Her words terrified them, and immediately surrendered on the spot.
Aunt Laura sighed, smiling helplessly at me. "All right, we'll bring you too. But remember—there's already another girl at home..."
"Don't worry, Mom!" I said sweetly. "I'll get along great with my little sister!"
The headmistress was so moved she nearly cried tears of joy and relief. She looked like she wanted to wave a flag to send us off.
"Wonderful! Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Lambert on gaining two precious daughters!"
As the couple went to handle the adoption paperwork, I grabbed my best friend's hand, eyes sparkling.
"Carmela, you're the best! You didn't forget our promise to share riches and mischief together!"
She rolled her eyes. "Oh please. I just didn't want you to get beaten to death the second I left."
I cackled. "Love you, bestie! That fake heiress didn't come today—bet she doesn't want you home. If she's really a scheming little girl, I'll handle her for you!"
For years, our unbeatable combo had ruled the orphanage—I'd spit venom while she threw punches. Together, we were unstoppable.
But when it came to manipulative girls, my poor best friend had zero experience.
She squeezed my hand back, eyes glimmering. "Bestie, my future rich life depends on you!"
"Relax," I grinned. "I've got this."
When Uncle John and Aunt Laura returned, they found us holding hands, smiling like angels.
"You two really do seem close," she said warmly. "That puts our minds at ease."
On the ride to their mansion, Aunt Laura explained their family situation.
Aside from the "adopted" daughter—Trisha, the fake heiress—my best friend also had a brother, two years older than her.
She'd gone missing when she was three. And apparently, her brother had been the reason she got lost in the first place.
He hadn't even come to pick her up today, which said plenty about how 'thrilled' he was to have her back.
Sure enough, when we arrived at the Lambert residence, the first thing we saw was a tall, cold-faced boy standing at the gate, arms crossed, eyes shadowed like storm clouds.
And that was our welcome home.
When my best friend and I held hands and called him "Brother," Kian's expression cracked like shattered glass.
"You adopted another one?" he snapped.
The moment he learned I was just a foster child with no inheritance rights, he relaxed a little, his arrogance returning.