Chapter 3

As soon as the words left the shaman's mouth, everyone shouted in unison, "That's impossible!"

John was the most agitated. "You're just a lousy scammer! How can you lie so blatantly? Jade has lived with us for more than a decade. How can she possibly bring us bad luck?"

His eyes were blazing, as if the shaman had accused him of being the bringer of misfortune instead. He stepped forward, ready to hit the shaman, but Graham held him back.

Graham looked at the shaman suspiciously. "You said my youngest daughter would bring us good luck, but you never said Jade would be cursed. Now, the whole family is suffering because of Mindy. You owe me an explanation."

Amanda's eyes reddened as she hugged Jade tightly. "We can't let anything happen to Jade! Please, find a way to break this curse!"

The shaman waved his hand and shook his head.

"Miss Mindy can only bring good luck to her blood relatives, and she's only two years old. Maybe it's because you kept forcing her to share her luck with Miss Jade, and that caused a backlash. Now, the good luck has turned to misfortune. Miss Jade is being drowned by so much misfortune that her surroundings are all dark."

The shaman shook his head again, giving them all a meaningful look.

"I've said everything I can. You'll have to take care of the rest yourselves."

With that, he turned and left the Bakers.

Jade suddenly started sobbing, her voice choked with emotion. "I'm just an adopted daughter. I shouldn't be greedy for the Bakers' wealth. If I hadn't, maybe Mindy wouldn't have dragged Dad and Mom into this bad luck. Maybe it's better if I sacrifice myself so Mom, Dad, and my brothers can turn things around."

She sounded so noble that Mom, Dad, and my brothers refused to let her suffer alone.

James then said with determination, "This isn't your fault! Mindy is the one who has something against you. She wants you gone, even at such a young age. We're not going to give in."

John muttered stubbornly, "If only Jade were the Lucky Star instead..."

Everyone nodded in agreement. I could only roll my eyes.

Jade looked at me with even more fear. Without anyone knowing, she became crueler to me. She would pinch me hard and even starve me.

But I wasn't really a child. Any time she mistreated me, I made sure the whole family suffered bad luck in return without holding back at all.

The Bakers tried to change their luck, but they only succeeded once or twice out of every ten times. Whenever they failed, they would mope around and try to remember who had mentioned Jade again.

Just like that, I turned five. My parents' company still hovered in the middle ranking, and none of my brothers achieved anything worth mentioning.

Jade hit rock bottom, however. She did so badly on her SAT that she couldn't even get into a better college.

That night, after the results came out, she cried all night with the whole family comforting her.

When she saw me, she completely lost it; she pounced at me and dragged her sharp nails down my face.

"This is all your fault! Why won't you give me good luck!"

John was shocked, trying to stop her.

Jade simply sobbed and yelled, "I can't even go to college... Can't I at least take it out on the person responsible? Am I not your sister anymore?"

Mom and Dad stayed silent, pretending not to see what was happening.

James took Jade's hand and whispered, "Don't worry, Jade. We'll make her pay."

That night, my three brothers dragged me outside, covered my eyes, and dumped me in a dark alley. "Jade, we'll leave her here to teach her a lesson and make you feel better."

I cried out for my brothers, but no one looked back. They just laughed and took Jade to the amusement park.

The moment the lights disappeared, my heart turned cold.

They wanted to punish me, but forgot I had luck on my side.

When I ran out of the alley, I used up every bit of good luck I had ever used on my family.

I didn't know how long I had been out before a car stopped in front of me. Soon, a voice came.

"Did someone lose their daughter?"

I looked up and recognized Mrs. Sandy. She was untouchable in the capital city, but she was also known as a famous philanthropist.

Tears streamed down my face as I whimpered, "My brothers abandoned me..."