The True Heiress Returns Chapter 2

That evening, I returned to the home of my adoptive parents.

My adoptive father, Arthur, was blackout drunk. The moment he saw me, he started screaming curses: "You worthless little money-pit! All you do all day is run around trying to seduce men! I'll beat the life out of you!"

My adoptive mother gave a half-hearted, token protest. "Alright, alright. You come home and throw a drunken tantrum every single day."

With that, she immediately ordered me to go wash the dishes.

I obediently walked toward the kitchen, but Arthur wasn't done. "You little bitch! Who told you to walk away?! You don't even listen to your own father anymore?! Do you think you're special?!"

He whipped off his leather belt and started lashing it across my back.

I didn't dodge. I took every single brutal strike without making a sound.

Let him hit me. If I didn't have these welts and bruises, how was I going to play the sympathy card with my biological mother?

Seeing that I wasn't fighting back, Arthur got bored. He muttered "jinx" under his breath and stumbled back to his room to pass out.

The next day, my biological mother arranged to meet me.

I pulled my hair into a high ponytail and deliberately wore a faded, patched-up shirt and a pair of worn-out jeans.

My facial features were strikingly similar to my mother's—we both had bold, striking, and glamorous looks.

Even though I was dressed in rags, it couldn't hide my natural beauty.

My mother was delighted to see me. She handed me a beautifully wrapped gift box. Inside was an exquisite, clearly expensive brooch.

I pressed my lips together tightly.

"Mrs. Sterling, you really shouldn't have spent money on this. I... I have no use for something like this."

My mother finally took a close look at me, noticing my worn, patched clothing. A look of uncontrollable pity flooded her eyes.

"It was very thoughtless of me. Let me take you to buy some clothes, okay?"

I continued to refuse, working hard to project the image of a strong, resilient, but pure-hearted 'white flower'.

"Mrs. Sterling, I only did what anyone should do. You really don't have to do this. If you really want to thank me, could you... could you buy me a set of advanced math workbooks instead?"

Looking into my timid, careful eyes, my mother's heart completely melted. She immediately ordered her driver to take us to the largest bookstore in the city.

In the car, my mother accidentally brushed against my arm. I sharply sucked in a breath of air. "Hiss."

When my mother looked at me in alarm, I quickly pulled my arm away and hid it behind my back.

Her face filled with suspicion. Ignoring my protests, she gently pulled my arm forward and rolled up the sleeve.

When she saw the angry red welts and deep purple bruises crisscrossing my pale skin, she almost gasped out loud.

"Mia, who did this to you? Is someone bullying you at school?!"

I lowered my head, acting terrified to speak.

"Have you told your parents? Is the school doing anything about this? I'm calling your principal right now!"

I hurriedly grabbed her hand to stop her. "No, Mrs. Sterling! No one at school is bullying me. I promise."

My mother hesitated for a moment.

"Was it your parents?"

I bit my lip hard and gave a slow, barely perceptible nod.

My mother looked absolutely horrified.

"How could anyone treat their own biological daughter like this?"

Watching her dramatic reaction, I sneered internally.

Yeah, I wanted to ask the exact same question. How could anyone treat their biological daughter like that?

In my past life, neither of my biological parents ever bothered to ask about the life I had lived before returning to them.

Of course, they didn't actually want to know.

Even when I came home covered in scars, they pretended they were blind.

And now? Seeing her express such profound concern made me feel nothing but absolute disgust.

My mother insisted on taking me to a private clinic to get my injuries treated and bandaged.

On the way there, her phone rang. Judging by her tone, it was definitely Chloe.

"Didn't you just buy a dozen designer bags last week? Why do you need another one so soon?"

"Buy it, buy it. My daughter is being so sweet, how can I say no?"

"The dessert shop on Lakeview Street? Okay, Mom will pick some up for you in a bit."

My mother hung up the phone, her face glowing with unconditional adoration. She even laughed and complained to me, "My daughter is an absolute menace. If only she could be as sensible and mature as you are."

I lowered my eyes and offered a small, self-deprecating smile.

"I wish I had a mother like you."

Seeing the deep sense of loss on my pale face, my mother's heart took a massive, painful hit.

To cheer me up, she stopped at that same dessert shop and bought me the exact same pastries she got for Chloe.

As soon as the Sterling family's Maybach pulled away, my expression instantly reverted to total apathy. I casually tossed the expensive desserts straight into the nearest trash can.