I Kicked the Scum & Seized My Family Fortune

Chapter 2

Jasmine's vicious insults and threats dragged me back to my senses.

"Melody, I hope you die a miserable death! I'll make sure Noah teaches you a lesson you'll never forget!"

I looked down at Jasmine's once innocent and sweet face. The pain twisted her features into something cruel and frightening. I let out a quiet scoff.

The next moment, the straightener in my hand pressed against her other arm.

"Owww!"

A scream filled with even greater agony echoed through the room. Jasmine fought desperately against my hold, but she couldn't break free.

Her biological parents had switched me at birth, yet they never gave me money for meals. All I got were their leftovers. As I grew older, they forced me to do all kinds of exhausting work, and those years of hardship had built me a strength most people didn't have.

Jasmine was smart enough to realize that things weren't going in her favor. She swallowed her pride and begged through gritted teeth. "I was wrong. Let me go. I won't ever provoke you again."

I watched the tears slide down her face and the hatred she tried to hide beneath her frightened gaze. A faint laugh escaped my lips.

"Jasmine, since when did you actually know you were wrong? Besides, with burns like these, you'll have a much better story to tell them. You can say I couldn't tolerate your existence and wanted to force you out of the Parker family. Go ahead."

The moment I finished speaking, I let go of Jasmine and pushed her away. She stumbled backward before collapsing onto the floor.

After scrambling to her feet and reaching the door, she turned around and shot me a venomous glare.

"You b***h, you'll regret this!"

I lifted my brows slightly and answered without hesitation, "I'll be waiting."

As Jasmine's figure disappeared from sight, I turned and rushed toward the balcony. Using the pipes attached to it, I climbed down to the first floor, ran straight into the garage, and got into Jasmine's pink Lamborghini.

I started the car and sped away from the Parker family villa.

Although that room belonged to me, it offered no privacy whatsoever. The servants could enter whenever they pleased. If Jasmine called them for help, I might not be able to escape and would end up suffering through the same torment I endured in my previous life.

But I would never allow history to repeat itself. This time, everyone who had hurt me would pay a terrible price.

I drove directly to my biological uncle's house.

When a servant led me into the living room, my heartless husband, no, my ex husband from my previous life, Brad, happened to rise from the sofa.

Looking at his still young face, I suddenly remembered that moment at the award ceremony in my previous life.

With the entire internet watching, I confessed my feelings to him. Tears filled my eyes as I choked out, "Brad, I love you."

But the only thing I received in return was Brad's furious accusation.

He said, "I could never love a twisted monster who harasses her own brother and bullies her adopted sister! Melody, those seven years with you were nothing but torture. I felt sick countless times because of you. Thankfully, everything is finally over now."

'You call that torture? Brad, this time, I will show you what true torture feels like.' I made a silent vow.

When he saw me appear at Wilson's Estate, surprise flashed across his handsome face, quickly followed by a hint of panic. He hurried over and tried to pull me away.

"Why are you here? Didn't I tell you not to visit the Wilson family?"

His voice dropped at the end, low enough that only the two of us could hear.

I avoided his hand and deliberately raised my voice so my grandmother sitting in the living room could hear every word.

"You can come here even though you're an outsider. Why should I listen to you and cut ties with the Wilson family?"

Brad's expression changed immediately. He instinctively glanced toward my grandmother. When he looked back at me, his eyes were filled with disappointment.

"Melody, I never said that! Why do you always have to lie? What do you gain from doing this?"

In my previous life, every time I wanted to visit my uncle's family at Wilson's Estate, Brad would stop me.

He said, "Your mother gave up her relationship with the Wilson family because of love. If you visit them, it's no different from betraying your mother. You'll hurt your aunt and make the entire Parker family unhappy with you. I'm your fiancé and the future grandson-in-law. Helping resolve this misunderstanding is exactly what I should do."

Back then, I had been foolish enough to believe him. I even thought he was considering my feelings.

It wasn't until the final moments of my life that I discovered the real reason he refused to let me visit the Wilson family. He was afraid I would become close to them. With the Wilson family's support, I might have actually been able to force Jasmine out of the Parker family.

And Brad had indeed gone to the Wilson family to "resolve the issue", but the relationship he wanted to repair was between the Wilson family and Jasmine.

To make the Parker family accept Jasmine, he had even taken away the place that belonged to me.

Brad spread rumors that I hated the Wilson family, looked down on them, and deliberately targeted my cousins at school. He had done everything he could to turn the Wilson family against me.

I let out a cold laugh and raised my hand, slapping him hard across the face.

Smack!

The sharp sound of the slap echoed throughout the living room, leaving every servant stunned.

Back then, I had always followed Brad's wishes. I had never once opposed him, and the thought of slapping him would have been unimaginable.

A dark flicker crossed Brad's eyes, but when he looked at me again, his expression returned to one of helpless affection.

"What happened? Didn't I tell you that if you're upset, you can come to me? But you can't just hit someone whenever you want. If you act like this, people will misunderstand and think you're a cruel girl."

His words sounded sincere, but his real intention was to make the servants think I was arrogant and enjoyed bullying others. At the same time, he was preparing the perfect image for Jasmine in the future, the image of a "gentle, pitiful girl forced to depend on others."

That way, the members of the Wilson family, who could only learn about my situation through him, would keep their distance from Jasmine to protect my reputation.

To outsiders, it would look like the Wilson family had accepted Jasmine as their granddaughter and naturally treated her with special affection.

As for why Brad hated me yet continued pretending to love me, the reason was simple. He wasn't a true blood member of the Lowe family. He had only entered the family with his mother and taken the Lowe surname.

To seize control of the entire Lowe family, he had to marry me and use his position as the Parker Group's son-in-law to gain support from some of the Lowe family's shareholders.

And his attachment to Jasmine wasn't only because of their past relationship. More importantly, he had once been a poor student sponsored by the Parker Group under Jasmine's name.

To Brad, Jasmine was the only light in his life. He couldn't let her go.

I lifted my eyes and looked at him coldly.

"Actually, the person who loves lying and crossing the line is you, Brad. I had only been brought back to the family for one week, and I had known you for five days. We hadn't even spent three hours together in total. Yet you act as if you know me better than anyone else and as if we're incredibly close. Tell me, where exactly did you get to know me? From less than five days and three hours of knowing me?"

Brad finally lost control of his calm expression. He pressed his lips together and struggled to say, "Melody, we're engaged. We're going to spend our entire lives together."

My voice grew even colder, "You? A son brought into the Lowe family by a mistress? You aren't qualified to be my fiancé. You should stay with Jasmine for the rest of your life!"