Chapter 1

They were all acting strange all of a sudden.

The seven older brothers who once treated me like a thorn in their side and only cared about the fake heiress now wanted to not only protect me for life but also declare my position as the real heiress of the Quinn family.

My parents, who used to brush me aside, even wrote in their will that everything would be left to me.

I couldn't believe it.

Too bad I regressed into the past and had already lost all hope in them.

…

"Scarlett Quinn, was it you who stole Lily's Celestial Drop?"

A young man's voice thundered like a muffled clap, jolting Scarlett out of her sleep.

The door was kicked open. Her seventh-eldest brother, Jonah Quinn, was standing there with his hands on his hips, glaring at her furiously.

This all-too-familiar voice and situation made her suddenly realize—she wasn't in that hellish psychiatric hospital anymore.

She was back… in the storage room she had lived in for five years.

She had regressed into the past!

As the haunting memories of her past life flooded her mind, her eyes gradually turned cold.

She was meant to be the beloved daughter of the prestigious Quinn family in Yendale, but fate had other plans when the family's enemies swapped her at birth.

The truth had only recently been uncovered, and she was quickly brought back to the Quinn residence.

But even after they brought her home, they refused to publicly acknowledge her as one of their own.

Instead, they let her stay in the Quinn residence as a live-in maid.

Having grown up like an orphan, Scarlett especially treasured the family bond she had finally found, yearning for their love more than anything.

As such, she didn't mind at first and tried her best to please every family member.

Yet, the harder she tried, the more her older brothers looked down on her, comparing her to the fake heiress at every opportunity.

They called her a country bumpkin and a troublemaker who was not even good enough to be a maid for the fake heiress.

At school, they turned a blind eye to the bullies who would harass her. At home, they wouldn't even let her eat at the table.

Trying to please them only got them to label her as conniving, while pushing back only got them to call her inconsiderate.

Lily Quinn was the adored, high-and-mighty princess, whereas she was the rat that lived in the gutter.

And the most ridiculous part? When Lily faked a fainting spell to frame her, everyone believed it.

They fussed over Lily, tending to her like she was made of glass. As for Scarlett, they drove her out of the house, making her kneel outside in the dead of winter.

The night air was below 10 degrees Fahrenheit, yet they showed no concern for her well-being.

The bitter wind was like knives to her exposed skin. As her body went numb, all color drained from her face. In the end, she passed out from the cold.

On the other hand, the rest of the family stayed warmly indoors, laughing together like one big happy family.

They had completely forgotten about her, the one they had cast out under the guise of punishment.

It was through this repeated cold indifference that her spirit finally shattered.

Scarlett lost control of her emotions and confronted them, telling them that it was Lily who had framed her. But her eldest brother used her emotional state as a reason to personally see to it that she was sent to a psychiatric hospital.

When her parents visited her, their eyes were filled with cold disappointment and distrust.

"How could we have had a daughter like you? If we had known you were like this, we would never have brought you back home!"

Then, they turned to look at the fake heiress with a look of satisfaction, saying, "Good thing we have Lily. She's the one who's more like our own!"

Then, they turned and left without even looking back.

As they walked away, Scarlett saw Lily's victorious smile directed at her.

"I'm the true pride and joy of the Quinn family, Scarlett. You're just a pitiful vermin who will always be beneath me!"

Scarlett endured endless torment in that hospital, where a mad doctor subjected her to relentless electric shocks that ultimately led to her dying an excruciating death.

Perhaps even whoever was watching her couldn't bear to watch her suffer any longer, and so they granted her a second chance at life.

But this time, she would never yearn for so-called family again, as if anyone would want this kind of ridiculous relationship!

"Scarlett, are you deaf? Where did you hide Lily's Celestial Drop?"

Gazing up, Scarlett noticed that a crowd had gathered outside.

In the face of their disappointed and questioning gazes, she simply raised an indifferent eyebrow.

"There are so many people in this house. Why would you assume I stole it? If you don't have evidence, I can sue you for slander!"

The people outside were stunned. Clearly, they hadn't expected the usually unassertive Scarlett to suddenly speak so boldly and refute them.

"Scarlett…"

Lily immediately put on a pitiful act. "My Celestial Drop is very important to me. Mom and Dad spent two months searching for the perfect crystal in Southland to create that necklace for my birthday. It's the only one of its kind in the world. So please return it to me, Scarlett!"

