Chapter 2

The second Lillian got out of the car and saw the mansion, her jaw just dropped.

She turned to me. "Charlotte, your life is amazing. I'm so jealous. Now, you seriously have it all—great parents, fancy cars, and this place.

"And then there's me. I don't even know who my parents are. I was always stuck on a crappy bunk bed back at the orphanage."

As she said it, she looked like she was about to cry.

I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes.

I wasn't that same idiot. Her little tear-jerker act wasn't going to work on me this time.

So, I grabbed her and pulled her right into a hug.

She looked completely stunned.

I started pounding on her back, way too hard, and just wailed.

I sobbed, "I didn't know who my parents were either. This whole thing feels unreal, like I'm dreaming.

"All these cars and this mansion... I never, ever imagined I'd have any of this.

"I bet your parents are out there somewhere right now, just waiting for you.

"Don't worry. They'll find you one day."

Lillian's face went completely pale. She was speechless.

My parents were standing right there and heard every word. It just made them look even guiltier about my whole "lost kid" thing.

And, of course, they started trying to comfort Lillian.

"Don't you worry, sweetie," my mom said gently. "We'll help you find your birth parents."

I had to bite my cheek to keep from laughing.

Lillian's parents were the worst kind, the type who only care about their son. In my previous life, her parents actually showed up. They wanted to sell her to pay off their debts and get wedding money for her elder brother.

Too bad I had no idea where those two pieces of trash were now.

Lillian bit her lip. And for just a split second, I saw this super ugly, hateful look on her face.

With her eyes all red, she nodded at my parents and said, "Thank you. And... Thank you so, so much for taking me in."

As soon as we were inside, my parents were all excited and rushed me to the room they'd set up for me.

My mom beamed, "Charlotte, honey, this is the room I did for you. Tell me what you think. If you don't like it, I can have someone redo it, like, right now."

I looked around. The room was huge, gorgeous, and packed with stuffed animals. It looked like something straight out of a Disney movie.

But last time, I never got to stay in here.

I let Lillian have this room instead.

I practically snorted. Yeah, right. This time? Lillian could dream on if she thought she was getting this room.

"Wow, Charlotte, your parents are amazing. They gave you such a giant room..." Lillian said, her voice full of envy.

Yep, just like I thought. She couldn't hold it in.

Lillian turned to my mom with this super hopeful, expectant look.

She said, "I can't wait to see what my room looks like."

My parents froze. They looked awkward.

They had never planned on bringing home a second kid. They didn't have another room ready.

This room I got was a guest room they'd redone.

The other rooms were all either tiny or just used for storage, full of junk.

My mom stammered, "Well... How about this, Charlotte? How about you let Lillian have this room for now? I mean, she is our guest..."

Same excuse as last time. She was pulling the "guest" card.

I jumped in before she could finish. "Mom, don't say that. That's so cold."

Then I turned to Lillian. "You guys already adopted her, right? You can't call her a guest. That's gotta hurt her feelings.

"Anyway, Lillian said she'd be like a big sister and take care of me. I'm sure she doesn't care which room she gets, right?"

I looked back at my mom. "Mom, if you're going to make me give up the room, I will. I... I just don't think it's fair."

I turned on the waterworks, making sure I looked totally heartbroken.

My mom and my dad looked at each other. They were just oozing guilt. They knew they owed me.

My mom caved instantly. "Charlotte, honey, no! Why would you even say that? You are our daughter. We would never do that to you."

She turned to Lillian. "Don't worry, Lillian. We'll get one of the other rooms ready for you."

Lillian had no choice but to swallow her defeat. Instead of pushing it, she forced a smile. "Oh, any room is fine. I'm just so happy to be here."

My mom looked relieved. "Lillian, I'm glad to see you and Charlotte care about each other."

Then she called the servants and told them to hurry and get a room ready for Lillian.

Since they had to scramble to put it together, the room they gave Lillian was tiny and had, like, nothing in it.

But Lillian had to put on a big smile and act like she loved it.

I caught the nasty, hateful look she shot me when she thought no one was looking. I just smiled. Oh, Lillian. We're just getting started.