Chapter 5

With that, I shoved Jenna to the floor and yanked the heels off her feet.

Her hand landed on the broken glass, and she screamed.

She gritted her teeth and glared at me, but I didn’t even look at her. I simply wiped the dirt off the shoes in disgust.

“Congratulations. You and your mom finally got me kicked out.”

Dad opened his mouth to lecture me again, but I looked at him, my voice choking with tears.

“These were the last gift Mom ever gave me. I’m not leaving them behind for those two.”

Dad froze.

I walked straight past them and headed downstairs.

The driver was already waiting outside. I climbed into the car, closed my eyes, and leaned back against the seat.

I had already sold everything valuable in the house or replaced it with convincing fakes.

After everything I had gone through in my last life, I understood one thing perfectly.

Money was the only thing I could truly rely on.

As for Maggie and Jenna, I had plenty of time to deal with them.

The apartment Dad had arranged for me was near my school.

It was an expensive private school where almost anyone could get in if their parents wrote a big enough check.

When I arrived the next morning, I found Jenna there too.

She was wearing my clothes and carrying one of the fake designer bags I had swapped out. A crowd of classmates surrounded her, showering her with compliments.

“Well, look who it is. The former Jasper heiress.”

Someone laughed.

“You got kicked out, and you still have the nerve to show up?”

The others burst out laughing.

Jenna walked over and linked her arm through mine as though we were close.

“Skyla, don’t listen to them. Even after my little brother is born, you’ll still be a Jasper.”

I pulled my arm away.

“A Jasper? Since when is your last name Jasper?”

Her expression stiffened.

Then she put on a wounded look.

“Skyla, do you still hate me? I wasn’t the one who made Uncle James kick you out.”

A few classmates immediately jumped in to defend her.

“Jenna, stop apologizing to her. She just thinks she’s better than everyone else.”

“Exactly. Let’s see how smug she is once she gets cut out of the will.”

I said nothing and lowered my gaze to the book in front of me.

I had already seen the worst of people in my last life.

Their mockery meant nothing to me.

Jenna basked in the attention and announced, “You’re all invited to my baby brother Jacob’s one-month celebration!”

My fingers tightened around my pen as I laughed to myself.

Good.

The more people who showed up, the better.

Time passed in the blink of an eye, and Jacob’s one-month party finally arrived.

Dad called me personally and told me to come home.

“That’s enough sulking. He’s your own brother. What will people think if you don’t even show up for his party?”

I agreed without hesitation, grabbed the documents from my desk, and slipped them into my backpack.

When I arrived in my plain school uniform, Dad was greeting guests at the entrance.

The moment he saw me, he frowned.

“Skyla, is that really what you’re wearing? You couldn’t find anything more appropriate?”

I glanced at Jenna and lifted my chin in her direction.

“Didn’t your new favorite take all my clothes?”

Dad fell silent.

He called his assistant over and told him to find me something else to wear.

Before we could leave, Maggie approached with the baby in her arms.

“Skyla, you’re here. Would you like to hold Jacob?”

Before I could react, she pushed Jacob into my arms.

I reached for him, but it was already too late.

The bundled infant struck the edge of the marble table.

He immediately burst into tears, his screams echoing through the room.

I stared at Maggie in disbelief.

That woman was ruthless.

She was even willing to use her own son as a weapon.

Every head in the room turned toward us.

Maggie clutched the crying baby and shouted through her tears, “Skyla, you may not like Jacob, but how could you drop him?”

Dad’s face darkened with rage.

He didn’t even give me a chance to explain.

He slapped me across the face.

My head snapped to the side, and my cheek burned.

I stood there in shock.

Dad had hit me.

It was the first time in my life that he had ever laid a hand on me.

A crushing mix of hurt and fury exploded in my chest.

Dad pressed a hand to his heart and shouted at me in bitter disappointment.

“I was wrong about you! What kind of heartless monster could hurt her own baby brother?”

Maggie held the child and sobbed.

“He’s only a month old. Do you really hate him that much? Are you so afraid he’ll take your inheritance?”

The way everyone looked at me changed.

Some looked amused.

Some looked disgusted.

Others were simply enjoying the drama.

“She’s vicious! Who could hurt a one-month-old baby?”

Dad trembled with rage.

“You think I’m too old to do anything about you? Fine. From this day forward, you won’t inherit a single cent from me!”

The entire room erupted.

Maggie and Jenna could barely hide their excitement.

As far as they were concerned, the entire Jasper fortune would now belong to them.

I touched my burning cheek and let out a bitter laugh.

But I didn’t lose control or break down in tears the way everyone expected.

I simply reached into my backpack and pulled out the paternity test results.

“Dad, why don’t you take a look at my gift before you make that decision?”