Chapter 1

Madison Locke was wrapped in a towel as she sat dazedly by the pool at the Locke residence in Riverview. For a moment, she couldn't understand what was happening. Her pretty face was ashen, and she was sopping wet.

She remembered she'd just been in the world of cultivation just a second ago. She'd just killed a Ghost King who had been terrorizing the human world, and her cultivation had increased tremendously. After that, she'd blinked and shown up here.

"How could you push Rebecca into the water? She's your sister! Apologize to her quickly!" an elegant-looking woman snapped at Madison with her arm around a young woman who was also drenched.

At the sight of the woman, Madison suddenly remembered things she'd long forgotten. The woman was her mother, Tanya Sutton.

Madison's past life hadn't been a nice one. She'd grown up in an orphanage and had spectral vision, which meant she could see things others couldn't. The people around her had thought of her as a freak, and nobody had wanted to play with her.

She'd stayed at the orphanage until she was 18 years old and had been forced to get a job instead of attending university.

Madison had always thought there was something wrong with her mentally. She'd taken three jobs and worked hard at them so she could save enough money to visit the hospital to cure herself and become a normal person.

Everything had changed when she'd turned 22 years old—that was when the Locke family had found her. Only then did she realize she'd been mistakenly switched at birth. She was actually the daughter of the Locke family—one of Riverview's most affluent families.

As someone who'd never once felt the love of a family, Madison felt like she'd suddenly hit the jackpot. She felt like she could finally lead the happy life that a normal young woman would have. However, life at the Locke residence wasn't as she'd imagined.

The Locke family had raised another child as their own—Rebecca Locke. Rebecca had received the best education available for the past two decades and carried herself with elegance and poise. Everyone at the residence, from her parents to the maids, adored her.

She and Rebecca were often compared to each other, and Madison was no match for her in every aspect. Under such circumstances, Madison's attitude changed thoroughly. She'd gone from initially being ingratiating and expectant to eventually becoming resentful and filled with hatred.

Unfortunately, the more trouble she caused, the more she humiliated herself. The same thing had happened on this day.

The Locke family had thrown a welcome party to welcome Madison back to the family. Madison had snatched Rebecca's evening gown so she could wear it, and the other trust fund babies invited to the party had mocked her for it.

Unable to handle the jeering and mockery, she and Rebecca had gotten into a fight again. Then, they'd both fallen into the pool.

The last scene Madison remembered from her past life was how everyone had been in a panic to save Rebecca. Meanwhile, she'd slowly sank to the bottom of the pool.

As soon as Madison opened her eyes earlier, she realized she'd still been in the pool. After a few seconds, the Locke family's oldest son, Harvey Locke, had saved her.

As the memories flooded her mind, the resentment and hatred she'd harbored in her past life overwhelmed her. She stood up and asked, "Why should I apologize?"

"What do you mean, and why should you apologize? You almost killed Becky! What's with your attitude?" Tanya looked at Madison with a mixture of anger and disappointment.

Rebecca leaned into Tanya's arms and said weakly, "It's okay, Mom. I'm sure Maddy didn't do it on purpose. I fell into the pool by accident. Maddy was only trying to save me…"

Everyone present had clearly witnessed what had happened, so Rebecca's words only made them sympathize with her and think about how kind she was. At the same time, they felt that Madison was cruel and rude.

"You're wrong. I did it on purpose." Madison approached Rebecca, her face devoid of emotion as water dripped from her clothes and hair. She looked like a ghost that had emerged from the water. Then, she said something that stunned the crowd. "I wanted you to die."

"How could you say something like that, Madison?" Tanya's expression became steely with anger. She subconsciously shielded Rebecca behind her as if terrified Madison would hurt Rebecca.

A trace of hurt flitted past Madison's eyes when she saw this, but she soon concealed it. "You think I'm cruel, huh? Her mother ruined my life, and she's stolen everything from me—my parents, my brothers, and my life! Yet, I'm the cruel one!"

Tanya still defended Rebecca, saying, "Becky is innocent in this."

"Innocent?" Madison snorted. "She's enjoyed my parents' love and my brothers' protection for the past two decades. She's lived a worry-free life since she was born. How is she innocent in this?

"What about me?"

This was something Madison had always wanted to ask.

From the moment she'd stepped foot in the Locke residence, everyone had been telling her to get along with Rebecca and to learn from her. They were terrified she would bully Rebecca.

