Chapter 3
I slammed the cupcake right into her face without warning.
Everyone started gasping at once.
"I'll kill you!" Mia shrieked, her voice shaking with rage.
In the chaos, someone tried to shove me, but I just sidestepped, letting her fly straight into the pool.
The commotion instantly drew the attention of every guest in the room.
Marcus and Ella finally arrived, looking frantic.
"What's going on?" Marcus demanded.
"It was Autumn! She pushed Mia into the pool!" Grace cried, pointing at me and lying through her teeth.
"Autumn!" Marcus barked, his face dark with rage.
"It wasn't me," I replied, keeping my expression blank.
"If it wasn't you, then who was it?" Ella snapped, storming toward me.
"We didn't bring you home just to have you embarrass us! Why can't you be more like Grace? Just give us a break!" she hissed.
I stared back at her disgusted glare, my fists balled up as I fought to keep my anger in check.
"I didn't push her. She fell in on her own," I said, my voice cool and steady.
I scanned the crowd—these high-and-mighty types, swirling their drinks and staring me down as if I were a bug.
I blew out a heavy breath and pointed right at Mia. "Besides, she was the one throwing insults first."
"Enough!" Ella snapped, her glare practically burning a hole through me.
"I don't care whose fault it is—you are apologizing right now!" she barked.
"Why should I?" I retorted, refusing to back down.
"Because they are our guests, and they all came here for your sake. Don't be so ungrateful," she pressed.
I let out a cold laugh. Yeah, right. They only threw this party to boost their own reputation.
"I'm not apologizing."
I squared my shoulders. Why should I say sorry when I didn't do anything wrong?
Marcus' expression grew dark. "Autumn, don't test my patience just because I've been lenient with you. Apologize now, or don't blame me for teaching you a lesson in front of everyone!"
"Autumn, just say sorry to Mia already. Everyone is watching—do you really want to make Mom and Dad this angry?" Grace added, acting all innocent.
Her fake kindness couldn't hide the gloating in her eyes—she was clearly loving this.
I was boxed in, the entire family closing in on me with threats and pressure.
I shut my eyes for a moment. If it weren't for the mission and the money for Nathan's surgery, I'd never deal with these people again.
"System, did you get all that recorded?" I asked silently.
"Don't worry, Autumn. I've got your back. Now, go and show them how hard you can slap!" the system chirped.
With that guarantee, I felt the weight lift off my shoulders.
I shot Marcus and Ella a cold, indifferent look. "I have proof that I'm innocent."
I pulled the recorder out of my pocket. "I got it all on tape when they were trash-talking me."
Marcus' face twisted in rage. "Enough! You really think I'll fall for the same trick twice?"
"Yeah, Autumn, just apologize already," Grace chimed in, pretending to be concerned.
"I'm giving you one last chance. Apologize to me, or I play this for the whole room to hear," I said, my voice sharp.
I shoved one hand in my pocket and held the recorder up high for everyone to see.
All these so-called elites love to act classy, but they care about their reputations more than anything.
Mia, now wrapped in a towel, shot a nervous glance at the recorder in my hand.
She looked like she wanted to speak, but in the end, she didn't say a word.
After all, if she spoke up now, it would be like slapping herself in the face.
"Someone, get this embarrassment out of my sight!" Marcus roared.
So, they weren't going to apologize.
If they weren't going to take the chance I gave them, then they shouldn't blame me for being ruthless.
I hit play, and with the system's help, the vicious insults blasted through the entire ballroom.
"You're just some gutter rat—born but never raised, stinking of poverty!"
Everything went dead silent—even the music stopped.
"No, I... I..." Mia stammered, shaking as she shot Grace a desperate look for help.
"Grace, help me out! You're the one who told me Autumn was a gutter rat coming back to steal your parents! You told me to stand up for you! Grace, say something!" she cried.
Mia grabbed Grace's arm, looking like she was about to burst into tears.
Grace jerked away, guilt flashing in her eyes as she looked away. "Mia, I know you were trying to help, but Autumn is Mom and Dad's biological daughter. How could you say such things?"
"But you were the one who..."
Mia froze, then suddenly snapped, "Grace, you totally stabbed me in the back!"
The scene turned into pure chaos—Grace was knocked to the floor, and the two of them started a full-on catfight.
"Enough!" Marcus shouted, his face dark as thunder. "Pull them apart, now!"
He gave me a nasty glare. "See what you've done!"
I blinked innocently. "I told you I had the recording, but you didn't believe me, did you?"
Marcus was shaking with rage, glaring at me for a long time without saying a single word.
I pressed my advantage and managed to squeeze out a few tears. "I know I can't compare to the daughter you raised for twenty years. To you, I'm just some uncivilized stray.
"But do you think I wanted to grow up that way? It was Grace's real parents who robbed me of my life just so their daughter could live in luxury!"
The system had spilled the tea—Grace found out about her real parents when she was eight.
She had known the whole time that she wasn't a Stone.
Yet she still told her biological parents, "Keep an eye on that bitch. If she ever comes back, your days of luxury are over!"
If Marcus hadn't needed a kidney, and Grace hadn't refused to get tested, they never would've found out.
The Stone couple would have gone on forever not knowing I was their real daughter.
But honestly, even if they knew, it wouldn't change anything.
Blood doesn't decide if you're good or bad—the environment you grow up in does.
Compared to a "classless" daughter like me, they much preferred the "perfect" fake heiress they could show off.
My words gave the guests quite a show, and my parents' faces turned grim.
Grace pounced at me, screaming, "You're a liar!"