Chapter 7

The silver whip wounds from that beating kept me bedridden for two whole days.

Until my phone buzzed with a message from the staff, informing me that the paperwork for purchasing the forest was complete. That isolated forest was now mine!

I was overjoyed and immediately called the number.

The person on the other end confirmed with me repeatedly. "Miss Ember, are you certain you want to move to the forest in three days?"

I had never been more sure of anything. "Yes, I'm certain."

The staff member replied, "Very well, Miss Ember. We'll escort you to the forest in three days as scheduled."

Just as I hung up, Grayson suddenly pushed open the door.

"Move to what forest?"

I put away my phone and changed the subject. "It's nothing, Uncle. Did you need something?"

He didn't press further, simply answering, "Your competition entry won an award. The organizers invited you to the ceremony the day after tomorrow."

If Grayson hadn't mentioned it, I would have nearly forgotten. I was quite skilled at painting and had qualified for the finals of a prestigious national competition a month ago. I never expected to actually win.

On the day of the ceremony, Victoria insisted that the whole family accompany me to the event.

"Ember, you're my sister! Of course we have to witness your moment of glory!"

But then her tone shifted, and she sighed with apparent regret.

"I wish I could win an award too, but my health has been so poor that I haven't had time to learn painting."

"But that's okay—you winning is just like me winning!"

I didn't respond, but I had an ominous feeling in my heart.

The awards ceremony began, and finally came the moment to announce the gold medal winner.

I sat in the audience, sweating nervously.

This award was important to me—it was recognition of my work and validation from industry peers.

The host took out the winner's list, suddenly looking confused. But after a moment, he recovered and announced:

"Let's congratulate our gold medal winner—Victoria Blackwood!"

The audience erupted in confusion. No one had heard this name before, and people whispered quietly.

"Who is Victoria Blackwood? Some industry newcomer?"

"I have no idea. I distinctly heard the gold medal should go to Ember Blackwood for her painting 'Sunset'!"

I sat frozen for a long time before snapping back to reality. Just as I was about to stand and question the organizers, Finn yanked me back down.

"Enough. I contacted the organizers an hour ago to make the switch and put Victoria on stage."

"Victoria enjoys the feeling of glory. From now on, all your work will be published under Victoria's name."

I turned around in disbelief. Father and Mother looked proudly at Victoria on stage, then glanced at me dismissively. "Don't compete with your sister. It's just one award."

Grayson's gaze was intense, all his attention focused on the radiant Victoria on stage. He completely failed to notice my pale face.

In that moment, I felt ice-cold all over.

Once again, Victoria had stolen what belonged to me.

And the accomplices were all of them.

Amid the applause, Victoria thanked everyone—everyone except me.

Back at the Blackwood house, I went to my room and gathered all my artwork.

Along with the stuffed animals I'd saved three months of allowance to buy, the handmade dolls I'd carved alone in my room, and my worn-out clothes and dresses.

Then I took all these things to the living room and dumped them in front of Victoria.

Victoria jumped in surprise. "Ember, what are you doing?"

I pointed at the pile on the ground, my voice calm. "Didn't they tell me to give you all my artwork? Well, here's not just my work, but everything I own. It's all yours."

After speaking, I looked around at everyone, thinking bitterly to myself:

And Dad, Mom, brother, Uncle—I don't want them anymore either. She can have them all!