At the same time, they were afraid Rebecca couldn't remain at the Locke residence after the truth was revealed, so they'd treated her even better than before. As for Madison, they'd regarded her coldly to avoid hurting Rebecca's feelings.

"Am I not innocent in this? I was bullied and neglected at the orphanage, and I didn't even have the bare minimum for survival. Did I deserve that?" Madison asked.

Tanya didn't say anything.

Madison continued, "I got a university offer when I turned 18 but couldn't go because I couldn't afford the fees. Is that my fault?

"I had to work three jobs a day just to survive, and I only got to sleep four hours a day. Is that what I deserve?"

Her questions made silence descend upon the crowd.

Tanya's eyes were filled with pain as she said, "I know life has been hard on you, and I do want to make it up to you. But you can't blame Becky for any of this—she didn't ask for this to happen. I just want you two to get along…"

"Ha! You want me to get along with her and not resent her for everything that's happened?" Madison shook her head mockingly. "Do you think I can do that? What am I, a saint? Do you think I don't have feelings and wants?"

"Are you my parents and brothers or not? Are you not my family?" Her voice grew louder. "Why are you guys helping someone who isn't even related to you instead of helping me?"

The Lockes couldn't bring themselves to say anything.

"Why was she the first one you guys thought to save when we both fell into the pool?" Madison asked.

The feeling of almost dying was horrible—the water had flooded her nose, and her breathing had stopped. Her lungs had hurt like hell. In that moment, she'd felt tormented and in despair.

"Why did you guys bring me back here if you don't even love me? I'd rather not have any parents or siblings. I'd rather not know that my own family doesn't love me at all." Tears streamed down Madison's face as she spoke.

Then, she pushed her way through the people standing before her and ran into the villa. She ran straight to her bedroom and locked the door, blocking the outside world.

"What's going on, System?" Madison asked coldly while wiping her tears. There wasn't any trace of the disappointment and despair she'd shown while outside.

"Are you okay, Ms. Locke? How do you feel?" the system asked.

"I'm fine. Tell me what's going on! Why am I back here again?"

The words she had uttered earlier had been buried in her heart for far too long. Now that she'd voiced them, the resentment and hatred she'd bottled up in her past life had disappeared.

The system explained, "You were never dead. I only extracted your soul and sent you to a different world."

Madison understood now. She hadn't died—the system had merely sent her soul to a world of cultivation so she could learn the mystic arts. Now that she'd learned everything she could, she'd been sent back to her original life.

Madison had spent a century in the world of cultivation, but only a few minutes had passed in this world.

Chapter 2

"What happened to my cultivation power, then?" Madison had tried to channel her spiritual energy earlier but found that she couldn't.

Had she cultivated for a century to end up with nothing?

The system hurriedly appeased her. "Calm down, Ms. Locke. You still have your spiritual energy. It's just been oppressed."

"Oppressed?"

"Yes. You've probably noticed that there's something special about Rebecca Locke," the system said.

Madison thought about how astonished she'd been when seeing Rebecca again earlier. Her physiognomy had been clouded by something, and Madison hadn't been able to read her destiny.

However, there had been auspicious energy all around Rebecca and a faint golden light around her forehead. It was clear that Rebecca had good fortune and massive good karma.

People like her would have good luck wherever she went. In other words, everyone in her life would adore her, and she would always live a wealthy life.

In the world of mystic arts, people like her were known as the Chosen One and the apple of the heavens' eye. And in reality, Rebecca was the apple of everyone's eye.

"If she's the Chosen One, how could the heavens have allowed her to be born to a murderer father and a thief mother?" Madison asked.

The heavens would've made her born into a family with loving parents and bottomless wealth. Then, she would grow up like a princess.

The system said, "Uh… I don't know about that."

Madison couldn't understand it, so she stopped puzzling over the matter. "How can I restore my spiritual energy?"

The system had been with her even in her past life. Initially, Madison had thought she would win at life with the system by her side. Yet, all that had happened was that her life had ended horribly.

The system sensed her disdain and hurriedly said, "We systems are only bodies of artificial intelligence that provide our hosts with opportunities. So, we can't guarantee success.

"If you can't complete your mission, you won't receive the corresponding rewards. Your failure is not the system's fault, Ms. Locke. It's only because you're not skillful enough."