Her voice was soft as a whisper, sounding as if she could burst into tears at any moment.

What she said was like adding fuel to the fire, and immediately, everyone became even more convinced that Scarlett was the thief.

Curling her lips into a mocking smile, Scarlett calmly and indifferently stared at her so-called family outside the room.

"Okay, I get it. You've mentioned how much Mom and Dad love you five times already, how every good thing is given to you, and how you're the most precious child of the Quinn family.

"No need to keep repeating yourself. But I've already told you—without evidence that I stole it, this is nothing but slander."

"Scarlett!" Todd Quinn, her father, abruptly exploded in anger. "Not only did you steal and refuse to admit it, but now you're also speaking to your sister this way? You have no manners whatsoever!"

Todd was filled with disappointment. The Quinns were blessed with outstanding genes.

All of their sons excelled in their respective fields, and Lily carried herself with grace and elegance. Yet, Scarlett was the one glaring exception.

They believed it must be because she grew up in a village that she became inherently vicious and utterly rotten.

"My biological mother gave birth to me, but did not raise me. What kind of manners am I supposed to have?"

Scarlett raised an eyebrow aloofly, her eyes calm and unruffled. "Since the necklace is missing, why don't you check everyone else? Maybe someone close to Lily took it."

As she spoke, her gaze suddenly sharpened, locking onto the quiet maid standing off to the side.

In her past life, she had panicked, knowing how valuable that necklace was. That made her look guilty, sealing her reputation as a thief.

It was only later that she learned the maid named Janet Hooper had been instructed by Lily to take the necklace and frame her.

Scarlett was locked in the dark storage room as punishment without food or water for an entire day and night.

Not only that, they had forgotten that today was her birthday as well.

Yet, her so-called family had only prepared an elaborate coming-of-age party for Lily while telling Scarlett to stay hidden in the storage room, afraid she'd disgrace the Quinn family.

Now that God had given her a second chance, how could she possibly make the same mistakes?

"How could I possibly steal from Ms. Lily? Everyone knows I'm the closest to her. You're the one who's always been jealous of the expensive gifts Mr. and Mrs. Quinn give her, which is why you took the necklace and are trying to frame me!"

Janet put on a pitiful, hurt expression, looking as innocent as could be.

"Oh, Scarlett, just give it back, okay? We'll get you another one later," Margot Bowman, her mother, piped up. Though her tone was gentle, the distrust in her words was unmistakable.

"What's the point of all this talk? Just search her already!" The impatient Jonah snapped, stepping forward to barge into the room.

"I dare anyone to touch my things!" Scarlett's expression froze over in an instant.

Jonah stopped in his tracks, utterly stunned.

Had Scarlett, who had always been obedient and meek, gone bad?

Scarlett swept her gaze across each of their ridiculous faces and said coolly, "Since you're all so convinced I stole it, let me show you who the real thief is!"

She strode straight to Janet, grabbing her collar with swift precision before reaching into it.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Janet screamed in panic, clutching her chest desperately.

But Scarlett, undeterred, quickly reached in and pulled out a dazzling necklace gleaming with brilliant light. It was the priceless Celestial Drop.

She presented it before hurling it hard at Lily.

"There! Your precious Celestial Drop! So, what are you going to accuse me of now?"

All sound vanished, leaving a tense stillness behind.

Chapter 2

Lily's face went pale in an instant. She never thought that a country bumpkin would see through her plan so quickly.

Scarlett had even known exactly where the necklace was hidden.

Shooting a quick glare at the incompetent Janet, Lily then hurriedly bent down to pick up the necklace, putting on an overly tender act.

"It's great that we found it. That's all that matters. Jonah, I told you it wasn't Scarlett. She and I had a scuffle this afternoon, and I accidentally fell into the pool. The necklace must have slipped off then.

"Janet must have found it later but couldn't bring herself to return it, which caused me to wrongfully accuse Scarlett."

Wow. Lily sure had a way with words—she'd immediately spun a new accusation.

Sure enough, Jonah's conflicted expression darkened once again into fury.

"Scarlett, you know Lily can't swim, and you still pushed her into the pool? Do you really hate her so much you'd rather see her dead than alive?"

Todd also fumed, "Even if we did wrongly accuse you, I never imagined you'd do something so vicious!"

Margot shook her head in disappointment. "Scarlett, you've really broken my heart."

