All Chapters of House Always Wins: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

"Dad, can you let me run the World Cup book this year?"Sophie Bell's voice was sweet, but her ambition was impossible to hide.The huge living room went quiet the moment she said it.Everyone knew why. The World Cup brought global traffic, and for the Foster family, it was the most important six-month revenue line of the year. Whoever controlled that book was, by default, the next core heir of the family business.My father held an unlit cigar between his fingers and looked at her with helpless indulgence."Sophie, don't make trouble. This is serious family business. Let your brother handle it."That was how it had always been.Sophie's eyes reddened at once. She pouted, offended."Dad, trust me. My intuition is really strong."My stepmother, Marissa, moved in smoothly and wrapped her arm around my father's."Honey, just trust Sophie once. She's never asked you for anything before. If she's this confident, maybe she really can do it. Besides, she's been around you, Harbor Ci

My father's pupils tightened. He froze where he sat."She really got it..."He murmured under his breath, his first reaction still disbelief."It has to be a coincidence. She must have gotten lucky."Marissa was beaming beside him, her face full of smug pride."See? I told you Sophie has talent."How is that a coincidence? That's her ability."Sophie immediately puffed out her cheeks."What coincidence? My intuition is real."She straightened her spine, arrogance burning in her eyes.My father still kept his voice steady, though surprise was obvious in his face."Don't get too proud. That's only the first match."You still have two more. Nothing is settled yet."Sophie lifted her chin with a winner's smile."Just watch. I'll hit the next two too."Over the next two days, Marissa did exactly what she had done in my previous life. She pushed Sophie's image everywhere.In just forty-eight hours, the story that the Foster family had found a lucky charm spread through Harbor

For one instant, the conference room was as silent as a grave.Employees stared at Sophie with wide eyes, their faces full of disbelief.Even the million-viewer livestream froze for a heartbeat.My father was the first to come back to himself. His brows drew tight, confusion written all over his face."Sophie, what are you saying?"Sophie stiffened. Her cheeks flushed crimson.Her eyes darted everywhere as she stammered for what felt like ages."I... I didn't... I wasn't..."Marissa immediately stepped in to smooth things over."Honey, don't scare her. She must be nervous."This is her first time running the book. A slip of the tongue is normal."As she spoke, she patted Sophie's back gently."Don't be afraid, Sophie. Don't be nervous. Mom believes in you."Sophie met Marissa's eyes and forcibly suppressed the panic in her heart.No. She couldn't lose.She had just taken operating control, become famous across the internet, and stood under every spotlight.She could not

The moment those words came out, the livestream exploded.Comments flooded the screen so densely they were almost unreadable.[Holy crap! We're witnessing history! The Foster inheritance is being decided by a match?][Wait, isn't Sophie only the stepdaughter? She can fight the legitimate eldest son for succession?][I'm already laughing. I'll remember the meme loop disaster forever.][Betting queen round two! Comeback miracle, or final collapse?][I'm betting on a comeback. Last time was just nerves!]The whole internet watched. The whole city waited.After a long silence, I put on the look of someone being forced into agreement."All right. I'll listen to Dad."Soon, the World Cup match began.Sophie and I stood side by side before the giant event screen, under the eyes of the city.The commentator's excited voice rang out.The match shifted rapidly, the atmosphere tightening to the extreme.My father sat in the main seat, his gaze moving between us."Well? The game is

But Marissa was still a step too late.The whole internet exploded.Dense comments crashed across the live-stream so fast the servers nearly gave out.[Wait??? What did I just hear? His daughter?][Think about it. So Sophie wasn't some proper stepdaughter from a second marriage. She's an illegitimate daughter?][A high-society scandal blown wide open! Mr. Foster hid this for years!][No wonder he was so biased. No wonder she dared fight the legitimate eldest son for the inheritance. She's his biological daughter!]No one had expected a World Cup betting farce to expose the Foster family's private scandal.The matter swept across the internet instantly.Related hashtags dominated the trending lists for three full days, and no amount of suppression worked.In just a few days, Foster Group's stock price kept nose-diving. Several projects were forced to a halt, and the corporation fell into an unprecedented crisis.Sophie still refused to repent.At home, she ranted like a luna