Chapter 4

"This Vivienne is really bad luck, always causing trouble for us."

Big Brother frowned slightly, but eventually nodded, agreeing with Second and Third Brother's assessment.

After they left my room, I dozed off again into a hazy sleep.

In my foggy state, I seemed to return to that day when I was four years old and brought to the Lu Family Estate.

At age four, I was adopted from the orphanage by Mom and Dad and came to the Lu Family Estate.

From the first day I arrived at the Stratton Family Estate, I had Mom, Dad, and three brothers.

In our family of six, I was the most doted upon. Mom and Dad indulged me, and my three brothers protected me.

Big Brother was always calm and steady, yet he was willing to play childish horseback riding games with me.

Second Brother was quite the little monkey, always leading me into mischief, then taking all the blame himself to keep me from being punished.

Third Brother had a gloomy and fierce temperament, but saved all his gentleness and favoritism for me.

Until that year when I turned eighteen, and Violet was found and brought home.On that day, I finally learned the truth. Violet had gone missing as a child, and my three brothers had been driven mad with longing for her. That's why they adopted me from the orphanage. All the love and affection they showered on me stemmed from their guilt and yearning for Violet.

After that revelation, my world changed completely. Their most beloved sister was no longer me, but Violet. Yet I had no grounds to compete with her for their affection.

I had already stolen fourteen years of happiness that should have been Violet's. So I had to willingly step aside and accept that my three brothers had become Violet's brothers, because that's what they were meant to be all along.

I held back at every turn, but Violet still targeted me at every opportunity. Things came to a head with the staged kidnapping incident at the wedding.

That day, my world came crashing down, reduced to nothing but ruins.

I slept straight through until the afternoon, only waking when the housekeeper called me. With her help, I got dressed, feeling like a soulless puppet as the driver took me to the banquet hall.

When I arrived, the reception hadn't started yet.

Fletcher saw me come in, making no effort to hide the disgust in his eyes.

"Find somewhere to wait by yourself. We'll call you when you're needed to make an appearance."I stepped forward obediently, nodding my head, and made my way to the far right of the ballroom to take a seat in the balcony rest area.

No sooner had I sat down than Violet approached, her little dog cradled in her arms, and settled into the seat across from me.

Her slender, pale fingers gently stroked the puppy in her lap as she smiled and spoke softly.

"Vivienne, how have you been these past six months at the fight club? You stole fourteen years from me, and you've only paid back half a year. You still owe me so much more."

The puppy licked Violet's fingers, its little head nuzzling into her embrace. Meanwhile, I felt my whole body tense up, my breathing growing more rapid as my eyes darted around anxiously, searching for something.

Violet noticed my flickering gaze, and the smugness in her eyes intensified.

"Looking for someone? Who do you think our brothers will side with? Face it, Vivienne. So what if you were their sister for fourteen years? I'm their blood sister. In the end, the bonds of family will always trump time spent together. You really are pitiful, Vivienne."

My throat felt scratchy, and when I spoke, my voice came out so hoarse it scared even me.

"But why? I never..."

Violet's smile widened, seemingly amused by my disheveled state."Do you want an answer? Here's your answer: I hate you. I hate that you stole fourteen years of my life. I hate that you stole fourteen years of my brothers' love and attention. I hate that you stole the arranged marriage that was supposed to be mine!"