I'm bound to a rebound system by nature. Everyone who has come up with rumors about me will receive backlash in return.

When I was in high school, a male classmate had spread rumors about me being a prostitute who had intimate relations with a few old men.

That very same day, he was taken away by a dozen or so old men and was modified into a gigolo himself.

When I was in college, my boyfriend's childhood friend spread rumors about me being the female lead in porno videos.

That night, all of the available porno videos on the Internet featured her as the female lead.

Since then, no one dares to gossip about me. That is, until I'm reunited with the wealthy Hartley family, which happens to be my biological family.

The fake heiress, Claire Hartley, takes my hand while adopting a friendly expression.

"Hey Amanda, I heard that you got pregnant out of wedlock and gave birth to a murderer's child. Now that you're back, why didn't you bring the baby home with you?

"We're a family, after all. We won't look down on you."

Claire Hartley's words hung in the air as my dad, William Hartley's face turned extremely ugly.

"You have a bastard child?" he demanded. "Amanda Hartley! How old are you? How could you do something so disgraceful!"

Hearing Dad's tirade against me, Claire's lips curved upward slightly, but she instantly covered her mouth in a show of pretense.

"Oh my. So you never told Dad, Amanda? I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I shouldn't have spoken out of turn."

With that, she turned to him, her tone earnest. "Dad, please don't be mad at Amanda. She's been alone out there all these years. She must have had her reasons."

She then turned to look at me, her eyes appearing sincere. "Don't worry, Amanda. I'll make sure no one ever finds out. I won't let anyone talk."

The moment she finished speaking, a woman rushed out from the villa and pulled me into a tight embrace.

"Amanda! My daughter… I've finally found you!"

My mom, Eliza Smith, held me and wept uncontrollably. After a long moment, she finally noticed the tense silence.

"What's wrong? Why are you all staring at Amanda? What were you just talking about?"

"It's nothing, Mom. Amanda must be tired from such a long trip. Let's go inside first." Claire spoke up hastily, shooting meaningful glances at Dad, putting on a perfect show of covering up my supposed shame.

I spoke calmly. "She said I got pregnant before marriage and gave birth to a murderer's child while I was away."

Mom's face instantly turned deathly pale. "What! Amanda, did you…"

"I didn't. She's lying."

"Amanda!" Claire's voice suddenly rose sharply as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I was trying to help you. How can you accuse me of lying?"

She choked back sobs and took a small step backward. "Do you really want me to expose all your secrets in public?"

At this point, she bit her lip with perfect timing and looked at Mom and Dad with obvious hesitation.

"What else is there?" Dad's temple veins bulged. "Claire, tell us! We're settling this right now!"

Claire seemed to steel herself with great determination and said to me, "I'm sorry, Amanda. I know you wanted to hide it, but Mom and Dad have the right to know the truth."

She sighed deeply and continued softly, "When I first heard we were bringing Amanda home, I made a special effort to find out what she liked… and accidentally discovered…"

She took a deep breath, as if the words were difficult to speak. "Amanda has been… selling herself… since high school…"

Everyone reacted at once. Dad trembled with rage. "Disgraceful! How could the Hartley family produce such a shameless daughter!"

Mom took two steps back, looking at me with eyes full of disbelief. But I only looked at Claire with a faint smile.

"Are you certain these things are true?" I asked. "Lies have consequences, you know."

"Of course it's true! You—urgh!"

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly burst into violent retching, her stomach slightly protruding.

I blinked, barely suppressing a smile. I did warn her.

"Claire! What's wrong? Why are you throwing up like this?"

Mom and Dad rushed forward in panic, their voices full of concern.

I stood where I was and tilted my head. "Oh my, Claire. You're vomiting like you're pregnant or something."

A heavy silence fell over us.

"Stop talking nonsense!" Claire shrieked, as if she'd been terribly wronged. "I don't even have a boyfriend. How could I possibly be pregnant? Just because you… you've done shameful things doesn't mean you can accuse me!"

Watching her tearful display, Mom and Dad couldn't bear to see her suffer.

Dad's eyes flashed with anger. "Amanda, how dare you spread such vicious rumors about your sister! You have no sense of decency!"

Mom looked deeply disappointed. "Amanda, you've gone too far! Claire has never been around men. How could she possibly be pregnant?"

I blinked, my expression innocent. "I was just making an offhand comment. But since Claire is throwing up like this, we should probably have a doctor take a look."

"No need!" Claire blurted before she could stop herself. She quickly covered her mouth and coughed lightly a couple of times, her eyes darting around in panic. "I just ate something bad. I'll be fine after some rest."

With that, she collapsed weakly against Mom.

Mom and Dad rushed to help her inside, fussing over her anxiously.

I watched their retreating figures thoughtfully, my mind working. Claire's reaction seemed off. It was like she already knew she was pregnant.

