Chapter 1

I dropped to the ground in a panic, carefully picking up the fragments of the pendant. It was the only thing Mom left for me.

Tears welled up in my eyes.

"Cut!" someone yelled.

A crew member immediately rushed over to me. "Sophia, quickly apologize to Kelly."

I froze, not knowing what was going on. "What? Why should I apologize to her?"

The crew member gritted his teeth. "Look, we know she's in the wrong, but she has eight brothers. They are obsessed with her! No matter who's at fault here, they will never let you go!"

I thought I had misheard. Just because she had people backing her up, I had to apologize even when I wasn't at fault?

Well, in that case, my brothers doted on me just as much. Did it mean I could get her killed for breaking my pendant?

Noticing my silence, the assistant director spoke in a hushed, reverent tone. "Sophia, we just have your best interests at heart.

"Last month, a brand had Kelly shoot commercials for an extra two hours, and the very next day, their Anoria head of operations was replaced! There was also a female celebrity who got into a spat with Kelly on a show, and she lost all her contracts and endorsement deals overnight!

"No one in the industry dares to mess with her. And given your current status, how could you possibly go against her? Just apologize to her already!"

I sneered. "Why is her surname different from her brothers'?"

Kelly let out a dismissive snort. She lifted her chin arrogantly, looking quite smug. "So what if we don't have the same surname? They treat me like one of their own. Being related by blood isn't everything. The bond we share matters more. I'm the only sister they recognize."

Whispers of flattery erupted all around us, making Kelly even more smug.

She glanced down at the shattered pendant in my hands. "I thought it was some valuable treasure. Turns out it's just a cheap trinket. So what if I broke your mom's keepsake? Even if I smash a priceless antique today, with my brothers around, no one will dare reprimand me."

Disbelief washed over me.

Never mind why my brothers recognized Kelly as their sister in the first place. But our parents taught us never to push people around.

If Dad knew my brothers allowed others to use our family name to throw their weight around, destroy Mom's keepsake, and force the innocent to apologize, forget about backing Kelly up—Dad would break every single bone in their bodies!

I looked at Kelly. "Didn't you say you're getting the Litt brothers to deal with me?"

She froze.

My voice turned icy. "So when are my brothers going to be here?"

Kelly's face fell. She barked, "What is that supposed to mean? They're not your brothers! Who do you think you are? They're my brothers! Mine!"

I chuckled. Since when did my brothers become hers?

Kelly completely lost her composure when she saw me laughing with such unshakeable confidence.

She let out a scream and charged at me in her high heels, swinging her hand to slap me. Her movements were clearly practiced and even better than her acting.

Unfortunately, Kelly picked the wrong target.

I hadn't yet vented my anger over Mom's ruined keepsake. The moment Kelly tried to attack me, I grabbed her wrist and landed a solid slap right across her face.

Everyone was stunned. Even Kelly froze in shock.

"How dare you slap me?" she shrieked. "They'll make you pay!"

I sneered in response.

Forget slapping Kelly—I could slap all eight of my brothers, and all they'd cared about was whether my hand hurt.