Those words would have left Scarlett heartbroken before, but not anymore.

Her lips curled into a mocking smile. "Since you're all so sure I pushed her, then next time I'll make sure I do. Wouldn't want to waste the blame."

Fury washed over Todd, leaving his face ashen. "You heartless brat! How did we end up with a daughter like you?"

"Daughter?" Scarlett shot back with a sneer. "How come you didn't bring up the fact that I'm your daughter when you were wrongly accusing me just now?"

"Scarlett, how could you say something like that?" Lily immediately put on a wounded, innocent look. "You were the one who started—"

"Lily, are you not tired of acting?" Scarlett cut her off coldly. "Your acting's pathetic. Stop putting on a show in front of me. It's an eyesore."

Margot frowned. "Scarlett Quinn, like it or not, we're family. Apologize to your sister, and we'll let this matter go."

"Family?" Scarlett repeated the word, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"A family that throws her a birthday party while making me stay in a storage room? A family that jumps to accuse me even when I've done nothing wrong, and demand I apologize?"

Gazing at these biased, double-standard so-called family members, Scarlett scoffed. Every last bit of longing for their care was already gone from her heart.

She turned and stormed back into her room, slamming the door behind her.

Everyone outside was stunned.

This was the first time since Scarlett's return that she had acted with such defiance, showing the Quinns no regard whatsoever.

"People from the sticks are so crude!"

"She's insane—completely unreasonable!"

One by one, they left with sullen expressions.

Inside, Scarlett finally felt peace in the silence.

She glanced around at her shabby room and felt nothing.

A year ago, when she was first brought back to the Quinn residence, they took her straight to this dirty, cluttered storage room.

They said, "You've just come from living out in the sticks, so you don't know the proper etiquette yet. Guests often visit, so just stay here for now. Once you've learned the ways of high society, we'll let everyone know about your identity."

She then waited for five years, only to meet her end under torture in a psychiatric hospital. And still, they never acknowledged her—not even once.

Even earlier today, she was drawn by the liveliness in the front yard and couldn't help but approach Lily's coming-of-age party, only to be scolded harshly, "Who let you out? How embarrassing! Go back in!"

Just as she turned away, she heard one of her supposed family members say, "That's the new maid. She's not used to our rules yet. My apologies."

Her room was nothing but cold and cramped.

The broken skylight offered no barrier as the frigid wind rushed in. Her still-damp clothes stuck to her skin, and the biting chill burrowed deep into her bones.

Alas, the Quinns never noticed. And even if they did, they chose to ignore it.

Ironically, that skylight had just been broken a week ago by none other than Lily with a baseball.

"Sorry, Scarlett! I didn't hit the ball properly and broke the skylight. Hope I didn't scare you. I'll have it replaced right away. They say the weather's turning cold. We wouldn't want you getting sick."

But no one ever came to replace it. The entire Quinn family had never treated her like she mattered.

"What's the point of staying in a 'home' like this?"

Scarlett quickly packed her things. She'd had enough of this suffocating place.

Though she had already lived in this place for a year, her belongings were pitifully few.

There were just a few faded articles of clothing and a couple of reference books she'd bought with her own hard-earned money.

Her so-called family, in the name of "breaking her bad habit of greed", gave her only 500 dollars as her living stipend each month.

That wasn't even enough for her basic needs at school. She had to work part-time just to scrape by.

Lily, on the other hand, had a black card from their eldest brother, and she was able to swipe hundreds of thousands at any time.

Suitcase in hand, Scarlett walked toward the exit.

Inside the living room, the whole family was gathered around Lily, watching her unwrap presents with joyful laughter.

They looked like a real family, whereas she was nothing but an intruder.

Thus, no one noticed when she slipped out the side door. But just as she stepped outside, a tall, imposing figure blocked her path.

"Scarlett, where do you think you're going?"

The Quinn family's eldest son, Jonathan Quinn, was furrowing his brows disapprovingly.

Scarlett wasn't about to be polite to him, nor did she have any intention of stopping.

"Get out of my way."

Chapter 3

Jonathan planted his hand on her suitcase, stopping it in its tracks. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What's with you again in the middle of the night?" Todd strode over, his tone full of anger. "You've already messed up the round-the-world trip your mother and I had planned! Can't you learn to be more considerate like Lily?"

Heh. That round-the-world trip again.

