The Real Miss Mitchell: Unmasking the Genius

"Take your stuff and get out!"

Grace Hernandez stood at the door with her hands on her hips, kicking the black garbage bags at her feet down the steps.

The plastic bags tumbled down, splitting open. Clothes, books, and random little things scattered everywhere.

A notebook fell open, its pages soaking up muddy water, the writing bleeding into blurry smudges.

Eleanor Mitchell's thin back stayed perfectly straight as she stared at the mess on the ground, her fingers clenched tight into fists.

That mud-stained notebook was a gift from Grace when she won first place in a writing contest in ninth grade.

She'd been happy for a whole week and had carefully treasured it ever since.

Looking at it now, she realized how pathetic she'd been, clinging to those tiny scraps of family love.

"Are you deaf?"

When Eleanor didn't respond, Grace's voice got even sharper: "I raised you for fifteen years, and now that my real daughter is back, you're still hanging around? You really think you belong in this family? You've taken her place long enough—time to go!"

"Remember, from today on, your last name is Mitchell, not Brown!"

Soft footsteps came from inside. The Brown family's real heiress, Sophia Brown, walked out in a white dress and stood beside Grace, gently tugging at her sleeve.

"Mom, don't say that to Eleanor. This isn't her fault either. She's a victim too. She must be feeling terrible right now..."

Grace looked at her daughter, her expression immediately softening with pure affection. She patted Sophia's hand. "Sweet girl, you're just too kind. If it weren't for her, you wouldn't have suffered all those years out there."

Eleanor watched the two of them playing the loving mother-daughter act, and her heart felt like it was being pricked by thousands of tiny needles.

She'd thought that even if she wasn't the Brown family's real daughter, after living with them all these years, her adoptive parents would at least have some feelings for her.

Turns out, she'd been fooling herself all along.

"Eleanor, Mom's just tough on the outside but soft inside. Don't take it to heart." Sophia looked at her, her tone still gentle, though her eyes couldn't hide her smugness.

Eleanor's lips curved into a cold smile. After spending time with her these past few days, she'd already figured out that Sophia was two-faced—saying nice things while secretly hoping the adoptive parents would kick her out.

She'd only stayed because she still held onto a sliver of hope, but she never expected to be humiliated like this today.

Just then, Eleanor's adoptive father, Jack Brown, walked out from the living room holding a bank card, which he tossed onto the steps.

"There's ten thousand dollars on that card. Consider it our compensation. We raised you, so we've done our part."

The bank card hit the concrete with a sharp click.

Eleanor stared at the card, remembering how when she was little, Jack would stand at the door waiting for her after school just like this.

She'd always run into his arms happily, holding his hand.

Back then, she thought that hand was big and warm.

But now, that same hand had thrown a bank card on the ground.

The warmth from back then was completely gone.

Eleanor's nose stung. Her fingernails dug so hard into her palms they almost drew blood. She stood there, frozen.

Grace let out a cold laugh: "What, not enough for you? Truth is, we already found your real parents—deadbeats on government assistance. A crippled brother at home, and a pile of debt you wouldn't believe."

"If you don't take this ten thousand dollars, you're going to regret it later!"

Eleanor finally looked up. All the emotion in her eyes had died away, leaving only a deep, dark coldness.

That look was so cold it sent an inexplicable chill through Grace.

"I'll leave. From now on, I have nothing to do with this family." Her voice was flat.

Then she crouched down and started picking up the scattered things.

There were shoe prints on the clothes, mud on the book pages. She straightened them out one by one and put them back in the bags.

When she picked up the notebook, she paused.

There was a photo tucked inside—a family picture of the three of them, taken at the school gate on her high school graduation day.

She stood in the middle, her eyes curved in a smile.

That day, she'd felt loved.

Grace snorted and was about to turn around, but Sophia had already walked down the steps.

"Sis, let me help you."

She reached out and picked up the bank card for Eleanor, gently tucking it into Eleanor's coat pocket. "This is from Mom and Dad. Just take it. Things are harder out there than at home—you'll need money everywhere."

Her hand paused in Eleanor's pocket, and when she pulled it out, her fingers held a small hair clip.

Shaped like a ginkgo leaf, set with tiny diamonds, it glinted in the afternoon sun.

"What's this?" Sophia's eyes widened as she covered her mouth in surprise. "Isn't this... the one Mom and Dad gave me..."

Grace recognized it immediately—it was the birthday gift she'd bought for Sophia.

A custom piece from a luxury brand that had cost over a hundred thousand dollars.

"Eleanor! How shameless can you be? Stealing things on your way out?!" Her voice shot up, her eyes full of disgust.

Jack's expression darkened too, disappointment filling his gaze as he looked at Eleanor.

Sophia bit her lip, her eyes gradually reddening.

"Eleanor... if you liked this hair clip, you could've just told me. I would've given it to you, really... you didn't have to do this..."

Neighbors were already poking their heads out, whispering.

"Stealing? She always seemed like such a good kid. Turns out she's a thief..."

"Like father, like son. When they're not your own blood, they just don't measure up..."

"Yeah, look at how sweet Sophia is, and so kind too."

Eleanor listened to the gossip and looked at Sophia's tear-stained face, then suddenly laughed.

She'd never taken that hair clip. The only possibility was that Sophia had just slipped it into her pocket to frame her.

She looked at Sophia with a cold laugh. "Why don't you become an actress? What a waste of your talent."

She threw the hair clip on the ground and stepped on it, her tone dripping with mockery. "This kind of thing? Not worth stealing. I wouldn't want it."

Grace's face turned red with anger. "You wouldn't want it? We've been paying for everything you have, and now you think you're too good for it? What gives you the right to look down on it?"

Eleanor looked at her, her tone even colder. "You paid for my expenses? Don't forget who's been making money for the Brown Group all these years. Even if you raised me when I was little, I've already paid that back!"

The Brown Group had originally been just a small company. Over the years, under her management, it had finally started to take off and was about to go public soon.

"You—" Grace was furious and raised her hand to slap Eleanor. "Stop talking nonsense! When did the money in my family become yours!"

Eleanor dodged to the side, but her feet got tangled in the scattered books. She lost her balance and fell hard to the ground.

Sharp pain shot through her palm. Her right hand was cut by the gravel on the ground, blood flowing from her palm, dripping onto the concrete and spreading into small stains.

Grace looked down at her from above and sneered. "Serves you right! Karma's catching up with you now!"

Jack stood there too, looking at her coldly, like she was a stranger.

Eleanor suddenly felt that the pain in her palm was nothing.

She lowered her head, the corner of her mouth twitching.

She'd actually held onto some fantasy that her adoptive parents had at least cared about her a little bit.

She'd been pathetically foolish.

"Sis, are you okay? Please don't blame Mom. She's just really upset." Sophia stepped forward with fake concern, as if to help her up, but when she got close, her tone carried obvious malice and smugness.

"Oh, by the way, October second is my engagement party with Ethan. If you're free, you should definitely come."

Another sharp pain twisted through Eleanor's heart.

Ethan.

Ethan Martinez.

Her childhood friend, and once her fiancé.

Now he was about to get engaged to Sophia.

She slowly lifted her eyes, her gaze growing colder and colder.