Madison had nothing to say in refute. In her past life, the system had suggested a similar solution for her to change her situation and gather fortune. However, she hadn't been capable of doing anything—she hadn't gone to university, nor had she had any skills.

Ultimately, she'd chosen to go with the system's suggestion to become a streamer. During her livestreams, she basically sang and danced while chatting with other streamers. This had helped her gain some popularity, but it was far from enough.

The system asked, "You're still going to do livestreams now, right, Ms. Locke?"

"Yeah."

The system was happy to hear that. "According to my analysis of this world, livestreams are the fastest way for you to gain popularity. As long as you gather enough fortune, you'll be able to regain your spiritual energy despite being oppressed by the Chosen One."

That made Madison feel a lot more at ease. She wouldn't need to fear anyone as long as she could regain her spiritual energy.

After cleaning up and changing into something dry, Madison sat before her desk. She fiddled with her livestreaming equipment before starting a livestream. Instead of immediately speaking, she waited.

Ten minutes later, there were already a few thousand viewers. These were the fans she'd gained when singing and dancing in the past. Most of them were men, so the comments in the live chat immediately became lewd.

Madison ignored them and continued waiting, looking calm. To gain popularity in the past, she would go along with any requests they made. If they wanted her to dance, she would do it without hesitation. If they wanted her to sing, she would also do so.

Some of them even wanted her to swing her hips and shake her butt, which she'd also done. Some viewers even wanted her to call them things like "babe" and "honey". She'd done it all.

Her compliance and obedience had led male viewers to take things further and give lecherous comments during her livestream.

These things had disgusted her in the past, but she'd endured it for the sake of gaining popularity and fortune. Now, there were still a number of people asking her to shake her hips and put on something sexy.

It was only when around a dozen familiar accounts showed up in the livestream's list of viewers that Madison smiled faintly.

These were the people she'd been waiting for—these accounts belonged to the trust fund babies of Riverview. They'd grown up with Rebecca, and because of her good fortune, no one in the circle despised her. Even the more roguish trust fund babies liked her.

In Madison's past life, these trust fund babies had constantly caused trouble during her livestreams because they were indignant on Rebecca's behalf.

They would give Madison various gifts and have her do those embarrassing dances. Then, they would record the dances and show Rebecca the videos to suck up to her. Rebecca would in turn show the Locke family the videos, leading to Madison being reprimanded and banned from streaming.

"Are you dancing or singing today, sweetie?"

"I'll give you ten rockets if you do a strip tease!"

"Do it!"

"Do it!"

"Go on!"

The messages abruptly stopped when Madison finally showed her face before the camera. In the past, she always had a full face of makeup on during her livestreams. Her style had been more toward the filthy-rich heiress type, and her makeup and outfits had always been bright-colored and tacky.

Today, however, her face was bare. She sat there without any makeup on. She didn't even have any lipstick applied. Her hair was up in a loose bun.

"What's with the change of style, gorgeous?"

"Are you going for the angelic look now?"

"Well, you're my angel… Can you call me 'babe'?"

Madison smiled at the camera. "In today's livestream, I'm going to tell everyone a story."

"A story? What kind? Is it a sexy bedtime story?"

"Stories are great! I have one that's about us living together, gorgeous. Do you want to talk about that one?"

Madison ignored those comments and continued, "I was born to an affluent family in Riverview, but here's where the drama starts—I was switched at birth. This is my first month back home, and my family has thrown me a grand welcome party.

"It's lavish, and everyone who's anyone in Riverview is in attendance. My family introduces me to these people, and this is where the story starts."

In a group chat titled "The Riverview Riches", with all of Riverview's trust fund babies inside, the messages start coming in.

Jordan Salle: "What the hell does Madison mean by this? Is she going to tell the world her story?"

Keith York: "I'm not gonna lie—she isn't much of a storyteller."

Queenie Anderson: "What is she even talking about? She's so monotonous that even a robot would be a better storyteller than she is."

Jordan: "Let's just see what she has to say."

Madison's voice remained calm and monotonous as she said, "My father introduces me to one of his good friends, Mr. Salle. He tells me Mr. Salle only has one son who's around my age and wants me to get along with him.

"I look at Mr. Salle in surprise. What I don't expect is that Mr. Salle nods at me with a smile. Now, this is odd. Mr. Salle actually has a daughter, so why doesn't he want to admit her existence? Why did my father say Mr. Salle only has one son?

