Real Heiress Steals My Luck, But They Only Pretended

1: 1

When the real daughter was brought home, I was already the family's darling.

Watching everyone shower me with affection, she put on a fragile expression, resentment in her eyes, and went into grab-everything mode.

My fifty-square-meter sunlit bedroomshe wanted it.

The recommendation spot Father had pulled to get me into a top Ivy League schoolshe wanted it.

Even the man I had chosen myselfRandolph Abbott, the crown prince of the New York elite circleshe wanted him too.

And she still had to play the wronged little victim:

"Sister, you already have so much. Randolph and I truly love each other. Please, just let me have him"

When Mother looked ready to refuse her on my behalf again, everyone finally couldn't stand it.

"Ebony Sullivan, you fake, twenty years of Sophie Sullivan's life stolen isn't enough? Now you want to steal the man she loves too? Have you no shame at all!"

I listened to them accuse me, my eyes reddening, and I nodded.

"You're all right. Everything I have was my sister's to begin with. If she wants it, she can take it."

Sophie smiled, satisfied.

But what she didn't know was

The family doting on me was fake. Harming me was the truth.

That sunlit bedroom sat on the most sinister cursed spot in the house.

The recommendation spot Father had arranged was nothing but a fall-guy setup, ready for when the school got shut down.

And even Randolph Abbott, the man everyone fought to marry, was a ruthless, twisted killer.

There wasn't a single normal person in the entire Sullivan family.

The pit I had struggled twenty years to escape and couldn't

now someone had finally come to take my place in it.

When Sophie was brought home, everyone was gathered around singing me happy birthday.

The cake stood as tall as a person, with a cartoon doll of me on the very top.

Beside it were the words: May little Ebony always be happy.

Mother opened an exquisite gift box and fastened a glittering ruby necklace around my neck herself, her voice gentle:

"My little Ebony looks so beautiful today."

Father handed me a black pen stamped with a brand logo.

"Wishing you success in your studies and a bright future ahead."

My brother simply took my phone, added a contact, then handed it back with a wink.

"ThereRandolph Abbott's number. Don't say I never did anything for you."

I tugged my lips into a coquettish smile and thanked them, but there wasn't a trace of a smile in my eyes.

Their acting had only gotten more polished over the years.

If I hadn't known the truth long ago, I might really have believed I was the beloved Sullivan daughter.

Footsteps came from behind me.

I turned around.

Sophie stood there, one hand dragging a battered suitcase, the other twisting at the washed-out hem of her shirt, her smile forced.

"Dad, Mom, big brother, I'm home."

Mother smiled and reached out to her.

"You came at just the right time. It's your sister's birthday today. Come have some cake."

Only then did Sophie seem to notice me.

She glanced at the couture embroidered dress I was wearing and spoke in a small voice:

"Sister looks so pretty. This dress must be expensive. Mom, Dad, do I look too shabby"

"My clothes are so worn out they've lost their shape. Next to Sister I'm like an ugly duckling. I don't look anything like your real daughter"

She lowered her head, her eyes rimmed red.

Every word was a hint that I was nothing but a fake, unworthy of anything so fine.

Mother was the first to smooth things over.

"Silly child, you've suffered all these years. I've got a whole closet of clothes ready for you. You can go upstairs later and take your time picking."

My brother picked up right where she left off.

"What little Ebony's wearing was custom-made just for her by a top designer. On anyone else it wouldn't sit right."

They defended me without the slightest hesitation.

Sophie's face flushed and paled by turns.

I watched it all without expression.

While she went to the bathroom, I quickly followed her in and locked the door behind us.

I looked her in the eye and said, one word at a time:

"Sophie, listen to what I'm about to tell you, and remember it well."

"Everything warm you just saw is an illusion. Every single person in this family is selfish and cold-blooded. To them, I'm nothing but a bargaining chip, a pawn."

"Now that you're back, they won't let you off either. The only thing we can do is join forces and leave this place, or staying will just get us picked clean down to the bone!"

"Do you understand?"

I said it all in one breath, watching every flicker on her face.

Sophie's expression went abruptly stiff.

She looked at me, silent for a moment, then asked calmly.

"Are you finished?"

I frowned. "You don't believe me?"

"I believe you," she said, nodding. "Now step out for a bit. I need to use the toilet."

I went out and waited for her by the sink.

Nothing about the Sullivan family had anything to do with her.

Until I made my own escape, I couldn't stand by and watch an innocent person step into the fire.

But just as I was lost in thought

The bathroom door flew open and Sophie rushed out, sobbing.

She threw herself into Gail Henson's arms, her shoulders shaking with tears.

"I know I can't compare to Sister in any way, but Sister shouldn't threaten me like that"

"Sister said there's not one normal person in this house, said she wanted to drive me out. Mom, Dad, I'm so scared"

The noisy living room went silent in an instant.

But the next second, Mother only frowned lightly and soothed her.

"That's impossible. Little Ebony is the most considerate girl. You must have misheard."

My brother added, mild as ever.

"Throwing a fit the moment you get home? Little Ebony has the gentlest temperament. She would never say something like that to you. You've clearly misunderstood."

