Chapter 1

Sofia Hayes' face went completely pale. She stormed up to me in her high heels. "Who are you calling a bitch? Say that again!"

Her voice was shrill and grating, and her blood-red manicured finger practically jabbed my nose. "You ill-mannered brat! Owen might spoil you, but I won't!"

Who was the ill-mannered one here?

I took a deep breath, only to be overwhelmed by her suffocating perfume. I quickly covered my nose. "You… I'm going to throw up. Back the hell away—"

Before I could finish speaking, my brother, Owen Carter, lunged forward and shoved me hard.

My back slammed into the wall, sending a dull ache through my shoulder blades as spots danced across my vision.

He yelled, "Emilia Carter, shut the hell up! Stop acting crazy!"

Leaning against the wall, I watched him shield his girlfriend like a beast guarding its food.

Sofia pouted, and her eyes instantly welled with tears that spilled down her cheeks. The turnabout was seamless.

She tugged on Owen's sleeve, letting out a pitiful sob. "Owen, look at how your sister treats me! I'm not even married to you yet, and she's already bullying me!"

Owen's hand was already raised, hovering midair.

I glared at him hard. "Try it, Owen! When Grandma hears about this, she'll slap the sense right out of you!"

"Emilia, stop testing my patience. You really think I won't slap you?" The veins on his forehead bulged, and his jaw clenched so hard that his teeth ground together.

Sofia buried her face in Owen's chest. Her shoulders trembled softly as she mumbled, "Forget it… She's just jealous that someone loves me. Look at her. Your parents don't love her, and she doesn't even have a boyfriend. It's only natural she'd snap at seeing us happy."

My eyes went wide.

Holy hell. How could anyone be so shameless?

She looked up at Owen with tear-filled eyes. "Don't lower yourself to her level. Let's just be the bigger people."

As Owen looked down at her, his brows drew together with affection. He gently wiped away her tears, treating her as delicately as fragile glass.

But when he looked up at me, his gaze was cold enough to freeze everything. "Emilia, Mom and Dad already said this place is meant for me."

He enunciated every word clearly. "Yet, you barged in here without uttering a single word. Pack your things and get out. Don't make me repeat myself."

I leaned against the wall. My shoulder throbbed, and a rash spread across my arms, burning and itching unbearably.

Looking at his confident expression, I suddenly burst into laughter. "Is your name on the deed?"

He blinked in surprise, caught off guard.

I drew myself up, took a step toward him, and lowered my voice to a whisper. "Owen, who do you think you're threatening?"

Sofia peeked out from his chest. Tears still glistened on her face, but a smirk tugged at the corner of her lips.

Unhurriedly, she pulled out her phone, tapped the screen a few times, and shoved it right in my face.

It was a family group chat. The text right below Sofia's voice message was from Dad's account.

"The old family home will be Owen's sooner or later. Emilia's just staying there temporarily. Don't overthink it, Sofia. Just focus on your relationship with Owen."

Dad had sent those words.

As I stared at those lines, my fingertips went numb.

Owen's voice floated down from above, dripping with triumphant satisfaction. "See that? Mom and Dad said so! Don't think you can do whatever you want just because Grandma favors you. You really thought you could steal my house?"

Sofia tucked her phone away and leaned back into Owen, looking me up and down like I was a pathetic beggar. Then, she let out a soft chuckle. "Some people just don't know their place, sitting around like a parasite. Aren't you embarrassed? Move out now. We need to renovate the place."

Owen threw an arm around Sofia's shoulder and jerked his chin toward the door, as if shooing away a stray dog. "Out by today. Don't make me throw your stuff out myself."

I stared at the two of them.

One was my brother, and the other was the woman he had brought home. They were standing in the house Grandma gave me, telling me to get out.

Fine. Fine!

I reached into my coat pocket and slammed the title deed right into their faces. "Open your damn eyes and look closely."