Chapter 1

The moment my knees touched the kneeling cushion, a loud thud came from downstairs.

My father, Charles Ginger, slumped to his knees. He gripped the couch to support himself.

He was pale as he tried to get up, but his legs trembled as if he had just climbed Mount Everest.

My mother, Lana Ginger, was startled. "What's wrong?"

"My legs hurt." My father gritted his teeth, sweat beading on his forehead. "It feels like I've been kneeling on concrete for ten minutes."

I looked down at my knees. I had only been kneeling for a minute. "That's expected. You made me kneel all night, so for every minute I'm in pain, you'll experience ten minutes of it."

The room fell silent.

Millie Ginger whispered tearfully from within my older brother Greyson Ginger's arms, "Joey, Dad just wants you to admit your mistake. How could you scare Dad with such superstitious nonsense?"

Greyson's face immediately darkened. "Stop playing tricks! Millie almost fell down the stairs! You're lucky you've only been asked to kneel for one night!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his knees buckled, and he fell to his knees too. Since he approved of the punishment, he would endure the same one tenfold.

I kindly reminded him, "Now both of you are in pain! What a great deal."

Greyson was pale as he supported himself on the edge of the table, still stubbornly insisting, "It's just a coincidence! Continue kneeling if you dare!"

I nodded, kneeling even straighter.

My mother looked at the scrapes on Millie's knees and showed her bias again. "You should forget about dinner once you're done kneeling. You'll only get to eat once you understand that sisters shouldn't fight each other."

The next second, she clutched her stomach as her vision blurred. "What happened? I just ate! Why am I so hungry?"

Before she could finish speaking, she started experiencing acid reflux.

I thought about it. I had not eaten a single meal since being brought back to the Ginger family estate this morning, so her remark led her to experience missing ten meals for the one meal I missed.

A housekeeper hurriedly brought bread, and she ate three pieces, but her hunger only intensified.

I gently reminded her, "The punishment hasn't been lifted. Eating won't help."

My mother looked at Millie, who was still being held by Greyson, then at me kneeling alone in the family chapel. For the first time, she could not immediately speak up in Millie's defense.

Five minutes later, my father and Greyson looked as if they had been kneeling for fifty minutes. They struggled even to move.

My mother finally panicked and rushed through the pews to pull me up. "Joey Ginger, get up!"

"The punishment hasn't been lifted, so getting up won't help." I looked at her calmly. "I told you before I entered the estate to investigate any incidents before throwing around accusations."

Panting, my father finally managed to squeeze out, "Check the security footage!"

The footage from the stairwell was quickly projected onto the television.

At the top of the stairs, Millie had glanced back to make sure no one was watching before lunging toward me.

I simply stepped aside. She lost her footing and tumble onto the steps.

Throughout the incident, I did not even brush against her clothing.

Greyson fell silent.

My father stared at the footage, his face flushing red before turning pale. "I was wrong to punish you. There's no need to kneel in the family chapel anymore."

As soon as he finished speaking, the pain in his and Greyson's legs vanished instantly.

Millie began to sob even harder. "I was just scared. I really thought Joey had pushed me! Mom, Dad, I didn't mean to lie!"

My mother's heart softened, and she immediately pulled Millie into an embrace. "There, there. You've had quite a shock."

Greyson offered no apology. Instead, he awkwardly remarked, "Guess you just got lucky this time."

I brushed the dust off my knees. "It wasn't luck. It was the security footage. For a family as wealthy as yours, you really ought to make use of it next time."

During dinner, my father had the butler hand me a black card as a form of compensation.

I did not take it. "I can work. I managed to earn enough to cover my high school tuition, and I'll do the same for university."

I opened my old suitcase, which contained nothing but a few faded garments, some part-time employment contracts, and a stack of scholarship certificates.

My mother's expression changed as she gazed at the contracts, which offered a daily wage of $80.

Millie suddenly asked, "Joey, does this condition only penalize the person who finds you guilty?"

I looked up at her. "That's right."

She nodded, lost in thought.

At that moment, I knew she had found a loophole.