1 Melanie, the fake heiress, was all sweetness and light. From the moment I returned home, she pretended to treat me like a real sister. I was genuinely grateful. So when she complained of cramps and asked for a special herbal tea, I didn’t hesitate to get it for her. But the instant I turned my back, a laugh echoed in my mind. It was Melanie’s. What herbal tea? This is your one-way ticket out of the Ashton family. If you refuse to make it for me, I’ll just tell everyone you watched me suffer and did nothing. And if you do make it, I’ll just slip in some of those dried berries I’m allergic to and frame you. Mom, Dad, and Declan will skin you alive. Even if they don’t, I’ve arranged for a little ‘accident’ with a truck outside. In your next life, try not to be born the real, inconvenient heiress. I froze for a moment, realizing I could hear her thoughts. But I didn’t refuse. I didn’t expose her. An allergic reaction seemed a bit boring. If we were going to play, we were going to play for keeps. Besides, why should I be the only one she framed? With that thought, I went to find the brother who never missed a chance to declare that Melanie was his only sister. “Declan,” I began, my voice soft, “Melanie said she’s having terrible cramps and wants some herbal tea. Could you help me make her a cup?” This was the first time I had ever called Declan “brother.” He looked like he’d swallowed a wasp. “I’ve told you a dozen times, call me by my full name. We may be related by blood, but I’ve never acknowledged you as my sister. My only sister is Melanie—” He cut himself off, his eyes narrowing. “What did you just say about Melanie?” I mentally rolled my eyes, but my face was a perfect mask of pitiable helplessness. “Mr. Ashton, Melanie just told me she’s in a lot of pain and asked for her tea. It’s the first time she’s ever asked anything of me, so I didn’t feel right asking the staff to do it.” “But I don’t know how she likes it, and I’m afraid I’ll make it wrong…” “So, could you please, please help me?” I let my voice trail off into a whisper. “I’m a fast learner, I promise. If you just show me once, I can take care of her properly from now on.” The phrase “take care of her properly” seemed to placate him. His expression softened slightly, though he still looked at me as if I owed him my life. He led me to the kitchen and began preparing the tea with practiced ease. “Watch closely. Melanie has been pampered by me and our parents her whole life. If you really want to be a part of this family, you need to learn how to cater to her.” I nodded eagerly, watching his every move, especially when he specified the amount of honey and warned me to never, ever add the dried berries. I looked as if I were carving his instructions into my very soul. Seeing my eagerness to please, Declan finally seemed satisfied. “You’d better be grateful,” he said, a sharp edge to his voice. “When you first came back, we were hesitant. We were just going to give you some money and send you abroad. It was Melanie who insisted you stay, who wanted you as a sister.” “So you know exactly who you have to thank for being in this house.” 2 Oh, yes. I had Melanie’s “loving” mother—the nanny—to thank for my wonderful life. To give her own daughter a life of luxury, she’d switched us at birth. Melanie spent twenty years as the pampered darling of the Ashton family, while I was taken back to a dirt-poor village in the mountains. I was starving, cold, and by the age of five, I was expected to cook and clean for an entire household. The nanny, terrified I would one day learn the truth, planned to marry me off to some old creep for cash the moment I turned eighteen. Even as a child, I knew what that meant. It meant my life would be over. I begged a volunteer teacher to take me with her when she left. Seeing how miserable I was, she ignored the legalities and spirited me out of the mountains. I finally had a chance to learn, to study. Years later, I saw a woman on television who looked remarkably like the nanny, standing beside a society lady who bore a striking resemblance to me. It was then that I began to suspect the truth about my past. I worked my way into the Ashton family’s corporation, and inevitably, my identity was discovered. I was brought home. But the Ashtons were far from welcoming. Their only concern was protecting Melanie. “None of this was Melanie’s fault. Blood may be important, but twenty years of raising her means more!” “We’ll give you a sum of money…” It was laughable. My heart felt like a dead thing in my chest. I was ready to take the money and leave. But Melanie, her eyes red with tears, grabbed my hand and begged me not to go. So I stayed. She was often condescending, her words laced with a casual cruelty and a need to show off her superiority. But compared to the icy indifference of the others, she was the kindest person to me in that house. Or so I thought, until I heard her inner voice. It was all a scheme. She didn't want me to take their money and live a comfortable life abroad. She wanted me to be despised by the Ashtons, to be cast out and erased from existence. 