"Is the Salle family so misogynistic that they only want to acknowledge their son's existence? Does their daughter not mean anything to them?"

Jordan rolled off the couch and shot to his feet when he heard this. "How dare you fucking tell lies about my family, Madison!"

The Salle family she was referring to was obviously none other than his family!

He grabbed his keys and ran out of the house. Just then, he ran into his father, Vincent Salle, who had just returned.

"Where are you going when you've just gotten back?" Vincent asked.

"I have something important to do, Dad." Jordan gnashed his teeth. If Madison were before him right now, he would spit in her face and rip her a new one.

The livestream was still ongoing, so Madison's voice rang out from Jordan's phone.

Chapter 3

"I just feel bad for Mr. Salle's five-year-old daughter. She's tugging on his pants and calling him 'Dad,' yet he doesn't even want to acknowledge her existence," Madison said.

At that, Jordan noticed the change in Vincent's expression. It became gloomy for a split second before he composed himself.

Jordan and Vincent were father and son, who had spent so many years together. Jordan immediately knew from that subtle change that something was up. He'd initially thought Madison was only making things up, but he wasn't sure now.

"Dad, do you… Do you really have an illegitimate daughter?" he asked.

Vincent's expression immediately became pained and tortured. His lips trembled as he said, "There's nothing of the sort. Don't spout nonsense."

Jordan knew what that response meant. His anger disappeared, leaving him with only disappointment. "How could you do this, Dad? I can't believe you got yourself a mistress now that Mom's sick…

"Who's the little bitch? Is it that secretary of yours? I told you from the start that she's up to no good, didn't I? Is she your mistress?"

Vincent didn't say anything. His attention was focused on Madison's livestream. As he listened, he mumbled, "This can't be. How could anyone have known about this?"

Jordan snapped, "Stay clear if you don't want anyone to learn about it! Someone's bound to find out if you've done anything!"

"This is the Locke family's long-lost daughter, Madison, right?" Vincent asked.

"Who else could it be?" Jordan didn't want to talk about other people right now. "Dad, you still haven't told me what's going on between you and that woman."

Vincent had already regained his composure. His expression turned cold. "I don't have an illegitimate daughter. I'll explain everything to you after I've met Madison. And don't tell your mother about this!"

Jordan fell silent. Judging from the look on Vincent's face, it looked like Madison was in deep trouble. Could it really be just slander? Vincent didn't act like it was fake, though…

"Wait! Dad, are you heading over there right now?"

…

Jordan sat in the car and took some time to send a message to the group chat.

Jordan: "Madison is dead meat. My dad's heading to the Locke residence to talk to her now."

Rebecca: "Is it because of what happened during Madison's livestream earlier? Can you apologize to him on my behalf, Jordan? Maddie just doesn't know any better. Please ask Mr. Salle not to be mad at her."

Jordan: "You've always been like this, Rebecca. When will you stop being such a saint? I'm not like you—you might be able to stand Madison, but I can't. My dad can't stand her, either, so he's going to teach her a lesson. Who knows what other trouble she'll cause in the future?"

Keith: "Wait. Your dad is such a mild-tempered guy. I can't believe he's actually gotten angry over something!"

Queenie: "Madison needs to be taught a lesson. If she has the nerve to snatch Becky's evening gown today and spread rumors about Mr. Salle, she might just use all our families' secrets to garner more attention tomorrow."

Rebecca watched as her friends started chatting excitedly because of Jordan's words. Most of them were against Madison's actions and in support of teaching her a lesson. After some thought, she went to knock on her parents' room.

Shortly after, someone knocked on Madison's door. Madison opened it to see her father, William Locke, and Tanya standing outside. They didn't look too happy.

Because of what had happened during the welcome party, they both felt like they owed Madison and wanted to make things up to her. Now, however, she'd gone and caused trouble again.

William wasn't good at communicating with his children, especially with Madison, whom he hadn't spent any time with. He didn't dare to be too harsh, nor did he want to let her off lightly.

"Vincent is coming over. Do you know why?"

"Yeah."

William's gaze was a mixture of anger and resignation. "Why did you have to go say those things if you knew the situation would end up like this? You… You need to stop with those livestreams. It's not like we'll let you go without money."

"It's my job," Madison said coldly.

