Chapter 2

During Aurora's hospital stay, no one came to visit her, and she was happy to have some peace. She asked the doctor for a full-body checkup.

In her memories, Aurora was always taking handfuls of pills, feeling groggy all day, her body weak and flabby. She wanted to change and needed to know what was wrong with her body.

The results of the examination showed that Aurora was very healthy. Apart from a concussion from accidentally rolling down the stairs, there was nothing wrong with her body.

What were all those random pills she had been taking before?

When Aurora was discharged, only a driver from the Pendleton family came to pick her up. She was panting and sweating just from walking down the stairs. As someone who once had abs, she was not used to having so much fat on her body. Even the driver looked at her disdainfully.

Arriving at the Pendleton villa, Aurora walked in to find her stepmother, Madeline, sipping tea in the living room. Sophia, the fourth daughter of the Pendleton family, was flipping through a magazine. Seeing Aurora return, all sweaty and disheveled, she frowned and said disdainfully, "You fat slob, disgusting."

Aurora ignored her and headed upstairs.

"Stop!" Sophia yelled. "You slob, have you no manners? Don't you know to greet your mother when you come home?"

"Mother? Whose mother?" Aurora replied.

"Of course, my mother. Your mother is long dead, you unwanted slob! A lowly wretch born of a mother but not raised by one!" Sophia taunted.

Unwanted, lowly wretch—Isabella had said those words to her too. She never knew who her parents were or why she grew up in the Abyss Group. She couldn't deal with Isabella now, but was she supposed to let this little brat, Sophia, bully her too?

"Slap!" Aurora slapped her, her own palm jiggling from the force. Aurora sighed inwardly; she really needed to lose weight.

"You dare hit me? You think you can hit me?" Sophia said incredulously, covering her face. The old Aurora was bullied by everyone. Sophia had beaten her up many times, and she never even dared to cry out loud. How did she dare to hit her today?

"Why wouldn't I dare to hit you? By age, I'm your older sister. By birth, I'm a legitimate daughter of the Pendleton family. You, if not for your mother's affair, would be nothing but an illegitimate child. What right do you have to be arrogant in the Pendleton house?" Aurora said, word by word.

Sophia was stunned. Aurora had always been dazed, like an autistic person. When had she ever dared to stand tall and speak such a long speech?

Sophia immediately ran crying to Madeline's arms, sobbing, "Mom, look at Aurora, she dared to hit me..."

Madeline looked at her youngest daughter's face, a bright red handprint on it, and stood up, saying, "Aurora, you were wrong to do this. How could you hit your sister like that?"

"Sister? My mother only gave birth to me. I never knew I had a sister," Aurora said.

"Aurora, don't go too far. You have no right to speak in this house! If this gets to your grandfather, it won't look good for anyone!" Madeline Pendleton said angrily.

"Fine, you want to take this to Grandpa, I'm with you all the way. Let's see what Dad thinks when he comes back and finds out you're making a big fuss over a small matter between siblings," Aurora said.

Madeline hesitated. The old Pendleton had always been dissatisfied with her, the mistress who had taken the place of his daughter-in-law, and Sebastian had repeatedly warned her not to bother the old man. After all, the power of the Pendleton Group was still in the old Pendleton's hands.

Seeing Madeline silent, Aurora said, "Since you don't plan to disturb Grandpa for now, I'll go back to my room."

Without waiting for Madeline's reply, she went upstairs, completely unlike her previous obedient self.

Sophia was still crying. She had been the apple of her parents' eye since childhood and had never suffered any grievances. Aurora dared to slap her? She would never let Aurora off!

Madeline, feeling sorry for her daughter, could only say, "Wait for your father to come back, and let him deal with her!"

Sophia finally relented.