Sophie froze where she stood.

She couldn't believe the whole family would take my side to this extent.

And I stood off to the side, my heart going completely cold.

I had meant well, trying to warn her, trying to save her, and she'd turned around and slandered me.

Since she was so set on clinging to this fake warmth,

then I would stop meddling.

2: 2

02

After dinner, Mom walked her back to her room.

They passed my bedroom, and through the open door lay a floor flooded with sunlight, a whole wall of windows running down to the ground.

She stopped. Her eyes went greedy.

"Mom, can I have this room?"

Seeing our mother start to shake her head, she suddenly pressed a hand to her chest and broke into a loud fit of coughing.

"Mom, Dad, I've had a weak constitution since I was little. The doctor told me I absolutely have to stay in a bright, south-facing room to rest, or my health will only get worse..."

Mom rubbed her back gently and turned her down in a soft voice.

"Sophie, this really won't do."

"Ebony's slept in this room since she was a child. She's used to it. Move her somewhere else and she won't be able to sleep."

Dad's gaze swept across the room, over all the small, unremarkable charm-rigged mechanisms he had set in place himself, and he said in a low voice,

"Your room's a little smaller, and it gets less sun, but it's very clean. You'll like it."

My brother chimed in too. "Just leave it. No point stirring things up."

Sophie went still, tears welling up in a show of hurt.

But looking at that sun-drenched room, all I felt was a cold that reached the bone.

Everyone thought it was the best room in the house.

Yet from the day I moved into it, nightmares clung to me night after night, and I never slept easy.

My health grew worse by the day, my face pale all year round.

I'd always assumed it was just my weak body, until later, when I quietly had someone look at it, I learned the truth.

This room that seemed the finest of all, this sunroom, was the most sinister cursed spot in the entire mansion.

It gathered all the ill fortune to one body, drawing off disaster and blight.

And I was the one they had chosen, the living sacrifice absorbing the family's bad luck year after year, suffering in their place.

But Sophie, who knew none of this, still wouldn't let it go, eyes red and wronged as she pushed to get her way.

I spoke softly.

"It's fine."

"Let my sister have the room."

Everyone froze and turned to look at me.

"Ebony, we can't do that..."

I cut in.

"I stole more than ten years of my sister's life. I owe her this."

Sophie blinked, then the corners of her mouth curled up.

She thought I was afraid of her, deliberately backing down.

But quietly, I let out a breath.

Tonight, at last, I would get a good night's sleep.

3: 3

03

When I woke the next morning I felt rested and clear, my color brighter than it had been in years.

Sophie, on the other hand, didn't drag herself downstairs until ten.

She had heavy black shadows under her eyes, her face pale and drawn, the whites of her eyes shot through with red.

She grabbed our mother's arm, still shaken, and started sobbing out her story.

"Mom, I don't know what happened, I had nightmares all night long, my head's killing me right now. There isn't something wrong with this house, is there?"

She even threw a frightened glance over her shoulder as she said it.

A sharp contrast to how lively she'd looked the day before.

But our parents only gave her a flat look.

"You're the one who insisted on switching rooms with your sister. It's fine, a few days and you'll get used to it."

She pouted, wounded, patting her chest, ready to say more.

Then she caught the impatience in our mother's eyes and shut her mouth.

After breakfast I took the completed recommendation form out of my bag and handed it to my father.

Sophie snatched it before it reached him.

"A recommendation application to a top university?"

Her eyes lit up, and she turned to our father, full of hope.

"Dad, I want to go too."

He kept his eyes on his phone, expression blank.

"Wait until next year. There's only one spot this year."

Sophie grabbed his wrist at once, tears coming on cue.

"Dad, you know how it is. I grew up in the countryside my whole life, the schools there were terrible. On my own I couldn't get into a top university, I couldn't even get into a decent one."

"My sister's a good student. This spot is just a nice bonus for her, but for me it's the one chance I'll ever get to change my life."

"Dad, help me, please?"

Every word rang with sincerity.

As if what she was grabbing were some priceless treasure.

But I only smiled, coldly amused.

All my life, everything the Sullivans publicly claimed to have fought to win for me had been nothing but a carefully wrapped trap.

At seven, the jade pendant my mother swore would change my luck was in fact a way to shift the whole family's misfortune and illness onto me.

At thirteen, the science competition they coaxed me into entering was so I could stand on that podium and take the blame for my brother's plagiarism.

At fourteen, they gave me the biggest sunroom in the house, and it was really to lock me into the most cursed spot on the property.

And now this university spot was nothing but a target set up to catch a bullet meant for the school.

Before my father could refuse, I spoke first.

"Since my sister wants it this badly, she can have the spot."

My father's head snapped toward me.

"Ebony, I worked so hard to get this spot for you"

I smiled, sweet and obliging.

"You raised me, Mom and Dad. That's enough for me."

"My sister just came home. As the older one, of course I should look out for her."

For a moment Sophie was beside herself with joy.

She didn't even bother reading the room, just thanked me over and over.

"Thank you, Sis, I promise I won't waste this spot."

My father said nothing, his face dark.

I knew he'd agree.

Because whether it was me, the fake daughter, or Sophie, the real one, either of us was expendable to him.

