My parents died in a plane crash. The family company went bankrupt. My older brother had a mental breakdown from the trauma. To keep the only family I had left, I went crazy trying to make money. For three years, I endured hell. I was drugged and tortured by my brother's arch-nemesis. I was treated like a toy by his so-called "best friends." I did things... unspeakable things. I didn't care. As long as they paid me. As long as I could afford my brother's treatment. I was willing to be a dog if that’s what it took. But just as I finished my latest "job" and prepared to visit my brother in the hospital, I saw him. Sitting in a Michelin-star restaurant. With my "dead" parents. "Julian, you've been playing dead and crazy long enough," my father said, swirling his wine. "Your sister looks like a skeleton. This punishment game should end." Julian laughed, a sound I hadn't heard in years. "Looking like a skeleton is what she deserves. Who told her to keep pushing for Lily to go back to her birth mother? She made Lily so depressed she almost killed herself." "But you're right. Three years is enough. For her birthday next week, let's give her a surprise. We'll say you survived the crash but had amnesia, and Lily found you. Then I'll miraculously recover my sanity. She'll be so grateful to Lily. We'll be one big happy family again." My mother frowned slightly. "That story has a lot of holes." Julian shrugged, unbothered. "It's Chloe. She's not exactly bright. She's eighteen and hasn't stepped foot in a classroom in years. We can fool her." ... I stood frozen, listening to their conversation. It felt like there was a hole in my heart, dripping blood drop by drop. I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. But my body was so exhausted I didn't even have the strength for tears. The three of them continued eating, the picture of harmony. Until a voice cut through the air. "Long time no see, Mr. and Mrs. Vance. Are you done playing house with Julian?" At the sound of that voice, my body began to tremble uncontrollably. I knew that voice. It belonged to Lucas Thorne. My brother's sworn enemy. The man who, to get back at Julian, had me drugged and locked in a dark room for three days and nights. "Chloe is truly pathetic," Lucas drawled, walking up to their table. "She barely had a few good days back in this family before she started selling herself to support you all. Willing to be a dog for money. Honestly, she would have been better off never coming back." My brother's face darkened. "Stop fear-mongering. She's just working part-time jobs. She hasn't stooped to being anyone's dog." Lucas smiled, a wicked glint in his eyes. "Is that so? Just working jobs, huh?" "I'm just speaking generally. There was this silly girl whose family went broke. I felt bad for her, so I gave her some... substances. We had a great time together for a few days." "When she woke up, she didn't cry or scream. She just asked for money..." He implied everything without saying anything explicitly. After my brother's "accident," Lucas was the first to kick us while we were down. I had just paid Julian's hospital bills and hired a nurse when Lucas kidnapped me. He locked me in a basement, stripped me bare. He drugged me. Forced himself on me. Filmed it. "Your brother is such a high-and-mighty golden boy," he had whispered. "So I'll break his little sister." "Tell me, if he sees his precious sister screaming under me, will he go even crazier?" I was terrified he would show the video to Julian. I bit my tongue until it bled to keep from making a sound. When he didn't get the reaction he wanted, he found new ways to torture me. My entire body, except for my face, was covered in scars. Chapter 1 Julian sneered, his voice dripping with disgust. "Only asking for money? That's no different from prostitution. How cheap." "Women like that are a dime a dozen. God knows what diseases she has. Only you, Lucas, would have a stomach strong enough for that." "Just a warning: she's young, but playing around like that? Careful you don't catch something." Lucas smiled, a cold, humorless expression. "Yeah. She really doesn't have any self-respect." His gaze drifted past the decorative plants and landed squarely on me. My father, knowing the bad blood between the two men, tried to smooth things over. "Young men like to play, it's normal. Just don't ruin your health over it." "If you like her, just keep her as a canary in a cage. Clean, available whenever you want. No need to mess around with street trash." Lucas nodded slowly, as if enlightened. "You're right, sir." "I really should