Chapter 2

The rumors proved true. A week later, Rebecca had made a full recovery.

When my father received the medical test results, he broke down in tears, repeatedly thanking God for His blessings. He said he would hold a charity gala to give thanks for God's grace.

I watched my father and Rebecca embrace tightly in the hospital room, feeling like an outsider.

I typed and deleted the text I wanted to send Benjamin, then typed it again, but I couldn't bring myself to hit send.

"Are you coming to the charity gala with me tonight?"

Just as I expected, Benjamin didn't respond.

With the gala about to begin, I finally worked up the courage to call him.

"I'm tied up with business. Stop bothering me," he said coldly, his voice tinged with impatience.

"The charity gala is to celebrate Rebecca's recovery," I said quietly.

"What did you just say?" Benjamin immediately became agitated on the other end of the line.

"Wait for me."

I could hear the howling wind through the phone, and moments later, he hung up.

Benjamin had always been cold and detached. Nothing seemed capable of stirring his emotions. Rebecca was the only exception.

When I returned to the ballroom, Rebecca was laughing and chatting with the guests, her arm linked through my father's. The green jade around her neck immediately caught my eye.

It was the only keepsake my grandmother had left me, and I had never been able to bring myself to wear it.

"Queenie."

Rebecca walked toward me with a bright smile. "Why are you being so inconsiderate? Don't you know you're supposed to greet the guests?"

I didn't answer. My gaze fell on the jade around her neck.

She reached up and touched the necklace. "This necklace suits me perfectly. You don't mind if I wear it for a while, do you?

"You know how hard it is to find a necklace worthy of me, so I'll just borrow yours for now."

Before I could say anything, my mother grabbed my wrist. "Just let Rebecca wear it for now."

I forced a smile. "It's fine. If you want to wear it, go ahead."

Before leaving, Rebecca whispered in my ear, "You could never do this necklace justice."

I had no intention of starting a scene with her, so I quietly returned to my room.

When I came back to the ballroom, my father was standing in the middle of the crowd with Rebecca, looking radiant as he loudly announced how he planned to divide his estate.

"After I die, everything I own will go to our Rebecca!"

Everyone applauded and congratulated Rebecca, who smiled smugly.

But the moment she saw me, her expression changed.

"Dad, don't you think that’s a little unfair to Queenie?"

My father looked as though he had suddenly remembered I existed. He fell silent, seemingly deep in thought.

"How about this," Rebecca spoke up first. "Why not give Queenie the old estate on the east side?"

With that, she shot me a provocative glance.

The old estate on the east side might have looked like a valuable piece of property, but it had already been mortgaged.

"Good, good. Rebecca, you're always so considerate of Queenie. You really thought this through!"

My father praised her repeatedly.

He had always favored Rebecca. It wasn't only because she was the orphaned daughter of his fallen comrade, but also because she was the child of his first love.

To protect her from gossip, he had always claimed that she was his biological daughter.

Because of this, my mother had been condemned behind her back for years, with people calling her a shameless homewrecker who had not only stolen another woman's husband but also caused her death.

All these years, she had endured so much.

"Dad, didn't you promise before that I could join the company?"

If he wasn't going to give it to me, I would ask for it myself.

"Queenie," Rebecca cut in again, "It's not that Dad won't let you join the company. You just don't have what it takes!

"If you're not satisfied, you can have the little shop at Fairmont too."

The little shop at Fairmont was barely 54 square feet. She certainly was generous.

"No thanks. I don't want it." I let out a cold laugh.

The crowd suddenly grew restless. Benjamin had arrived.

He presented Rebecca with a ten-carat diamond ring and gazed at her with unmistakable tenderness.

"Congratulations on your recovery, Ms. Beaumont."

Rebecca pretended to refuse, but she kept a tight grip on the diamond ring.

"They really are a perfect match!"

"Of course they are! If Ms. Queenie hadn't resorted to such underhanded tactics, do you really think Mr. Sterling would have ever looked twice at her?"

"Looks like even drugging him didn't work. Now he's finally marrying the woman he was meant to be with!"

I couldn't bear to listen any longer, so I slipped away to the garden to clear my head.

But then, a figure appeared behind me.