Chapter 4

As if he had been granted a pardon, Mr. Brown wore an obsequious smile on his face as he dragged me out of the private dining room and threw me out the hotel's back door.

"You oblivious fool, you just offended our hotel's biggest client!" he spat. "You can kiss your paycheck goodbye. Now, beat it before I make you!"

With that, he kicked me.

I lost my balance and stumbled into a slop bucket, knocking it over. Rotten vegetable leaves and leftover scraps spilled together, emitting a pungent, sour stench.

I crouched down against the wall. Recalling Dad's question, my tears cascaded down my cheeks.

I wanted to ask them that too. Why on earth was I even born? Why was I thrown away like garbage for 18 years?

My tears dried up, leaving my eyes swollen and throbbing with pain. Reeking of the stench of swill from head to toe, I stood up and prepared to leave.

Before I could even take a step, the door behind me was suddenly flung open. Mom stood at the back entrance, her features twisted with rage.

Before I could process what was going on, she rushed over and slapped me hard. "You shameless wench, how dare you steal from me?"

I was dumbstruck. "What do you mean?"

"What do I mean?" Mom snickered. "My diamond ring is missing. Aside from Mr. Brown, you're the only one who entered our private room. What do you think I mean?"

Right then, Dad walked out as well. "Hurry up and hand it over, or you won't be able to leave so easily!"

Mom crossed her arms, scanning me from head to toe as her lips curled downward. "Why even waste your breath on someone like her? Let's search her. My ring is definitely hidden on her!"

As soon as her words fell, my heart jolted, and I instinctively backed away. "I didn't steal it. What right do you have to search me?"

Noticing the nervous look on my face, Mom sneered, "Because a penniless wretch from a poor rural village like you must have sticky fingers!"

She immediately lunged forward and grabbed me, tearing open my clothes without giving me a chance to protest. "Drop the act! Trash like you don't get to complain, even if we strip you naked to search you."

Mom searched through my clothes, turned my bag upside down, and shook it, but absolutely nothing came out. Indignant, she dug through my pants pockets next. "Where is it?"

Glaring at me maliciously, she demanded, "Where'd you hide it?"

"I didn't steal it!"

"Bullshit!" Her voice rose. "You must've hidden it somewhere when we weren't paying attention, or maybe you even have an accomplice helping you out!"

Dad frowned and pulled out his phone to start a livestream. "If we don't teach people like her a lesson, there's no telling what kind of societal scum she might become in the future."

Mom snickered and nodded. "Exactly, we must make her pay the price. A thief like her should be exposed to the public. Let's see which college dares to accept her after this!"

Before long, a massive crowd of viewers flooded the livestream. My face burned, and I bit my lip until it bled, yet my parents forcibly stripped off all my clothes, leaving me standing completely naked in the middle of the street.

Instinctively, I tried to cover myself, but Mom yanked my hands away. "Put your hands down! Oh, so now you're embarrassed? Why didn't you think about the consequences when you stole from me?"

The filthy remarks in the comment section crawled up like maggots, slimy and disgusting. I wanted to scream, but nothing came out of my throat. I wanted to cry, but my tears had already run dry.

Mom turned my bag inside out. There was my wallet, my keys, and a photocopy of my acceptance letter.

In the end, she dug out a plastic bag and saw the birth certificate wrapped inside it. So, she pinched it, gave it a shake, and her lips curled into a cold sneer as she held the certificate right up to the camera.

"Gather around and see for yourselves! This shameless little bitch stole something, and she's still denying it to the grave. You have to wonder, what wretched excuse for parents could possibly raise a daughter like her?"

As soon as those words left her mouth, her voice suddenly caught in her throat. Staring at the information on the birth certificate shown on the screen, her eyes widened in sheer horror, and the color drained from her face.