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Mother Smith said sharply, "Emma, you need to understand—sometimes hard work is worthless compared to natural talent."
Wow, she didn't even call her "Emma" anymore.
Father Smith also nodded. "Do your best. Getting into a top university would be great, but it's okay if you don't."
They didn't care anymore.
Before, they needed Emma to maintain their image.
But now, they didn't—because when it came to academics, no one could top me.
Emma's face turned ashen. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she looked like she wanted to set me on fire.
Father and Mother Smith noticed.
"Emma, know your place,"
Father Smith warned.
Mother Smith added, "The fact that we're letting you stay in the Smith family is already a kindness. If you dare harm Skylar, don't blame us for being ruthless."
Emma looked utterly defeated. She gripped her dinner knife tightly, her eyes filled with hatred as she stared at me.
Just then, the new maid who was serving food suddenly pulled out a gun.
She had only been here for three days.
Because the higher-ups knew I was returning to the Smith family, they had made arrangements in advance.
The maid pointed the gun at Emma and said, "If I see any more hostility toward the Director, I will shoot you."
Father and Mother Smith were terrified. They never expected someone in the household to be protecting me.
Julian was also a bit scared and moved closer to me.
I waved my hand, signaling the maid to stand down. Then I looked at Emma and said, "You're worried that my return will take everything from you?"
"But the truth is, whether I'm here or not, since you're not a blood relative of the Smith family, nothing here belongs to you."
"They'd rather give the family fortune to a distant relative than to you. That's a fact."
"Besides, I don't care about money. We have different priorities."
"One last piece of advice, don't even think about trying to kill me. If you do, you'll die."
"Not only is there protection inside the villa, there are also snipers watching this place right now."
I thought for a moment and added, "Oh, and there's something you probably don't know. My adoptive parents aren't miners—they own the mine. Actually, they're wealthier than the Smith family."
My words left the entire Smith family speechless once again.
Father Smith asked in surprise, "But that day we picked you up, you were coming out of the mine yourself."
"I designed the mine's security system. I was there to debug it."
"You can see how lazy I am. You really think I'd be down there mining?"
I was exasperated.
But Emma looked excited and said, "You mean my biological parents are rich?"
"Yes."
"But let me remind you, we have younger siblings."
"You'll get what you're entitled to, but nothing more. Don't fight for what isn't yours."
I warned her.
They had assumed I grew up in hardship.
But in reality, I was raised in extreme wealth.
My adoptive parents treated me exceptionally well, and my siblings and I were very close.
The card I gave Julian had hundreds of millions on it. I never lacked money or love.
Emma was silent for a long time. Suddenly, she stood up and said, "I want to go back now!"
"Whatever."
I knew she would say that.
