with Jessica no matter what, I knew that she had regressed as well.

That was fine, though.

I never wanted to experience that kind of lowly existence a second time.

At the entrance of our house.

"Mom, I want to go with you," Fiona said as she held our mother's hand tightly, her eyes full of smug delight.

My father, Michael Langley, frowned deeply, his gaze full of pity. "Fiona, you'll suffer if you go with your mother. Stay with me. I can give you a better life."

I stood on the sidewalk like I was a spectator in my own family. No one cared how I felt.

In this family of four, I had always been the extra one from the moment my sister was born.

Fiona was well-behaved and clever, knowing how to please our parents easily. Meanwhile, I was slow with words and did not even know how to seek attention around them. Little by little, they favored her increasingly, until I became almost invisible in this house.

Jessica looked down at Fiona with clear disapproval in her eyes. "Fiona, stop being so stubborn. Your dad is right. You'll suffer if you stay with me."

But Fiona had already made up her mind. She shook her head and said firmly, "No. I want to go with you."

Michael sighed and finally gave in when he saw what was happening. "Fine. Do what you want. But if life gets too hard, remember to come and find me."

Fiona shot me a smug, provocative look as she said, "Go with Dad, Ursula. Relax, your good fortune is still ahead of you."

Then, she took Jessica's hand and left without looking back.

I watched as their figures disappeared from my sight and thought of everything that had happened in my previous life after I followed Jessica. A mix of emotions swirled in my heart.

Michael gave me an impatient look. He said nothing more and just told me to get into the car.

Outside the window, the scenery rushed past in a blur until the car stopped in front of a grand mansion. Only then did I snap out of my thoughts.

"This is Empyrean Street, a luxury neighborhood. It's worth twenty thousand dollars per square foot," Michael said as he held up two fingers, pride in his voice.

I stared at the imposing building ahead, stunned.

Michael could never afford a mansion like this, even with his one-hundred-thousand-dollar yearly salary, unless he had already found himself a wealthy new woman.

"This will be your home from now on. Stay sharp and don't get into any trouble." Michael looked at me with open disdain. "Otherwise, you'll be punished."

I forced out a small smile. "I understand."

Satisfied, he nodded and led me into the villa.

The decor inside was luxurious and refined. You could see wealth in every detail.

In the vast living room, a slightly plump woman in expensive clothes walked toward us, and Michael hurried over to her.

"Zoey, won't you catch a cold, wearing so little?" Michael said in a flattering tone.

She did not answer him. Instead, she glanced at me, and a faint, disdainful smile appeared on her lips. "So… This is your daughter? Her face is acceptable, but everything else is quite ordinary."

Michael's smile froze, and he shot me a glare. "She has always been like this since she was little. No need to bother with her."

His voice turned stern. "Why are you just standing there? Hurry up and greet her. This is your… Your…"

"Ms. Howard. From now on, call me Ms. Howard." Zoey cut him off.

I stood quietly to the side, my voice devoid of anger or argumentativeness. "Yes, Ms. Howard."

In my previous life, words like that might have filled me with shame. Now, I knew how to face this kind of mockery.

Not to mention that this woman was Zoey Howard, a self-made, strong, independent woman in Arman City. She herself was a wealthy elite in her own right, and she had every right to look down on me.

At that moment, the maids called out together, "Mr. Howard."

I jumped and quickly turned around.

Scott Howard exited the car, a cold expression on his face. He wore a perfectly tailored suit, his features sharp and deep set with eagle eyes.

Zoey spoke nonchalantly, "This is Scott, my son. He is handling all the company affairs now."

Michael rushed in with a smile. "Mr. Howard, nice to meet you."

Scott gave him a brief smile and did not respond, leaving Michael standing there awkwardly.

"Have a look at our two new residents. This is Michael Langley, and this is his daughter…" She raised a brow at me.

"Ursula Langley," I said softly.

Scott gave a slight nod, his gaze landing on me and the old school uniform that had been worn for years. Then, he asked, "You study at Capital High?"

I nodded at Scott, feeling a sense of unease in my chest.

His gaze was deep, and his intention was impossible to read. He glanced at me and said quietly, "The driver will take you to and from school from now on. Do not embarrass the Howard family."

My cheeks turned red from embarrassment, and I nodded again. This school uniform was already one of the only few pieces of clothing I had that were still in one piece.

Zoey clearly did not expect him to make that arrangement.

I lowered my head and whispered, "Thank you, Mr. Howard."

Michael stood beside us with a stiff smile, nodding repeatedly.

In the following days, my life began to change quietly.

The Howard estate became both a refuge and the starting point of a new life for me, even when I was like an ornament in a corner of the house, ignored and unnoticed by everyone. But at the very least, I had food and warmth and no longer worried and struggled to keep a full belly throughout the day.

Meanwhile, the time I spent in school became my only comfort.

In my previous life, after I had left with my mother, I had no money for school. She refused to work and told me to support her. However, I was only a teenager then. No one would even hire me to wash dishes or deliver food. How could I support an adult?

