Chapter 1 Chapter 1

It was the finals that week. I came to my brother's new home with a stack of textbooks, hoping to study hard in a quiet environment for the upcoming exams. I had just flipped open my book for a few minutes when someone knocked on the door rapidly. I assumed that the plants I ordered were being delivered, so I opened the door without a second thought. "Look, everyone! This is the face of the mistress Claude has been seeing in secret!" As soon as I opened the door, a phone on a selfie stick was practically shoved in my face by a short woman with heavy makeup. Behind her was a large crowd of people. "Who are you? You must have the wrong door," I stated with a frown. Before I could finish, they barged in, pushing me inside along with them. "Hmph. You're the one Claude has been having an affair with, huh? She's not even that pretty!" The group of women shot hostile glares at me, and I felt very apprehensive. A wave of unease washed over me. "Why are you trespassing into private property? Please leave immediately!" I shouted at them. Anxiously, I tried to grab my phone, but a tall woman with wavy hair snatched it away before I could reach it. "Did you want to call for backup? Like I'd let you!" She glared at me with a spiteful expression. Then, she shrieked, "How dare you try to steal my fiancé from me, you mistress? I'm going to teach you a lesson today!" Before I could even process what she meant when she mentioned the words "mistress" and "fiancé", I was slapped hard across the face. The force of the slap stunned me. "Look at that innocent expression she's putting on. See how good she is at putting on a show. This is the type of woman men always fall for and have an affair with!" the woman who slapped me spat hatefully. She then massaged her palm and continued hurling accusations at me. "Stop pretending! Don't try to deny that you know Claude! Can you swear to God that you're not his mistress?" Claude Stark was my brother. Why did she keep claiming that I was his mistress? Every penny I spent was from the funds that my mother left for me. "Yes, I know Claude. I'm his sister!" I shot back angrily. No one had ever hit me before, so my anger flared up. I screamed at the crowd of unruly women, "Now that you know that Claude is my brother, get out of here this instance!""You shameless vixen! That's what all mistresses claim to be when they're exposed!" the woman sneered, digging her nails into the side of my cheek that she had slapped. My eyes stung with tears from the pain, but I couldn't push her hand away. "Julia, look at this place. It's so big and luxurious. Claude sure is generous to this vixen," one of the women commented. Julia? The name rang a bell. I pushed her hand away forcefully and covered my aching cheek. "Are you Julia Durand, my brother's girlfriend?" I asked. Upon hearing my words, the crowd grew even angrier. "You know Julia is Claude's girlfriend, yet you still chose to come between them! Look at this shameless piece of work, everyone," the short lady exclaimed, shoving her phone in my face again. I knew she was live-streaming. In my anger, I knocked her phone to the ground. "Put away your phone! I'm not a mistress. Julia—" Before I could finish, the woman who was live-streaming kicked me in the stomach. I stumbled and doubled over in pain. "I'm Claude's sister. I'm his real sister!" I blurted, my voice strained with pain and anger as I clutched my stomach. Everyone froze and looked at Julia. "Does Claude have a sister?" Julia's face fell as she answered, "Yes, he does have a sister.""Could we have made a mistake? If we hit Claude's sister, we're done for…" As the crowd of women started doubting themselves, a voice rang out. "She's lying. She's not Claude's sister at all."

