Chapter 3

"Drew said if you come along too, we'll make five times the money!"

Mom's smile twisted into something grotesque.

"Drew's about to meet some very important people. As her sister, you wouldn't want to steal her spotlight, would you?"

Dad pinned my arms down while Mom grabbed my chin and forced the soy milk down my throat.

"I can't drink this! I'm allergic to soy. It'll kill me!"

I thrashed and fought with everything I had. It was clear they planned to leave me half-dead before dragging me onto that ship, cutting off any chance I had of rising above this.

They pried my mouth open without mercy and poured the entire cup down my throat.

My throat and esophagus immediately burned with an itchy, searing pain. Breathing became difficult.

"Just bear with it. Your sister now has a rare chance to climb the social ladder. We can't let anything ruin it!"

I crawled across the floor and desperately clutched at Mom's pant leg.

"Mom, Dad, why?" The tears I had been holding back finally broke free.

"My whole life I've done everything you asked. Laundry, cooking, working for money. Why do you only treat her well? I'm your daughter too!"

Mom kicked me away in disgust.

"Look at yourself! We've raised you this long and haven't kicked you out yet. That should be enough! How dare you compare yourself to your sister?"

I stared at them in shock.

The way they looked at me, like I was trash, finally killed whatever hope I had left.

They dragged me into my room, threw me on the floor, then locked the door with a loud click.

No matter how much I begged, they refused to give me my allergy medication. The last shred of familial love I had been clinging to turned to ash.

I curled up on the floor as huge patches of red hives erupted across my skin. The itching was unbearable, but I did not even have the strength to lift my hand and scratch.

Through my fading consciousness, I heard my parents talking in the living room.

"She's been nothing but a burden!" Mom sounded disgusted and impatient.

"If she weren't useful for chores and making money, I would've thrown her out to the dogs ages ago."

Dad grunted in agreement. "Once this is done, we'll be set for life. Then we can toss her out."

"Hmph. With that weak body of hers, who knows if she'll even last that long." Mom's voice dropped lower. "Though if she dies, it's what she deserves. At least she won't waste our food anymore."

I bit down hard on my lower lip until I tasted blood. So all these years of pouring my heart out, and swallowing my pride and anger, meant nothing.

To them, I was just a tool. Someone that could work and make money.

When I was useful, they kept me breathing. When I was not, they would toss me aside like garbage.

This time around, I would not just sit here and wait to die.

I would survive… And I would make this heartless couple pay!

The next morning, they forced me into a bunny girl swimsuit and dragged me into the car.

"Mom, Dad, why don't you come along too?"

I had already made up my mind. Since they showed me no mercy, I would show them none in return.

Mom froze mid-motion as she was closing the car door. She frowned and studied me suspiciously.

"What's gotten into you? Since when do you care?"

Dad's eyes were scrutinizing yet tinged with hope. "Do you really want us to come?"

They exchanged glances, utterly shocked.

I curved my lips into an obedient, sweet smile. "Of course. That way you can see my sister hit it big with your own eyes!"

Mom could not help pressing further. "Have you really come around? You're not holding a grudge anymore?"

The wariness in Dad's eyes softened a bit. "See? That's more like it. We're family. No point holding grudges overnight."

Watching them excitedly fantasize about the future, I sneered inwardly.

In my past life, I had seen some shocking comments beneath Luna's online post.

"That last batch of girls didn't cut it. They couldn't even last two rounds."

"This time we've got clients who like older women. Make arrangements."

"For clients with special fetishes, do whatever it takes to satisfy them."