Chapter 7: The truth

Months have passed, and I find myself growing closer to Prince. As time goes by, I find myself falling for him even more. It's strange that he hasn't been calling me on the number where we first talked.

He used to call me on my regular number, but he hasn't been doing so lately. I wonder why. I don't know if I did something wrong to make him act this way, or if I'm just being paranoid because I'm used to him always talking to me.

I'm at home today because I don't have work. Prince said it's our rest day, and he announced it yesterday. But he's been ignoring me since yesterday.

If he has something to say, he only speaks when he has an order.

I don't understand why he's acting like this. I don't know if I did something wrong or if I'm just being paranoid? I just got used to it, talking to him.

My thoughts about Prince were interrupted by a loud banging on my bedroom door. It was Scarlet, with her eyebrows furrowed in anger.

"Where is my crop top?! Why can't I find it in my closet?!" she yelled at me as I opened the door for her.

My door could have been broken if I hadn't opened it, even though I wasn't in the mood to be ordered around by her.

"How can you see if you're only using your mouth to search?" I replied indifferently.

"Oh, so now you're talking back?!" her eyes blazed with anger.

She forcefully pushed her finger against my forehead, as if she was the one providing for me. I couldn't control myself anymore and fought back. I didn't intend to fight, but I was fed up with how they treated me in this house, like a servant.

That's one thing I learned from Prince; he gave me the strength to stand up whenever I felt down.

I pushed her out of my room aggressively.

"You have no right to touch me! You don't feed me!"

"Oh, now you're brave because you're working for a famous company?! Is that what you're proud of now? Such arrogance! Did that make you beautiful? Huh? Maybe you're already flirting with the employees there," she insulted.

Her words felt like a bomb exploding, so I slapped her hard.

"You have no right to insult me! And you have no right to judge me! What about you? Is your attitude beautiful? Am I arrogant? Between the two of us, you and your mother are the arrogant and snobbish ones! You never treated me like family, even though we're blood relatives! You're always obstacles in my life! You're the reason why I'm struggling! You're the reason! You! So you have no right to talk to me like that, especially when you're here in my house! If I didn't respect your mother, I would have kicked you out of this house a long time ago! You have no rights here because my Mother and my Father named this house after me! So, insult me again, and I won't hesitate to kick you out of my house!" I said fiercely and with determination.

She was stunned by what I said, but she still had a malicious look in her eyes, as if she was planning to hurt me. She was about to slap me, but I beat her to it.

"One more act of violence against me, and I'm sure you'll be sleeping on the streets with the trash!" I shouted boldly at her.

I am grateful to Prince because he taught me how to fight back in my own way. You don't have to be kind to people around you if they treat you differently because if they know you're kind, they'll definitely take advantage of you, and to prevent that, you won't be able to fight back anymore.

"What's going on here?!" Aunty Linda's voice echoed through the room.

Scarlet started crying as if she was the one being oppressed.

"Mommy! Beauty hurt me! She slapped me and shouted at me!" she complained.

And then Aunty Linda exploded. She approached me and slapped me repeatedly before pushing me forcefully to the ground.

"Put this in your head! You won't survive without me! How dare you be so arrogant just because you're working for a famous company! You're ungrateful! You wouldn't have a job if it weren't for me! So don't so arrogant about it because you're just--"

"Grateful?" I couldn't believe it, and I laughed. "Between the two of us, Aunty, I should be the one saying that, shouldn't I?" I sarcastically asked.

"What are you proud of? Your job?!"

"I'm not proud of anything, and I am not arrogant ! You feel envy, don't you? Everything that I do is wrong in your eyes! Are you perfect? Among the four of us, you and Scarlet have evil hearts! You have everything, right from the start you never treated me like family! I'm worse than a maid! Even the maid gets paid, but what about me? All I get is insults from you! Sometimes it feels like I'm nonexistent in this house, just a servant! You--"

"Are you complaining now? You have no respect! Don't try to play the victim here, Beauty, it won't--"

"I'm not complaining, Aunty Linda! If you think I am, I have every right to! Just because I'm speaking up now and expressing my true feelings doesn't mean I have no respect! Do you know how obedient I've been to all of you? You've never heard any complaints from me, even when I'm tired! And I'm not acting, Aunty, I'm just stating the fact. You never considered me as family, even though we're relatives--"

"You're not our blood because you're just adopted! You're only brother's adopted child! You want to know the truth?! Fine, I'll tell you the truth! You're just an adopted child! My brother adopted you because your real parents abandoned you! Look at you! Since you were a child, you've been useless! I'm so angry with you because my brother chose to leave this house to his adopted child instead of his true blood relative! Between the two of us, we should be the ones who have the right to this house, not you! I am the one who deserves it, not you! So, it's you who should leave! You leave this house!"

Her words felt like multiple stabs, and my knees gave in. I ended up on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably because I felt like everyone around me betrayed me.

Scarlet took my clothes from the closet and threw them at me.

"You should be the one who leaves this house because you're just my brother's adopted child! You have no right in this house, and you're the one who should sleep on the streets, not us--"

"Do you think I'll agree to that?"

I was stunned, and slowly I lifted my gaze, and there he is, Prince standing in front of me.

"P-Prince . . ."