Ethan Bennett shot me an angry glare before carrying the sobbing, wailing Olivia Bennett off to the hospital.
The housekeeper told me my parents had a social engagement tonight and wouldn’t be home for dinner.
I kicked the bulldog that had been barking at me from the corner and strolled leisurely upstairs.
God, it felt amazing not to be the doormat anymore.
The next day, the four of them sat around the dining table, each face darker than the bottom of a burnt pan.
Olivia dabbed at her tears now and then, sniffling pitifully.
My father cast me a sharp look and told the housekeeper to bring another chair.
Auntie Wang brought it over, but no one moved to make room.
I gave a short, cold laugh and stepped in to spare her the awkwardness.
“Don’t bother. From now on, just send my food up to my room.”
“I don’t exactly have an appetite staring at them.”
It wouldn’t be long before Olivia, just like in my last life, would find some excuse to kick me off the table entirely, leaving me to eat with her dog.
When they didn’t react, I picked up a piece of bread, eating as I turned to leave.
Suddenly, my father slammed the table with a loud crack and barked,
“Leaving before your elders finish speaking? Have you no manners at all?”
“Just like your mother and brother said—rotten to the core.”
I met his glare without a hint of deference.
“You’re the one who chose to speak the moment I stood up. What am I supposed to do?”
“And no matter how rotten I am, I’m still your blood. If there’s a problem, maybe it’s in the source.”
He froze mid-breath, nearly choking on his own anger.
“You’ve gone too far! Disrespectful! Today you’re getting a proper lesson!”
He roared for the butler to fetch the family discipline.
Olivia’s eyes glinted with satisfaction as she curled her lips in a smirk.
My mother pressed her lips together in silence, while Ethan looked like he was settling in to watch the show.
The butler handed my father a rattan whip as thick as my wrist. He glared at me with severity.
“Disrespecting your elders, harming your siblings, a vile nature with no remorse—do you admit your fault?”
In my past life, thanks to Olivia, I had suffered many such punishments.
The worst time, I was whipped until my back was split open, the wounds deep enough to show bone, and I nearly died from complications. I was bedridden for two months.
My eyes flicked to the whip and my stomach clenched, but I kept my chin high and shot back,
“Under mutual respect, I’m a polite young lady. If you think I was rude, maybe you should first reflect on your own attitude.”
His gaze on me grew even colder. He pointed the whip at me.
“Sharp-tongued brat! You caused Olivia’s car accident before, and yesterday you pushed her, giving her a concussion—how dare you talk back?”
So this was all about taking Olivia’s side again.
“You’re all blind, of course you didn’t see her run me over and break my leg, then frame me. She only—”
The rest of my words were cut short by the whistle of the whip slicing through the air, striking my back.
Once. Twice…
The pain exploded through my scalp, my body arching involuntarily as I shivered, teeth clenched against the agony.
After five blows, my father flung the whip to the ground and barked,
“Now do you understand your mistake? Will you apologize to Olivia?”
I straightened slowly, met his gaze with defiance, and suddenly smirked.
“I’ll apologize—if you tell me how much you’ll pay me for it.”
His eyes bulged in fury, fists tightening until his knuckles whitened.
“Ungrateful wretch! I’ve never seen such a vile child in my life!”
He was shaking with rage, and my mother quickly stepped in to calm him, helping him sit back down.
“Alright, alright. We know her nature now—just take your time to teach her. Don’t get yourself worked up.”
Then she turned her reproach toward me—
