Chapter 4

Daisy moved out that very night, not looking back even once.

My mom, soft-hearted as ever, watched her resolute figure disappear and turned to silently shed a few tears.

My dad also let out a heavy sigh.

"Chloe, from now on, don't tell us about her. You handle her affairs however you see fit."

"That account of hers, it's a sub-card of yours. Find a suitable time to close it."

I knew they were heartbroken.

In my previous life, Harper was passionate about art, while I excelled in science and engineering.

We were "one artistic, the other scientific," and a few years later, we were both shining brightly in our respective fields.

We became the 'perfect children' every parent envied, and my parents became role models admired by countless others.

They used to say, "That's a sense of accomplishment that no amount of money can buy."

Reborn into this life, I was still myself, but Harper had become Daisy Thompson.

I was curious to see where her destiny would ultimately lead.

*Ding!*

"Your account spent $200,000 on December 1st at 7:10 PM. Available balance: $300,000."

"Your account spent $35,000 on December 1st at 8:01 PM. Available balance: $265,000."

"Your account spent $5,000 on December 1st at 9:09 PM…"

My phone buzzed with continuous account activity notifications from the bank: transfers, rent payments, supermarket purchases…

Was five hundred thousand a lot? She would soon find out it was barely one year's tuition for Juilliard.

If the full tuition wasn't received by the registration deadline, her admission would be automatically revoked.

And tomorrow was the final deadline.

As expected, on the third day, Daisy returned.

She stormed into my classroom, pointing a finger at me and demanding, "Did you guys do this? Did you intentionally get my admission canceled?"

"Chloe, I know you've always been jealous of me, jealous that I'm more talented, more beautiful than you. This was your chance to get revenge, wasn't it?"

I was buried in my homework and didn't want to waste my breath, but since she was so eager to shove her face in front of me, I might as well oblige and slap it.

"What? Spent all your money already? Can't pay tuition, so you got expelled?"

"You…" She was furious. "You intentionally didn't tell me that five hundred thousand was for tuition, did you?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "How ridiculous! Didn't we agree it was all yours to 'freely dispose of'? What you do with it is none of our business!"

"Oh, you thought colleges abroad were like public high schools, where you just walk in for free?"

True. The old Harper Reed had always lived a sheltered life, never having to deal with the practicalities of money, which was why she was so foolish now.

Of course, it was also possible she was deliberately lashing out at me to hide her embarrassment about not being able to go to America.

Didn't matter.

I was eager to see how she would maintain her image as the glamorous "Juilliard high achiever" without our family's support.

"Hmph! So what if you have a little dirty money? Do you think I'd ever beg you? Dream on!"

"I'll tell you what, so what if I don't go abroad for college? I'm so talented, I can still get into a good university and still become famous and successful! You, you ugly duckling, you'll always just be my backdrop!"

It seemed "the power of family" was indeed strong enough to give her such confidence even as she abandoned her dreams.

I smiled. "Alright then, I'll be waiting to see."

"Everyone, there's something I need to announce."

I stood up and cleared my throat. "Harper Reed was actually adopted by our family. She has now reconnected with her birth parents. Her name is now Daisy Thompson."

"This is the legal document and the public announcement from that day. From now on, everything about her has nothing to do with our family."

From childhood until now, to provide her with a simple, pure environment, we had never revealed her true identity.

Now, I didn't say much, but just the name "Daisy Thompson" was enough to get everyone speculating.

"Oh, so she was a fake rich girl? And she used to act so high and mighty, really thinking she was something special!"

"No wonder! I always thought her vibe was different from Chloe's. Goes to show, true character always comes out."

"Daisy Thompson? Isn't that the classic 'parasitic parents' and 'brother-supporting daughter' storyline?"

"Pfft! Does she really think she's some amazing filial daughter? She's just a naive, ungrateful brat…"