keep her close." My heart hammered against my ribs. A cold sweat broke out on my back. The wounds I thought had healed began to throb with phantom pain. Julian noticed the worry on our mother's face and puffed out his chest. "Mom, don't worry. My plan is flawless. I asked my best friends to look after Chloe." "Chloe isn't like that loose woman Lucas is talking about. She wouldn't sell her body." "If you don't believe me, I can call them right now..." He glared at Lucas and dialed one of his "best friends." "Hey, Tyler? It's Julian. I asked you to take care of my sister. everything's good, right?" On the other end, Tyler’s voice sounded forced. "Julian... yeah. Taking care of Chloe? Of course. I've been... taking great care of her. She's very grateful." "I have to say, your sister is so obedient. She'll do anything for you." Julian looked smug. "Of course. Since she came back to the Vance family, I've been the one who cared for her most. Kids like her, who never got love growing up... once they taste a little kindness, they'll sacrifice everything." "Just let her suffer a bit with work, then stop. She's still my biological sister. She needs to come back and be the Vance family heiress eventually." "You... still consider her your sister?" Tyler slipped up, then quickly corrected himself. "Right, right. Whatever you say, Julian." Julian made two more calls. Both friends confirmed they would continue to "take care" of me. Until Julian decided the game was over. I smiled. A bitter, broken smile. Is Julian an idiot? How could he think "taking care of her" meant anything good coming from them? After Lucas tortured me, I was terrified he would come back. So I went to Julian's friends for help. Instead, I was blackmailed. Tyler and the others—Julian's "brothers"—used the recordings Lucas made to threaten me. They wanted me to be their mistress. Their toy. They had played with every kind of woman, but never one from their own social circle. Never a fallen heiress. I became their prey. After every session, they threw money at me. I lived a life worse than death. And all of this... all of it was because Julian wanted to punish me. Punish me for taking the place of his "real" sister, the girl he loved like family. I turned to leave. I couldn't breathe. But someone slammed into me from behind. I fell hard, my forehead cracking against the marble floor. "Watch where you're going!" Lily shrieked, clutching her arm. The commotion drew the attention of the Vance trio. "Are you blind? Are you trying to kill me?" Lily raised her foot, clad in a sharp stiletto heel, and stomped down on my hand. Blood instantly gushed from the wound. I tried to pull my hand back, but Julian rushed over and kicked me square in the chest. "Since when do Michelin restaurants let beggars in?" "This filth got blood on my sister's shoes!" "Manager! Where is the manager?" Chapter 2 The manager rushed over, bowing apologetically. "I'm so sorry, sir, miss. I'll have her removed immediately. Today's meal is on the house. Please let me know if you need anything else." Lily glanced down. When she saw my face, her eyes lit up with excitement. "We don't need your charity." "Since this lowlife dirtied my shoes, make her kneel and lick the blood off." The manager hesitated. But Lucas walked over, the picture of elegance and refinement. "I agree with Miss Lily," he said smoothly. "It's only right that she cleans up her mess." He stepped forward, grabbed a handful of my hair, and dragged me to Lily's feet. He leaned down, whispering in my ear. "If you keep your mouth shut, I might just have to 'discipline' you right here." I opened my mouth, trembling. The metallic taste of blood filled my throat. Lily watched with glee, her eyes shining with the thrill of humiliation. When her heel was clean, she finally pulled her foot away as if granting a great mercy. She threw herself into my parents' arms. "Mommy, Daddy, I missed you so much!" "Studying abroad was so tiring. You have to stay home and keep me company." Blood and tears blurred my vision. Julian had told me Lily was sold off to pay our debts. I was consumed by guilt. I remembered my foster parents calling me a jinx. I believed my return had caused the Vance family's ruin. So I worked myself to the bone. I sold my soul to buy Lily back. Even though my parents were "gone." I wanted Julian to have a complete family again. I was dragged out of the restaurant by security. People stared. Some looked at me like I was a cockroach. Some looked with pity. Lucas followed leisurely behind. Once the security guards let go, he grabbed my hair again