Rebecca stood behind William and Tanya. She said in a small voice, "Maddie, those livestreams you do are a little… disgraceful. If you really want to work and be popular, you can join the entertainment industry.

"Ethan has connections there. I can talk to him if you really want to become a star. I'm sure he'll help you out."

Madison glanced at her before saying, "He's my brother."

Rebecca's face crumpled. She looked aggrieved.

Tanya wanted to stand up for her, so she wasn't too nice to Madison. "Maddie, don't be so hostile to Becky. She… She's our daughter, too."

She couldn't help finding Madison insensible. She was nothing like Rebecca, who was obedient and compliant.

William sighed when he saw how stubborn Madison was acting. "Vincent will be here soon. I want you to wait for him downstairs. Apologize to him when he gets here and tell him you won't say anything like that in the future. Do you hear me?"

Madison didn't respond. All she did was return to her room to put on a cardigan. Then, she followed them downstairs.

Vincent and Jordan arrived as soon as the Lockes got downstairs. The father and son entered the house, both having ugly looks on their faces.

Jordan was incensed when he saw Madison. He pointed at her and snapped, "You've got some nerve, Madison. How dare you—"

"Jordan!" Vincent barked. "William is still around. Show some manners!"

William didn't mind at all. "Why are you telling Jordan off, Vincent? It's all Maddie's fault, anyway. Hurry up and apologize, Maddie!"

Madison sat on the couch and leisurely sipped her coffee. "Did you want something from me?"

Vincent wasn't fazed by her attitude. He asked, "Did anyone tell you about the things you said during the livestream?"

"Yes."

"How much did they pay you?" This was the most likely possibility Vincent could think of—a business competitor was trying to get him where it hurt and make him lose his composure.

"No one paid me anything."

Vincent didn't buy it. "I'm good friends with your father, Maddie. I can sweep this matter under the rug, and you can come to me in the future if you're ever short on cash.

"You need to know that you can't accept money from just about anyone, though! Your father and I might be friends, but that doesn't mean I won't get mad at you."

He'd been in the business world long enough that he had a commanding presence. Most youngsters would feel afraid when seeing him like this, even Jordan.

However, Madison looked unruffled. She continued sipping her coffee leisurely.

Vincent turned to leave after saying his piece. William followed him, apologizing profusely. They had just gotten to the entrance when Madison suddenly said, "She wanted me to ask you whether you've already bought her birthday present."

Vincent abruptly stopped and whipped around to look at her.

She continued calmly, "She said she doesn't like that diamond tiara. She likes the colorful one. Did you buy the right one?"

Vincent's calm expression suddenly morphed into one of torment. The birthday tiara was a secret only he and his daughter knew—even his wife wasn't aware of it.

"Did you… Did you really see her calling me 'Dad'?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Is she…"

Madison stiffened. Then, she nodded.

Vincent clenched his fists and trembled all over. He became choked up as he said, "She… She was only five! It's all my fault for not protecting her. I was too busy with my work and missed her birthday."

He suddenly bent over and started crying.

Jordan was stunned by this. He turned to look at the Lockes, who were equally shocked.

Madison was the only one who looked calm—she was probably the only one who knew what was going on.

"Dad!" Jordan had never seen Vincent cry like this before.

The latter took some time to calm down. Then, he wiped his tears away and looked at Madison earnestly, "Maddie, can you help me find her?"

Madison turned to him to answer him. Then, she saw the black energy pulsating around his and Jordan's faces. She asked, "Is your wife not at home, Mr. Salle?"

Vincent shook his head. "No. She hasn't been feeling well recently and was admitted to the hospital. I just returned from visiting her there."

"If you head to the hospital right now, you might be able to save her life," Madison said.

Vincent and Jordan were rendered speechless.

Chapter 4

Vincent and Jordan hurriedly left the Locke residence.

Once they were gone, Rebecca said seriously, "How could you jinx Mrs. Salle like that, Maddie? She and Mr. Salle love each other dearly. You'll only be making him mad by saying something like that."

Madison didn't even bother responding. She turned to head upstairs, saying, "I'm going to bed if there's nothing else."

Rebecca lowered her head, looking sad. Tears welled up in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.

Tanya wiped them away, her heart aching. She complained, "Maddie really needs to do something about that temper of hers. She's lucky the Salles are the ones involved in this matter—they're on good terms with us, after all. Any other family would've been thoroughly offended by her words."

