Right after I reunite with my rich biological family, Ruth Stark, the adopted daughter, eagerly helps me fit into her social circle.

But those rich scions constantly mock me and force me to drink. They also make crude jokes at my expense.

I am furious, while Ruth walks over gracefully and says with a face full of concern, "Don't tease my sister. She just came back from the countryside and is clueless about the way things are here. I will drink for her."

Everyone praises her for being kind and magnanimous while further cementing my reputation as a country bumpkin.

One day, Ruth plans to take me to another gathering with her friends.

Just as I am about to snap, the butler of Mason Frost, suddenly arrives at our door. He says it is a generous gift personally sent by Mason's mother.

My parents instantly beam with joy and grab Ruth's hand excitedly.

They praise, "You have made us proud, Ruth. It seems the Frost family is very satisfied with you. This marriage alliance is practically settled."

Ruth lowers her head shyly, casting a taunting glance at me.

But when I see the tag on the gift box, I can't help but laugh. Every employee who joins Frost Group receives this exact welcome gift.

If Mrs. Frost finds out someone has mistaken this for a wedding gift for marrying her son, she will probably be very annoyed.

I could practically taste how smug Ruth Stark felt as she ran her thumb over the gift box stamped with Frost Group's logo. She still put on an act, though.

"Jemima, don't take this to heart. Honestly… I've always thought this engagement should've been yours. After all, you're Mom and Dad's biological daughter. It's just that I've been in this circle for so long that Mr. Frost assumes I'm the real heiress… If you're upset, why don't I give you this gift instead?"

I almost laughed out loud at her fake concern.

Was she talking about Mason Frost, that devil of a man? Sure, he was the man people called Jarvon's prince, but everyone also knew he was obsessively perfectionistic to the point of being sick in the head. He could make someone redo a presentation three times over a single punctuation mark.

Since Ruth was so eager to walk right into a hellhole, why would I ever stop her?

I waved a hand, barely holding back my laughter. "Oh, I don't mind in the slightest. Go ahead and take it, Ruth. I wouldn't want such a 'blessing' even if you shoved it at me."

Ruth's face froze. She'd been waiting to see me lose it with jealousy. Instead, she'd gotten such a lackluster response.

"Jemima, you're so… generous," she forced through gritted teeth. Then, she turned to Mom and Dad. "Mom, Dad, it's getting late. I'll take Jemima upstairs to rest."

Mom and Dad were too busy basking in the joy of climbing up the social ladder and latching onto the Frosts to think too hard about anything. They agreed right away.

The moment we reached the second floor, the gentle, refined look on Ruth's face vanished. She stopped and looked at me contemptuously. She sneered and said, "Drop the act, Jemima. You're dying of jealousy inside, aren't you?"

Excuse me? I already said I didn't care, didn't I? Did she have short-term memory loss or something?

"Listen up—even if you're back now, this family and the engagement with the Frosts can only be mine! Trash like you from the sticks are only worthy of worshiping the ground I walk on!"

As soon as she finished, she suddenly threw herself backward with a dramatic gasp. "Ah! Jemima, why did you push me?"

The fake fall was smooth and practiced, like she'd studied thousands of trashy fake-heiress melodramas.

Too bad it was me she was trying to mess with. The instant her back hit the ground, I drew in a breath, gathered all my strength, and let out a scream ten times more tragic than hers. "Ruth! What's wrong?"

Before she could even react, I dropped down right on top of her. I swung my arms wide and started slapping, both hands going back and forth across her perfectly maintained face.

The slaps echoed down the hallway, the sounds crisp and satisfying.

As I hit her, I wailed with full-on soap-opera anguish. "Ruth, oh, Ruth! Don't scare me like this! Wake up! If anything happens to you, I'll go down with you!"

"Jemima, you bit—"

She struggled to get up while cursing me out, but I landed two more sharp slaps. The words she'd been about to spit out were instantly swallowed back down. Her face visibly started swelling.

Mom and Dad, hearing the commotion, finally came running in a panic. "What happened? What's going on?"

Ruth fought to peel her eyelids open a crack, mumbling through her swollen lips, "Mom… She hit…"

Ruth wanted to snitch on me, huh?

I let out a wicked little smile, laced my fingers together, and pressed down hard on her chest.

"Mom, Dad, get help! Ruth got too excited when she heard about the engagement and fainted after missing a step. I'm giving her CPR, so get an ambulance, quick!"

I used my full strength with every push. Ruth could only wheeze under my hands, her face turning a dark, ugly purple. "Ugh…"

Mom and Dad fumbled to dial 911 in a panic, while I threw myself over Ruth like a devoted sister, wrapping my arms around her neck. "Ruth has been so protective of me this whole time. Without her, I'd never have gotten into high society at all! Ruth, hang in there. I won't let you die on me!"

I sobbed as I spoke, all while tightening my forearms around her throat.

Ruth's eyes bulged. Then, they rolled back, and she finally passed out cold.

The corners of my mouth lifted in a chilly smile. She wanted to play mind games with me? Did she really think I was a harmless pushover when I'd passed an interview with a psycho like Mason?

…

When Ruth slowly came to in the hospital, the first thing she did was fling herself straight into Mom's arms. She clutched at Mom's sleeves and burst into tears, looking delicate and pitiful.

"Jemima, I know you're upset. The engagement was supposed to be yours in the first place. If you really like Mr. Frost that much, I can give him up to you… Just please don't hit me again, please…"

What gave her the blind confidence to think the Frosts would even be interested in her? Was it because she could fake being a loving sister and a refined young lady? Did she really think a marriage alliance between affluent families was as easy as picking up loose change off the sidewalk?

