Chapter 1

I held my face, the skin burning hot between my fingers.

“Do you even know who I am?”

Her best friend, Lucy Bravin, walked in right behind her, slamming the front door shut with a deafening thud.

“Gracie, calm down,” Lucy said, handing her a tissue to wipe her hands. “Hitting her will only get your hands dirty.”

Grace Collins scoffed, and the corners of her mouth, painted with bright red lipstick, curved into a smirk. “She’s a shameless homewrecker. Who else could she be?”

Lucy took a step forward in her stiletto heels, crossing her arms as she judged me from head to toe.

“Oh, so you’re proud to be a side piece? Girls these days really have some thick skin.”

My heart dropped. I had been right all along. That text message hadn’t been sent by my brother, Damien Fischer.

I clenched my fists tightly and said, “Damien is my older brother. My name is Pia–”

“Give me a break.” Grace cut me off, tossing the used tissue right into my face. “Damien doesn’t have a sister like you.”

Lucy chimed in sarcastically from the side. “This trick is so outdated. You think calling him ‘brother’ makes you close? If that worked, every girl on the street would be Damien’s sister.”

Grace suddenly clamped her hand tightly around my chin.

“How long have you been seducing him? How much money did you scam out of him? That ten thousand dollars was just pocket change to you, wasn’t it?”

“I didn’t scam–”

Before I could finish my sentence, I felt my scalp tug. Lucy had grabbed me by the hair and was dragging me from the entryway to the living room like a piece of trash. I stumbled backward blindly, my knee slamming hard against the doorframe. The sheer pain made me gasp for air.

This was mad. What kind of psychopaths have I run into today?

“To be able to live in such a high-end neighborhood, you must have slept around with plenty of men, huh?”

Lucy pulled even harder, her fingernails nearly digging straight into my scalp as she added, “Damien has incredibly high standards. You think he’d ever look at a piece of trash like you?”

Then, I was thrown to the ground, my head hitting the floor so hard that it started to buzz.

Grace walked in, her high heels coming to a stop right next to my face. She bent down and tapped her long black fingernails against my forehead aggressively.

“Little girl, stop dreaming. Damien only loves me. You’re not even worthy enough to shine his shoe. Today, I am going to teach you a proper lesson about what happens to homewreckers.”

This was bullshit. My brother Damien had spoiled me and loved me since we were kids. As long as it was something I liked, no matter how expensive it was, it would be delivered right to me the very next day.

Because I was a total homebody who hated socializing and preferred to spend my money in peace, my parents let me do whatever I wanted. That was why they told the outside world I was studying abroad, just to keep me from being dragged into high-society debutante parties.

Aside from my family, the only person who knew where I actually was was Hank. Yet now, that lie had become the perfect excuse for this woman to abuse me.

I struggled with everything I had, screaming, “Let go of me! Get the hell out of my house!”

Lucy yanked my hair again, forcing me up as she crouched down.

“I asked you a question. How much do you get paid per night? Is that ten thousand dollars a monthly rate or something?”

My eyes widened, and I gritted my teeth, repeating, “He is… my brother…”

“Your brother?” Grace raised her hand and hit me again. “And you’re his sister? Damien himself said that his sister is living abroad. If you keep lying, I’ll make sure your face is ruined today.”

Lucy kicked me hard in the shin, sending me face-first back onto the floor. The intense pain forced me to curl up into a ball.

In my entire life growing up, I had never once been treated like this. They were done for!

Lucy then stepped on my fingers, grinding her heel down. “Don’t waste your breath on her. I want to see exactly how much money this bitch managed to scam.”

I shook from the sheer agony, and blood started to seep out from beneath my fingernails. Even so, I pushed my body up, lifting my head to glare furiously at Grace.

Grace looked down at me, as though I were literal garbage.

“Let me tell you something. I came here today to make sure you know exactly who Damien’s woman is. You’re just a little bitch from nowhere, and you’re glaring at me? It seems like you don’t care about your eyes anymore either.”