Chapter 1

1 I was just taking the trash out. That's when I saw it: a limited-edition Lamborghini practically bouncing off the ground. Inside, in the back seat, my two brothers were going at it like animals with that orphan girl we took in, just hammering away. I didn't even blink. I just quietly recorded the whole thing and sent the video to the biggest news outlet in the world. "Seven PM tomorrow," I typed. "I want the whole world to see this." Last time around, that little nobody, just because my brothers were using her, stole my life ― my identity as the heiress, Katherine Blackwood. At my birthday bash, the Blackwood gala, she and my brothers blocked me at the door, twisting everything around. "What makes you think you belong here, you little street rat?" she sneered. "I'm Katherine Blackwood now. You? You can crawl back to whatever hole you came from and try not to embarrass yourself." Last time, I was so scared of my brothers' anger, I let her walk all over me. But this time? Hell no. ... The next evening, at the party, she stepped right in front of me, just like before. I kicked her so hard she landed flat on her butt. "Who the hell do you think you are, blocking my way?" I glared at the housekeeper, standing nearby, and said, "Well? Get this fake out of my sight!" Everyone just stood there, mouths hanging open. Nobody expected me, the girl who always took it, to actually fight back. The housekeeper scrambled to help her up, giving me a nervous look. "Katherine, honey, you can't treat Amanda like that. What will your brothers say?" She knew damn well I was the real Katherine, but she played along with their game. "Listen up, you old bat! There's only one Katherine Blackwood in this family, got it?" The housekeeper flinched, head down, not saying a word. I slapped her so hard she fell. "Can't even tell who your boss is? You're useless! Get out!" Last time, this witch, seeing my parents were never around, took orders from my brothers like they were royalty. She abused me, Katherine Blackwood, like I was nothing. That orphan, Amanda, even got her to hire someone to disfigure me and then murder me, dumping my body somewhere. The housekeeper did everything Amanda said. A total puppet. Now? She was shaking, kneeling on the floor. "But Amanda told me what to do! I was just following her orders!" "Your brothers will hear about this. They won't be happy," she whined. Amanda, acting all innocent, started trying to win people over, helping the housekeeper up and acting all "big sister" to scold me. "See? This is what happens when you take in a stray." "After all these years with us, you still can't shake those nasty little lies." Amanda's bestie, Brittany, rushed over, hooking her arm through Amanda's and shooting me a dirty look. "You're so gross! You're taking advantage of the Blackwoods' generosity, and you're spewing lies at Amanda's party!" The room buzzed with whispers. "She's just using them." "I heard the Blackwoods have been so good to her, like she was their own daughter. Amanda even shares everything with her." "An orphan trying to pretend she's Katherine Blackwood? Please! She's got a death wish." They didn't know anything. I was the one who felt sorry for Amanda and begged my parents to take her in. When she got older, she turned on the charm and sucked up to my brothers. So, whenever there was some event, my brothers would take Amanda and lock me up in my room. After a while, everyone just assumed she was Katherine Blackwood, and I was the charity case. This time, it was different. My dad's a billionaire, the one who calls the shots. My mom's a huge actress. A lot of these people in the room, their entire lives depended on my parents. Why should I let this orphan and my brothers walk all over me? I looked around the room, my eyes settling on Brittany, my heart burning with hatred, my fists clenching. "Your dad's whole business only exists because he begged my dad for funding. Ask him if he dares interfere with my family's business." Brittany, humiliated in front of everyone, couldn't take it. She went to slap me. I grabbed her wrist and slapped her across the face, hard. Her face twisted with rage, her chin trembling. "You...you little bastard! How dare you hit me?" Amanda looked around, then screamed, "Security? Where are you guys?" The security guards started to move, but I turned and glared at them, a look so sharp they froze in their tracks. "I'm Katherine Blackwood. Nobody lays a hand on me." Amanda shrieked, afraid someone might believe me. "Katherine, everyone knows you're just an orphan my parents took in!" "You think you can lie and everyone will believe you? Dream on!" The others nodded, agreeing. "She has a point. The Blackwood boys always bring Amanda to everything. Never seen you." "This was supposed to be a party celebrating Amanda joining the scene. And this little nobody ruined it." I laughed. I turned to my personal assistant. "Get my beloved brothers down here. Tell them the orphan we took in is trying to impersonate Katherine Blackwood and ruin our family name." "Ask him if he wants Amanda to be a laughing stock." The assistant hesitated. She knew my brothers were obsessed with Amanda, practically worshiping her and turning her into a social media star. Every time Amanda messed with me, they'd take her side, yelling at me for being disrespectful, grounding me, and forcing me to apologize. "Go. I've got this." Hearing that, the assistant finally left. Amanda just laughed. "Katherine, have you learned nothing? Have you forgotten how your brothers treat you every time you cross me?" She knew my brother, Steven, would protect her no matter what. Last time, when Amanda told the housekeeper to throw acid in my face, I called Steven, begging for help. He didn't believe me. He yelled at me for lying about Amanda and told me to drop dead somewhere else. I died full of despair and pain, beaten to death by the people Amanda hired, my body dumped in the freezing river. This time, they would pay. Unexpectedly, before Steven even showed, my childhood best friend, Michael, came strutting in, carrying a giant bouquet of flowers.