Chapter 1
In the quiet garden of the Chandler family, a yell broke the silence. “Ms. Chandler fell in the pool!”
Instantly, chaos broke out. Everyone watched as Yvette Chandler flailed in the water–including Sophia Chandler, Yvette’s sister. Sophia stood frozen at the edge, too stunned to move.
The commotion brought guests running from the party. Before Sophia could react, a finger pointed straight at her. “Sophia pushed her! She did this!”
Heather Chandler–mother to both girls–arrived just in time to hear the accusation. Without thinking, she grabbed Sophia and slapped her hard across the face.
The slap left Sophia’s cheek stinging. The sharp crack still vibrated in her ears as she stared at Heather in shock.
“Mom-” Sophia tried to speak, her voice shaking as she stepped forward.
Heather’s eyes burned with anger. “Don’t call me that,” she snapped. “No daughter of mine would do such a thing.”
Sophia turned to face her three brothers. Dressed in their fine suits, they glared at her like she was the enemy.
“Sophia, if Yvette’s hurt, you’ll pay.” The first brother’s voice trembled with
rage.
The second shook his head in disgust. “I knew you were trouble, but this? Attacking Yvette at her own banquet?”
“Yvette’s suffered enough,” the third spat, fists clenched. “After eighteen years apart, this is how you welcome her? What did she ever do to deserve
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Chapter 1
“Sophia, Yvette is your sister! How could you do that?” the first brother demanded.
Sophia’s cheek still burned from the slap. She shook her head wildly, insisting, “I didn’t push her. I swear it wasn’t me.”
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Their answering silence was worse than words. Jackets hit the pavement as all three brothers plunged into the pool to rescue Yvette.
When they pulled Yvette out, she was drenched and shaking. One brother wrapped his coat around her, and they all gathered close, shielding her and murmuring words of comfort.
Yvette stood there with red–rimmed eyes and a pale face, trembling like a frightened bird. “Mom, it wasn’t Sophia’s fault,” she said softly. “I just slipped.”
Then she glanced at Sophia, her whole body flinched like she’d been struck. With a frightened gasp, she shrank back into her brothers‘ arms, clinging to them like a life raft.
Every guest got the message loud and clear–Sophia had tried to hurt the fragile girl they’d just gotten back.
Yvette hung her head, tears dripping down. “Maybe I shouldn’t have come back… Then Sophia wouldn’t…” Her voice broke into sobs.
The Chandlers shot dagger looks at Sophia, furious at what they thought she’d done, but aching for poor Yvette.
Heather’s eyes glistened. “Oh, Yvette, you’re too good,” she murmured, crushing Yvette in a hug. “My sweet girl. I spent eighteen years searching for you. Hearing you say that… it breaks my heart.”
Yvette clung to Heather, her voice trembling as she cried, “I’m sorry, Mom. I just don’t want to upset Sophia.”
The guests exchanged heavy glances, a collective sigh hanging in the air.
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All eyes turned to Sophia, their gazes thick with disapproval and doubt.
“After all Yvette’s been through,” someone said under their breath. “Taken at two, missing eighteen years. This homecoming should’ve been perfect. Sophia wrecked it.”
“Always so icy, that one,” another whispered. “Like a ghost–never talks, just watches. She really gives me chills.”
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“Not like Yvette,” a third added. “Top student at Halinston University and this year’s highest–scoring STEM graduate. Raised in some small town, but she’s every bit a Chandler.”
“And Sophia?” someone snorted. “Had everything handed to her. Still can’t measure up.”
Howard Chandler, the third son, stood stiffly as the whispers continued. His hands began to shake–first slightly, then uncontrollably. Before anyone could react, he’d grabbed Sophia by the shoulders and shoved her backward. “What did Yvette ever do to deserve this?” he screamed.
The impact sent Sophia stumbling backward. Her foot caught on someone’s leg, and she fell hard–her head slamming into the concrete flower bed beside the pool.
Dizziness washed over her. The crowd’s noise and Howard’s angry face blurred together, fading away.
The last thing she saw was Yvette’s sly, mocking smile before darkness swallowed her.
When Sophia came to, her head pounded. Strange, sad memories flooded her mind–cramming in like uninvited guests until everything went quiet.
Then she realized that she was trapped in some cheesy fantasy story where Yvette was the golden girl everyone loved.
Yvette had gone missing at two years old. After eighteen long years, the
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Chapter 1
Chandlers got her back. From then on, she could do no wrong in their wealthy world.
Yvette’s parents and three brothers spoiled her rotten. But it wasn’t just her family–powerful businessmen, famous doctors, top scientists, and even super stars all adored her.
Yvette had a natural charm–sweet, kind, yet strong. Men fell under her spell instantly, tripping over themselves to please her. A single frown could send a roomful of powerful people into a panic.
Every tale needed its sacrificial side characters, and poor Sophia had drawn the shortest straw imaginable.
“Stop playing dead! Get up!” Howard barked at Sophia’s motionless form. Certain she was faking, he drew back his foot to deliver a sharp nudge.
Sophia suddenly opened her eyes, startling everyone. That venomous glare sent Howard reeling backward.
Calmly, Sophia got to her feet and dusted herself off. She looked around at her so–called family.
Her brothers‘ faces twisted with contempt. Nearby, Yvette and Heather sobbed dramatically in each other’s arms.
A knowing smile curled Sophia’s lips as the truth settled into place. “Yvette,” she purred, saccharine venom dripping from every syllable, “did I really push you?”
Sophia’s gentle voice and smile should have been warm, but instead made everyone’s blood run cold.
Heather pulled Yvette closer as Sophia advanced, her protective grip tightening. “That’s enough, Sophia,” she warned through clenched teeth. “Don’t humiliate yourself further. Go inside.”
“Stay out of it,” Sophia snapped, her pleasant facade dropping instantly. “I
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wasn’t talking to you.”
The sudden shift left Heather speechless, the Chandler brothers equally stunned.
Sophia turned back to Yvette, forcing sweetness into her voice. “Let’s try this again. Did I push you?”
Yvette’s eyes darted nervously before she buried herself in Heather’s embrace, shaking like a leaf. “Y–Yes… I mean no… I just slipped,” she stammered through tears. “It was an accident.”
The words barely left her mouth when Sophia seized Yvette by her hair, wrenching her from Heather’s arms. Two sharp cracks rang out—open- handed strikes that left the garden dead silent.
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