Just as I was lost in thought, a few shouts came from behind me, and the door suddenly swung open.

A basketball came flying unexpectedly, striking the side of my head with a loud thud.

"Hey, you little bumpkin, bring me my ball," a spoiled voice called from behind me.

I slowly turned. A boy about my age, but taller and broader, stood there. He lifted his chin and looked down at me with an air of arrogance.

If I remembered correctly, this had to be the Taylor family's only child—Eric Taylor.

As a typical playboy, Eric loved extreme sports like racing and skydiving and had little interest in the family business. A racing accident in his previous life had left him paralyzed from the waist down, and it had turned his temper notoriously violent.

"Hey, what are you staring at? Did you hear me?" he snapped.

I snapped back to reality, picked up the basketball, and handed it to him.

Recalling the driver's instructions, I said politely, "Eric, here you go."

He paused, then smirked. "You're not bad at currying favor. Don't think this means you'll get a share of the Taylor family fortune."

With that, he scoffed and walked away.

In the following days, I rarely saw Mrs. Taylor—Mom—and Eric appeared even less often.

David took me around to familiarize me with the house.

The villa was enormous. Once I had a sense of it, he handed me a schedule packed with business management classes.

"This is your schedule for the coming days. Starting tomorrow, you'll receive one-on-one training in company management. Mrs. Taylor has arranged everything. You just need to study diligently. It will benefit you in the future. Can you handle it?"

These were subjects I had only encountered when starting my business in my previous life.

Now that I had access to all of this at only 15, I couldn't help but feel thrilled. I nodded without hesitation. "Of course."

David's expression showed a flicker of surprise, but he made no comment and continued his instructions.

Mom had even hired a tutor to make sure I didn't fall behind in school. In my previous life, I had already mastered all of this, so it was easy.

In just a year, I absorbed all the knowledge and learned to apply it flexibly.

"She learns incredibly fast," the tutor Mom had hired praised me in front of her. "Not only has she mastered the middle and high school curriculum, but she can even follow the complicated company management courses."

I listened quietly from my seat.

The tutor smiled. "At this rate, she won't even need high school—she could go abroad immediately."

However, Mom had other plans. She wanted me to attend high school alongside Eric first before going abroad together. On the surface, it was to watch out for each other. In truth, she wanted me to keep him in check.

Mom had paid the tutor generously, and her gaze toward me carried a newfound recognition.

"Come here," she said, motioning for me to sit.

She took my hand and placed an acceptance letter in front of me. "You've done well. Eric's grades are difficult to raise, so help him out. I don't expect too much. Just make sure he passes. Once high school is over, I'll send both of you abroad. How does that sound?"

Without any preamble, Mom laid out her expectations clearly.

I didn't hesitate. "Thank you, Mom."

Her eyebrows lifted in clear delight, and she held my hand a little tighter.

"Good girl."

As a reward, Mom gave me a card that allowed me to spend a whole day out as I pleased. It was the most relaxed and carefree day I had experienced since joining the Taylor family.

The driver took me to the bustling city center, and I got out to explore on my own. I had only taken a few steps when I saw someone familiar.

It was Elsa. She stood on the roadside under the blazing sun, handing out flyers.

The Cullens were poor and could barely spare any money. It wasn't surprising that she had to work to earn her keep. After all, I had been in the same position in my previous life.

During summer breaks, I had to work three jobs while keeping up with my studies. On top of that, I had to help my adoptive parents with endless chores and odd jobs.

They claimed to treat everyone equally, but in reality, they could never bear to let their son work.

It wasn't until later that I discovered the truth. My adoptive parents hadn't taken me in because they cared for me. They were simply looking for free labor.

"Hello, would you like to see this—"

A flyer was handed to me.

Elsa stopped mid-sentence when she looked up and saw me. "Enya?"

As she saw the luxury I was surrounded by and the care I took of myself, a fleeting trace of jealousy flitted across her expression and vanished just as fast.

She forced a smile. "You seem to be living comfortably now. Don't say I didn't warn you. Families like the Taylors aren't for everyone. Mom is far scarier than you think. You'll learn soon enough."

"I see."

My calm reply seemed to irritate her slightly.

She began boasting about her adoptive family. "The Cullens treat me very well. I live comfortably every day. Flynn even helps me with my studies. We even got into Westbridge High School by special admission."

Westbridge High School was the very school Mom had just sent me an admission notice for.

