Chapter 3

I secretly rolled my eyes so hard they almost hit the ceiling. Zero people were trying to steal anything from Ruth, okay? Zero.

Since Micah wanted to come at me without any warning, I wasn't about to sit there and take it.

My tears came on command. I covered my face and burst into sobs, acting even more pitiful than Ruth had. "Micah, I may have grown up in the countryside with a poor family, but my adoptive mom always taught me that a peaceful family is the key to everything.

"Ruth's face turned purple when she fell down the stairs! I was terrified she wouldn't make it, so I did first aid. How can you say I hit her? If you really think I did it on purpose, then I'll pay her back with my life!"

As soon as I finished, I scrambled up and lunged straight toward the wall.

"Jemima! That's not what your brother meant!"

My little act scared Mom and Dad half to death. They rushed over to stop me. At the same time, my words stirred their guilt back up. They turned and glared at Micah.

"How can you talk to your sister like that? She just came home and doesn't know anything yet. You're her big brother, so how could you say such things about her?"

Micah let out a cold snort and looked at me with open disgust. "Just keep spoiling her, Mom. She grew up wild in the countryside and doesn't have a shred of manners!"

He whipped out a gold-embossed invitation and slapped it hard on the table. "Mrs. Frost, Mr. Frost's mother, had her birthday banquet invitation delivered to the office. She made it clear that our whole family is to attend, and she even added a note that we must bring Jemima along."

At that, the room went silent. Ruth even forgot to cry.

"I was wondering why a top family like the Frosts would invite us, but it makes sense now. It must be because Mrs. Frost wants to meet her future daughter-in-law because Ruth's engagement to Mr. Frost is basically settled."

He shot me a look of pure disdain. "And somehow this wild little stray gets to ride along. What a jinx! You're staying home. Don't you dare come along and embarrass us and ruin Ruth's future."

My heart sank. What was this nonsense about "riding along"? This was clearly Mrs. Frost—or Her Majesty, as I liked to call her—giving me a warning.

After passing the interview, Her Majesty had planned to assign me straight to Frost Group's overseas project and groom me as one of her own. Then, the Starks had shown up out of nowhere, and Her Majesty had generously approved a month of family leave so I could reunite with them.

That month was almost up, and I still hadn't reached out. Maybe I needed to text her later to explain.

As I panicked, Mom assumed my silence was because I was hurt by what Micah said. She made the decision on the spot and said, "Jemima is your sister, too. Since the Frosts specifically mentioned that they want her there, of course she has to go!

"If any member of our family is missing and the Frosts think we're being disrespectful—or worse, that our family isn't harmonious—that'll ruin the engagement, too!"

Oh, no! It looked like I really would have to face Her Majesty head-on.

…

On the night of the banquet, I was chugging water and frantically psyching myself up to face Her Majesty when I heard a string of curses coming from the storage room.

"That wretched Jemima! Why are Mom and Dad taking her side now? Why doesn't she just drop dead? Those two biased old geezers should die, too! Everything in this family should be mine. Even Mr. Frost should only ever be mine!"

Through the crack in the door, I saw Ruth holding a pair of scissors, sizing up the exquisite silk gown Mom and Dad had prepared as a gift for Her Majesty.

"If that's the case, then none of us get to have it easy!"

With a few snips and flashes of cold light, pieces of fabric fluttered to the floor.

Right then, Ruth seemed to sense something. She whipped around and locked eyes with me. Before I could react, she rushed over and shoved the scissors into my hands.

"Jemima, what are you doing?" She pointed at the shredded gown and broke into a hoarse, hysterical wail. "How could you cut up the gift we're giving to Mrs. Frost? Even if you're jealous of me, you can't destroy our family's goodwill like this!"

Well, damn! She was determined to pin this on me, wasn't she?