The Heiress’s Wicked Game

Seraphina Hayes sneered, extending a plate of pastries. "Sweetheart, try these. I made them just for you." I swallowed them without a second thought. That very night, she was assaulted by a cleaner, her reputation utterly destroyed. My brother, Mason Hayes, furious and protective of his 'dear sister,' tried to push me down the stairs. I didn't hesitate. I dragged him with me. Mason ended up with two broken legs, condemned to a wheelchair for life. Later, the fake heiress, Seraphina, brought her cronies to bully me at school, brandishing a small knife at my arm. I merely gave a cold smile, then snatched the knife and slashed my *own* arm. 1 "Sweetheart, these pastries are specially for you. Go on, have a taste." I smiled, gazing at Seraphina Hayes’s face, plastered with fake concern, and the exquisite little cakes on the plate she held – cakes I knew were laced with something sinister. I had been reborn. I was back at the party that had sealed my tragic fate in my previous life. Last time, it was these very pastries that led to my defilement, my public humiliation by her and her friends, and the utter ruin of my reputation. That party had become my public execution. Ultimately, I suffered a wretched existence in the Hayes family, tormented by her until my death. "Sweetheart, why aren't you eating? Are you… are you looking down on me?" Seeing me just staring at the pastries, Seraphina’s eyes immediately welled up, her voice catching as she questioned me. Her pitiful act instantly drew the attention of several nearby guests. They whispered amongst themselves, confirming their suspicions: the newly recognized real heiress was indeed unrefined and lowly. I reached out, took a pastry, and a faint smirk played on my lips. "What are you saying, Seraphina? How could I ever look down on you?" Under her eager gaze, I took a bite. Mentally, I whispered: "System, activate damage transfer. Target: Seraphina Hayes." 【Command confirmed. Damage transfer activated.】 Seeing me eat, Seraphina’s face blossomed with a vicious, satisfied smile. She affectionately linked her arm through mine. "That's more like it! We sisters must get along wonderfully from now on." I nodded obediently, silently counting down the seconds. Sure enough, a few minutes later, I feigned a dizzy spell, clutching my forehead. "Seraphina, I feel a little lightheaded." A flicker of wild joy flashed in Seraphina’s eyes. She quickly steadied me, her voice dripping with fake concern. "Are you tired? The party's too noisy. Let me help you to a room upstairs to rest." I leaned weakly against her, allowing her to lead me out of the ballroom. Just like in my previous life, she led me to the pre-arranged guest room on the second floor. 2 Seraphina helped me towards the bed, her voice saccharine. "Sweetheart, why don't you lie down for a bit? I'll go get you some water." But her words abruptly stopped. Because she noticed that I, who was supposed to be collapsing into her arms, was now standing perfectly straight, staring at her with an icy, piercing gaze. And she, herself, was suddenly overcome by an intense dizziness and a strange, burning heat. "You… how could you possibly…" She stumbled, uncontrollably tearing at the neckline of her elegant dress. I walked up to her, a faint smile on my face. "Seraphina, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Her voice trembled, laced with terror. "What did you do…?" I leaned closer to her ear and whispered softly. "I merely returned to you what you so thoughtfully prepared for me." Seraphina tried to speak again, but the drug's effects had already muddled her mind. I watched her grotesque display with cold detachment, my heart filled with only satisfaction. Footsteps echoed from outside the door. Seraphina’s hired help had arrived. Without a moment's hesitation, I turned, closed the door, and locked it from the outside. Inside the room, only Seraphina, now fully under the drug's influence, and the newly arrived cleaner remained. The real show had just begun. Halfway through the party, Eleanor, my mother, frowned, looking around anxiously. She clutched my wrist. "Have you seen Seraphina? She said she was going to get you some pastries, but now she's vanished." Richard, my father, looked over, a hint of displeasure on his face. "With so many guests here today, why is she wandering off?" I blinked, feigning just the right amount of worry. "Seraphina said she wasn't feeling well earlier, quite dizzy. I think she went back to her room to rest." Mom immediately tensed. "Unwell? Why didn't she say anything sooner?" My parents exchanged a worried glance and quickly headed towards the upstairs rooms. Watching their hurried backs, I emulated Seraphina from my past life, raising my voice, my tone filled with feigned concern. "Dear aunts and uncles, my sister seems to be feeling unwell, and Mom and Dad are quite worried. Should we all go up and check on her? More people means more help, right?" My words instantly piqued the guests' interest. The true heiress and the fake heiress—one just returned, already feeling unwell? Clearly, there was a juicy story unfolding. "Yes, yes, let's all go see." "The Hayes family truly has such devoted sisters." A large crowd followed us upstairs. My parents, solely focused on their beloved adopted daughter, paid no attention to the commotion behind them. Dad didn't even hesitate, twisting the doorknob to the bedroom directly. 