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.

Fiona stared at Zoey in terror, her eyes full of despair. She tried to deny it, but Zoey's cold gaze and unquestionable tone made her completely lose her composure.

"I… I didn't…" Fiona's voice trembled as she desperately held on to her last hope, but Zoey did not give her that chance at all.

She turned her head slightly and said to the servants, "Take her away."

Fiona tried to struggle free, refusing to go.

I didn't move, and I felt absolutely no sympathy for her. A faint smile formed on my lips as I quietly shook my head.

Oh, my dear sister. She'd lived under the same roof as Zoey for two lifetimes, yet she still honestly thought she was that easy to fool. A woman who raised a son as calm and capable as Scott would never be a fool.

"Zoey, how could you drive Fiona out? She's my daughter…" Michael's voice pleaded as he tried to speak up for Fiona, but Zoey cut him off with a single, icy look.

"You remember she is your daughter, I see? The fact that I've tolerated her stay in the Howard household this long is already more kindness than she deserved." Her voice was calm and resolute with no hesitation. "Besides, we don't give out charity. We would never keep someone this greedy around."

Michael's face went pale. He clearly did not expect Zoey to be so determined.

He opened his mouth wanting to say more, but Zoey had already motioned to the servants to take Fiona away.

"No! Dad! Help me!" Her cries echoed through the living room as she tried to grab onto her last lifeline.

Just then, Scott appeared in the doorway. He wore a sharply cut suit, his expression cold and unreadable. His eyes swept the room once over everyone, then stopped on Fiona.

"What's happening here?" His voice was low and steady, seemingly able to reach everyone's heart.

"Someone really thought this was her own house and had the guts to steal my things." For the first time, Zoey's tone showed the ruthlessness of someone who was at the top of the hierarchy.

Scott looked at the items scattered across the floor and understood immediately.

"Security!" Scott said coldly.

Michael dropped to his knees and groveled at once. "Mr. Howard, please! Please spare Fiona just this once for our history's sake! She's still young! She doesn't understand…"

Fiona knelt beside him, tears streaming down her face. She looked up at Scott, her eyes full of desperate pleas. "I was wrong, Scott. I'll change, I promise! Please don't throw me out…"

I had wanted to remain calm as I watched from the side, but Michael suddenly grabbed my arm and tried to drag me down too. "You useless girl! Hurry up and beg for your sister!"

His hand had barely brushed my sleeve when Scott's frigid gaze stopped him. "Enough!"

Scott's voice boomed through the room like thunder. "I don't intend to interfere, no matter how much of a failure of a father you are, but her behavior has crossed my bottom line. The Howard family is not something she can step on."

Michael's expression darkened as he tried to plead again, but Scott had already lost his patience. He raised his hand briefly and gestured to the servants. "See them out."

Fiona's greed and ignorance, along with Michael's weakness and indulgence, only filled me with helplessness.

With Michael and Fiona both gone, would there still be a place for me in the Howard family?

I turned, stepped forward, and bowed deeply to Zoey and Scott. "Thank you for everything you have done for me during this time. I… I'll find a way to repay you in the future."

Without them, I would never have been able to finish school. From here on, I would simply have to rely on myself.

I took a deep breath and was just about to turn and leave when their voices rang from behind me in unison. "Wait."