Chapter 2

The moment I finished, the room went dead silent.

Everyone stared at me, wide-eyed, like they couldn't believe what they'd heard.

Bryce tightened his grip on his phone, his knuckles turning white.

Jennifer sobbed, her whole body trembling.

"Sis... I'm not faking... I really feel awful..."

"I only wore makeup so I'd look healthier when I welcomed you home... I never thought you'd take it the wrong way..."

She made a show of trying to get up.

"If you hate me that much... then I'll just go..." She let out a few feeble coughs. "I'll go somewhere far away... Even if I die, I won't bother any of you again."

My mother's eyes were full of pain as she held Jennifer tightly and refused to let go.

"Jennifer, I'm right here. Don't be scared. Nobody's going to hurt you."

When she turned back to me, her face, so much like mine, was filled with resentment.

"Eloise, what gives you the right to talk about Jennifer like that?"

"You don't know her at all! She's been sick since she was little, and you have no idea what she's been through. All you care about is competing with her for attention."

"Will you only be satisfied when you've driven her to her grave? I'm so disappointed in you."

I gave a quiet laugh and sank onto the sofa, making myself comfortable.

Honestly, nothing my birth mother said could get to me.

During all those years in foster care, I'd longed for a mother's love.

But I'd stopped wishing a long time ago. Every time I'd needed one, there'd been no one there.

I'd learned to handle things on my own.

Later, the Kennedy and Percival families took me in and gave me all the love I could ever want.

My adoptive father Malcolm Kennedy wanted me to have power of my own. With his family's centuries of influence behind him, he secured me a title as the only countess in Asunia with any real authority.

My other adoptive father, Victor Percival, had built me an entire business empire just to keep me happy.

Compared to all that, the Bertonis' little family drama was almost laughable.

"Since my own mother doesn't want me here and neither does anyone else, let's call this family reunion over."

"It's not like I need you to be my family. Don't worry. I won't force my way into your lives."

"The estate's a little out of the way, though, so I'll have to ask you for a ride out."

My mother was stunned.

Adrian's brow furrowed. It was hard to tell what he was feeling.

My reaction was nothing like what they'd expected.

I hadn't begged them to let me stay or tried to win them over. I hadn't even touched Jennifer.

If anything, I'd acted like I couldn't care less about any of them.

"Eloise, there's no need to say things like that."

Adrian closed his eyes for a moment. He seemed tired.

"You're family. Now that you're home, we're not going to send you away and make you fend for yourself again."

"It's just that Jennifer can't handle stress because of her condition. To make sure you won't hurt her again..."

As he spoke, he pulled out an agreement and slid it toward me. "Sign this. It'll give Jennifer some peace of mind—and keep you from causing any more trouble. You'll give up your share of the family fortune and sign it over to Jennifer."

"You'll still be my sister. You'll still be a Bertoni. We will cover all your living expenses. You'll never have to worry about money."

I flipped it open. Voluntarily. Give up. Transfer. Those words appeared more times than I could count.

So they'd planned this from the very beginning. I was supposed to hand everything that was rightfully mine over to Jennifer.

They acted as if simply being allowed through the door meant I should fall over myself with gratitude. Wanting anything more would be greedy.

When I still didn't reach for the pen, Bryce's voice turned cold. "Think carefully, Eloise. The only reason I'm even marrying you is because you're a Bertoni."

"If they throw you out, everyone we know will laugh at you. This is your only chance at a better life."

I looked up at the room full of people waiting for me to sign, and suddenly I smiled.

Malcolm had spent nearly a year begging and trying everything he could to convince me to take over the family fortune.

Victor had showered me with gifts every day, trying to coax me into accepting a share of the family trust.

And now my own mother and brother wanted me to sign away my share of the family fortune.

"Eloise, if you don't want to sign, then don't..."

"Adrian's just worried about me... I'm fine, really... Please stop fighting over me..."

My mother tried to stop her, but Jennifer insisted on walking over to me anyway.

"I don't care about the inheritance... I just want the three of us to get along... Eloise, can't you at least give us a chance..."

By the end, she was choking back sobs again.

The other three looked at me even more coldly, as if I'd done something terrible to her again.

I gave her a mocking look.

"Drop the act."

"I'll sign. But I want another clause in there: from this moment on, I'm no longer a Bertoni. Whatever happens to this family after today has nothing to do with me."

Neither Adrian nor my mother would agree to cut ties.

Of course they weren't. Their biological daughter had been missing for 18 years, and they'd only just gotten her back. Disowning me now would make even them look heartless. More importantly, it would humiliate the family.

In the end, we compromised. Adrian added a clause to the agreement.

[Eloise bears no responsibility for any future crisis facing the Bertoni family. No member of the Bertoni family may ask her for help.]

I still remember the look on his face as he wrote it. Pure contempt.

But that didn't matter. I'd gotten what I wanted, and I signed my name without hesitating.

Adrian and my mother didn't relax until they saw my name on the page.

They thought they'd secured the best possible deal for Jennifer. They had no idea I'd gotten the better end of the deal.