A powerful surge of curiosity sparked inside me. I walked straight into the villa and joined Mom and Dad around her bedside.

"Claire, I'm really worried about you, so I called a doctor. He'll be here any minute. If something's actually wrong, it's better to find out early. That way, Mom and Dad won't have to worry."

Hearing my thoughtful words, Mom and Dad both looked pleased.

Claire's face instantly turned pale. She buried herself in Mom's arms with a whimper. "Mom, I don't want to see a doctor."

Mom patted her back sympathetically. She was about to speak when a deep voice suddenly came from the doorway.

"That won't be necessary."

My brother, Ethan Hartley, walked in and looked me up and down. He made no effort to hide the disgust in his eyes.

"So you're Amanda? Let me make something clear. Even though we share blood, Claire is my only sister. Her affairs are none of your business."

He walked straight to Claire's bedside and gently wiped away her tears. "If Claire doesn't want to see a doctor, she doesn't have to. She has me to look after her."

Claire threw herself into Ethan's arms, sobbing. "I knew I could count on you!"

I watched the two of them, and something clicked in my mind. I spoke up innocently. "You and Claire have such a close relationship. Even though you're not blood-related, you're so affectionate with each other!"

The moment those words left my mouth, everyone's expressions changed.

Ethan jerked his hands away as if burned, his ears turning red, fury blazing in his eyes. "What the hell are you talking about!"

Claire sobbed quietly and looked at me with tears streaming down her face. "Amanda, how can you say that about Ethan and me? Are you trying to change the subject? Are you spreading rumors about me so Mom and Dad will stop asking about your child?"

Her lips trembled as she bit down on them, looking utterly disappointed. "Actually… When I found out what happened to you, I was going to ask Mom and Dad to help you get justice. I never thought you'd treat me like this."

Mom tensed immediately. "What happened? Amanda, who hurt you?"

I sat down with an amused expression. "I have no idea. Claire, who exactly hurt me?"

"Amanda, don't be afraid. It wasn't your fault." Tears of sympathy filled her eyes. "I found out that a few months ago, you were… dragged into an alley by seven thugs… And they did those horrible things to you."

Claire sighed and reached for my hand.

"This wasn't your fault at first, but Amanda, how could you be so foolish? Why did you keep getting involved with them?

"The first time was forced, but later… how could you keep meeting up with them voluntarily? The neighbors near the alley all said that every few days, they'd see those men going in and out of your place half-naked."

She stopped talking at just the right moment and lowered her head, as if she couldn't bear to say more.

"Outrageous! How can you be so shameless!" Dad roared, his face flushed an angry red.

Mom clutched at her chest and pointed a trembling finger at me in despair. "Amanda, tell me this isn't true."

"Amanda, you have no sense of shame!" Ethan glared at me furiously. "The Hartley family doesn't have room for someone like you. Get out of this house right now!"

I looked at their twisted expressions and suddenly found the whole situation absurd. I'd never done any of this, but even if it had really happened, shouldn't my own family be concerned that I'd been violated?

"Amanda, even though… even though you've been reckless, I believe you won't continue down this path." Claire looked at me pleadingly. "As long as you're willing to admit your mistakes and cut ties with those men, Mom and Dad will definitely forgive you."

I laughed lightly and looked at her calmly. "I don't know any thugs. Why would I apologize? Besides, Claire, didn't I just tell you? Lies have consequences."

"Amanda, why do you keep saying that?" Claire forced out a few tears, her performance flawless. Her hand trembled as she pulled out her phone and thrust the screen in front of everyone. "If I'm lying, then how do you explain these photos?"

In the photos, I wore revealing clothes and lay suggestively among several men. As if that wasn't damning enough, she swiped to another photo of me holding a baby.

Mom and Dad looked livid.

"Those photos are fake," I replied. I then reminded Claire once more. "I'm telling you again. Lies have consequences."

"I'm not lying! I—"

"Fine," I cut her off calmly. "Just don't regret it later."

With the rebound system in place, I had nothing to lose. Her words would come back to haunt her. Claire could wait for her own actions to come back and bite her.

Seeing how unconcerned I was only made Mom, Dad, and Ethan angrier.

"Amanda, it's good that you're willing to admit it." A smug smile tugged at Claire's lips as she offered fake comfort. "Mom, Dad, don't be angry anymore. Amanda just made a mistake."

Mom pulled her into a warm embrace. "Claire, you're so understanding. You're not feeling well, so your dad and I won't bother you anymore. Get some rest. If you still feel sick, I'll take you to see a doctor tomorrow."

With that, they reluctantly closed her bedroom door. The looks they gave me were full of contempt.

I didn't care in the slightest. My smile widened.

The next morning, I slept soundly until dawn. Suddenly, a roar shattered the quiet.

"Claire! What happened?"

"Who did this? Who the hell did this?"