William thought the same thing. "We can't let her continue with those livestreams anymore."

…

The next morning, Madison headed downstairs for breakfast. To her surprise, she found Ethan Locke, her second brother, and Jason Locke, her third brother, present.

The two had only spoken to her once on her first day back at the Locke residence. After that, they hadn't shown up.

Ethan had said, "You and Becky are both the daughters of the Locke family. Don't bully her."

Jason had been much more blunt. "The Locke family will always be Becky's family. No one can drive her away from here."

The two brothers had gone to coax Rebecca after warning their actual sister off. They hadn't even returned for Madison's welcome party last night.

Rebecca smiled sweetly when she saw Madison. "Hurry up and join us, Maddie. Everyone's waiting for you."

Jason leaned back and gave Madison a cold look. "How rude are you to keep us all waiting for you?"

Madison acted like she didn't hear him. She sat down leisurely and started digging in. The more indifferent she was, the angrier Jason was. "I heard you snatched Becky's clothes yesterday."

"Yeah, I did," Madison said.

"And you don't feel ashamed in the slightest, do you? Has the Locke family starved you or mistreated you? Haven't we given you money to buy something for yourself? Why did you have to take Becky's evening gown?"

Madison put her cutlery down and looked coldly at the people seated at the table. They either looked icy or were frowning, evidently displeased with what she'd done yesterday.

"I didn't have any gowns worth 500 thousand dollars to wear," she said.

"Couldn't you have just bought one?"

Madison smiled mockingly. "Can you think of any gowns or dresses being sold for 500 thousand dollars?"

Rebecca's outfits had all been designed by internationally renowned designers. The gown Madison had taken from her yesterday had cost 500 thousand dollars.

It wasn't even the most expensive outfit in Rebecca's wardrobe. It was probably only an average one.

Yet Madison, as the Locke family's actual daughter, didn't have any connections. Even if she'd had the money, she couldn't have gotten a renowned designer to design anything for her.

The Locke family evidently realized what she meant, and their expressions became awkward.

Jason refused to let the matter slide, though. He still felt that Rebecca had gotten the short end of the stick. "That doesn't mean you could snatch Becky's gown! You're wrong for snatching something that's hers."

"What right does she have to wear something worth 500 thousand dollars at my welcome party when I can only wear something worth 5,000 dollars?" Madison asked.

Things seemed even worse when such a comparison was made. Even Jason couldn't help stiffening.

Tanya's expression took on a hint of guilt and heartache. "It's my fault, Maddie. I should've prepared better outfits and accessories for you."

She was just used to things being like this. Since Rebecca had grown up and developed her own style, Tanya hadn't interfered in her children's dressing.

She would always give them her card and allow them to buy whatever they wanted. They could hire whichever designer they wanted to design their outfits.

Rebecca looked around and took in everyone's expressions. Then, she tugged on Jason's sleeve. "Forget it, Jason. Maddie can have everything of mine if she likes them. They shouldn't have been mine in the first place."

Jason couldn't stand seeing Rebecca being mistreated. "How can you say that, Becky? You'll always be the Locke family's daughter and our little princess. If anyone dares to bully you, I'll be the first to teach them a lesson!"

He paused and glared at Madison. "That includes you!"

"Jason!" Harvey snarled.

The old Madison would've thrown a hissy fit long ago. But after spending a century in the world of cultivation, her mindset had changed. Kinship was an odd thing—it wasn't something one could force.

She asked calmly, "So, are you saying that Rebecca is the Locke family's princess while I'm your maid?"

Jason fell silent.

Rebecca's eyes reddened as she said, "How could you say that, Maddie? Mom, Dad, and our brothers all love you dearly."

Madison ignored her and trained her gaze on Jason. "If that's not the case, shouldn't you be warning Rebecca? Shouldn't you be telling her not to bully me?"

"How could Becky possibly bully anyone? I know her like the back of my hand," Jason retorted.

"Do you know me, then? What makes you think I'll bully her?" Madison thought about her first day back at the Locke residence. She'd been filled with hope for her family's love, yet all she'd received was cold shoulders from her parents and warnings from her brothers.

"I wouldn't dare dream of asking you guys to treat me better than you treat her, but I think you could at least treat us equally." Madison sneered. "If you can't even do that, stop trying to use your identity as my elder brother to lecture me. You're not worthy of that!"

