Chapter 2

I'd been taken in by the Thompson family for over a month now.

Ever since that first day at the orphanage, I hadn't seen Victoria again.

But as for Everest, we'd only bump into each other at the dining table every now and then.

Every time, I'd sweetly call out, "Hi, Everest."

He'd just ignore me every single time.

But I didn't mind.

I was incredibly busy.

Even though Victoria never showed up, she still made sure my schedule was packed with lessons like etiquette, dance, horseback riding, and so on.

Plus, it was summer break now.

Every day, I was learning from morning till night, so busy that I barely had time to breathe.

Even Lily, our maid, would give me this sympathetic look whenever she saw me all banged up from riding practice.

"Ms. Thompson, should I ask Mrs. Thompson if you can take the day off today?" she asked.

I slipped on my shoes and shook my head. "No need."

When Victoria first brought me home, she told me straight up.

"Kids in the Thompson family are meant to be exceptional, even if you're just the adopted daughter," she said.

"Ms. Wexley next door doesn't have to go through all this," Lily sighed.

She handed me my backpack. "It's been a party at their place all morning. I heard they're all getting ready to go abroad for vacation this summer."

I knew Lily was just sticking up for me, thinking I was missing out on the joys of childhood that kids my age should have.

I stood up and took my backpack. "Lily, I'm not tired. I'm doing this because I want to."

Maybe to other people, the Thompson family felt like a prison.

But for me, it couldn't be more different.

The Thompson family was old money, with a heritage and resources the Wexley family, just a bunch of upstarts, couldn't even dream of matching.

Here, I could really thrive and grow into the person I wanted to be, even if the Thompson family was full of complicated ties and messy family politics.

None of them ever really saw me as one of their own. Victoria was harsh and cold, and Everest barely even acknowledged me, always keeping his distance.

I was deep in thought when a white kitten suddenly darted to my feet.

Right after, a girl's voice, sweet but a little annoyed, called out, "Luky, you got the wrong person. Come back here."

"Kevin, help me get Luky back," she whined.

"Silly girl," he said.

I picked up the kitten and stood up. My eyes met the boy walking toward me, his face full of doting affection.

It was Kevin.

Kevin's smile vanished the moment he saw me, and he looked at me with pure loathing.

"You actually followed me all the way here? You're like a bad penny that just won't go away," Kevin sneered, his words full of malice. "Did you really think hanging around here would make me go soft on you? Dream on."

"Penelope?" Lillian's voice rang out, full of surprise and delight, cutting him off.

She lifted the hem of her princess dress and walked over to me, her face lighting up. "Wow, I can't believe I ran into you here after leaving the orphanage. Is that car waiting for you?"

She took the kitten from me and looked curiously at the car parked not far behind me.

But as soon as Lillian saw it, her face turned as white as a sheet.

"Oh wow, you really got adopted by the Thompson family next door?" Lillian exclaimed.

I was just about to reply when my eyes landed on a key pendant hanging at her collar, and I froze for a second.

Lillian caught my look and, a bit awkwardly, quickly raised her hand to cover the pendant.

I acted like I hadn't seen anything and nodded. "Yeah, the Thompson family."

"So, does that mean you're Penelope Thompson now?" Lillian teased.

I glanced at Kevin, who looked super awkward after misunderstanding. "Yeah."

Lillian kept going, "Is the Thompson family as scary as people say? And is it that Mr. Thompson is sick and doesn't speak at all?"

Lillian leaned in, pointing mysteriously toward the Thompson family, bombarding me with questions.

I frowned, about to protest, but Lillian cut me off before I could say a word. "Penelope, are you learning horseback archery now?"

She tilted her head, eyeing my riding and archery gear.

"Yeah, I've got something to take care of," I said.

Just as I was trying to come up with an excuse to leave, Kevin cut in, sounding totally fed up, "Lillian, why waste your time with her? Come on, let's get out of here."

Lillian just nodded and stuck out her tongue playfully. "Don't take it to heart, Penelope. Kevin's usually really gentle. I have no idea what's gotten into him today."

"Kevin, wait for me," Lillian called, grabbing her skirt and running after him.

I paused for a moment, then turned and walked away.

Behind me, the wind carried snatches of Lillian and Kevin's conversation to my ears.

Lillian said, "Kevin, the Thompson family is way too strict. Penelope's the same age as me, but she has to go to class every single day. She's always covered in bruises from falling; it's so sad."

Kevin scoffed, "What's the point of a girl learning stuff like that? Some people just aren't born lucky."

He added, "Lillian, you only need to look pretty and live like a princess. Wexley girls aren't meant to suffer like that."

"Yes, Mom, Dad, and you are just the best, Kevin," Lillian said.

Suffering? Really?

So the Wexley family really thought putting in effort was just some kind of suffering.

I smirked.

In my previous life, the Wexley family really doted on me.

But they never supported me in learning any skills.

When I wanted to learn horseback archery, they shot me down right away. "No way. What if you get all scraped up and scarred? Who's gonna want to marry you then?" they said.

When someone started following me around, and I wanted to learn self-defense, they shut me down again.

"Girls from families like ours don't need to learn stuff like that. The Wexley family has bodyguards. No one's gonna mess with you," they said.

Later on, when I said I wanted to learn about business and finance, the Wexley family just brushed it off.

"What's the point of learning all that? Kevin's all the Wexley family needs," they told me.

They made it look like endless pampering, but all it did was turn me into someone who could only depend on others, like a delicate flower that couldn't stand on her own.

But Victoria always told me, "In the Thompson family, you try your hand at everything and go after what you want."