3. A heavy, cloying scent was the first thing that assaulted them. Next, their eyes fell upon clothes scattered across the floor, and two figures entangled on the bed. Seraphina's hair was disheveled, her face flushed, as she lay intertwined with a man in a cleaner's uniform. Mom's face turned ashen, and Dad roared. "Seraphina Hayes, what in God's name are you doing?!" Seraphina flinched at his yell, frantically pulling the comforter around herself. The guests' phone cameras flashed incessantly. "Oh my god, it's actually Seraphina Hayes!" "She always pretended to be so elegant, but she plays so hard in private?" "And with a cleaner! The Hayes family has become an absolute laughingstock." Seraphina’s gaze sliced through the crowd, impaling itself on my face, her eyes filled with venom. Dad trembled with rage, barely containing his fury as he tried to disperse the crowd. "Stop taking pictures! Everyone out! This is a misunderstanding, a complete misunderstanding!" Mom rushed forward, desperate to close the door, but was blocked by several guests who were clearly enjoying the drama. Tears streamed down her face in frustration. Finally, after much effort, the guests were ushered out, and the door was shut. Dad grabbed Seraphina off the bed, his hand raised to strike her. "Dad, it wasn't me! It was Aurora! She set me up!" Seraphina cried out, dodging his hand, and, disheveled, she lunged into the arms of Jasper Thorne, my fiancé. Jasper instinctively caught her, his brow deeply furrowed. Seraphina buried her face in his chest, weeping uncontrollably. "Jasper, you have to believe me! It was Aurora! She hates me for taking her place for all these years, she hates Mom and Dad for loving me, she hates that I stole her fiancé – my fiancé – so she deliberately framed me! She put something in my drink!" Jasper looked up at me, his eyes cold and full of condemnation. "Aurora, I know you have grudges, but using such methods… it's truly malicious." Mom also looked at me, her eyes red, her voice dripping with profound disappointment. "Aurora, we brought you home to make amends, to compensate you. How could you scheme against your sister like this? How can your heart be so wicked?" Heh. How familiar those words sounded. In my previous life, when I lay there, my clothes torn, enduring everyone's contemptuous stares, they had said the same thing. They said I was indecent, that I had seduced the cleaner. They said if I was truly innocent, why hadn't I chosen death to prove my integrity when I was assaulted? Now, with their precious adopted daughter, suddenly it was *my* heart that was wicked? I looked at them, and a smile suddenly blossomed on my face, my voice ringing out clearly. "Seraphina, you say I framed you? I've been back with the Hayes family for less than three days. I haven't even met all the staff here. How could I possibly frame you?" I took a step closer to Seraphina, my gaze fixed on her. "You say I drugged you? Where's the drug? How did I administer it? Where's the evidence?" Seraphina was speechless, unable to answer my questions. She could only point at me frantically. "It was you! It must have been you! You're jealous of me!" "Jealous of you?" I stopped, pulling a small USB drive from a hidden pocket sewn into my dress. "Luckily, the household surveillance system captured something rather… special." Dad's eyes narrowed. "What something?" I plugged the USB drive into the smart TV in the living room. Soon, a clear image appeared on the screen. It was a full recording of Seraphina sneaking into the kitchen before the party began, and shaking a small packet of powder into the plate of pastries. Immediately following, there was a crisp audio recording of her whispering into my ear as she helped me upstairs: "Watch as you eat this, become a ruined mess, and see how you'll ever compete with me for Mom and Dad, or for Jasper." When the video finished playing, a deathly silence filled the living room. Seraphina's face was devoid of color. She shook her head wildly. "Fake! This is fake! She fabricated it!" I lowered my head, my shoulders trembling slightly. "So, Seraphina, you really don't want me here. If this family can't bear to have me, then I'll just leave." I turned, feigning to walk away. Dad stopped me, then turned and delivered a stinging slap across Seraphina's face. Seraphina clutched her cheek, her face filled with disbelief. "Dad! You hit me for *her*?! For this wretched girl?!" "Shut up! You still don't realize your mistake!" Dad's face was livid. He pulled out a black card and thrust it into my hand. "Aurora, Seraphina was wrong. Take this card. Don't mention leaving again." Mom also quickly grabbed my hand. "Seraphina was just momentarily confused, playing a prank on you. You're fine, aren't you? Sisters shouldn't hold grudges." I nodded obediently, carefully tucking the card away. "Thank you, Dad. Thank you, Mom. I'll listen to whatever you say." I gazed at the cold black card in my hand, a cold sneer forming in my heart. "Fine"? "No grudges"? In my previous life, I had paid with my very life. I knew Mom and Dad still favored her. But that was alright. Life was long.