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I've got the nerve and the desire, but I was just too exhausted and crashed instantly.
After washing up, we headed downstairs.
I held Julian's hand, mostly to make my parents give up on the arranged marriage idea.
They looked absolutely livid when they saw us.
Especially my father. After Julian sat down, he said, "Julian, you're fired from the company. All your accounts are frozen."
My mother chimed in, her voice sickly sweet, "Julian, just listen to Mom and Dad. End this foolishness and agree to the marriage. We all know Skylar's just putting on a show."
They're not completely stupid—they saw right through it.
My father piled on the pressure, "Julian, without your position, you'll be a laughingstock in our circle. Without your trust fund, that lifestyle you're accustomed to is gone. You sure you can handle that?"
Julian just kept his head down, silently eating his breakfast. A quiet, stubborn protes.
I pulled a black card from my pocket and slid it across the table to him. "Don't worry about it. Use this."
Emma couldn't hold back a snort. "Oh, please. How much money could a country girl have? Your... adoptive parents are just miners, aren't they? No offense, but it's not like they're swimming in money."
I shot her a cold look. "Those 'miners' you're looking down on are your biological parents."
Emma's face went tight. "Blood means nothing! Raising a child is what makes a family!"
She turned to my parents, her voice dripping with sincerity. "Mom, Dad, you'll always be my real parents."
My parents nodded, looking pleased, but I didn't miss the flicker of contempt in their eyes.
Who would ever truly trust someone who so easily denies where they came from?
The mention of my adoptive parents stung. They actually hoped Emma would want to know them.
Emma turned her glare back to me. "But you, you're the true hire. The family's future rests on your shoulders now. You need to start acting like it. Let Julian fulfill his duty with the marriage."
I gave her a deadpan stare. "When I can't be bothered to argue, I skip straight to hitting. Don't push your luck."
Remembering the kick from yesterday, she immediately shut her mouth.
My parents didn't say a word in her defense.
I could see it clearly now.They might not like me, but in their own twisted way, they still had a stake in me.
Because I'm the one with their blood—the true heir.
No matter how much they dote on Emma, they'd never hand the family legacy over to her.
My adoptive parents warned me—in wealthy families like this, bloodline matters most.
After breakfast, my parents said they'd take me to school.
Emma quickly interjected, "Mom, Dad, I know my way around school. I'll take her. No need to trouble you."
But my mother cut her off, "Nonsense. It's her first day. If we're not there, people will look down on her."
My father agreed. "Not only will we take her, we'll make sure everyone knows she's our daughter by blood."
Emma's hands clenched into fists under the table, furious but not daring to show a hint of it.
