"What’s with your attitude? If it weren’t for your sister pleading with Ceasar on your behalf, you’d probably still be stuck there," they scolded.
"With all the things you’ve done, Ceasar didn’t send you to prison only because of the relationship between our families."
My parents' constant criticism, accusing me of not knowing my place, quickly shattered any remaining hope that they still cared about me.
It became clear that five years was enough to warp even the strongest family ties.
"You see how your parents feel now, right? You're not the only daughter in this family. If you're going to keep acting like this, I'll just send you right back," Ceasar said coldly.
I knew Ceasar had immense power. Even my parents had to play by his rules sometimes.
No one was going to protect me. I had to rely on my own fragile self to survive.
The thought of the torment I had endured over the past five years sent a chill down my spine. My legs gave out and I collapsed to the ground, trembling.
"I didn’t mean to ignore your question," I stammered, my voice shaking. "I was wrong... I won’t do it again. Please don’t send me back. They’ll beat me to death."
Ceasar must have expected to feel some sense of satisfaction seeing me like this. After all, my betrayal years ago had nearly destroyed the company he had worked so hard to build.
But when I grovelled and begged for him to spare me, his eyes were filled with something far from satisfaction.
In fact, when I was so scared that I dropped to my knees, he actually took a step forward.
My words had planted a seed of doubt in his mind, just waiting for the right moment to trigger it.
Finally, Ceasar's emotions erupted. With a sharp curse, he stormed out of the Wonders Family's mansion. Even when Tracy called his name from behind, he didn't so much as glance back.
For a split second, a malicious gleam flashed in Tracy’s eyes.
My room had clearly not been cleaned in a long time, dust everywhere.
But as I lay back on the once-soft bed, I couldn’t help but cry.
In the five years since I’d been thrown back to my foster parents, whenever I angered them or failed to do as they instructed, I was forced to sleep in the straw of the woodshed.
Now, having a warm place to rest, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude.
Not long after I had drifted off to sleep, my door was suddenly kicked open and I was dragged to the floor.