Jason's jaw dropped. Madison's words were an insult to him, and they upset the rest of the Locke family.

William cleared his throat. "Alright. That's enough. We're all family—we shouldn't say things like that in the future. We know you went through a lot in the past, Maddie, and you're right that we haven't given you the attention you deserve.

"Don't worry, though. You'll have everything that Becky gets in the future. Similarly, Becky will have everything that you have. You're both daughters of the Locke family and our princesses."

Rebecca's pupils constricted for a split second before she regained her composure.

Meanwhile, Tanya's heart ached as she looked at Madison. The latter was her daughter, so how could she not love and care for her?

It was just that her personality was much too…

She didn't know how to communicate with Madison.

"Yesterday, you mentioned not being able to attend university. Your father and I discussed this and think it's still important for you to get a proper education. You might not be able to get into a local university anymore, so we'll arrange for you to study abroad," Tanya said.

Before Madison could say anything, William added, "It's fine if you don't want to study, though. You'll always have a home here, and we won't let you go hungry. As for those livestreams you do… Don't do them anymore."

Madison looked up. "That's my job."

"What sort of job could that be?" Jason snapped. His voice became smaller as Harvey glared at him.

"If you want to work, we can make the necessary arrangements. We do have connections and strings we can pull if you want to join the entertainment industry." William tried to stay calm and amicable as he negotiated with Madison.

Just then, Ethan, who hadn't spoken much, said indifferently, "It's not impossible for you to join the entertainment industry as Becky has."

"So, it's settled. You'll stop doing those livestreams from now on," William said.

At that moment, a maid came over to say, "Mr. Vincent and Mr. Jordan are here, sir."

William hurriedly stood up.

Vincent and Jordan quickly came into the dining room. Vincent asked anxiously, "Where's Maddie, William?"

William was confused by this. He didn't think Vincent looked like he was here to settle a score or teach Madison a lesson. Despite his thoughts, he smiled and said, "Don't take a child's immaturity to heart, Vincent. I'm lecturing Maddie now, and I guarantee she won't be doing any more livestreams."

"What are you talking about, William?" Vincent's eyes lit up when he saw Madison. "I enjoy Maddie's livestreams—she tells wonderful stories, and I adore them."

William was rendered speechless.

Chapter 5

The looks on the faces of the other Lockes became odd.

Jason and Jordan were about the same age and got along well. The former tugged the latter aside and asked in a low voice, "Has your dad lost his mind because he's too pissed at Madison?"

"What do you know?" Jordan rolled his eyes at Jason, rendering him speechless.

Vincent had already stepped past William to approach Madison excitedly. "Maddie, could you come to the hospital to see my wife, Josephine, with me?"

Madison frowned. Vincent hurriedly added, "It doesn't matter what the outcome is as long as you're willing to come. You'll still be our family's savior."

"Yeah! As long as you come, Madison, I guarantee I'll be on your side forever. If anyone in Riverview dares to bully or push you around, they'll be going against me and the Salle family." Jordan patted his chest.

The Locke family couldn't understand what was going on, but Madison's expression remained indifferent. "I'm nothing but a regular streamer."

Vincent didn't understand what she meant, but Jordan did. He immediately pulled out his phone and said, "My dad and I will both follow you. If necessary, I can buy you subscribers and followers."

"No. That won't be necessary. I only want viewers who genuinely enjoy my livestreams."

"Got it." Jordan had already followed Madison's account. He even held out his phone to show her. "Don't worry. I promise I'll watch all your livestreams from now on!"

Only then did Madison stand up. "Let's go, then."

The Lockes had yet to comprehend the situation when Madison had already followed Vincent and Jordan into their car and left.

Jason was dazed for a long while. Then, he asked, "What did Mr. Salle mean by that, Dad?"

William couldn't understand it, either.

Rebecca was the only one thinking about what Jordan had said. He'd made it clear that the Salle family would stand up for Madison.

…

Vincent and Jordan told Madison about Josephine White's situation on the way to the hospital. Josephine had been in poor health since giving birth to Jordan, but things had been worse in recent years. She had to spend some time in the hospital every year.

This time, however, the situation seemed to be much worse than before. Josephine had suddenly passed out a week ago, but the doctors had said there wasn't anything different in her condition. They couldn't determine the cause of her fainting.

Vincent had also hired several renowned experts of the mystic arts to check on her. Some of them had cast spells, and some of them had tried to summon her soul. They'd tried everything, but Josephine remained unconscious.