Only students with prominent family backgrounds or exceptional talent could get in, though a few were admitted through special exceptions.

In my previous life, the ones admitted through exception were Flynn Cullen and me.

"Our future is only going to get better, and you will most likely end up dying on the streets," she said with firm conviction.

"Elsa!"

She turned at the sound of her name.

"Flynn, what are you doing here?"

Elsa's face lit up, and she ran into Flynn's arms.

Flynn held a lunchbox out to her. "Mom sent me to bring you lunch. It's the middle of the day. You must be tired. Do you want me to stand in for you for a bit?"

Elsa waved him off. "No, I'm fine."

The Cullens would rather send Flynn to costly tutoring than allow Elsa even a moment of rest. That had been my life before as well.

"Thanks for your trouble," Flynn said, then looked at me.

"Flynn, this is my sister, Enya. You met her at the orphanage before," Elsa said.

He glanced at me, and a trace of disgust crossed his face. He ignored me entirely and said to Elsa, "Stay away from people like that. Let's go."

Without letting me say a word, he pulled Elsa away.

"Flynn, why are you being so harsh? What if you scare her?" Elsa asked.

"Elsa, she looks unreliable. Don't associate with her, or who knows what kind of harm she might cause behind your back," Flynn said flatly.

His words caused a brief stir in my heart, but it quickly faded.

I pulled out the card Mom had given me and made several luxury purchases.

As I emerged carrying several large shopping bags, Elsa's face turned sour. "What's with the smug look? You're still going to die someday, while Flynn and I will be running big companies."

I smiled at her naivety and carried my bags back to the Taylor residence. In truth, none of the items were for me. They were all gifts for Mom and Eric.

When I got back, Eric was surprisingly at home. He sneered when he saw me. "Well, you haven't been with the Taylor family for long, and you're already hauling bags back like this. Do you really think everything in the Taylor family belongs to you?"

"Eric!" Mom called out in warning. "She is your sister."

Eric smirked. "What kind of sister is she supposed to be? I don't have such a country bumpkin for a sister. I'd be embarrassed to be seen with her."

Eric had never gotten along with me, and I had no intention of provoking him. I calmly took out the gifts. "Mom, this one is for you."

I handed her the box, revealing a delicate silk scarf inside. Then, I distributed gifts to David and the other staff who had cared for me. For the first time, Mom's expression held a rare sense of gratification.

David and the others looked genuinely surprised and flattered.

Eric's expression immediately darkened. "You don't seriously think a few cheap gifts can win people over. Don't flatter yourself—"

"Eric, this one's for you."

As if I hadn't heard him, I took out the last gift. It was a racing car model. "Mom said you like racing. I saw it at the mall and bought it."

He froze for a moment, muttered something under his breath, and took it anyway.

…

Soon, the first day of school arrived.

I had already planned to take a cab, but when I stepped outside, I saw the car still waiting there.

A flicker of delight crossed my face as I ran over. "Eric!"

"Who are you calling? I told you, I'm not your brother," Eric snapped impatiently as he opened the car door. "Stop dawdling and get in. My time is valuable."

"Okay," I replied, handing him the breakfast the housekeeper had packed. "Mom said one for each of us."

A trace of awkwardness flashed across Eric's face. He muttered, "Who even eats breakfast anymore?" Still, he took it.

I raised an eyebrow, thinking to myself that he was all talk.

Before stepping out of the car, he made sure to warn me. "Let me be clear. At school, don't say you're my sister, and don't reveal our relationship. If you do, you'll answer to me."

After issuing his warning, he got out of the car and walked off.

"Ms. Taylor, please don't take it to heart. Mr. Taylor has always been like this since he was young," the driver said in consolation.

I shook my head, said it was fine, and got out of the car as well. By sheer coincidence, I ran into Flynn and Elsa at the school gate again.

Flynn was good-looking and aloof, drawing the attention of many female students. He and Elsa were surrounded by a crowd.

"Did you hear? That's the top-ranked transfer student this year. He's amazing. Even his sister is impressive. She ranked 15th in the city."

"I'm so jealous. I wish I had a brother like him."

Based on academic placement, I was assigned to Class 1. Coincidentally, Flynn and Elsa were placed in the same class as me, while Eric ended up in the very last class.

As soon as I walked into the classroom, Flynn and Elsa followed. Students immediately surrounded them again.

Elsa wore a smug expression as she walked over to my side. "What a coincidence, Enya. I didn't expect us to end up in the same class."