In her past life, when she was suffering in the psychiatric hospital, she called them for help countless times.

All they said was that the doctors had her best interests at heart and that she needed to be more considerate. After all, they had a round-the-world trip to go on.

Only when Lily was injured by another psychiatric patient did they bother to return—and even then, they only spared her a glance.

That was also the cruelest they had ever been, as they had handed her over to death with their own hands.

She had never known parents could be this irresponsible.

Staring at them coldly, she retorted, "You want me to be considerate?"

"You brought me back into the family, yet left me in that broken-down storage room, out of sight from everyone.

"I've been here for an entire year, and not once have I enjoyed the most basic privileges of being your daughter. Forget about wealth and glory, I had to work part-time just to cover my living expenses. What did you ever give me?"

Todd stared at her in disbelief.

It wasn't that he realized he was wrong—he was just shocked by her tone. How could she speak to him like that?

His face darkened. "How much more money do you want? When are you going to drop this nasty habit of always asking for handouts?"

Margot chimed in with a gentle tone, "Sure, we didn't give you much allowance, but it's not like we gave you nothing. That's not fair to us as your parents. Besides, we only did it for your own good. Once you get rid of those bad habits from growing up in the sticks, we'll give you whatever you want."

Scarlett let out a cold, bitter laugh.

"What a joke. Your so-called 'own good' means making me live worse than the maids? At least the maids get paid. What do I get?"

Todd and Margot were left speechless.

They were usually out and rarely concerned themselves with household matters.

All they knew was that their sons were helping Scarlett get rid of her "bad country bumpkin habits". They had no idea what her life was really like.

They instinctively turned to the only ones still at home—the eldest and youngest sons.

Jonah pulled out a card and held it out to her. "So, all this fuss is just to get some money, right? There's a million on this card. Is that enough for you?"

Scarlett sneered. "You should just save that for your precious little sister."

"Scarlett, don't be mad. This is all my fault. I'll give you anything you want, as long as you forgive me," Lily said with a guilty look.

Scarlett raised an eyebrow at her. "Is that so? Fine. Then give me that Celestial Drop necklace Mom and Dad gave you. Can you bear to part with it?"

Lily bit her lip as tears welled up in her eyes, looking absolutely aggrieved.

"Don't push it, Scarlett!" Jonah shouted, unable to contain his frustration any longer.

Scarlett merely scoffed. "If you can't bear to give it up, then don't pretend to be so generous. This identity as a Quinn family daughter? I don't give a damn about it. You want it, right? Then it's all yours!"

With a sharp tug on her suitcase, Scarlett turned and stormed out of the house, her steps resolute, her posture straight as an arrow.

The whole family was stunned. They had never seen Scarlett like this before.

Lily secretly rejoiced as Scarlett acting like this would only push the Quinns further away from her.

On the surface, however, Lily put on a worried expression.

"She's really leaving…"

"She's just throwing a tantrum." Margot consoled her, "Don't worry. When she realizes she can't manage on her own after a few days out there, she'll come crawling back."

Todd, on the other hand, barked, "If you have the guts to leave, then don't come back! As far as I'm concerned, the Quinn family has no daughter like you!"

He believed that if she thought throwing a tantrum and leaving would scare him, she thought wrong.

Todd wasn't about to indulge her. If she got away with it this time, what would happen next time?

Scarlett paused in her tracks and laughed. "Great. Just what I wanted. As of today, I'm cutting ties with all of you. I will never set foot in this house again!"

She spoke with clarity and conviction, not the slightest waver in her tone.

Even though her damp clothes made her look a little dishevelled, she walked away in determined strides.

The Quinns were momentarily stunned, but soon the criticizing began again.

"Did we starve her or something? What the hell was that nonsense she just spouted?"

With a dark expression, one of them fumed, "She's really gone crazy for leaving just like that! Let's see how she survives without us!"

"Oh, right, wasn't it Jonathan who got her into that fancy private school? Since she's cutting ties with us, let's make it a clean break. Jonathan, call the principal and have her expelled. Let's see whether she won't come crying back!"

Lily had told them that, besides being at the Quinn residence, the place Scarlett liked to hang out most was at school.

If even the school turned her away, with nowhere to go, she'd definitely come crawling back and beg for forgiveness.

With a furrowed brow, Jonathan nodded. "Yeah, she needs to be taught a lesson. She should know that she can't survive in Yendale without us."

