Chapter 2

Brian stepped forward at once and grabbed my wrist.

“Give the bag back to Luna. Don’t make me use force.”

A sharp pain shot through my wrist, and I frowned tightly.

“Let go.”

“This is mine. Why should I give it to her?”

[Wow, she’s actually fighting back? The audacity—her nerve must be made of steel.]

[The male lead is so handsome! Total boyfriend material. This is exactly how you deal with a shameless woman like her!]

[Hurry up and take her bag. Let’s see what else she’s stolen!]

A few hours earlier, my dad had still been reminding me over the phone.

“Risa, that Dylan Lawson… he’s a bit too slick for my liking. Just treat this as doing your dad a favor. Take a look at their family, see what they’re really like. And enjoy yourself while you’re at it.”

Looking at it now, this wasn’t just a questionable household. It felt like walking straight into a trap.

Seeing Brian restrain me, Luna grew even more brazen and reached straight for my bag.

“Let go! That’s my bag!”

I struggled, clutching it tightly with my other hand.

In the middle of the tugging, an elegant, well-dressed woman approached.

It was Luna’s adoptive mother, Jasmine.

The moment she arrived, she pulled Luna close with concern, as if afraid she’d been wronged in any way.

“Luna, what’s going on?”

Her gaze fell on me, laced with scrutiny.

“Mom!”

Luna immediately threw herself into Jasmine’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably. “She… she’s the one who just came back from some small town… your real daughter! She stole the watch Brian gave me and won’t admit it!”

Jasmine’s expression changed instantly. The way she looked at me was filled with disdain.

“So it’s you.”

She gently patted Luna’s back, her voice soft with comfort, but her words were vicious.

“Silly girl, of course she wouldn’t admit it. Just look at her, she reeks of poverty, every inch of her screams small-time. How could someone like that ever be the heiress of the Lawson family?

“If you ask me, the hospital must have made a mistake. Our Luna is outstanding and beautiful. She’s the true jewel of this family.”

She paused, her voice rising sharply, thick with disgust.

She pointed at me. “And you, a nobody who just crawled out of some backwater, and still dared to reach for what was never yours. You really are delusional.”

[Well said! Mrs. Lawson is savage!]

[People like her deserve to be humiliated. Let her know her place!]

[Fake is fake. So, what if they are blood related? Twenty years of upbringing make all the difference!]

I actually laughed, anger bubbling up instead.

“Ma’am, you might get away with being careless about what you eat, but not about what you say.

“What makes you think I came from some backwater? And what makes you think I stole anything?”

Jasmine choked on my rebuttal for a moment, her expression turning even uglier.

“You dare talk back?!”

She turned to Brian. “Brian, what are you standing there for? Take our things back! Just looking at people like her makes me sick!”

With that command, Brian tightened his grip.

“I’ll say this one last time—hand over the bag.”

I felt like the bones in my wrist were about to shatter.

“No.”

The pain sparked my anger, and I lifted my foot, kicking straight at his shin.

Brian let out a muffled grunt, but his grip didn’t loosen at all.

Luna shrieked, “Ah! She hit someone! Brian, she actually hit you!”

Every eye in the banquet hall turned toward me like spotlights, filled with scrutiny and hostility.

My dad had been invited upstairs by Dylan to discuss a business deal, completely unaware of what was happening below.