Chapter 6

Luna's POV

"I don't have a vain, greedy sister like you!"

"Luna, you still won't repent?" My mother cut off Henry's words, glancing at the servant beside her. "Search her room and her belongings!"

The living room fell into deathly silence.

I stood there quietly, my expression calm.

Just a little tired.

My head felt slightly dizzy.

But this was exactly what I wanted. Henry's slap couldn't be for nothing.

At the very least, he'd have to pay for it.

Before long, the servant came out of my room.

"Madam, we didn't find the ring or the necklace."

My father and mother exchanged a glance. Their faces darkened instantly.

"Mom, she must've sold them on the black market. Why else would she go shopping alone? She obviously wanted to get rid of the stolen goods as fast as possible." Henry stared at me, his tone certain.

My father snorted coldly, his brow furrowed. "Luna, you've truly disappointed us. We thought bringing you home would help you break your bad habits. But instead, you're ungrateful, you steal, you lie, and you refuse to repent!"

"Dad, I didn't. If I were really a skilled pickpocket who could steal Lily's valuables without anyone noticing, would I have ended up in a foster home? Starving every day? Was I trying to starve myself to death?"

I looked at my parents sitting on the sofa, pressed my lips together, and let anger flash across my face.

"The things Lily lost are expensive. I was at the mall the whole time buying things. The receipts have timestamps. The mall has cameras. I don't know who stole them, but it wasn't me. I don't even know my way home yet. How would I know where Henry's so-called black market is?"

"No one else went into Lily's room but you!"

"Henry, you're convinced I stole Lily's things?" I frowned, taking a deep breath. "Even without any evidence, you're sure I'm a thief? Or is it that whenever something goes missing in this house, it's automatically my fault?"

I laughed coldly to myself. Henry wasn't as smart as he thought.

Did he really think stolen goods were that easy to fence?

Besides, I didn't even have the time to commit the crime.

Henry's face changed. His voice was sharp. "Are you saying Lily's jealous of you? That we're wrongly accusing you?"

"Enough!" My mother's voice was stern. She rubbed her temples and waved her hand impatiently. "Lily is a child I raised. She's been sweet and obedient since she was little. She would never frame you! Luna, go kneel outside right now. When you're ready to hand over what you took, you can come back in."

"Mom, I'm sure Luna didn't mean it... I didn't put my valuables away properly." Lily's voice was still choked with sobs, her face full of anxiety. "Luna, if you just give them back, I can give you money. Or if you want any of my other jewelry, you can have it..."

The anger I'd been suppressing flared up instantly. I laughed softly.

Even without finding the stolen goods, Lily was so confident our parents would side with her. She'd lived in a bubble her whole life. She had no idea how cruel people could be.

When she saw me laugh, Lily froze for a moment, panic flashing across her face. But she quickly recovered.

Even if the items were found in her room, all she had to do was apologize to our parents and brothers, and the whole thing would blow over.

Just then, the door opened. Julian walked in.

The moment he saw Lily's red, tear-stained eyes, his heart ached.

He turned to me, his gaze full of hostility.

"What happened?" Julian's voice was cold. "Luna, did you bully Lily again?"

When Julian learned that Lily had lost something, he looked at me with a complicated expression. After a moment of hesitation, he spoke. "Luna, hand over what you took and apologize to Lily. We won't pursue this further. But you have to write a guarantee that you'll never steal again!"

"Julian, Lily's things weren't taken by me. Why don't you search her room?"

"What are you implying? That Lily hid them herself to frame you?" Henry glared at me viciously.

"Henry, I didn't say that."

"Then I'll make you give up. I'll search Lily's room myself." Henry jumped up and headed for the second floor.

He called two servants to follow him.

The living room fell silent.

I stared at Lily. There wasn't a trace of nervousness on her face. She seemed certain someone would help her.

Twenty minutes later, Henry and the two servants came back down. They hadn't found the missing jewelry in Lily's room.

But Henry's icy blue eyes gleamed coldly as he stared at me, as if making sure I knew he'd hidden the items.

"Luna, I know these years alone haven't been easy for you. You resent your family. But you can't take Lily's things. After all, Lily's been by Mom and Dad's side all these years. If you just hand them over and apologize to Lily, we can let this go!"

I slowly lifted my head and looked at Julian. I'd almost forgotten—this was five years ago. Julian wasn't yet the Wall Street genius. He hadn't made his mark in finance. Even though he was the future heir of the Ashford family, the funds he could access were still limited.

He'd only been at Ashford Group for a year. He'd probably spent a fortune building connections.

It wasn't that he couldn't afford to buy Lily another gift of equal value. He just didn't think it was worth spending more money.

"Julian, the servants already said they didn't find Lily's things in my room."

Julian's eyes darkened. "Lily's never lost anything before. But you come home, and suddenly things go missing. Who else would dare go into Lily's room and steal?"

"Mom, Dad, if you think I stole them, just call the police!"

I looked at Lily with contempt, a mocking smile tugging at my lips.

"I'm sure the police will find the real thief..."

Without another word, I turned and headed upstairs to my room.

In my past life, I was wrong. I was wrong to trust in blood and family, to let them humiliate me.

God gave me a second chance. I wouldn't make the same mistake again.

To hell with blood and family. This time, I swore I wouldn't wrong myself. And I wouldn't let them hurt me in the name of family ever again.

The moment I stepped into my room, I heard the lock turn behind me.

Just like in my past life. Whenever they thought I'd done something wrong, they locked me in my room.

"Luna, you've disappointed Mom and Dad! Don't think that just because they brought you home, you're an Ashford heiress. When you hand over what you took and apologize to Lily, I'll ask Mom and Dad to let you out!"

I clenched my fists, laughing coldly. "Henry, if you're so sure I stole Lily's things, then call the police!"

"Ungrateful brat!"