Lily was secretly delighted to hear that.

Todd and Margot didn't object to the idea either. They believed she needed to be taught a lesson and only then would she behave.

Otherwise, if she kept causing trouble like this, how were they supposed to enjoy their world tour in peace?

Chapter 4

The dimly lit and secluded road leading away from the Quinn residence stretched ahead.

Scarlett pulled out a set of silver needles from her bag and quickly inserted them into her GV14 acupoint, LI11 acupoint, LI4 acupoint, and the tips of her ten fingers.

Back at the Quinn residence earlier, her whole body had already been burning like a furnace.

Yet no one in the entire family noticed her condition besides herself.

Scarlett was personally mentored by Alton Becker, a man who had a resounding reputation in the medical world, known as a living legend.

When she was only three, while playing in the mud with the other village kids, she happened to encounter Alton leading a group of students into the mountains to gather herbs.

Out of curiosity, she tagged along and, just from overhearing snippets of their conversation, was able to recognize many medicinal herbs.

When it came time to eat, all the other kids went home for lunch except for her. She, with her dirty little fingers in her mouth, just stared at the students eating instant noodles and drooled.

She noticed they had collected a lot of herbs, some of which were said to be rare and hard to find.

So she turned around, went into the mountains, and brought back a large handful.

She went up to the white-haired old man leading the group and said, "Sir, I'll give you these Arician leaves, Plantago asiatica leaves, and Ardisia lindleyana leaves… Can I have just one bite of your noodles? Just one bite! I'm so hungry…"

Alton was taken aback, probably because she named those herbs so smoothly and confidently.

Not only did Alton give her an entire cup of instant noodles, but he also bought her several boxes to take home before asking her to take him to her house.

Her home had only a mentally unstable mother and a bedridden grandmother.

After his visit, Alton frequently visited her and even cured her grandmother.

It was from that moment on that she resolved to study medicine under Alton.

But two years ago, Alton passed away from natural causes, leaving her this box of silver needles.

Since returning to the Quinn residence this year, she had used these needles to cure a variety of ailments for the family.

Todd's frozen shoulder, Margot's migraines, and Jonathan's cervical spondylosis were just the beginning.

She also treated her second brother, Jared's trigeminal neuralgia, her fourth brother, Jackson's insomnia, and even the tendonitis affecting Julius, Jacob, and Jonah—her fifth, sixth, and seventh brothers, respectively.

She even cured Lily of her uterine issues.

As for her third brother, Josiah Quinn, he was a doctor himself—an exceptional surgeon.

Josiah was rather put off by her use of silver needles for healing.

What she remembered most clearly was when he warned her, saying, "Mr. Becker had countless mentees around the world. Now that he's passed, you'd better not go around flaunting his name and recklessly using those needles.

"If something goes wrong, Mr. Becker's reputation will be ruined!"

But the truth was, she had truly cured the long-standing ailments of her family members.

They enjoyed the benefits she brought, yet still looked down on her skills, disregarding her completely.

In her previous life, around this time, she had also suffered a high fever.

If Lily hadn't come to her searching for the Celestial Drop, she might've died without anyone ever knowing.

Fortunately, she no longer placed any hope in them.

…

Scarlett made her way into the city, bought some medicine, and spent the night at a hotel.

The next morning, she prepared to move into the school dorms.

Although her current school was the top academy in Yendale and was filled with students from wealthy and influential families, it still provided dormitories for all students, considering privacy and lunchtime naps.

But in reality, almost no one actually lived on campus.

She would probably be one of the first to do so.

Yet, the moment she stepped through the school gates, she could feel the strange stares and whispers surrounding her.

"Isn't that Scarlett? I heard she got expelled for stealing."

"Why's she dragging a suitcase? Is it full of the stuff she stole?"

"Wow, I never would've guessed! She always seemed so quiet and well-behaved…"

Scarlett instantly knew—it could only be Lily and Jonah behind this again.

She had also been burdened with the same baseless accusation in her past life. At school, she became a walking target for everyone. The constant whispers almost drove her to depression.

She had tried to explain herself, but under Lily's sly manipulations, her words only made things worse.

Eventually, her Class A classmates signed a petition to have her transferred to another class.

Even the homeroom teacher, whom she had always respected, looked at her coldly and said, "You've affected the reputation of Class A far too much. These students are all aiming for top national scores. If you drag them down, what can you possibly do to make up for it? Please, do us a favor and transfer."