So, I had no choice but to beg on the streets and scavenge the trash. I would never want to go back to that life where my dignity was trampled.

In this life, I had to focus on my studies. I knew that for someone like me, studying was the only way out. Whenever my name climbed to the top of the rankings, I knew I had moved one step further away from that wretched existence that was my last life.

The only thing that unsettled me was whenever the school needed a parent to attend an event, that phone call to the Howard estate made me anxious. No one in the Howard family would want to come to my parent-teacher meeting, even if it were to praise me.

"Hello, is this Mr. Langley? Your daughter has achieved great results again. We would like to invite you to the parent-teacher meeting…" The teacher's voice was full of anticipation on the other end of the line.

Michael's reply was cold. "So what if she gets high marks? I'm busy. Meanwhile, you had better check if she cheated. How could she possibly score that well?"

I felt my heart chill after Michael hung up.

Which parent, upon hearing of their child's success, would consider that their child cheated instead of feeling joy for them?

I took a deep breath and forced the ache in my chest back down.

Zoey had walked in at some point, and her voice still carried that playful, mocking tone as she said, "I think Scott has a lot of free time lately. He can go. After all, she is my stepdaughter. If we never show up at her meetings, people will say the Howard family abuses her. That would be unpleasant."

She walked away after saying that, leaving Michael standing there in shock.

On the day of the meeting, Scott appeared in the back row of the classroom. His presence stirred a small commotion, and my classmates whispered to each other as I sat with my head down.

Then, Scott started attending my parent-teacher meetings. However, he wouldn't join every time. He would show up three or four times out of ten times. That being said, that was a good number for someone like him.

Time slipped by day after day.

I was approaching my life's turning point, which was my high school graduation.

I thought no one would care about my plans for the future, but Scott suddenly asked, "What are your plans after graduation? Where do you want to go to college?"

Before I could answer, Michael cut in from the side with his usual disdain. "Finishing high school is good enough for a girl. She's an adult now. If you ask me, she'll be useful for a marriage alliance."

I stared at him in disbelief, a sense of despair and anger that I had never felt before surging inside of me.

So… this was my so-called father. A man who would sacrifice his daughter's happiness for profit!

Just as I was about to break, Scott's voice rang out again. "The Howard family does not need to sell off a young woman's beauty. Her future is hers to decide."

I stood in the center of the living room, stunned by Scott's words.

Could my future really be mine to decide?

Scott simply left me with one short but meaningful sentence. "When you have thought it through, come see me."

Michael opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but Scott's indomitable presence forced every word back down his throat.

"Dad, I'll never…" My protest was cut off by a sudden, frantic pounding on the door.

The door was forced open, and Fiona stumbled inside, clothes torn, face covered in bruises, utterly disheveled.

"Dad, please… Save me…" Fiona sobbed, her tone and eyes full of despair.

When our eyes met, something dark flashed inside hers. It was a mix of resentment and regret.

Michael looked at her with pity. "Fiona? What happened to you?! How has your mother been raising you? How could she let you end up like this?!"

My fists clenched at my sides, nails dug deep into my palms, and the pain kept my mind clear.

"Mom… Mom told me to sleep with some old men so that I could support her…!"

The memories rose like a breaking wave. In my previous life, she had done the same thing to me. I had escaped just like Fiona. I had sought Michael and begged him to take me in, but he had pushed me out without a second thought, not even allowing me to step through the gates of the Howard estate.

"Dad, let me stay here… Please… I can't go back anymore... She'll kill me eventually…" Fiona's voice trembled as she looked like a cornered animal, terrified and helpless.

Michael stared at her, a hint of rage and disappointment flashing in his eyes. "That woman… Even an animal wouldn't treat its own offspring like this. She's worse than an animal!"

At that moment, Zoey slowly came down the stairs. She was dressed in a perfectly tailored evening gown as she looked down at Fiona from above.

Fiona seemed frightened by her presence, and she lowered her head as she whispered, "Mom…"

A faint, mocking smile tugged at Zoey's lips. "You certainly know how to suck up to people."

She said nothing more, but that silence was as good as permission for Fiona to stay. Michael, of course, could not have been happier.

However, Fiona didn't seem to appreciate this opportunity. Maybe she already believed that the Howard family was doomed to go bankrupt in this timeline, too.

During the days she stayed, she showed respect only toward Scott. However, she acted proudly when she spoke to others. She had to have an entourage before she left the estate, and the servants had to bow when speaking to her. That was enough to make everyone have complaints about her.

Zoey pretended not to see any of it and never said a word to Fiona, and that only emboldened Fiona. It wasn't long until she began eyeing Zoey's clothes and jewelry. Those pieces were worth tens of thousands at the low end, and the most expensive ones were worth millions. Fiona took them one by one, convinced Zoey had not noticed anything missing, and her brazenness grew.

Until the day she stole several of Zoey's purses and dresses and tried to sell them. She was even caught on the spot.

Zoey looked at her in her usual composed stance. "I was wondering who had such nerves. So, it was you. Do you have any idea that these alone are enough to throw you into prison for the rest of your life?"

Fiona's face instantly went pale.