Chapter 2 She Tried to Hurt Me in Secret

Alicia noticed the unusually tense atmosphere downstairs and smiled faintly, moving in as if to hug me.

"So, this is my little sister. Welcome home," she said warmly, her tone light and cheerful.

As she spoke, she flitted toward me like a butterfly, aiming to throw herself into my arms.

Instinctively, I sidestepped.

'Good thing I moved fast,' I thought. 'If I hadn't dodged, that needle in her hand would've ended up in me. And knowing myself, I'd have reacted without thinking and shoved her back. Then, the family would've accused me of bullying her over my so-called grudge about our backgrounds. That would've sealed my fate—setting the stage for me to be kicked out of this house down the road.'

'Such a schemer! She must've been some devious old hag reincarnated in her past life!'

Alicia froze mid-pounce, her expression briefly stuck in an awkward grimace before she lost her balance and fell on the dining table. A mess of soup and drinks spilled all over her, soaking her from head to toe.

Drenched and visibly shaken, she shot me a pitiful look and doubled down, her voice trembling as she played the part to perfection. "Yunice, do you hate me? Is it because I took your place? I understand, I really do. You have every right to resent me. But I love Mom, Dad, and our brothers so much… I don't want to leave them. Please don't make me go!"

For a moment, everyone stood there in stunned silence, unsure of what had just happened. But sure enough, someone fell for her act.

Harvey stormed over, his face livid as he helped her up. "Yunice! What's wrong with you? Why did you dodge her? She was just trying to say hello!"

I rolled my eyes inwardly. 'Only an idiot wouldn't dodge that. Did you not see the needle in her hand? Honestly, she should've stuck it in your eye to drain that waterlogged brain of yours.'

Blinking innocently, I shrugged. "It was just a reflex."

Alicia, still dripping and looking utterly miserable, tried to defend herself. "Mom, Dad, I didn't—"

But before she could finish, Harvey cut her off. "Yunice's been in the entertainment industry for years. God only knows how filthy her heart is! Why would anyone believe her?"

Alicia curled up in his arms, a faint, mischievous smile tugging at her lips as she shot me a provocative look.

She was just waiting for me to lose my temper and start shouting.

'Well, excuse me! So it's my fault I'm in the entertainment industry now, huh? Let me remind you—this whole family of yours is already neck-deep in it. Your eldest brother's some hotshot CEO, your second brother and Alicia are actors, and you? You're a singer. Not one of you is not in the industry.'

'So, what is it? Is being broke a sin? If I hadn't stumbled into this business by pure accident, I wouldn't even have enough money to eat or go to school. But sure, you lot are so noble, so pure, right?'

'Meanwhile, I've been grinding my way through, keeping my head down, working extremely hard. And why am I still stuck as a C-list nobody? Because I refuse to play along with dirty deals, that's why! But your precious little sister? The heiress flaunting her wealthy background? She's climbed her way up by hopping into bed with more men than I can count on both hands. And yet, you fools still treat her like some pure, untouchable treasure.'

"You're talking nonsense!" Before the perpetually hot-headed Harvey could react, someone else cut in.

Alicia's face flushed red as she jabbed a trembling finger at me, practically yelling, "You are talking nonsense!"

"Huh?" I blinked, taken aback. "What did I even say?"

Heaven as my witness, I hadn't said a single word out loud. Sure, I might've been silently roasting them in my head, but I swear my lips never moved.

"You said I was—beep, beep, beep, beep—" Alicia stammered, visibly flustered.

I gave her a perplexed look. "What's wrong with your language settings? Did your system crash?"

Harvey jumped in, continuing where she left off. "You just said—beep, beep, beep, beep, beep—"

'Oh, great. Does the Stone Family have some kind of contagious disease? Should I make a run for it before it's too late?'

'Now, if I were to act all indignant, slap her across the face, and pretend I've been wrongly accused, would that be enough for the Stone Family to kick me out on the spot?' I mused.

"Harvey! Take Alicia back to her room to rest!" Thomas, who had been silently observing the chaos, finally spoke up, his tone sharp with irritation.

I reluctantly dropped my hands. Alicia glared at me fiercely, and it felt like she was ready to kill me on the spot.

But in the next moment, her face flushed an alarming red, and she clutched at her throat as though struggling to breathe, her body wracked with pain. It was as if someone had seized her by the throat of fate itself.

Her terrified eyes locked onto mine.

"What are you looking at me for? Do you think I've leveled up to the point where I can piss someone off without even opening my mouth?" I said sarcastically.

"Hey, Harvey, hurry up!" Natalie coughed and urged.

Harvey and Alicia stomped away, their faces full of indignation.

I sat back down, my eyes lingering regretfully on the smashed plates scattered across the table. "I'm hungry. Food?"

"Yunice, just give it a moment. The kitchen is already preparing fresh dishes," Natalie reassured me gently.

I nodded obediently.

To break the awkward tension hanging in the air, Thomas tried to shift the conversation, turning toward my eldest brother. "Mr. Keller has returned. We were thinking of arranging a meal with their family this week to discuss your marriage to Dory Keller."

'Dory Keller… That name sounds familiar. Where have I heard it before?'

The entire table seemed to freeze, everyone's actions slowing to a halt.

Meanwhile, I tried to sift through my internal gossip-tracking system.

Thomas smiled and let his gaze sweep across his children sitting at the dining table, though his eyes lingered on me just a moment longer than necessary.

"My dear Yunice, wouldn't it be wonderful if the daughter of the Keller Family became your sister-in-law?"

My eldest brother stared straight into my eyes, waiting for my response.

By this point, I had already uncovered the juicy details and nodded seriously, saying, "Sounds great."

The whole family visibly relaxed.

But before they could fully exhale, I added silently to myself, 'A cowardly cuckold and a venomous femme fatale—how could they not be a perfect match? Ideal! Great! A match made in heaven!'