Chapter 3

Damn. If you can’t find dirt, you just fabricate it, huh?

Getting chased by a stray dog as a poor kid was spun into "lifelong animal cruelty."

And when I bought medication to nurse these neglected, starving cats back to health, Tiffany maliciously took out-of-context stills from the hallway cameras to "prove" I was hurting them.

With her paid trolls fanning the flames on Twitter, the headline "#SterlingHeiressExposedAsAnimalAbuser" was already trending.

Surrounded by disgusted murmurs, the commotion quickly drew Julian over.

"Aria, didn't I tell you to keep a low profile?" Julian barked. "What kind of scene are you making now?"

Tiffany immediately stepped in front of Julian, playing the protective martyr. "Julian, please don’t be mad at her! It’s all my fault for not watching over her..."

Her eyes welled with tears as she dramatically tried to hide her phone.

Julian snatched it from her hands. After scrolling for two seconds, his face flushed red with rage. "Aria!"

"I warned you not to drag our name through the mud! Look at what you’ve done!"

"The Sterling family is an empire, not some trashy trailer park! We will not tolerate a vicious monster like you. I’m having Mom and Dad issue a public statement disowning you tonight. Pack your bags and get the hell out!"

Before I could speak, Tiffany burst into tears. "Aria only came home a month ago! How could you kick her out, Julian? Please forgive her just this once! She has Sterling blood! She’s Mom and Dad’s real daughter!"

Julian shot me a look of pure disgust. "Actions have consequences. I don't care who it is—if someone threatens the Sterling reputation and bottom line, they’re gone!"

Tiffany dabbed at her eyes, wearing a look of helpless sorrow, and reached out to hold my trembling hand.

Just as she opened her mouth to play the saint, I let out a loud, gut-wrenching wail.

"Tiffany, stop defending me!" I cried. "I know I’m their biological daughter, but you’re the one they actually love! I’ll gladly take the blame for you and leave!"

Tiffany’s sweet facade slipped for a fraction of a second. "Aria, what are you babbling about? You abused the cats! What do you mean you're taking the blame for me?"

I cowered in theatrical terror, trembling from head to toe. "Right, right! I'm talking crazy! I moved into the mansion a week ago, so of course it was me who starved all nine cats into walking skeletons! All those healed scars and old cigarette burns on their skin? All me! I'm a monster! I’ll leave right now—"

As I sobbed hysterically, Pumpkin bolted back to me, followed by eight other cats darting across the ballroom floor. They circled my ankles, purring frantically and rubbing against my jeans.

Brittany, the girl who had snatched Pumpkin, froze. She knelt down and examined the cat’s coat and scars.

"Wait a minute..." Brittany muttered. "If Aria only moved in a week ago, there’s no way she could have starved these cats down to this state. And these scars... some of them are months, even years old. Besides, abused animals are terrified of their abusers. Why are they clinging to Aria like she's their savior?"

Tiffany panicked, her voice cracking slightly. "I... it must be a misunderstanding! Everyone, please stop questioning Aria. We’ll figure this out at home. Let’s get the cats out of here so they don’t disturb the guests."

Tiffany reached down aggressively to shoo the cats away.

The second her hand moved, all nine cats arched their backs, hissed violently, and scrambled behind my legs, trembling in sheer terror.

The sheer horror they felt toward Tiffany was undeniable.

Her face drained of all color. "What... what is happening?"

Brittany stood up, glaring at Tiffany with open suspicion. "Tiffany, were "you" the one abusing them? I only became friends with you because of your cute pet posts years ago. But you haven't posted them in ages! Every time I asked to visit them at your place, you made up excuses. What were you hiding?"

Tiffany’s eyes went wild. She couldn't come up with an excuse.

In a panic, she grabbed my arm. "Aria, what did you do to them? Why are they acting terrified of me? They were playing in my suite just this afternoon!"

I didn't answer. Instead, I shook like a leaf, matching the cats' terrified energy.

"Tiffany, did I say something wrong? I’m sorry, please don't hit me!"

Just as the words left my mouth, one of the smaller cats limped forward, positioning itself defensively in front of me.

A folded document that had been lightly stuck to its fur fluttered to the floor.

It was an official investigation report showing Tiffany’s Ivy League diploma had been completely bought and fabricated—a secret she had kept hidden even from Mom, Dad, and Julian.

Tiffany lunged to rip the paper to shreds, but Julian snatched it out of the air first.

He stared at the paper, his voice shaking. "Tiffany... what else have you been doing behind our backs? You lied to your own family?"