Chapter 1
I was born with a jinx in my fate, destined to bring bad luck wherever I went.
Right after I came into this world, I was switched at birth. My adoptive family's life turned upside down within three years. Then they finally sent me off to a hermitage in the dead of night.
My mentor, Simon, said I carried too much resentment and needed to rest in solitude, or else I'd end up cursing everyone around me.
Twenty years later, my real parents finally remembered I existed.
The day I returned to the wealthy family, Charlotte Summers, the fake heiress, grabbed my hand, crying her eyes out. "I'm so glad you're back, Serena. This is all my fault. I never should've stolen your life."
As she spoke, she "accidentally" slipped, about to fall right into me.
With a blank look, I stepped back half a pace.
Suddenly, the antique vase behind her exploded with a loud bang, as if it had shattered all by itself.
Fragments from the shattered vase flew all over her.
Charlotte's pitiful sobs instantly turned into a terrified, agonized scream.
"Charlotte!" My real parents, Richard and Grace, rushed over without even sparing me a glance. They helped Charlotte up, anxiously checking her wounds.
"What happened? How could something like this happen out of nowhere?" Grace's voice was shrill and furious as she suddenly looked up and glared at me.
"The moment you step into this house, disaster strikes. You're nothing but a jinx!"
I stood there and watched them look like a picture-perfect family, feeling completely indifferent.
Simon always said the more emotional I got, the stronger the energy of the jinx around me became. I just wanted to keep things quiet and avoid causing any trouble.
Just then, a tall, handsome man came rushing down the stairs. It was my older brother, Edward Summers. The moment he saw Charlotte hurt, his face turned livid.
He pointed right at me and yelled, "Get out! We don't want a scheming, vicious woman like you in our house!"
His finger was practically poking the tip of my nose.
I calmly looked up, staring at his rage-distorted face.
The very next second, the edge of the expensive rug under his feet suddenly curled up by itself, snagging his ankle with uncanny precision.
Edward yelped as he lost his balance, crashing face-first onto the floor. His front teeth smacked the ground with a heavy thump.
"Edward!" Grace shrieked, dropping Charlotte and rushing to Edward. She was in sky-high heels and moved way too fast. One heel snapped off on the slick marble with a crisp, almost unreal crack.
She twisted her ankle and crashed to the floor in a completely undignified heap.
The living room turned into a madhouse, wails and shrieks bouncing off the walls.
I quietly sidestepped the chaos, found a single sofa in the corner, and sat down, placing my canvas bag at my feet, as if none of this had anything to do with me.
Only my second brother, Michael Summers, had been watching me from the second-floor railing ever since I walked in, keeping his distance.
He stood there, eyeing the whole string of "coincidences" with a furrowed brow, looking both puzzled and intrigued.
Charlotte was still crying as the servants helped her to her feet, her voice tinged with fear. "Dad, Mom, don't blame Serena. It was just an accident. Really, it was an accident..."
A hint of annoyance crept in.
I just wanted to find a place with strong good energy, like this mansion, to keep my bad energy in check and live a peaceful life.
But why did they always have to mess with me?
Dinner was awkwardly silent. Nobody said a word, and the tension in the air was so thick that it made everyone's skin crawl.
At the long dining table, Richard and Grace sat with stormy faces. Edward's lips were puffed up like sausages, and he shot me a look like he wished I'd drop dead right then and there.
Charlotte, bandaged up, sat next to Grace, throwing me nasty glares every so often.
Only Michael, sitting across from me, watched me like he was front row at some drama.
The servants brought out the dishes one after another, tiptoeing around and barely daring to make a sound.
As the servant was about to set a bowl of soup in front of me, Charlotte, sitting right beside me, "accidentally" jabbed her elbow right into the servant's arm.
The servant gasped, her hand shaking. The steaming soup, loaded with rare delicacies and seafood, tipped and splashed straight toward my face and neck.
A cold, satisfied smirk spread across Charlotte's lips.
Everyone held their breath.
I couldn't even be bothered to dodge. I just turned my head a little and watched the soup fly.
And then, something downright bizarre happened.
The steaming soup, like it was yanked by some invisible hand, traced a weird arc through the air, completely missed me, and dumped every last drop right onto Edward's head, just as he was about to yell at me.