Chapter 2
"Stop!" I shouted.
I rushed over and kicked Zack aside.
He was about to yell at me, but froze when he saw who it was.
But Lillian slapped me hard across the face.
She snapped, "You pushed me and hit my brother. Do you really think the Smith family is some pushover?" she snapped.
As soon as he heard her, Zack's eyes turned cold and vicious. He demanded, "Lillian, did she just push you?"
He started cursing at me, "You bitch, just like your mom, always so vicious!"
I moved forward, ready to argue, but my mom, still on the ground, reached out weakly and held onto my arm.
"Yvonne, let's just leave," she whispered, her voice trembling.
Her face showed humility, anxiety, and even fear.
Lillian spat, "You think you can shove me and just walk away? Figures. The daughter of a mistress is just as low. No respect at all."
With that, she snatched up a bottle of red wine and smashed it at us.
My mom scrambled up to shield me, and that's when I saw the bruises and festering wounds covering her body.
"Mom!" I cried out.
Glass shards slashed her arm, blood streaming down, yet she kept telling me to run.
I locked my glare on Zack and the other three, barely holding back my fury.
But they instantly closed ranks around Lillian, daring me to make a move as they stared me down.
Zack sneered, "What's wrong? You barged in here. Honestly, you should be grateful we're not making a big deal out of it.
"Just take your useless mom and get lost. The fact that my mom let her lick those shoes was already more charity than she deserves."
Hearing their words, I was so furious that my whole body tingled with rage.
"She's your mom, too!" I shouted.
The whole room burst out laughing.
"Is this woman crazy? Mrs. Smith is standing right here," someone sneered.
Another person scoffed, "This is hilarious. First, her mom tried to pass herself off as Mrs. Smith, and now she's pretending she's the real Smith heiress. Seriously, do these two even know what shame is?"
Lillian shot me a look, chin held high, full of arrogance.
She sneered, "Poor you. Did you ever even see your dad as a kid?
"Makes sense, though. With a mom like yours, she's practically everyone's punching bag. Bet she doesn't even know who your real dad is. No wonder she keeps snapping at my dad like some desperate stray."
Zack and my other three brothers just stared at me coldly, and I could tell they all agreed.
They all chimed in together.
Zack demanded, "You two, get the hell out. Don't you dare ruin our mom's birthday party."
Johnson sneered, "You really think just anyone can be Mrs. Smith? Dream on!"
I couldn't help but laugh in anger.
I snapped, "You guys don't even recognize your own mother anymore? So who actually calls the shots in the Smith family, huh? Or have you all forgotten?"
"Of course it's my dad. Are you crazy or what?" Lillian scoffed, looking smug.
Her dad? Please, Victor was just a social-climbing son-in-law.
I couldn't help but curl my lips in a mocking smile.
He was just some outsider who wasn't even invited to the will-reading. Bet he had never laid eyes on the matriarch's seal.
"You mean Victor Smith?" I scoffed.
I let out a cold snort.
I shot back, "Come on, everyone knows he's just a live-in son-in-law. Since when does he get to call the shots in the Smith family?"
My words made Lillian totally flip out.
Turns out, some folks at the party were in on it, too.
Someone said, "Yeah, Mrs. Smith never liked handling business, so Victor switched his last name from Lynch to Smith and got himself married into the family.
"He may have a say now, but he doesn't run the whole Smith family. He is far from it."
Just then, the woman who'd gone off to change her shoes strutted back into the ballroom.
She said, "I've put my husband in charge of everything in the Smith family. This is our family's business. There's no way you'd get it, since you're just an outsider."
"How can you prove you're really Mrs. Smith?" I shot back.
The woman, Emily White, let out a laugh.
She replied, "Do I need to prove it?
"My sons are right here, and for years, I've been by my husband's side while he negotiated with our partners."
The guests around us immediately jumped in to back her up.
One said, "Whenever Victor is handling business, Emily is always right there with him. But your mom? She's always shrinking back, looking nothing like a real socialite from a wealthy family."
Someone scoffed, "Do you really think the Smith brothers don't know who their own mother is? That's just ridiculous."
Everyone nodded in agreement, and my heart suddenly dropped.
I grabbed my phone, about to dial my dad.
But Zack knocked it right out of my hand.
The screen shattered instantly.
Zack snapped, "What are you doing? Are you trying to call the police?
"Seriously, you and your mom are the ones causing all this trouble."
They were all sweating, looking nervous and guilty.
Did they go behind my back and get my dad a new wife?
My mom was trembling uncontrollably, and before she even realized it, she started to sink into a low bow to Emily, the fake Mrs. Smith.
She said, "I'm so sorry. I've found my daughter now. We'll leave right away, I promise."
Leave? Not a chance.
If this was how they treated my mom in front of a crowd, God knew what kind of hell they had put her through in private.
I picked up my shattered phone and looked Emily dead in the eye.
I asked, "Are you sure you're Victor Smith's wife?"
Emily just sneered.
She said, "Of course!"
Too bad my phone could barely make a call now. Otherwise, I would've FaceTimed my dad in a heartbeat.
The call finally connected.
My dad's familiar voice came through.
He asked, "Yvonne, are you studying hard? Why are you calling me?"
As soon as my dad's voice came through, Lillian's eyes went wide, totally stunned.
Everyone at the party who knew my dad recognized his voice instantly. There was no mistaking it.
I let out a mocking laugh.
I said, "Dad, seriously. How many daughters and wives do you actually have?"
My dad's voice came through, low and stern. He said, "Cut it out, Yvonne.
"You're my only daughter, obviously. Who's been feeding you this nonsense?"