Every one of the Sullivans was selfish and cold-blooded.

At the end my father warned Sophie again and again: "I have only one requirement. Once you have your enrollment, keep it low-key."

Sophie brushed him off.

"Got it, Dad."

But the moment she was enrolled she forgot every word.

Not only did she trumpet all over social media that she'd gotten into a top university, she even got into an argument with someone on the street and, in front of everyone, bragged about her superior family, her rare gifts.

That she'd gotten a guaranteed spot at a top school without ever taking the SATs.

She had no idea that every word out of her mouth was lighting the fuse under herself and the whole Sullivan family.

My father's recommendation spot had only ever existed as a target, something to redirect public attention once the school got caught misappropriating education funds.

But before the school could be exposed at all, the storm she stirred up on her own forced the state education authorities to launch a full investigation.

In the end they found not only that the recommendation didn't qualify and Sophie's enrollment had to be permanently revoked, but that the school had misused public funds. It was barred from admissions for three years, and the dean and every official involved were removed from their posts.

Even Hubert was caught in the fallout, formally reprimanded by his workplace and demoted.

When Sophie came home crying and begged our parents for help, Hubert knocked her to the floor with one slap.

"You little curse, what did I tell you? Went in one ear and out the other, did it?"

Even Gail, always so soft and gentle, glared at her, cold.

"Useless waste. I should've left you to rot in that backwater."

Our brother said nothing, but a cold, murderous light broke loose in his eyes.

I watched the whole family's mask finally crack apart,

and for the first time, I smiled from the heart.

4: 4

04

After that, Sophie was locked at home and forbidden to go out.

And every day my mother sent me off to one banquet or social event after another.

I knew what she wanted.

She just wanted me to hook a wealthy husband and keep making money for the Sullivan family.

But I already had my target. Randolph Abbott.

I'd looked into him. Abandoned by his mother when he was a boy, after she married up, he'd grown up damaged.

He got his thrills toying with vain women.

The vainer, the better.

But every woman he finished with

ended up either mad or ruined.

So when I turned up in ten-centimeter heels and an outfit worth a fortune, staging a chance encounter,

he came to me on his own.

I listened to the footsteps behind me,

my heart pounding wildly at how much closer this brought me to getting out.

From that day on, Randolph pursued me like a man possessed.

Every time he drove me home, the jealousy nearly burst out of Sophie's eyes.

So one day, when it poured and Randolph stayed the night,

she put on my most expensive outfit, even secretly slipped on our mother's heirloom stone, and knocked on his door.

That night, Sophie stayed in his room until the early hours before she came out.

A few days later, Randolph broke up with me.

His tone was ice cold. "Your sister's a lot more fun than you."

I cried and begged him to stay.

Sophie yanked me away and looked down at me with a sneer.

"No matter how much Mom and Dad dote on you, so what? Randolph's already proposed. I'm about to become Mrs. Abbott."

I clutched my chest, my face full of heartbreak.

"How could that be?"

The corner of her mouth curled up in a taunt.

"Randolph said it himself when he was on the phone with his mother. Why would I lie to you?"

She looked so smug.

But inside, I could only mourn for her.

I knew why Randolph was marrying her.

It was because ever since his father remarried his mother, she'd been pushing him to get married.

He hated her most of all, and while toying with women he'd decided to take his revenge to the fullest.

I gave the still-clueless Sophie a pitying look and ran off in tears.

Because of Randolph's "change of heart," the Sullivans did a complete one-eighty toward Sophie.

Every day they greeted her with smiles, dreaming of getting a spot in the supermarket chain out of their future son-in-law.

And I, watched for twenty years, finally had room to breathe.

I had a friend buy my ticket out.

Then came the day of Sophie's wedding.

The whole hotel was packed with guests, all rich or powerful.

Hubert and Gail were grinning ear to ear.

Sophie, in her wedding gown, smiled at me smugly.

I affectionately smoothed out the hem of her dress for her.

"Little sister, do you still remember the warning I gave you when you first came home?"

She shot me a glare.

"You still trying to scare me? Don't think I don't know you just want to scare me off so you can keep everyone's love to yourself."

"Let me tell you, that's never happening!"

She flung out a hand, and the bodyguards Randolph had assigned to her drove me out the door.

Mom and Dad brushed me off, telling me to just go home first.

I climbed into the car with a face full of hurt.

But the moment the door shut, my cold expression came back.

"To the airport."

Randolph came from a prominent family, and their wedding was broadcast live to everyone.

Right before the plane took off, I watched on the screen as Randolph gazed at Sophie with deep affection and said,

"Today, for my wife," he turned and glanced at his mother in the elders' seats, "and for my mother, I've prepared a big gift. I hope the two of them will like it."

The crowd cheered.

Sophie blushed.

Mom and Dad were even happier, grinning from ear to ear.

As if the supermarket deal were already set in stone.

Randolph's mother dabbed at her tears with a handkerchief, thinking she'd already won her son's forgiveness.

But when the big screen lit up, everyone froze.

Sophie threw herself at the screen like she'd gone mad, screaming her lungs out.

"Turn it off, now!"