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I ignored them and went upstairs. I paused outside my bedroom door for a moment, then threw it open.
Just as I expected, Willow was standing at my vanity.
I walked over. My jewelry box was in disarray, its contents pawed through.
I smiled.
In my last life, Liam had banished me to the basement, and I, terrified of his anger, had complied. By the time I came back for my things, all my designer clothes and expensive jewelry were gone. The next time I
saw them, they were on Willow.
When I’d complained to Liam, he had been thoroughly brainwashed. “You’re a Vance. You can have anything you want. So what if Willow takes a few things? She’s had a hard life. It’s understandable she’d like nice thin- gs. You, on the other hand, are materialistic and petty.”
Looking at my brother’s current state of idiocy, I knew he wouldn’t help me.
So I would help myself.
I watched the panicking Willow with a predatory smile and forcibly pried the jewels she was trying to hide from her hands. “A woman of such high moral character,” I mused, “is also a thief?”
I advanced on her, backing her towards the door.
“Don’t think that just because you have my brother wrapped around your finger, you have a place in this hou- se. My father is still in charge here. And I am still the lady of the house.”
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Chapter 2
“This time,” I whispered, leaning in close, “you’re not the protagonist. I am.”
I shoved her out and slammed the door in her face, locking it.
I could hear her pathetic sobs from the hallway.
I ignored her, put on my noise–canceling headphones, and had a wonderful night’s sleep.
I woke up naturally around 8 PM to a knock on my door. It was Mr. Henderson.
“Miss Lillian,” he said, his voice laced with concern, “that girl is downstairs for dinner. If you find her presen-
ce distasteful, I can bring your meal up to you.”
I stretched, feeling refreshed and powerful. “I am the mistress of this house. Why should I hide from her? Let‘ s go see what that little snake is up to.”
Willow flinched when she saw me come downstairs in my silk pajamas, shrinking against my brother. The sight seemed to please him, and his expression hardened as he looked at me. “You have the nerve to show your face? Didn’t I tell you to give your room to Willow? How dare you disobey me!”
Seeing she had backup, Willow straightened up, giving me a smug, defiant look.
I just raised an eyebrow and, without a word, pulled out my phone and dialed my father.
My parents were on a business trip, but they always answered immediately when Liam or I called.
“Lillian, darling!” my father’s voice boomed from the speaker. “Have you eaten dinner yet?”
It was the first time I had spoken to them since my rebirth. Memories of my last life flooded back, and tears began to stream down my face. “Daddy,” I choked out, “Liam is bullying me.”
Hearing me cry, my parents were instantly alarmed. I sobbed as I recounted everything Liam and Willow had done. The day’s frustrations mixed with the lingering grief and longing from my past life, and it all came pou-
ring out.
My father was furious. I switched the phone to speaker, and his enraged roar filled the dining room, making Liam and Willow jump.
“LIAM VANCE, YOU SON OF A BITCH! SIDING WITH AN OUTSIDER AGAINST YOUR OWN SISTER? ARE YOU
OUT OF YOUR MIND?”
“I’M STILL ALIVE AND YOU’RE ALREADY DOING THIS! AFTER I’M DEAD, ARE YOU GOING TO DRIVE YOUR
SISTER TO HER GRAVE?”
After my father finished, my mother’s sharp voice cut in. As a woman, she saw right through Willow’s act.
“And you, Willow Marsh. I only agreed to let my son bring you into our home out of respect for your aunt. Now you’re acting like you own the place, seducing my son and turning him against my daughter with your
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cheap, trashy tricks. I’m warning you, you’d better watch yourself. Just wait until I get home.”
Willow shrank in her seat, too scared to even cry..
20.17
My mother delivered the final verdict. “Put that little fox in the basement. If she can’t handle it, she can get out! Crying about being frail? She managed to survive eighteen years in some slum apartment, but suddenly
our house is too much for her?”
Once they had vented, I switched off the speaker, soothed them with a few sweet words, and hung up.
I dried my tears and smiled sweetly at Willow. “Well, Miss Marsh? Are we clear now? Mr. Henderson has already moved your things to the basement. I do hope you have a pleasant night’s sleep.”
I then calmly began to eat my dinner. Our cook beamed at me, cracking open a king crab for me while quiet- ly placing a plate of spiny mantis shrimp in front of Willow.
Willow, defeated, tugged on Liam’s sleeve, but his face was stone. With no one left to defend her, she could
only lower her head, pricking her fingers on the sharp shells and not daring to make a sound.
