Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Who would've thought the arrogant Bridget Holloway would end up like this?"

"Let's see if she ever dares to hold her head high again."

"Imagine getting dumped by your fiancé and cast aside by your own brother for an orphan girl!"

Mocking laughter echoed around the room like sharp daggers. I instinctively searched the crowd for Brandon and Travis.

Yet their eyes were glued to Daisy, softly wiping away her fake tears without sparing me a single glance.

I didn't even remember how I made it back to my apartment that day.

For over twenty years, I had been pampered, but I was never cruel. I would even stop my car on rainy days just to rescue a stray puppy.

I couldn't understand what I had done wrong to deserve such betrayal from the two men I loved most.

It felt like I had been stripped of my entire identity in a single afternoon.

Right after I left, my brother launched a massive campaign to announce the adoption gala.

He wanted to elevate Daisy's social standing so she could marry Travis with absolute prestige.

Travis was thrilled. That night, fireworks lit up the Hayes estate, while every tabloid ran articles contrasting my downfall with Daisy's rise.

Almost instantly, I was treated like a stray dog.

"Bridget? Going to the gala on foot?"

A sleek sports car pulled up beside me, and the window rolled down.

Chloe Reed leaned out, slapping a hand over her mouth. "Oops, my bad. I forgot things are messy between you and your family right now."

Chloe was known as the most outspoken socialite in our circle. Yet looking at her now, she seemed like an angel compared to Daisy.

"Get in," Chloe said, pushing the passenger door open. "I'll give you a ride."

Before I could decline, Chloe grabbed my arm and hauled me into the car.

Next thing I knew, she dragged me straight into an upscale styling lounge.

"I hate fake sob stories," Chloe scoffed, shoving me toward a makeup chair. "You're the real Holloway heiress! You need to show up looking flawless and wipe the floor with that two-faced b*tch."

"Sit tight. I'll have the stylists give you a killer look."

As I sat down, a frail figure stepped out from behind the dressing partition.

It was Daisy, her face pale, doe eyes brimming with tears, and lower lip trembling as if she were deeply wronged.

"Bridget…"

Before she could finish, a rough hand grabbed my shoulder and ripped my designer top at the seam.

"Bridget! So this is how you talk about Daisy behind her back?" Brandon roared. "Is this how an older sister behaves? I paid for your top-tier education, and you turned into a bitter bully!"

"No wonder people whisper about Daisy―it's all your dirty work behind the scenes!"

The cold draft hit my bare shoulder where the fabric had torn.

"Brandon, which ear heard me badmouth your precious charity case?" I snapped coldly. "If the great Holloway heir is going deaf in his twenties, you might as well donate your ears to science."

I had always had a sharp tongue. In the past, Brandon adored it, calling it fierce and spirited.

Now, he glared at me with disgust and pulled out a wet wipe to furiously scrub the hand that had touched my sleeve.

"Bridget, know your limits," he sneered.

He tossed the wipe into the trash bin. My chest tightened painfully.

He felt dirty just from grabbing my clothes.

The brother who once promised to give me the whole world was now standing against me, leading the world to tear me apart.