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

The live streamer, Orla Brown, waved my student ID around smugly. "Take a look, everyone. The mistress is so cunning. Not only does she deny that she's a mistress after being caught, but she's also lying by claiming to be the guy's sister." She held my student ID up to the camera and said, "Her name is Silvia Felton, and she's a sophomore at Avant Design Academy. How can you claim to be Claude Stark's sister when you don't even have the same last name?" I panicked because she was exposing my personal information online by blatantly showing the internet my student ID. I tried to grab it back, but two women held me down. Julia became enraged, feeling that I had tricked her. She slapped me hard twice. I felt the world around me spin as the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. "You vixen! How dare you trick me? I'll tear you apart!" Julia cried out in a shrill voice. As I was pinned down, I couldn't avoid her furious physical blows. "We really are siblings," I said weakly. No one believed me. Everyone was fixated on the luxurious decor inside the villa. "Claude spared no expense on you. I can't believe he set up such a lavish dwelling for you," Julia said with a sneer as she glanced around. Then, she uttered two words coldly, "Smash it.""Come on, everybody! Keep those live gifts coming! The live demolition starts now!" Orla screeched excitedly. This house's decor was my wedding gift to Claude. I designed the layout and chose the design company myself. For over half a year, I'd been here every chance I had to monitor the workers. Panic surged through me when I heard that they were going to wreck the villa. "No! Don't ruin the house. This is all my hard work!" I struggled fiercely against the two women pinning me down. I clawed at them, leaving several gashes on their arms. They cursed as they tightened their grip. It wasn't the money I cared about—it was my work, my effort. The more agitated I was, the more pleased they were. Within minutes, the sound of smashing and breaking filled the room. The top-of-the-line TV was shattered, the leather couch was slashed, and even the antique vases lay in pieces. "Y-You're all insane! I'm calling the police on you!" I said through clenched teeth, thoroughly maddened at the chaos that was unfolding. My words reached the ears of the woman restraining me. They jeered, "What? This little tramp wants to call the cops? Will the police side with mistresses? This is a family matter—we're all Julia's family, and we're here to support her." They shoved and pinched me as I lay curled up on the ground, bracing myself against the pain. "What? A viewer said that this painting is a world-renowned piece. How much is it worth? Did you say 400 million dollars?" Orla asked exaggeratedly. This drew my attention immediately. I cried out, "Don't touch that painting! You can't afford it. It's worth 500 million dollars!""There's no way Claude would spend so much on a real painting for his mistress.""It's definitely fake.""A fake that size should still be quite valuable. Look at how panicked she is." The women stood in front of the painting, bickering away. "Don't touch that painting! If you damage it, you'll have to spend your entire fortune just to make up for the loss," I said angrily. Claude had bought this painting anonymously at an auction and specifically asked me to hang it in his new home. Upon hearing this, Julia grew angrier. "I asked Claude to buy me a 50-million-dollar ring, and he refused. Yet, he spent 500 million on a worthless painting for you. I ought to teach you a good lesson!" She turned to the others and shouted, "Destroy that stupid painting!""Everyone, watch as we stomp on a world-famous painting. Isn't this exciting?" Orla yelled in excitement. They took down the painting and tore off the frame. With their dirty feet, they trampled all over Claude's treasured masterpiece. I silently prayed and hoped that the art restorer would be able to repair the damage they had inflicted. "Get me a pair of scissors. Claude must have bought it for this tart as a token of their love. I'm cutting it to pieces," Julia declared. All my remaining hope vanished. "Julia, you're going to regret this," I said helplessly. Didn't my brother say his girlfriend was sweet and gentle? Did he know that she was capable of such malicious acts?

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

I watched in shock as the priceless painting was shredded to pieces. I felt numb all over. When Julia's gaze landed on the eight-million-dollar piano afterward, I shot her a glacial stare. She walked up to the piano, her gaze fixated on its glossy surface. Then, she ran her hand over a row of keys. The melodious sound of the piano echoed through the room. Julia's face contorted with fury as she came over to me. She yanked my hair and kicked me repeatedly. "You wretch! This is my favorite piano. Claude said he'd buy it for me, yet here it is in your place!" Julia screamed. I fell to the ground again as her high heels dug into me. The only thing I could do was curl up in defense. I gritted my teeth, wondering what kind of look would appear on Julia's face once she knew she was destroying her new marital home and piano. Then again, she didn't need the house anymore. I vowed not to let her become a part of the Stark family. "How do you like the act of the mistress being torn apart by the fiancée? It's very satisfying, isn't it? Remember this tramp's name, everyone—it's Silvia Felton. Feel free to dig up her details," Orla said in her annoying voice. I thought I couldn't be humiliated any further. But then, they found my most treasured possession upstairs. "Julia, take a look at this. What is it?" When I saw them holding the velvet box, I forgot all my pain instantly. In fact, I was so panicked that my speech failed me. Julia opened the box, lifted the cover, and took out the glass trophy I usually handled with the utmost care. "It says 'First Prize for Information Science.' What's so special about this cheap trophy? It's in such a fancy box. Let's smash it!" Julia said. I cried out, "No! Don't smash it!" As Julia raised the trophy over her head to smash it, I ignored my pain and scrambled to my feet while shouting, "You can break anything else. Give that trophy back to me, please." My mom and dad had won this trophy together. It was the country's most prestigious award for scientific research. Due to differences in their academic pursuits and conflicting views on family and love, my parents divorced later on. My father took my brother and went into business. He took advantage of the booming economy to establish Stark Group. Meanwhile, my mom left with the trophy and moved to Devenia. There, she dedicated herself to science. She would sometimes hold this trophy and gaze at it, lost in thought. I knew it reminded her of my dad, as this trophy symbolized their love. My mom never remarried. She raised me alone while pursuing her research. My mom passed away the year I became a freshman in the academy. This trophy wasn't only a testament to my parents' achievements—it was a symbol of their love and my mother's last keepsake for me. Julia glanced at the trophy in her hand, then at my trembling, desperate expression. Her next words were laced with venom. She said nonchalantly, "Oh, you seem to value this a lot. Then I definitely have to destroy it." Upon seeing her raise her hand again, I couldn't think of anything else and hurriedly blurted, "Julia, that's Claude's most treasured item! If you break it, he'll kill you." Julia hesitated and gave the trophy a careful once-over. "Why would a scion like Claude be involved in anything scientific? You lied about being his sister earlier. Now, you're trying the same trick again," Orla said as she looked on in amusement. Julia frowned and bellowed, "You almost fooled me again!""I'm begging you. I'll do anything if you don't smash it," I pleaded. At that moment, I thought of countless ways to stop this madwoman. Sadly, none of them seemed to work. Julia weighed the trophy in her hand as a smug smile formed on her lips. "You'd do anything? Alright, then get on your knees and bark like a dog."