and shoved me into his car. Back to the familiar basement. He dragged me to the sink and scrubbed my face roughly. "I love destroying things that are full of life," he hissed. "Deceived by the brother you loved. Deceived by your parents. And yet you took their lies for truth and willingly destroyed yourself." "Tell me... is this game fun? Is it fun?" I didn't sleep that night. The next day, he dressed me up like a human being and dumped me in front of the mental hospital where Julian was "staying." The guard at the gate looked at me with concern. "Chloe, you look terrible." "Don't work so hard. You need to take care of yourself." I nodded numbly and walked to Julian's ward. He was wandering around in his hospital pajamas. When he saw my reflection in the mirror, he instantly switched into "crazy mode." He pinched me. Bit me. Screamed that I was a curse. After a while, he would "lucidly" apologize, weeping. "Chloe... Chloe, leave me alone." "Don't waste your life on me." He was such a good actor. I let him bite me. Let him hit me. Watched him cry. I felt nothing. "No need to apologize," I said quietly. "Brother, I saved enough money. You can get the treatment soon. Your favorite sister will come back to you." "No one will ever disturb your happy family again." Julian looked moved. He took the bank card from my hand. Then his eyes caught the mangled wound on the back of my hand. "Chloe, your hand..." I pulled it back. "You can't make money without getting hurt." He sensed something was wrong, but he didn't dare ask. He just gave a hollow instruction. "Take care of yourself." I left. The moment I walked out, he got into a waiting car. My phone buzzed. A text from Lily. Following the address, I arrived at a riverside villa. It wasn't just the Vances. Lily's rich friends were there too. A welcome back party. Someone mistook me for hired help and gave me a waitress uniform. I put it on and walked in. My parents gifted Lily jewelry worth millions. Julian handed her a contract transferring ownership of a subsidiary company. And my bank card... the money I bled for... Julian placed it in Lily's palm. "Chloe saved this for three years. Take it. Use it for pocket money." I laughed. A dry, rasping sound. Chapter 3 Three years of selling my body, my dignity, my health. Handed over to the person I hated most like it was spare change. It was hilarious. Truly. I turned to leave, but my path was blocked. Tyler and the others stood there, smirking. "Lily was right. You really came to snitch." "You b*tch. Trying to ruin our friendship with Julian?" My phone buzzed again. A text from Lily. [Serve my brother's friends well. Don't be ungrateful.] "Chloe, you haven't hung out with us in a while," Tyler leered. "Today's a celebration. Come on, let's have some fun." I knocked over a vase, smashing it toward them, and ran into the crowd. It was a party. If I caused a scene, people would notice. I could escape. I was almost there. But Tyler tackled me. He slammed my face into the floor. Hearing the commotion, Julian walked over from the main group. He frowned at his frantic friends. "What are you doing?" "Bullying a waitress?" I opened my mouth to scream, but Tyler clamped his hand over my mouth. "This waitress tried to seduce me. A classic badger game. I was just teaching her a lesson." I couldn't speak. I used every ounce of strength to grab Julian's pant leg. He was about to kick my hand away when he saw the wound. The one Lily gave me yesterday. "Her hand..." Tyler laughed nervously. "People like her get hurt all the time, right?" "True." Julian didn't question it. "Tyler, keep it down. I thought about setting you up with Chloe, but she's too dirty now. I won't insult you like that." Tyler smirked. "Got it." Lily called out from behind him, and Julian turned to leave. I was gagged and dragged upstairs. I heard my father's voice. "What are you boys doing?" A spark of hope ignited. Maybe Dad would save me. But his next words pushed me into the abyss. "Don't kill anyone." I was thrown into a room. The men surrounded me, expecting me to submit like before. I lay there quietly. Like a puppet with its strings cut. They hit me. Cursed me. I took it in silence. "Boring. She's like a corpse." "Take some photos and let's go. She's broken anyway." They posed me, snapped pictures, and left, locking the door from the outside. I took out my phone. I found Julian's contact. I sent one message. [If there is a next life, Brother... please don't come find me.] If you don't find me, you can't give me hope. If I don't have hope, maybe my life won't be this tragic. I walked