Rebirth Of The Lost Heiress

Chapter4

BRIELLE

“Dad!” I repeated, holding him even tighter.

“You little girl, weren’t you annoyed with me just yesterday?” my dad said. His voice sounded half angry, half amused.

I shook my head quickly against his chest. “I won’t be anymore. Never again. I promise!”

He pulled me back to look at my face. His brows were still slightly pulled up, but his eyes were smiling. “Oh? Since when did my stubborn daughter become this obedient?”

“Since today,” I said seriously.

He laughed out loud. “Let’s see how long you can keep this up.”

That laugh… I had not heard it in so long. In my past life, it stopped too early.

Behind us, Lucy and her parents were still crying and complaining. Her mother kept saying I was rude. Her father said I had no manners. Lucy clung to her mom like she had been bullied by the whole world.

But their noise meant nothing to me. Not a single tear of mine would be wasted on them.

Dad finally sighed. “Enough. We are family. No one is leaving. Let’s stop this argument.”

I already knew he would say that. Out of brotherly loyalty, he would never kick Lucy’s family out. Not unless they crossed a line he could not forgive.

And that was exactly what I wanted.

Today’s fight was not about driving them away. It was about pushing them and making them angry so that they would show their true colors.

When the time came, I would tear that fake mask off them myself.

The house calmed down after a long while. Lucy’s family kept complaining for half a day, but I ignored it. I stayed close to Dad, helped Mom with dinner, and even cleaned the table without being asked.

Mom looked at me strangely. “Brielle, are you feeling sick?”

“No,” I said with a small smile. “I just feel… good.”

That night, I went to my room early. I sat on my bed, staring at the ceiling. Everything felt unreal, but my heart was steady.

A soft knock came on the door.

“Come in,” I called out.

The door opened slowly. My brother Liam walked in, hugging his stuffed wolf toy. His big eyes looked serious.

“Sister,” he whispered, closing the door behind him. “I don’t like that family at all.”

My heart tightened.

In my past life, when he said this, I had laughed and told him not to say such things. I had defended Lucy. I had even told him they were family.

And what did that bring us?

Pain.

This time, I reached out and patted his head gently. “Don’t worry. Sister will definitely drive them out.”

His eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Really.”

I would never forget what they did to him. They poisoned him. Made him lose his voice and suffer. Those debts… I would collect them one by one.

He hugged me tightly before running back to his room.

I lay down, staring into the dark.

Lucy. Adrian. And every single person who laughed at me.

I would deal with all of them.

Early the next morning, Dad left for the company as usual. He kissed my forehead before going. Liam was driven to school by the driver. He was only eight, but he was so smart that he had skipped several grades. With his brain, he could have skipped elementary school completely, but Dad didn’t want to pressure him too much.

As for me…

Lucy and I were the same age. We attended the same prestigious academy Dad arranged for us. Same grade. Same class.

The driver stood by the car and opened the door when he saw me. “Miss, it’s time for school.”

I nodded and stepped forward. Lucy was already sitting inside.

The moment she saw me, she smiled. It was sweet on the surface, but her eyes were sharp and unfriendly.

So what if I wanted to drive her family away? In the end, Dad would not agree. She felt safe.

As I got into the car calmly, I did not even look at her. To me, she was air.

The car started moving away from the villa. I casually flipped through a book in my lap.

Lucy kept shifting in her seat. After a few minutes, she spoke.

“Sister, you…”

“Stop pretending,” I said without looking up. “Do you really think I’m a fool who can’t see through your little tricks?”

She went silent for a second. Then she forced a soft voice. “What do you mean, sister?”

I finally looked at her and smiled coldly. “Lucy, I’m looking forward to your tricks. Don’t disappoint me.”

The car fell silent. She just stared at me like she was seeing a stranger.

After trying to look pitiful for a while, she slowly stopped acting. I could see it in her eyes. She realized I was serious.

I was no longer the easy Brielle she could use. It would not be simple to fool me again.

But at the same time, I saw something else in her gaze: Relief.

She had been acting like a loving cousin for a very long time. That fake act must have been tiring. If the mask was torn off, she might even enjoy it.

Half an hour later, we got to the academy. I stepped into the classroom like I always did… and something large hit my chest.

A poster.

It fell to the floor. I looked down and saw it clearly. It was a huge picture of yesterday’s scene in the courtyard. Me standing in front of Adrian, my face enlarged, the moment frozen.

Someone had even written words on it: “Desperate. Pathetic.”

Laughter filled the room.

“Brielle, how does it feel?”

“Hahaha, look at her acting like a fool!”

“He rejected her so many times, but she still clings to him!”

“Don’t forget, Adrian will be here soon. Let’s see how Miss Brielle begs again!”

I bent down, picked up the poster, folded it once, and threw it into the trash. Then I walked to my seat, sat down calmly, and opened my book.

The class went quiet for a moment.

In the past, I would have argued, cried, and screamed at them to shut up. Today, I did none of that so they started whispering soon enough.

“Is she okay?”

“Why is she acting differently?”

“Did she go crazy?”

A mischievous boy from the back stood up and walked toward me. He was grinning.

Without warning, he snatched the book from my hands and tossed it into the trash can.

“Hey Brielle,” he said loudly. “Cry. If you cry, I’ll let you go.”

The entire class laughed.

Slowly I stood up. I walked toward him, ignoring everyone else.

“Pick it up,” I said.

He snorted. “I threw it. Why would I pick it up? That’s ridiculous.” His face was so arrogant.

I just smiled. Then I punched him straight in the nose.

A loud crack sound echoed through the entire classroom. He screamed.

Before anyone could react, I kicked his knee. He stumbled. Then I grabbed his hair and slammed his head onto the desk.

Gasps filled the room. He howled in pain. Blood started pouring from his nose.

I leaned closer and said softly, “Cry. If you cry, I’ll let you go.”

He burst into tears instantly. “It hurts! Damn it, I’m miserable!”

Satisfied, I let him go.

Someone hurried to pick up my book from the trash and placed it neatly on my desk.

I returned to my seat like nothing happened. Whispers started to spread again.

“She’s twisted.”

“She’s gone mad.”

“Adrian is going to be angry.”

The noisy chatter suddenly stopped. When I looked up lazily, Adrian walked into the classroom.

He had on a clean shirt, a casual jacket, and a handsome face wearing that bright, sunny look everyone admired.

He used to be the light in my heart. But that light burned everything I had.

To say I did not hate him would be a lie. I hated how he used me, chose Lucy, and left me to die.

But what I hated most was my old self. I had lost my mind for him. Lowered myself until there was nothing left.

Who could I blame?

My fingers clenched slightly on the desk. Then I relaxed and looked away from him.

ADRIAN

Most people did not notice the change in Brielle.

But I did.

Since yesterday, when she clearly said she was calling off the engagement, she had not contacted me once. No messages. No waiting outside my house. Nothing.

It made me feel relieved. Yet it was strange.

When did Brielle become so clever? Was she using reverse psychology?

But just now, when our eyes met for a second… I clearly saw the deep hatred for me in her eyes.