Sure enough, she put on a whole show, accusing me of stealing out of greed.

"Athena, I know poverty can lead to bad habits, but that necklace belongs to Mom and Dad!" Laura held up the necklace she had taken from my room, looking at me disapprovingly.

Draven and Rayne's eyes were filled with disappointment towards me.

I let out a cold laugh and picked up my phone. "Well, then just call the police. Let's see who's trying to frame me. After all, there's a security camera in the living room, and there might even be fingerprints on the necklace."

Laura's face turned pale, and she lowered her head guiltily. Draven and Rayne seemed to understand what was happening but didn't blame her. Instead, they snatched the phone from my hand. "Enough, it’s just a small matter in our family. It was probably one of those untrustworthy maids who did it."

A hint of disappointment appeared in my heart.

I wanted to say more, but Draven and Rayne changed the subject, mentioning that the renowned fashion designer Lisa Conner had agreed to attend Laura's fashion design exhibition.

I raised an eyebrow. Was my adoptive mother coming back? Why hadn't I heard about it?

I immediately sent a text to my adoptive mother, who replied that she had no such plans.

"Maybe you've been scammed? Lisa has a tight schedule."

Laura shot me a vicious glare. "You're just jealous, aren't you?"

I lowered my head to ignore her.

But she wouldn't let it go. She went on and on, telling me that with my current abilities, I should focus on studying so I wouldn't embarrass the family by ending up at a diploma mill.

Draven and Rayne nodded in agreement, even suggesting that I should look up to Laura as a role model. I could see the disappointment flicker in their eyes as they looked at me.

Listening to her brag about how difficult it was to get into her non-art school, I almost believed that being accepted into the Central College of Arts was nothing special.

Seeing that I wasn't responding, they shifted the conversation awkwardly to the upcoming birthday party. Until the discussion ended, Draven and Rayne didn't remember that my birthday was on the same day as Laura's.

I let out a cold laugh. "And what about me?"

Draven paused, looking confused for a moment before he understood. "Don't worry, I've prepared a gift for you too. You'll be engaged to Jake Gardner, the son of the Gardner family at the party."