to the balcony like a ghost. I looked at the sunset. I reached out, wanting to touch it. I desperately wanted to grab that last bit of warmth. I leaned out too far. Gravity took over. The world spun. From noise to silence. Chapter 4 The sound of a heavy object hitting the ground drew attention. But few people cared enough to check. A servant went to look, then reported back to Julian. "It's a woman who fell. Wearing a waitress uniform. Clothes are torn." "Looks like she was just... used by someone." Julian immediately thought of Tyler's group. He didn't want a scandal, especially with business partners involved. "Get rid of the body. Find a quiet place and dump it. If she's found, it'll look like a hit-and-run or a body dump. Nothing to do with us." The servant nodded and went to handle it. Turning back to Lily, Julian resumed his gentle demeanor. "Is there anything else you want to do now that you're back? I can arrange it." "The entertainment industry is fun these days. Want me to open an agency for you? You can scout handsome actors." He spoke of opening a company like buying candy. Whatever Lily wanted, he would give. Because in his heart, Lily was his sister. And I... the one stolen for eighteen years... was just a stranger with the same blood. Even if this stranger sold her soul to the devil for him. He didn't care. As long as Lily was happy, nothing else mattered. My bones were shattered. Blood bubbled from my mouth. The servant looked at my mangled face and sighed. "Poor thing. Next time, don't try to mix with the rich. Their hands are always bloody." "I'll dump you near the highway. Try to call for help. Whether you live or die is up to fate." Another servant shoved him aside and threw me into the trunk like a sack of garbage. "Who cares? She's damaged goods. Dead is dead." "If she wanted to kill herself, who can she blame?" Suddenly, Julian felt a wave of panic. Mom found him, looking worried. "Julian, I don't know why, but my heart is racing." "You said the game is ending. Why didn't you bring Chloe today?" "You don't think... something happened to her?" Julian quickly reassured her. "I saw her at the hospital this morning. The game officially ends tomorrow. You'll see her then." Tomorrow was my birthday. He planned to surprise me then. He reached into his pocket for his phone. He had felt it vibrate earlier but ignored it. The message list was empty. Unbeknownst to him, Lily had already accessed his cloud account and deleted my final text. Frowning, Julian dialed my number. No answer. Was I still working? He was confused. He had the money now. Why was I still hustling? My body was dumped on the border between the suburbs and the city. I lay on dry grass and rocks. I had landed face down. When the car drove away, I used the last of my strength to turn over. Breathing was agony. Dried blood crusted my lips. I stared up at the night sky. My memories played like a movie reel. I remembered when I first came back to the Vances. I was skinny, scarred. Julian had been furious on my behalf. "We treated their daughter like a princess, and this is how they treated my sister?" Lily had cried then. "I'm sorry! I didn't know my bio-parents were like that! It's all my fault Chloe suffered!" She cried so pitifully that no one dared defend me. That night, a maid rushed downstairs. Lily had slit her wrists. "Master! Madam! Miss Lily hurt herself!" She was rushed to the hospital. When she woke up, she apologized again. "I just wanted to atone. I should repay Chloe with my life." My father thought I had bullied her. He made me kneel. Eight hours a day, until Lily came home. That wasn't the end. It was the beginning. When Lily returned, Julian gave her a pink diamond. The next day, it was in my drawer. She cried to me with red eyes. "Chloe, I know you suffered, but everything in this house belongs to you and Julian. Why steal the diamond Julian gave me?" Julian found it in my room. He slapped me hard. "The Vance family has never had a thief." "Those people really raised you crooked." I was sent to juvenile detention for three months. Then came the plane crash. Julian's breakdown. The frozen assets. I remembered Julian's initial kindness and couldn't bear to leave him. So I started earning money. I thought Lily was suffering with debtors. I tried to find her. But she was living the high life abroad. From start to finish, I was the only one in hell. The party ended. The blood stain was scrubbed clean. Julian stared at his silent phone. No messages. An unsettling feeling grew in his chest.
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