My Parents Came To Challenge My Bullies Chapter 1

When I was three years old, I was picked on while scavenging dumpsters for recyclables, so I spent fifty cents to “hire” a pair of punk bikers to back me up.

Little did I know that I had stumbled into the city’s most untouchable family.

My adoptive mother was a fearless street queen no one in the elite circle dared cross, and my adoptive father was the legendary prince of the underground street-racing world.

She taught me how to stand my ground, while he taught me how to own the streets.

That fifty-cent “protection fee” bought me eighteen years of absolute security.

Later, my biological parents found me, and I learned I was the real daughter of the billionaire Sedgewick family.

But on the day I returned home, the fake daughter refused to let me inside.

She looked down at me with a sneer and told me to use the back door instead.

I stayed where I was.

My older brother glared at me.

“It’s just the back door. Don’t push your luck. You should be grateful Jenna is even willing to acknowledge you.”

Meanwhile, my younger brother scoffed, his face twisted with disdain.

“How dare a lowlife like you give my sister attitude? Use the back door!”

I turned to my biological parents, but they merely said, “Jenna has a temper. She’s upset you came back, so just let her have this. Nothing matters more than keeping the family together.”

I looked at the confrontational faces before me without any expression, then took out my phone and typed a message.

[Mom, Dad, the Sedgewick family crossed the line. Come and handle it now.]

* * *

The moment I sent my “backup request,” my younger brother, Theodore Sedgewick, lunged forward and ripped my phone out of my hand.

The screen was still open on the “Jernigan Family Backup Hotline” group chat.

Two messages popped up instantly.

Nat: Don’t you worry, sweetie. I’m full throttle right now. Your dad and I are on our way!

Hank: Who dares lay a hand on my daughter? The Sedgewick family, right? I’ll make them pay for this!

Theodore let out a derisive laugh when he saw their flashy punk-style profile pictures.

Then, with clear sarcasm, he read the two brazen messages aloud in front of my biological parents, Arnold and Eleanor Sedgewick.

The fake daughter, Jenna Sedgewick, doubled over laughing. She wiped the tears at the corners of her eyes away, her voice dripping with disdain.

“This is hilarious, Willa. You really think those two street-thug parents of yours can take on the Sedgewick family? You’re biting off more than you can chew.”

I froze.

Had they truly not bothered to look into my background before bringing me back? My adoptive parents might have a flashy punk-style look, but they were anything but street thugs.

Beside us, Eleanor’s face darkened. The look she gave me was filled with undisguised contempt.

She took a step forward and spoke with a firm, uncompromising tone.

“A daughter of the Sedgewick family cannot be associated with a couple of lowlife street thugs. If word got out, we’d become the laughingstock of the city. Our family’s reputation would be ruined. Willa, now that you’ve returned to the Sedgewick family, you have to cut ties with all those shady people.”

With that, she shot Theodore a look, signaling him to hand the phone back to me.

“Delete all your adoptive parents’ contact information and sever all ties with them right now. This is your first test as a Sedgewick.”

I swallowed my anger and reached for my phone, intending to take it and leave. However, before my fingers could even close around it, Jenna snatched it away.

She turned to Eleanor with an exaggerated pout.

“Mom, look at Willa. She’s had that sour look on her face the whole time. She clearly doesn’t want to delete their contacts. She doesn’t respect you at all. Since she won’t do it herself, I’ll be the good big sister and help her out. It’ll keep those lowlifes from latching onto our family in the future.”

I almost laughed at the sheer absurdity of these people.

The so-called prestigious Sedgewick family meant absolutely nothing to me.

If anyone wanted to be their biological daughter, they were welcome to it.

I, Willa Jernigan, did not want any part of it.