Chapter 1.

The atmosphere of the Anderson wasn't very nice. A young girl was seen moping on the floor with her bloody hands.

"Why aren't you done moping yet?" A young lady yelled at her.

"Amy, I am almost done cleaning," she begged, looking at Amy pitifully.

"How many times have I told you to stop calling my name?" Amy yelled, stepping into her hands really hard.

" Arhhhhhhhh!!!! Please, ma'am," she cried, trying to pull out her hands.

"Jenny, don't you ever in your miserable life call my name with that stinky mouth of yours again? Am I understood?" Amy threatened, glaring at her.

Jenny couldn't reply because she was choking with tears. 

"I SAID AM I CLEAR???" Amy yelled, losing her patience.

"Yes, ma'am," Jenny cried.

Amy walked off with her heels echoing the entire mansion. Jenny sat on the floor, crying her eyes out, looking at her bloody hands. 

She has been treated like this ever since her mother passed away. Robert, her father, married her stepmother Emma, who has always been on her neck. And her daughter Amy wouldn't stop at nothing to make life difficult for her. She's the first daughter of the Anderson family, the owner of the most expensive and beautiful automobile industry in the Los Angeles, California.

Jenny was still in thought when she felt cold water being poured on her.

"Get your miserable life off my floor," Emma barked at her, dropping the bucket. Jenny moved back in fear.

"I will get... It's done now," she stammered, moping the floor, enduring the pains in her hands.

Half an hour later, she was done clearing the place. Jenny, her brow furrowed with determination, gathers her supplies: some gauze, medical tape, and antiseptic. She gently cleans the wound, wincing slightly as she does so. Her left hand is surprisingly steady as she dabs the antiseptic on the wound, then applies the gauze and tape with a practiced hand. She takes a deep breath and exhales slowly, pleased with her handiwork. Her eyes meet the mirror, and she nods confidently—she's got this.

Jenny walked out of the bathroom looking tired and exhausted. Her stomach grumbled loudly, indicating that she was hungry. She hugged herself tightly; she remembered that she hadn't eaten anything for the whole day.

She sluggishly walked to the kitchen, only to find out that there was no food kept for her. She just took out a bottle of bread and then took a juice and walked back into her room. 

********* 

Robert trudged up the steps of the house. His head is down, his body language reflecting a heavy heart. As he nears the front door, his steps become unsteady, and he begins to teeter, on the brink of falling. Suddenly, a strong hand grasps his arm and pulls him back to safety. It's Jenny, a worried expression on her face.

"Dad, are you okay?" she asked, helping him to sit down properly. Unlike Robert, he didn't reply to her.

"Call your sister Amy," he requested politely.

Jenny's heart sank at his request. Amy has never respected her as an older sister; she also mocks her, and now her father is asking her to call Amy. She's not even sure if Amy has her number. She was not cut out to receive any insult that afternoon; the insult and wound she inflicted on her are still fresh, and now she has to endure another one. She prays that Amy will listen to her this time without insulting her.

After so much deliberation, she reluctantly picked up her phone and called Amy. After a thousand rings, she picked up.

"Haven't I told you never to calm me down again in your miserable life?" Amy barked at her. She pulled away from her ears due to a lot of noise in the background.

"Dad wants you home now," she said, waiting for her reply.

"Why?" Amy asked calmly this time around. 

"I don't know; all I know is he's not in a good condition, and he needs all of us, including your mom," Jenny said and hung before she could reply. She turned to her father and smiled.

"They are coming," she announced, while he nodded, still lost in thoughts.

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After what felt like hours, Amy walked in gracefully with her mother as their heels made noise that echoed around the house.

"What took you so long?" Robert asked when he noticed their presence.

"I was trying to round up with work," Emma replied, sitting beside her husband while Amy sat opposite them.

"What's so important that you had to call me from work, dad?" Amy asked impatiently, hating the fact that she had to sit together with Jenny for the family meeting.

"The Logard family asked us to choose a wife for their son Richard," Robert said anxiously.

" What???" Amy asked, shocked.

" Yes. Years ago, when we had nothing. I borrowed a loan from old Logard, and he made me promise him that one of my daughters would be his daughter-in-law, and now they are here for their spouse," Robert explained.

"There's no way I am marrying such a man," Amy said, standing up. "I have a boyfriend who loves me, not a ruthless man that will use me as a punching bag," she hissed and walked out.

"Jenny, what about you?" Robert asked, waiting for her rejection. Before Jenny could talk, Emma interrupted her.

"My daughter can't marry such a man, but I am sure Jenny can handle him. Right dear?" Emma smirked at her.

"I will think about it, Dad," she said, calmly trying to process everything. 

"Make your decision fast because our life depends on it now, please, dear," Robert said and walked back into his room.

Emma glared at Jenny for a while before following her husband into the room.

Jenny was left alone in thoughts. If her sister Amy refuses to marry, the man refuses. He must be a very bad man. Everyone in Los Angeles, California, knows Richard Logard as a cruel, ruthless, and heartless man. How in the world would her father accept such a deal? She was still in thoughts when her Emma came back and sat with her.

Her eyes widened in fear. She totally forgot that she's not supposed to sit on the couch unless her father is around, or else she will be lashed. 

"No, no, no, please." She cried, moving away from the couch.