Chapter 2

2

"In a year, the Zellwegers will lose everything. You'll be begging on the streets. Hahaha."

I looked at her message and sneered.

She didn't realize that the only reason Jude became a tycoon was because of my strategy and connections.

In this life, without me, he'll be chopping meat until the day he dies.

Her nightmare was just beginning.

The next morning, I said to Mr. Zellweger, "Dad, I've admired your work for a long time. I'm curious about how you run a Fortune 500 company."

"Can I visit the office with you?"

Mr. Zellweger frowned slightly, acting like he didn't hear me. He just put on his coat and walked out.

I sat at the breakfast table, completely unfazed.

If the Zellwegers were going to go bankrupt in three years, the problems must already be starting.

If I could win his trust, saving a company like his would be child's play for me.

For the next few days, I played the part of the perfect, obedient daughter. I read finance journals and shared insights with him.

I went even further for my new mother.

I brought her warm milk every morning and learned to cook her favorite meals.

Maybe because I never had a real family, I genuinely wanted this to work.

Even though they were cold and distant, I didn't give up.

But then, Seraphina showed up with a recording pen that shattered my illusions.

The recording played Mr. Zellweger's cold voice: "I feel like I'm raising a snake. I'm not even dead yet, and she's already trying to take over the company?"

"A girl constantly talking about Warren Buffett. Even I don't understand half that finance crap, and she's acting like an expert."

"In a few years, we'll find a way to cut ties. We only adopted her to look good for the press anyway."

After some static, Mrs. Zellweger's voice came on. She was clearly talking to Seraphina.

"Oh, Seraphina, your sister is so creepy and dark. You're like a little ray of sunshine. I wish we had taken you."

"She cooks for me, but I have the maid dump it out. I'm honestly afraid she's trying to poison me."

Seraphina looked at me with a triumphant smirk after the recording ended.

"Seline, your new parents don't even like you."

"In the last life, they loved me so much. They even worked manual labor just to pay for my tuition after they went bankrupt."

"I guess you're just unlovable."

No wonder Seraphina had been so quiet. She was busy sucking up to my parents behind my back.

I noticed she was decked out in brand-new designer clothes.

Jude was just a butcher. There was no way he could afford that.

The only explanation was that she had been grifting money out of Mrs. Zellweger.

I quietly turned on my phone's voice recorder and said calmly, "If you love them so much, let's switch back."

Seraphina shrieked, "That old woman? She looks like a bitter hag. You think I'd want her as a mother? She's beneath me!"

"And her husband? He thinks he's so special just because he has a little cash. In the last life, he was nothing but a bootlicker for Jude."

Seraphina went on a long, foul-mouthed rant, insulting the Zellwegers with every breath.

When she finally finished, I smiled and showed her my recording screen.

Her face went pale as I sent the file directly to Mrs. Zellweger.

Seraphina lunged to grab my phone, but then her own phone started buzzing.

She began to shake visibly.

She glared at me and hit ignore on the call.

She could ignore her phone, but she couldn't stop me from calling Mrs. Zellweger.

"Hi, Mom," I said.

"Seraphina is right here. I'll give her the phone."

I shoved the phone into her hand.

Seraphina looked like she was about to faint. Mrs. Zellweger's voice sounded like a judge delivering a death sentence.

"Seraphina, I thought you were just a naive child at the home. I felt sorry for you living with a butcher, so I bought you clothes and food."