Chapter 4 Chapter 4

"Julia, I'm telling you for the last time. I'm Claude's sister, and what you're holding is our parents' keepsake," I said in a trembling voice. My eyes were reddened with fury as flashbacks of my weak and sick mother holding the trophy lovingly filled my mind. "So? Will you get down or not?" Julia looked at me arrogantly. I swallowed hard, suppressing the rage and heartbreak inside. Slowly, I got down on all fours for my mother's sake. Orla immediately turned her phone toward me. "Look, everyone! The mistress is on her knees! If you want to hear her bark like a dog, hit that follow and like button!""W-Woof. Woof." I endured the humiliation, desperate to protect my mother's keepsake. The people around me burst out laughing. A crisp shattering sound suddenly rang out, causing my whole being to jolt like I'd been struck by lightning. "Oops, I'm sorry. My hand slipped," Julia said scornfully. The ground was littered with shards of glass, and among them, I could still make out the words "First Prize". Julia looked at me with disdain. Her expression was smug, as if daring me to do something about it. At that very moment, I felt a burning rage deep within me. I lunged at Julia and grabbed her hair, clawing at her face with everything I had. I wasn't a fighter, so I was acting on pure instinct as my nails dug into her skin. I had only one thought—I wanted to destroy her! I moved so fast that no one reacted in time. By the time the group of women pulled me off Julia, there were scratches all over her face. I was still clutching a handful of her hair with pieces of her scalp attached. Julia clutched her face, screaming in rage. "How dare you hit me!" The people around were shocked by my crazed reaction. They held me down but didn't dare hit me. "Strip her and make her parade the streets naked! I want everyone to see her shameless and vile body! Record it! Post it on her college's website so her teachers and classmates can see her for who she is!" Julia yelled furiously. She started tearing at my clothes, and I struggled desperately as three or four strong women pinned me down. I was only wearing a dress that day. So, Julia yanked it off in no time. As she reached for my underwear, I seized the chance to bite down on her hand. They desperately pried my mouth open and slapped me until my head spun. When I could no longer take it, I finally let go. My mouth tasted of blood, and it dripped down the corner of my lips. I glared at them, my eyes filled with hatred. None of them would get away with this as long as I was alive. "You psycho!" Julia spat, looking at the deep bite mark on her hand. "You can't strip her any further. It's against streaming regulations, and the livestream will be stopped," one of the women reminded Julia. Julia felt conflicted as she eyed my sports bra and inner pants. "Fine. Let's drag her out for the whole neighborhood to see." They shoved me out the door. Soon, we reached the entrance of the residential area. A crowd had gathered there, and the security guards struggled to maintain order. "Everyone, here's the mistress! Come and take a look!" As I was paraded to the public, barely clothed, my hatred reached its peak. The head security guard recognized me and ran over in a hurry, but someone else got there first. The moment Julia saw Claude, her expression changed. She spoke with a voice that sounded pitiful and carried a hint of a sob. "You're here, Claude! Look how this brazen woman scratched my face—" But before she could finish, Claude slapped her so hard that she tumbled to the floor. "Have you lost your mind? How dare you do this to my sister?" The crowd fell silent at Claude's outburst. They all stared at Julia in shock. Julia lay sprawled on the ground with blood trickling down at the corner of her mouth. Since her face was scratched and disheveled, she looked no better than me. Claude came over and kicked aside each of the women holding me. He took off his jacket and wrapped it around me, holding me protectively in his arms.