However, she clearly had more potential to be the national top scorer than any of them.

Still, the teacher and everyone else chose not to believe in her, giving up on her completely.

Unable to endure the verbal abuse in Class A, she compromised and moved to the underachievers' class, thinking that with hard work, she could still reach the top.

Yet, she didn't expect that many of Lily's admirers would be in that class. Led by Jonah, they bullied her for half a semester.

They pulled her hair in class, poured ink on her clothes, smeared glue on her chair, stuffed dead rats in her backpack, and threw basketballs, volleyballs, and baseballs at her head during PE.

Jonah, the instigator, merely stood not far away and watched.

Only after she was thoroughly humiliated would he step forward with disgust and say, "This is the punishment you deserve for stealing. I've spoken up for you a lot with them. You should be thanking me for that."

And just like that, the relentless bullying destroyed her.

On the day of the SATs, Lily even pretended to care, handed her a glass of fresh milk, and urged her to do well.

Scarlett knew Lily couldn't possibly be that kind, but she drank the milk anyway as Jonah was watching.

The result? She had severe diarrhea and completely bombed the exam.

Thinking back to those cruel images left Scarlett feeling nothing but cold, unfeeling detachment.

Strangely enough, this time around, she was directly expelled from the school, but if they thought they could get rid of her that easily, they were sorely mistaken.

She was no longer the Scarlett of her past life, the girl who swallowed every injustice silently.

With her suitcase in tow, she made a beeline for the academic affairs office.

The Dean of Students, Herbert Riggs, threw a sheet of paper at her face without even looking up. "Look what you've done, Scarlett. You've been expelled!"

Scarlett bent down to pick it up. It was an expulsion letter, stamped with the vice principal's seal.

She curled her lips into a cold smile. "Before expelling me, did you get the principal's approval?"

Herbert was momentarily stunned, then scoffed, "Why would we bother the principal just to expel a troublemaker like you? Students like you only tarnish the school's reputation. You're a cancer to society."

Sneering, Scarlett tore the expulsion letter in half.

"If you want to expel me, have the principal sign it."

With that, she turned and walked away, suitcase in tow.

Herbert was left completely dumbfounded.

Chapter 5

"Scarlett Quinn, stop right there!" Herbert roared in fury.

The entire office fell silent in an instant. Every gaze turned toward the girl at the doorway.

Even a student who had been called in with his guardian stopped complaining.

He lowered his voice and whispered to the man beside him, "Uncle Xavier, she got expelled for stealing. That's way worse than what I did. I guess I'm off the hook now…"

Scarlett instinctively glanced sideways, and when her eyes landed on the man referred to as Uncle Xavier, she paused for a second.

The man wore a finely tailored black suit. Sunlight streamed in through the window, outlining his perfect side profile and eyes as dark as ink.

When their gazes met, his pupils slightly contracted, as if a hint of surprise flickered in those calm, dark eyes.

However, almost immediately, he regained his usual cold and distant demeanor.

Even so, his dark eyes remained fixed on Scarlett.

The boy next to him widened his eyes. Was his aloof, icy grand-uncle actually staring at a girl for that long?

"What's her name?" Xavier Stroud asked, his voice low and magnetic.

The boy named Percy Stroud froze for a moment, and for the first time, he felt an overwhelming pressure.

"S-Scarlett Quinn," he stammered from shock.

Just then, a familiar voice drew Scarlett's gaze.

"Scarlett, I know you're upset about getting expelled, but you shouldn't take it out on the teachers."

Lily had appeared at some point, cradling a stack of workbooks in her arms.

Turning to Herbert, she added in a gentle tone, "Sir, please don't be mad. I'm sure Scarlett didn't mean it."

Herbert's face immediately softened into a pleased smile when he saw Lily.

Then his eyes returned to Scarlett, now filled with disdain.

"A student should act like one! Just look at Lily—graceful, respectful, and upright! And you? You're always sneaking around and disrespecting your elders!"

His voice grew harsh as he added, "You should really learn from her!"

A mocking smile played on Scarlett's lips. "Sorry, I just don't have the acting skills."

"You…" Herbert looked at her like she was beyond redemption.

Lily immediately put on a look of heartbreak and disappointment. "Scarlett, I really was just trying to help. I didn't think you'd misunderstand me like this…"

By now, the hallway outside the office was packed. Several of Lily's admirers stepped in to defend her.