I was just about to tear into her when the hospital room door was suddenly shoved open. A man in a perfectly tailored suit rushed in, his expression tight with worry. "Ruth, how are you feeling?"

I didn't even get a clear look at him before Ruth instantly burst into louder sobs. "Micah, it hurts so much… Jemima, she…"

Oh, so this was my so-called older brother, Micah Stark.

The moment he saw all the bruises and marks on Ruth, his face twisted with pain and fury. He spun around and glared at me with hatred. "Do you have any shred of humanity left, Jemima? Ruth was kind enough to bring you into our social circle, and you repaid her kindness by beating her half to death?"

"Micah, don't be mad at Jemima… It's all my fault. I shouldn't have stolen her identity for so many years. I shouldn't have stolen the engagement that was supposed to be hers… If she hates me for it, it's what I deserve." Ruth sniffled.

Micah's body went rigid. His voice shook slightly as he asked, "Engagement? Between you and…"

"The Frosts. Their butler came by with the betrothal gifts today."

Micah's hands balled into tight fists by his sides as he listened to her.

Oh?

This reaction… Was this one of those trashy plots where the guy was into the girl, but she didn't feel the same?

My radar lit up. The drama was getting good. I was happily munching on the metaphorical popcorn when Micah suddenly sucked in a deep breath and turned on me, exploding. "Jemima Stark, you're a vicious, jealous shrew!

"Ruth is the apple of my—of our family's eye. If the Frosts chose her, it's because she deserves it. You think some wild, uneducated bumpkin from the sticks like you is worthy of competing with her?"

I secretly rolled my eyes so hard they almost hit the ceiling. Zero people were trying to steal anything from Ruth, okay? Zero.

Since Micah wanted to come at me without any warning, I wasn't about to sit there and take it.

My tears came on command. I covered my face and burst into sobs, acting even more pitiful than Ruth had. "Micah, I may have grown up in the countryside with a poor family, but my adoptive mom always taught me that a peaceful family is the key to everything.

"Ruth's face turned purple when she fell down the stairs! I was terrified she wouldn't make it, so I did first aid. How can you say I hit her? If you really think I did it on purpose, then I'll pay her back with my life!"

As soon as I finished, I scrambled up and lunged straight toward the wall.

"Jemima! That's not what your brother meant!"

My little act scared Mom and Dad half to death. They rushed over to stop me. At the same time, my words stirred their guilt back up. They turned and glared at Micah.

"How can you talk to your sister like that? She just came home and doesn't know anything yet. You're her big brother, so how could you say such things about her?"

Micah let out a cold snort and looked at me with open disgust. "Just keep spoiling her, Mom. She grew up wild in the countryside and doesn't have a shred of manners!"

He whipped out a gold-embossed invitation and slapped it hard on the table. "Mrs. Frost, Mr. Frost's mother, had her birthday banquet invitation delivered to the office. She made it clear that our whole family is to attend, and she even added a note that we must bring Jemima along."

At that, the room went silent. Ruth even forgot to cry.

"I was wondering why a top family like the Frosts would invite us, but it makes sense now. It must be because Mrs. Frost wants to meet her future daughter-in-law because Ruth's engagement to Mr. Frost is basically settled."

He shot me a look of pure disdain. "And somehow this wild little stray gets to ride along. What a jinx! You're staying home. Don't you dare come along and embarrass us and ruin Ruth's future."

My heart sank. What was this nonsense about "riding along"? This was clearly Mrs. Frost—or Her Majesty, as I liked to call her—giving me a warning.

After passing the interview, Her Majesty had planned to assign me straight to Frost Group's overseas project and groom me as one of her own. Then, the Starks had shown up out of nowhere, and Her Majesty had generously approved a month of family leave so I could reunite with them.

That month was almost up, and I still hadn't reached out. Maybe I needed to text her later to explain.

As I panicked, Mom assumed my silence was because I was hurt by what Micah said. She made the decision on the spot and said, "Jemima is your sister, too. Since the Frosts specifically mentioned that they want her there, of course she has to go!

"If any member of our family is missing and the Frosts think we're being disrespectful—or worse, that our family isn't harmonious—that'll ruin the engagement, too!"

Oh, no! It looked like I really would have to face Her Majesty head-on.

…

On the night of the banquet, I was chugging water and frantically psyching myself up to face Her Majesty when I heard a string of curses coming from the storage room.

"That wretched Jemima! Why are Mom and Dad taking her side now? Why doesn't she just drop dead? Those two biased old geezers should die, too! Everything in this family should be mine. Even Mr. Frost should only ever be mine!"

Through the crack in the door, I saw Ruth holding a pair of scissors, sizing up the exquisite silk gown Mom and Dad had prepared as a gift for Her Majesty.

"If that's the case, then none of us get to have it easy!"

With a few snips and flashes of cold light, pieces of fabric fluttered to the floor.

Right then, Ruth seemed to sense something. She whipped around and locked eyes with me. Before I could react, she rushed over and shoved the scissors into my hands.

"Jemima, what are you doing?" She pointed at the shredded gown and broke into a hoarse, hysterical wail. "How could you cut up the gift we're giving to Mrs. Frost? Even if you're jealous of me, you can't destroy our family's goodwill like this!"

Well, damn! She was determined to pin this on me, wasn't she?