Chapter 2
I had lived with the Smiths for over a month now.
Aside from that first day at the orphanage, I hadn’t seen Mrs. Smith again. Instead, I occasionally
ran into Adrian at the dining table.
Every time, I greeted him sweetly with, “Good morning, Adrian.”
But he never once answered.
It didn’t bother me, though.
I was far too busy.
Even in Mrs. Smith’s absence, my schedule was packed with classes she had arranged: etiquette,
dance, equestrian training… all on top of regular schoolwork. Since it was summer break, my days
were filled from dawn until dusk.
Even the housekeeper, Maria, would give me a sympathetic look when I came home covered in
buries from riding lessons.
“Miss, should I speak to Mrs. Smith and ask if you can take a break today?” she asked one evening
as she handed me my riding boots.
I shook my head. “No need.”
The day she brought me home, Mrs. Smith had been clear:
“Children of the Smith family are born to be exceptional–even you, though you’re adopted.”
Maria sighed, pressing a bookbag into my arms. “Meanwhile, the Walkers have been celebrating all morning. I heard they’re heading abroad for a family vacation.”
I knew she was trying to speak up for me, to say I wasn’t enjoying the childhood I deserved.
I smiled faintly. “I’m not tired. I want to learn.”
Maybe others thought of the Smiths as a living hell. But for me, it wasn’t so.
The Walkers were nouveau riche, flashy but shallow. The Smiths were an old dynasty with
resources and influence that could help me truly grow.
Yes, the Smith family was complicated. Yes, Mrs. Smith was cold and exacting. And yes, Adrian kept
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his distance.
But I didn’t mind.
Just as I was lost in thought, a small white kitten darted to my feet.
“Snowball! Wrong person–come back here!” A playful, annoyed voice rang out, followed quickly
by:
“Adrian, help me catch Snowball!”
“Clumsy sister,” a boy laughed indulgently.
I bent down to scoop up the kitten and straightened just as someone walked toward me, smiling.
It was Ethan Walker.
The moment he saw me, his smile froze. His eyes filled with disgust.
“You followed me here? God, you’re like a damn ghost!”
His voice dripped with scorn. “Did you really think that by hanging around, I’d soften toward you? Keep dreaming.”
“Sophia?!”
Lily’s surprised voice cut him off. She hurried over in her frill dress, her face lit up with excitement.
“Oh wow, I can’t believe I ran into you here after the orphanage!”
She glanced at the car parked a short distance behind me. “Wait–was that car waiting for you?”
She stared, her face blanching as realization struck.
“You… you were adopted by the Smiths next door?”
I was about to answer when I noticed the necklace dangling from her neck–a key–shaped pendant I remembered all too well. My eyes froze for half a second.
Lily noticed my gaze and quickly covered the pendant with her hand.
I pretended not to notice and smiled faintly. “Yes. The Smiths.”
“So now your name is Sophia Smith?”
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I caught Ethan’s awkward expression–clearly he had misunderstood something.
“Mm–hm.”
“Are the Smiths really as scary as people say?” Lily leaned closer, whispering conspiratorially. “I
heard their son is sick, maybe even mute. Is that true?”
She pointed toward the Smith estate, her eyes wide with curiosity.
I frowned. Before I could answer, she chirped again, “Wait–are you learning to shoot? Is that a riding and archery outfit?”
“Yes. I need to get going-
))
Ethan cut me off impatiently. “Lily, why bother wasting your time talking to her? Let’s go.”
“Oh… okay.” Lily gave me an apologetic little smile and stuck out her tongue playfully. “Don’t mind him. Ethan’s usually very sweet. I don’t know why he’s being like this today…”
“Ethan, wait for me!” She lifted her skirts and ran after Ethan.
I stood for a moment, then turned and walked away.
Behind me, their voices carried on the breeze.
“Ethan, isn’t it awful? Sophia’s my age, but she spends all day in classes. I saw bruises on her arms -poor thing.”
“Hmph. What’s the point of all that? Some people just aren’t meant to enjoy life. You, Lily, were born to be a princess–pretty and pampered. You’ll never need to suffer like that.”
“Mm, Daddy, Mommy, and you are all the best!”
Suffer?
So that was what the Walkers called effort.
I smirked to myself.
In my previous life, Mr. and Mrs. Walker had indeed spoiled me endlessly–but they had never supported me learning any useful skills.
When I wanted to take equestrian lessons, they refused: “What if you fall and scar yourself? How will you ever marry well?”
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When I wanted to learn self–defense after being followed, they dismissed it: “What respectable daughter of a good family learns to fight? You have bodyguards. No one can touch you.”
Even when I begged to study finance, they waved it off: “Why bother? Your brother will handle business. That’s enough.”
Their love had been suffocating, shaping me into a parasite who could only cling to others.
Mrs. Smith, however, had told me plainly:
“In the Smith family, you learn everything. You fight for everything.”
