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?

Downstairs, a rush of footsteps echoed up the stairwell.

Ruth looked at me, the corner of her lips curling into a cold smile. "You're done for, Jemima. Now that the gift has been ruined, let's see how you explain this to Mom, Dad, and the Frosts!"

Then, she threw her head back and shrieked, "Help! Jemima has gone crazy!"

Before, for Mom and Dad's sake, I'd turned a blind eye to the thing she'd done, no matter how she'd ganged up on me with those other socialites. But this time, she was trying to mess with me in front of my direct superior.

If she dared trash my reputation and get me fired from Frost Group, how was I supposed to feed myself?

A chill shot through me. On instinct, I twisted open the bottle of mineral water in my hand and splashed it right at Ruth. I emptied the entire bottle over her head. Not a single drop was left.

Her fake lashes went crooked, her foundation streaked, and her carefully styled hair instantly turned into a soaked, stringy mess.

Ruth screamed from the cold water and shot to her feet. "Jemima Stark, have you lost your mind?"

"I think you're the one who's lost her mind. Ruth, you must be possessed by something nasty!" I cried.

All those years doing farm work had left me pretty strong. I grabbed her, flipped her over, and pinned her to the floor with one hand. Then, I snatched up the feather duster beside us.

"You're usually so sweet and considerate. How could you ruin Mrs. Frost's birthday gift and try to frame me for it? You must be possessed by some demon or ghost! I'm going to beat the lucidity into you and drive all that filth out of you!"

The feather duster sliced through the air and landed hard on Ruth's backside.

"Stop talking in riddles and taking digs—ah! That hurts! Jemima Stark, you're insane!" She howled like a banshee from the beating and crawled all over the floor like a manic ghost.

I didn't give her a chance to catch her breath. I laid into her back and butt again, delivering one blow after another. "Evil spirits, get out! Evil spirits, get out!"

"Stop it! Stop! I'm the future lady of the Frost household! Aren't you afraid they'll make you pay for this?" she screamed.

Hearing that, I just laughed and swung harder. "That's exactly why I have to help you! If you marry into the Frost family carrying this curse with you, that would bring harm to them! Out with the evil spirits! Give me back my gentle, kind little sister!"

For a second, I felt like I was the possessed one. Against anyone who was my equal, I would fight fair. But anyone who was beneath me, I would crush without mercy. Every bit of pent-up anger from dealing with her and her clique this past month came pouring out all at once.

"Jemima!"

Mom, Dad, and Micah finally burst into the room.

Micah's expression turned hideous. He rushed over and yanked me away, prying the feather duster from my hand.

"Micah… I'm sorry about this. I saw Jemima cutting up the silk gown and tried to stop her, but she… she just… Micah, Mom, Dad, it hurts so much. Jemima really was trying to beat me to death…" Ruth kept shaking her head pitifully at Mom and Dad as tears streamed down her face.

The sight made Micah's heart ache. He helped her up and exploded at me. "You lunatic! The banquet is about to start, yet look at what you've turned Ruth into! How are we supposed to explain this to the Frosts?"

When Mom and Dad saw the ruined gown on the floor, their vision nearly went black. They almost fainted on the spot.

"That was Mrs. Frost's birthday gift… What a disaster! Jemima, you've really gone too far this time."

"I'm going to teach you a lesson on Mom and Dad's behalf, you wild brat!" Micah raised a hand to slap me.

Just then, the crisp click of high heels drifted in from the door, followed by a cold, authoritative female voice. "I heard the shouting from so far away. Who's putting on such a performance for me?"

Everyone turned to look.

A dignified, elegantly dressed woman swept into the room, surrounded by an entourage.

Micah's and Ruth's eyes instantly lit up. Ignoring how disheveled she looked, Ruth struggled to her feet and mouthed at me, "You're finished."

Micah, even more eager, jabbed a finger in my direction and complained loudly, "Mrs. Frost, this wild brat didn't just ruin the gift our family prepared for your birthday. She even beat your future daughter-in-law into this state! Look at Ruth's injuries—you have to help us with this!"

Ruth lifted her tear-streaked, pitiful face at just the right moment. "Mrs. Frost…"

Everyone braced themselves, waiting for Mrs. Frost to explode and have me thrown out on the spot. Instead, she stopped, her gaze sweeping over Ruth and then me.

The corners of her lips curled into a cold smile as she spoke slowly, "My daughter-in-law? Why wasn't I aware that hiring an employee came with a daughter-in-law attached?"