3 My mind was a whirlwind of these thoughts as Declan finished making the tea. “You’re really good at this, Mr. Ashton.” “Could I ask you one more favor? Can I be the one to bring this to Melanie? And please, don't tell her you made it.” “I just want her to like me a little more…” Declan didn’t object. I went to the bathroom and scrubbed my hands until they were spotless, then carried the bowl of tea—the catalyst for the coming storm—into Melanie’s room. When I entered, I saw that it wasn’t just Melanie in the room. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ashton, were there as well. The moment they saw me, the smiles on their faces vanished. “What are you doing here?” Melanie quickly jumped to my defense. “It was my sister. She saw I wasn’t feeling well and offered to make me some tea. Mom, Dad, please don’t misunderstand her.” Mr. Ashton nodded, a flicker of approval in his eyes. “That’s more like it.” “Melanie took your place in this family and cared for your mother and me for twenty years. It’s only right that you show her some gratitude.” I scoffed internally. She lived my life of luxury, and I lived her life of squalor, and I’m supposed to thank her? But I didn’t say a word, just nodded meekly. Mrs. Ashton’s expression softened. She took the tea from the tray and began to feed it to Melanie. Melanie took a few sips from her mother’s hand, then claimed it was too hot and took the bowl herself. Instantly, my new parents turned on me, scolding me for not getting the temperature right, asking if I’d done it on purpose. While they were distracted, lecturing me, Melanie quickly dropped a few dried berries into her tea. I saw everything. But I pretended not to notice, just kept my head bowed. “Yes, yes, I’ll be more careful next time.” Melanie finished the entire bowl. Before I could even take the empty bowl back, the reaction began. 4 A red rash erupted all over Melanie’s skin. Her voice became hoarse. “Sister, what did you put in my tea?” “I told you I can’t eat those berries. Did you put them in here?” I feigned terror. “I… I… I didn’t.” “No… it wasn’t…” Before I could finish, my parents cut me off. “If it wasn’t you, then who was it?” “I knew it! It’s just like in those soap operas. How could a girl like you, who’s spent her life in the mud, ever behave herself?” “Are you trying to kill Melanie?” They were livid. Melanie, scratching at her arms, began to cry. “Don’t blame my sister. She feels like I’ve stolen her life. It’s only natural she’d want me dead.” “Mom, Dad, if I die, please don’t blame her. These years as your daughter… they’ve been more than enough.” She sounded so pathetic. But in her mind, she was laughing. What a complete idiot. Doesn’t she watch any dramas? Did she really think she could just bring me tea without consequences? This was a perfect plan. If she refused, she’d be cruel. If she agreed, I could frame her for poisoning me. Even if Mom and Dad care about bloodlines, they’d never accept a daughter who tried to poison her sister. A small price to pay—a little skin rash—for such a perfect outcome. I’m a genius. Her plan was perfect. But in the next second, her breathing became ragged. Her face turned a frightening shade of blue. Then, her eyes rolled back in her head, and she collapsed, genuinely unconscious. I chose that moment to interrupt my parents’ tirade. “Mom, Dad, maybe we should figure out who’s to blame later.” “Right now, we should probably call an ambulance. It looks like she might actually be dying.” 5 Because we got her to the hospital in time, Melanie survived. I was a little disappointed. But perhaps it was for the best. Death would have been too easy. Besides, I had come back to the Ashton family to claim what was mine—the entire fortune. A death in the villa would have been bad for property values. Melanie couldn’t understand how a mild skin allergy had turned so severe. But she didn’t dwell on it. The moment she woke up, with our parents and Declan watching, she fell to her knees before me. “Sister, I’m so sorry. I never should have stolen your life.” “I won’t press charges for you poisoning me with the berries. Just let me leave. Let me go. I’m still young, I just want to live.” “Mom, Dad, from now on, pretend you never had me as a daughter!” Her parents’ hearts were breaking. “Melanie, what are you talking about? You’re the victim here. The one who should leave isn’t you, it’s her.” “I don’t care if you’re my biological daughter or not. I will not have such a wicked person in my house.” Declan, who didn’t know the details, only knew that I had poisoned Melanie and nearly killed her. He slapped me hard across the face. “That’s right. The one who needs to get out is you.” “From this day on, you are no longer an Ashton. You won’t get a single penny from us.” At that, I finally “broke.” The previously tongue-tied girl suddenly found her voice. “Declan, how could you say that?” “You were the one who made the tea! You’re the one who poisoned Melanie! Not only do you refuse to take responsibility, but you’re blaming it all on me?”
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