"Scarlett, that was way out of line. How could you say that about Lily?"

"She didn't even blame you for stealing her Celestial Drop. She's been speaking up for you, and this is how you repay her?"

"You're just an ingrate! You don't deserve to be in our school!"

Even teachers who were normally kind joined in the rebuke.

"Making mistakes isn't the problem—it's refusing to acknowledge them. In the real world, small errors can snowball into major disasters, harming both yourself and those around you."

"We simply cannot condone such behavior."

"A student with no integrity has no place in a respectable institution."

The entire office became a courtroom of voices condemning Scarlett.

Just then, Jonah pushed through the crowd and strode in.

Without even considering the accusations Scarlett was facing, he questioned her sternly, "Scarlett, I heard you're troubling Lily again. When will you stop? She's not the one deciding to expel you from the school. Why do you keep going after her? Aren't you tired of it yet?"

All eyes locked on Scarlett as though she were some monstrous criminal.

Nevertheless, she remained calm and cold, her clear eyes untouched by emotion.

Jonah was stunned. He had thought that faced with such accusations and questioning, Scarlett would panic, immediately bow her head, admit her fault, and beg for his forgiveness.

He had even rehearsed his rejection in his head. Since she was always picking on Lily, he wanted to make her suffer more.

Yet now, her indifferent demeanor left him utterly baffled.

As Scarlett calmly looked around at everyone accusing her, she asked with a sneer, "So the reason for my expulsion is just because I stole Lily's Celestial Drop, right?"

She glanced at Jonah.

That one look made Jonah instinctively avert his eyes, guilt welling up in his chest.

A sharp voice from the hallway shouted, "What else could it be? We don't want thieves in our school!"

Scarlett gave a thoughtful nod, as though considering the answer. Then her gaze snapped back to Lily and Jonah. "You're the ones who said I stole it, right?"

Lily quickly shook her head, eyes wide with innocence. "Please don't misunderstand. I never said that."

"Then why don't you tell us—was it me who stole your Celestial Drop?" Scarlett pressed, her eyes sharp and unforgiving.

Lily felt a sudden chill. When did this country bumpkin become so sharp?

In the past, Scarlett would never confront her directly. Scarlett would always try to defend herself, and Lily could easily twist the story with some well-timed "nice" words to pin her for whatever accusation the latter wanted.

But now, Scarlett was actually confronting her head-on, leaving her completely on the defensive.

"Of course not," Lily answered with forced sincerity, cursing Scarlett inwardly.

Scarlett raised an eyebrow, her gaze sweeping over everyone present with chilling clarity.

"If I didn't steal anything, doesn't that make all of you guilty of slander? According to Rule Eight in the student handbook, slanderers receive disciplinary action and lose 15 credits. If a teacher slanders a student, shouldn't they lose their eligibility for awards?"

As soon as she was done speaking, silence fell, both inside and outside of the office.

The same students who had been shouting in Lily's defense now started backing away, eager to distance themselves from the situation.

"I-I only repeated what I heard…"

"Yeah, me too! I was just passing it along!"

"If she didn't steal anything, there's no need to blow this out of proportion!"

Even the teachers grew uneasy, quickly burying themselves in paperwork or staring at their phones, trying to avoid Scarlett's gaze.

She took in all their reactions with a calm detachment.

Just a few sentences could've solved everything—so why, in her past life, had she let Lily lead her by the nose?

Maybe it was because she cared too much about what the Quinn family thought.

Back then, she didn't dare offend anyone—not even the beloved adopted daughter, Lily.

But in this life, she no longer cared. Without those mental shackles, her mind was clear.

A faint smirk tugged at her lips. "How odd. If I didn't steal Lily's Celestial Drop, then who started the rumor?"

Her head snapped up, her piercing gaze directed at Lily.

Lily turned pale, her forced smile barely holding.

"Don't get me wrong—it really wasn't me."

Jonah immediately stepped forward to shield her like a loyal knight. His brows furrowed in confusion and doubt, but he still forced himself to defend her.

"What are you trying to say? That Lily spread the rumor? She already said she didn't do it—what more do you want?"

"But the three of us were the only ones in the entire school who knew about it," Scarlett replied with a sneer. "If it wasn't her, then you're the one who spread it, no?"