Just then, a sweet, bell-like voice rang out behind her. “Good morning, Mom!” A graceful figure came walking toward them, each step light and elegant. Every movement she made was polished and proper. She wore a custom pink chiffon dress. A diamond necklace worth a fortune. Gold earrings. A million-dollar watch. Everything about her screamed wealth and privilege. Her brows were delicately shaped, her bearing ethereal — she looked like a princess out of a fairytale. The girl blinked her bright, watery eyes, her gaze finally settling on Windy. A brilliant smile lit up her face. “This must be Windy, right?” Before Windy could respond— Quinn, her face full of tender affection, smiled as she watched her daughter skip lightly down the stairs. Behind her was a tall, steady figure. A perfectly tailored suit. A powerful presence. An overwhelming, unshakable aura of authority. Windy’s gaze followed the girl. The wounds deep inside her heart were torn open again. She seemed to see blood gushing from the cracks. Her blood boiled toward her chest. Her fingers curled tightly. She fought to suppress the hatred churning inside her. The ones who had caused her such a miserable death were right in front of her. She wanted to tear them apart. Windy closed her eyes. When she opened them again, her expression was calm. Elsa, in her designer leather shoes, walked up to her. She looked Windy up and down. Raised in the countryside, and yet her skin was so fair and delicate. That face — even more beautiful than hers — carried a cold, forbidding arrogance. Especially those big eyes. They were enough to make anyone envious. Elsa didn’t let it show. She smiled sweetly. She casually hooked her arm through Windy’s. “Windy, if you ever need anything here, you can come to me. You can call me ‘sis’ or just Elsa.” Her smile was warm and harmless. Windy calmly pulled her arm away. Her voice was chillingly clear. “We’re not close.” Elsa froze for a moment, but quickly masked it with another dazzling smile and changed the subject. “Windy, you just got back. You’re probably not used to everything yet. But it’s okay. Once we spend more time together, you’ll get comfortable.” The man behind them finally spoke, his gaze settling on Windy. His expression was complicated as he said something she didn’t quite understand. “Now that you’re home, live well.” As soon as he finished, Elsa jumped in. “Windy, let me introduce our family. This is Dad, and this is Mom, and we have a brother too, but he’s overseas right now. If you need anything, you can come to any of us.” The words sounded fine on the surface. But if you listened carefully, the meaning was much deeper. Elsa completely positioned herself as the master of the house — treating Windy like a guest from far away. Windy’s gaze followed Elsa’s gesture to the elegant woman. Once upon a time, she had been a beam of light to her — warm and gentle. But that light had thorns. It had pierced her until she bled out. And the dignified man standing nearby— In her past life, even when faced with the daughter they had lost for years— His face remained stern and cold, showing no joy. Only when looking at Elsa would a trace of warmth soften his harsh eyes. In their eyes, Windy was just an unwelcome outsider. In the past, she had tried everything to please them. Desperately lowering herself, going out of her way to win their acceptance. But these idiots— They clung to the fake daughter and discarded the real one. Elsa had been adopted the year Windy went missing, taken from an orphanage to soothe Quinn’s grief. And once Elsa arrived— The Sue family’s laughter returned. Everyone treated her like a real daughter. Meanwhile, Windy, their real flesh and blood, could never fit in. In her past life, she had learned the hard way — Family love was nothing but poisoned wine, rotting her from the inside out. Quinn pulled Elsa closer, pride flashing in her eyes. Then she turned to Windy, her voice syrupy sweet, her smile unchanged. “Windy, you and Elsa are both my daughters. You must love each other. You’re the older sister, so you should let Elsa have her way. After all, she grew up with us. I hope you can understand — I don’t want her to feel burdened.” See? Exactly the same as before. Back then, Windy had actually blamed herself — thinking her sudden return had made Elsa’s life awkward. How ridiculous. If it weren’t for the DNA test— She would have doubted whether she was even born of Quinn’s womb. “Is she crippled or disabled that I need to ‘let her have her way’?” Quinn’s smile froze. The always-elegant woman clearly hadn’t expected such blunt words. David, too, was shocked by his country-raised daughter’s retort. Linda had already been stunned several times today. Now she just silently shrank into the background, pretending not to exist. The atmosphere in the living room dropped to freezing. Elsa quickly stepped forward, trying to smooth things over, her voice soft and sweet as she clung to Quinn. “Mom, I’m not a little kid. I don’t need anyone letting me have anything. Sister just got back. We should take care of each other.” She looked pitifully at Windy. “Sister, don’t be mad. It’s my fault… Mom didn’t mean anything bad.” Quinn’s icy gaze melted away. She doted on Elsa, tapping her forehead playfully. “You little rascal.” “Yes, yes, you two sisters should look after each other.” David, silent until now, also spoke up. He looked at Windy. “Alright. We’re all family. If you need anything, you can tell us.” Quinn nodded faintly. “Relax a little at home. A daughter of the Sue family shouldn’t let others look down on her.” Windy understood perfectly. She was talking about her clothes. They all stood there, yet not one person asked how she had survived all these years. Not one word about the hardships she had endured. Just a casual “Relax a little at home.” Over a decade of suffering, brushed away in a single sentence. After tossing out a few hollow remarks, Quinn and David led Elsa upstairs. Before going, Quinn instructed the maids, “Linda, show Windy to her room.” “Yes, Madam.” Linda approached Windy respectfully. “Ms. Windy, I’ll show you to your room. Starting tonight, you’ll stay in your own space.” “Alright. Thank you.” Linda led Windy up to the second floor. When the door opened, everything was so familiar. The room was large — at least it seemed that way to Windy. In truth, it was the smallest room in the Sue family mansion. But back then, she had been overjoyed. She had never lived anywhere so beautiful before. The room was decorated in soft pinks, just like the ones she had only ever seen on TV. And now she owned it. She had been so grateful to the Sue family. Grateful to her parents for everything they had prepared for her. Grateful they didn’t despise her rural background. Now, she just glanced around faintly, showing little reaction. Linda cautiously asked, “Ms. Windy, is there anything else you need?” Anything else she needed? There’s a lot I need. But the Sue family could never afford it. Windy withdrew her gaze. “What about the other rooms? Can I take a look?” “Of course! Of course! I’ll show you right away.” Linda was delighted. She thought Windy was finally trying to get familiar with the family. She gave a thorough, detailed tour. She even introduced the kennel where the family’s purebred dogs lived. Linda really hoped Windy would quickly find her place here.