Chapter 2 Without Her, You Are an Orphan

Eliana turned and walked away. At the top of the stairs, she saw Charlotte standing on the second floor, staring at the shredded paper all over the floor with a look of shock, then looking back at Eliana.

"Eliana..." Charlotte's eyes grew slightly red, her voice full of hurt. "If you didn't want to give it, that's fine. I wasn't going to fight you for it."

Eliana looked at Charlotte's face.

That same face — the one that had smiled while ordering people to hack off her hands and feet in her past life. The one that had used a rusty pair of pliers to tear the skin right off her face.

Eliana let out a cold laugh. "With acting like that, you'd have won an Oscar by now."

Charlotte froze for a moment, then turned to Samuel with an even more wounded expression. "Samuel, I really wasn't trying to steal her song. I just didn't want you two fighting over me, so I came to check on things."

Samuel's face filled with concern. He walked over quickly and stepped in front of Charlotte, snapping at Eliana. "Are you done? You destroyed Charlotte's career and you're standing there like you did nothing wrong? Apologize to her. Now."

Eliana watched him shield Charlotte — exactly the same as he had in her past life.

"I destroyed her career?" She laughed, and it was the most bitter sound. "That was my song to begin with. Why the hell should I apologize?"

Samuel's face darkened. He had no comeback.

Eliana had no interest in dealing with this family anymore. She turned and headed upstairs.

Back in her room, she locked the door behind her and leaned against it. She noticed her hands were still shaking.

Not from fear. From anger.

She couldn't understand how she had put up with this for so long in her past life.

Three whole years. She had acted like a fool, handing over everything she had ever earned, just to get a smile out of them.

Eliana walked to the edge of the bed and sat down. She took a deep breath and started thinking through her situation.

She was still under contract with Samuel's agency. No termination yet.

If things followed the same path as her past life, the Sullivan family would keep draining her until Charlotte lured her onto that yacht.

So she had to get away from the Sullivan family. Away from Samuel's company.

But she had no money. All her income had been held back by Samuel under the name of agency fees. By the time anything reached her, there was barely a cent left.

Eliana picked up her phone, opened her contacts, and found her best friend Isabella Foster.

Isabella was the only person in the world who had ever been good to her. They had grown up together in an orphanage, both dreaming of becoming big stars one day.

During the years when Eliana had no connections, it was Isabella who had gone out of her way to get her small supporting roles.

The call connected quickly.

"Eliana? What's going on? It's so late." Isabella's soft voice came through the phone.

Eliana felt her throat tighten. She pushed back the urge to cry. "Isabella, can I stay with you for a few days?"

She told Isabella everything that had just happened.

"What? Samuel actually did that to you?" Isabella was furious on her behalf. "Good for you for tearing it up! I know better than anyone how much work you put into that song. What gives Charlotte the right? Just because of that fake face of hers?"

Eliana gave a small, tired smile. "I'm worried the Sullivan family will cut off my connections. I want to break the contract, but I can't afford the penalty."

Isabella was quiet for a few seconds. "Don't worry about that. Come stay with me first. We'll figure out the contract thing as we go."

Then, as if she had just remembered something, she lowered her voice. "Oh — do you know about the new talent search EverBlaze Media is running?"

"EverBlaze Media?"

"Yes! Theodore Marshall's company." Isabella's voice picked up with excitement. "Word is, if you get selected, you're signed to a full contract on the spot — priority development resources for the next ten years, and they cover the buyout fee from your old contract."

"Really?" Eliana felt a spark of interest.

EverBlaze Media. She knew that name well.

The fastest-rising company in the entertainment industry over the past five years, backed by the Marshall family — the most powerful family in New York. They didn't align with any faction. Everyone in the industry said EverBlaze had an eye for talent. Every artist they backed became a star.

And Theodore Marshall himself was known throughout the industry as the cold-faced CEO — no interest in romance, no patience for sentiment, but the kind of resources in his hands that could make the entire entertainment world tremble.

"I already sent you the link. You can look it up online," Isabella said, her tone turning serious. "And this time, don't you dare go soft and hand the opportunity over to that snake Charlotte."

"Don't worry."

Eliana hung up, opened her laptop, and pulled up the information Isabella had sent.

It was exactly as Isabella had described.

She searched for EverBlaze Media's past selection criteria, and the more she read, the more she felt she had a real shot.

There were no experience requirements — only talent and potential. The process was three rounds of interviews followed by a practical assessment, all filmed and fully transparent.

Eliana filled out the application carefully, then submitted it.

Just as she finished, someone knocked on her door.

She frowned, got up, and went to open it. The door had barely opened a crack when a hand came flying at her face. Her cheek burned instantly.

"You ungrateful little wretch!" Eliana's mother, Tiffany Sullivan, shoved her way in and jabbed a finger in Eliana's face. "Charlotte's competing in a songwriting competition next month. You tore up the sheet music — what is she supposed to perform now?"

Eliana pressed her hand to her cheek. She saw Simon and her older brother Steven Sullivan standing in the doorway, their faces tight with anger.

Charlotte hung back behind everyone else, eyes red, wearing the expression of someone who had been deeply wronged.

One big happy family.

Eliana let out a cold laugh, her voice flat. "What she performs is not my problem."

Tiffany blinked, then shot back, "You eat our food, you live in our house — what's the big deal about writing one song? Do you have any idea how long Charlotte has been preparing for this competition?"

Steven's voice dropped low, sharp with authority. "You're going to sit down right now and rewrite that song. And you're going to hand it over to Charlotte."

Eliana looked at their faces — every one of them ugly in this moment — and suddenly she laughed. "And if I say no?"

Simon's expression went cold. "Then you don't deserve to be a Sullivan."

"I don't want to be one." The words came out before she could stop them. "I'm moving out. From this point on, I have nothing to do with the Sullivan family."

The room went still.

None of them had expected this. Eliana had always kept her head down. They couldn't believe she was actually pushing back.

Charlotte looked around at everyone, then put on her most gentle voice. "Mom, Dad, please stop fighting. I don't want the song anymore. I don't want to make things hard for Eliana."

As she spoke, tears rolled down her face — as if Eliana were the one who had stolen from her.

Simon immediately put his arm around Charlotte's shoulder, then turned and glared at Eliana. "Who do you think you are? If Charlotte hadn't needed a rare blood type after her accident, I never would have gone to that orphanage to bring you home."

Something rang in Eliana's head. She stared at him. "What did you just say?"

Simon realized he had said too much. His expression shifted — but then he stiffened. "You heard me. Everything you have is because of Charlotte. Without her, you'd still be nobody — just another orphan no one wanted."

Eliana stood there, the color draining from her face.

So the Sullivan family had known about her all along. They just hadn't bothered to come for her until they needed something.

Three years of swallowing her pride and trying to please them. In this moment, all of it became a joke.

"So..." Eliana's voice was quiet. "You brought me home to be Charlotte's blood supply."

The Sullivans' expressions shifted. They wanted to argue, but nothing came out.

Because she was right.

Charlotte stepped forward, playing the peacemaker. "Eliana, please stop upsetting Mom and Dad. Just apologize and let's move on."

Before she could finish, a sharp slap landed across her face.

Eliana looked at her with cold, steady eyes. "I think you're the one who should be apologizing."