As soon as Madison stepped out of the elevator, she pointed at a hospital room diagonally to their left. "Is that your wife's ward?"

Josephine had been admitted to a private hospital that only had ten hospital rooms per floor. They were all for VIP patients, and each room looked the same from the outside.

Jordan nodded vigorously and said, "Yes. That's the one. It looks like you do have a few tricks up your sleeve, after all!"

Vincent glared at him but was secretly impressed by Madison.

To Madison, all she saw was a room enveloped in dark energy when the others weren't.

When they pushed open the door to the hospital room, Madison's expression changed. Death energy wasn't the only thing in the room—there was also a faint golden light. It was almost invisible as it formed a thin layer over Josephine's body.

"What do you see, Maddie?" Vincent asked.

"She's lost her soul." Madison stood by the bed.

Vincent's heart sank.

Madison added, "The situation is a little tricky."

Tricky? Why? Would it be hard to find Josephine's soul?

He was about to speak when Madison frowned and said with a little self-disdain, "I don't have enough spiritual energy now, so I can only rely on drawing talismans to summon her soul. The problem is that I don't have any talisman paper or cinnabar with me."

Vincent sighed in relief. He thought the problem was a major one.

"I'll go buy some right now," Jordan said. "What type do you need? And is there anything else you need?"

"Just get the regular talisman paper and cinnabar. I also need some incense sticks."

"Alright." He ran off to get the stuff.

Vincent asked tentatively, "Are you sure you can do it, Maddie?"

"Yeah."

Vincent relaxed a little when he heard that. "Thank God you reminded me in time yesterday. When Jordan and I arrived at the hospital, a nurse intern was just about to inject Josephine with the wrong medication. The doctor said that Josephine would've died."

No one could imagine how terrified he and Jordan had been yesterday. If they'd been just a second later, things would've gone past the point of no return. Based on that alone, Madison would always be the Salle family's savior.

Jordan soon returned with the things. He'd bought a box each of talisman paper, cinnabar, and incense sticks.

Madison checked them and found they were all of good quality.

"Can we start now?" Jordan was a little excited. He'd only heard about these things in the past. Thus, this was his first time witnessing it happening. He was at that phase where he half-believed and half-scorned these things.

Madison hummed in agreement and took a piece of talisman paper. She placed her index and middle fingers together before dipping them in the cinnabar and drawing on the talisman paper.

Her actions were swift and smooth. When she was done, the talisman paper gleamed in gold.

Jordan grabbed Vincent's arm in agitation and cried, "Did you see that, Dad? Or were my eyes playing tricks on me?"

"Shut up!" Vincent was even more agitated than him but managed to put up a calm front.

Madison brought the talisman to Josephine and placed it on her chest. Then, she got three incense sticks and lightly ran her fingers across the tips, lighting them.

Jordan's eyes were wide at this point, and he couldn't help gaping. This was amazing! He felt like he was watching a movie with special effects.

A tendril of smoke floated outside the window as if it had a consciousness of its own. Madison called a name softly, but the smoke didn't change. Her spiritual energy was too low for the spell to take effect.

"She's not responding to my call. You guys are her family, so she should respond if you call her," she said.

Vincent held the incense sticks, feeling lost. "How should I do it?"

"Call her name and ask her to return."

"Josephine! Josephine White! Come back!" Vincent called.

Jordan stood beside him and said, "Mom, hurry up and come back!"

Suddenly, Vincent stopped. His eyes widened when he saw the tendril of smoke that had gone far slowly start to float back into the room. It went straight toward the bed and stopped beside it. Then, it disappeared.

"It's done," Madison said.

Vincent approached the hospital bed and looked down to see Josephine's fingers twitch slightly. He grabbed her hand.

Jordan ran over to them, his eyes red. "Mom!"

Josephine slowly opened her eyes. Jordan was about to hug her when Vincent pushed him away.

He was rendered speechless and curled his lip as he looked at his parents holding each other tightly. He brushed some nonexistent dust from his clothes and walked to Madison's side, looking awkward. "Uh, my mom should be okay now, right?"

It felt a little awkward being around Madison now that she'd become Josephine's savior. To think he'd picked on her so much in the past.

"No, she's not."

Jordan fell silent. He'd only been trying to make small talk. Why had he gotten such a horrible answer?