Chapter 3

That evening, Mom, Dad, Jerome, and Jada came home carrying bags of all sizes.

Jada had just gotten her hair done and was wearing a designer silk slip dress. She came up to me and twirled around as if showing off.

She said, "What do you think? Does it look good? Dad bought this dress for me to wear to the banquet tomorrow."

I smiled at her. "It looks good."

Mom pulled one of Jada's old dresses out of her closet and handed it to me. "Wear this tomorrow. A lot of relatives and friends will be attending the banquet, so dress nicely and don't embarrass us."

I held the dress Jada no longer wanted in my hands. More than half of the rhinestones around the neckline had already fallen off, and it wasn't even my size.

"Thank you, Mom. I understand."

Mom nodded in satisfaction. "Janice is still the one who gives me less trouble."

Dad also patted me on the shoulder with relief. "Jada is going to work by the Alpha King's side. Of course she'd need a few decent outfits. You're going to be working an ordinary job anyway. As long as your clothes are wearable, that's enough."

I stood there without saying anything, my fingertips rubbing the smooth fabric of the dress. Even a dress Jada casually discarded was ten times better than the most expensive piece of clothing in my closet.

They hadn't even asked about my results. They had simply assumed that all I could do was find some ordinary job.

Seeing that I wasn't saying anything, Jada suddenly tugged at Mom's sleeve. "Mom, did I buy too many things? Janice seems a little unhappy."

She turned to me and guiltily shoved the shopping bags into my hands. "Janice, don't be upset. You can have all these clothes and bags. Dad and Jerome already bought me a house near where I'll be working. I've already gotten so much, so I can't accept any more gifts. You can have all of these."

The moment she said that, everyone in the living room fell silent. Dad's and Jerome's expressions stiffened slightly.

My heart sank to my stomach. They had never told me anything about a house.

In the end, it was Mom who stepped in to smooth things over.

She smiled and said, "Well, Jada was accepted as the Alpha King's chief advisor. How could a young she-wolf like her live away from home without a place of her own? Don't worry. Once you start working, I'll buy you a house too. I definitely won't play favorites."

The others hurriedly chimed in, but I was the only one who could see the lie hidden beneath their panicked expressions.

"No need," I said.

This wasn't the first or second time they had played favorites. Ever since I was little, I had been nothing more than Jada's accessory. Now that I was grown up, I shouldn't have expected their attitude toward me to change.

I remembered that when I was a child, there had been one time when Mom unexpectedly gave me an exquisite necklace and repeatedly warned me that I must never take it off.

I had been so excited that I couldn't sleep all night. Every so often, I would hold the necklace in my hand and admire it. Back then, I had naively believed that my obedience and good behavior had finally moved Mom and that she could finally love me, even just a little.

But strangely enough, after I received that necklace, my health began deteriorating day by day. Meanwhile, Jada, who had always been sick, started becoming healthier.

Only later did I find out that Mom had gotten the necklace from a witch. Its purpose was to transfer my health to Jada, who was sick all the time.

The realization sent a chill through me. I immediately threw the necklace into the river. When Mom found out, she gave me a vicious beating.

They were willing to give even my health to Jada. How could I possibly expect them to treat Jada and me equally in anything else?

Soon, the day of the banquet arrived.

Jada appeared in the center of the banquet hall wearing an elaborate, luxurious evening gown. Everyone gathered around her as if she were the center of the universe, praising her endlessly for how outstanding she was.

Jada smugly basked in everyone's flattery. She held her head so high that she looked like a proud peacock. From time to time, she even cast mocking glances at me as I stood in the corner.

I ignored her provocation and dragged the hem of the old dress that even Jada had disliked out of the banquet hall.

I went somewhere deserted. Just then, I received a call from an unfamiliar number.

"May I speak to Ms. Janice Spencer? The helicopter sent to pick you up is right above the banquet hall. When would you like it to land?"

I turned around and glanced back at Jada, who was still inside the banquet hall and enjoying being the center of attention.

I took a deep breath and said, "You can land now."