Chapter 2

To my surprise, Alvin Grayson arrived before Justin even reached the venue. He was dressed in a smart suit and holding a huge bouquet in his hand. He was someone I'd known since we were kids.

"My darling, I have combed through every single florist in the city to gather these 9999 red roses as a symbol of my love for you."

Lacey was stunned silent. Her face paled as she instinctively glanced at Selena next to her, feeling anxious and confused.

Had Alvin's words been for me?

I found it hilarious when I saw the shy look on Alvin's face.

He'd always liked following me around when we were little, playing make-belief games, playing bride and groom with me, and even telling Dad that he wanted to marry me when we both grew up.

However, when he saw Selena for the first time, he immediately shifted all his attention to her and began bootlicking her instead.

In fact, when Selena bullied me at home, he would also take her side and watch me with cold eyes, telling me to know my place.

Alvin walked up to Selena with a shy, gentle smile in his eyes and tucked away a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. "You're so beautiful, Selena."

Alvin then turned around and glared sharply at me. "And you. You're nothing but a starving street rat. How dare you imply that you're the real heiress? You impostor!

"Sabrina Bloomberg, even if you were to get on your knees and grovel, I'd still never spare you another glance!

"There is only one person I love, and that is Selena Bloomberg, the true heiress of the Bloomberg family!"

Before, Alvin used to swear to the moon, the stars, and the sky that he would never love anyone else but me. But now, he had turned into a shameless lapdog who also framed me as the impostor instead of Selena.

There had been quite a number of guests who were still on the fence about my identity. But after Alvin spoke, they immediately believed him and began hurling insults at me.

"Ms. Selena is too kind. She's been putting up with that stray rat for far too long. Who would have thought that her kindness would be met with such ungratefulness?"

"That orphan is such an ingrate, biting the hand that fed her. Sir Ralph should have just let her starve to death by the roadside back then."

Selena grinned slightly, unable to hide the glee in her eyes.

I watched as she exchanged eye contact with Alvin. Instead of getting mad, I just laughed and removed a pendant from around my neck. The pendant was shaped like an intricate snowflake with threads of red intertwining with its largely snow-white body.

I raised the pendant in the air and said, "This is the Bloomberg family heirloom, the Crimson Snowgem. Only the real Bloomberg heiress has the right to own and wear it!

"Do you have this in your possession, Selena Bloomberg?"

Everyone immediately stepped forward to take a closer look at the stone in my hands, trying to discern if it was real or fake.

Quite a number of them were my parents' friends, and they exclaimed in wonder when they saw it.

"I'd heard of Sir Ralph mentioning it in the past. It seems that Sabrina is the true heiress after all!"

"That's weird. In that case, why did Mr. Bloomberg tell us that Sir Ralph invited us to this party to also introduce Selena to the elite class for the sake of her future?"

Selena panicked at once, her face turning pale. She had never heard of the Crimson Snowgem before, and she most definitely did not own it.

Suddenly, Alvin laughed and said, "Sabrina, did you really think you could fool us into thinking that some stupid plastic stone you randomly picked up was the actual Bloomberg heirloom?

"How about I just grab a toothpick from the ground and say that it was the same toothpick the dinosaurs used a gazillion years ago?"

The public was swayed by his words again, and their gazes flickered between me and Selena, unsure of what to think.

Since I was born and raised in an elite family, I had been taught since a young age how to act, talk, and behave with poise and grace. I carried myself with elegance and nobility in my everyday life.

Even though Selena had also been provided an education since she entered the Bloomberg family, she was unable to erase the wickedness and cruelty with which she had been born. No amount of mimicry or impersonation was able to hide that part of her.

Selena was starting to feel less confident now, but she was still as stubborn as ever in trying to defend herself.

"You say that you're the real Bloomberg heiress. But if that's the case, why am I the one always accompanying Justin to important events and meetings instead of you?"

Alvin looked at me and decided that I was being too much of an eyesore. "Selena has always treated you like she would her own sister, but you repaid her kindness with evilness and ungratefulness instead. You shameless brat!"

Both Selena and Alvin continued insulting me, one after another, much like they'd rehearsed it prior. Thus, the public opinion started swaying in their favor once more.

I had wanted to continue arguing further, but a few security guards had already rushed up to me and grabbed me by my arms.

Lacey immediately came up to me and slapped me hard across the cheek in retaliation. However, she wasn't satisfied, and she continued attacking my face with her purse.

"You're just a lowly street rat the Bloombergs picked up! How dare you try to steal away what rightfully belongs to Selena? Apologize to her right now!"

Blood splattered from my mouth and began dripping down onto the floor in a pattern like a deadly flower.

I glared at the three of them and let out a roar full of hatred.

"Wait till Mom and Dad return! We'll see how you'll answer to them then!"

In my past life, Selena had replaced me as the Bloomberg heiress. Mom and Dad never suspected a thing, even after Selena killed me and threw my body in the river in the middle of the night.

In fact, they even thought that I'd run away from home and spent the rest of their lives searching for me.

This time, I'd told Mom and Dad about what was happening as soon as I could, asking them to hurry home as quickly as they could because something terrible was happening.

I did a quick mental calculation. At the latest, Mom and Dad should be arriving in a few minutes.

Selena watched as I spat blood from my mouth and chuckled nonchalantly.

"Mom and Dad are busy overseas. They'd never come back. You don't even bother using your brain anymore when telling such a lie, do you?

"Also, Alvin's parents have been friends with Mom and Dad for decades. They even manage a few international businesses together. So what if I marry Alvin instead of you? Mom and Dad won't be able to oppose us, even if they found out about it later."

Before she was done speaking, however, someone suddenly yelled, "Preposterous! What the hell is going on here?"