Revenge of the Substitute Daughter

　　After returning to my room, I started reminiscing about the times I spent with Mia.

　　Born without hair, I was often mocked and isolated by my peers.

　　The death of my parents left me even more alone and vulnerable, making those days incredibly tough.

　　Thankfully, Mia came into my life during that dark period. She became my playmate and my confidante, and I was no longer lonely.

　　We grew up wild and free, foraging for fruits on the hills when we were hungry and catching fish in the river. When we wanted to study, we would hide in the school's corners, using discarded pens and paper from the trash bin to take notes.

　　We dreamed of going to New York to make our mark once we turned eighteen.

　　But just a year before we could make our dream a reality, Mia crossed paths with Eliza.

　　Eliza didn't know Mia's true identity.

　　If she had known Mia was the real daughter of the Lloyd family, her actions might have had a twisted justification.

　　But Eliza was a deranged person. Just because she didn't like Mia, she wanted her dead.

　　I found Mia just as a truck was running over her. I was so devastated that I couldn't even scream.

　　If I hadn't seen Eliza and a middle-aged man hastily driving away, I would have thought Mia's death was a car accident.

　　Later, I realized they were trying to destroy the evidence.

　　The man was a public figure—I recognized him immediately as Mia's biological father, Byron Lloyd.

　　To protect Eliza, he allowed Mia to suffer and die in such a cruel and undignified manner.

　　He knew everything, which is why he was so agitated tonight when I scared Eliza—his guilt was eating him up inside.

　　I had secretly brought the python into the house. In the afternoon, I had smeared rat blood on Eliza's bed.

　　Pythons, drawn to blood, naturally followed the scent.

　　I knew that with the Lloyd family's resources, a python bite wouldn't be fatal.

　　That's why I chose a python.

　　It wasn't venomous, but it could coil around a person, making it impossible for them to escape.

　　Just two days of peace, and Eliza was at it again.

　　While Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd were out on business, she used her injured leg as an excuse to order me around.

　　I was doing laundry one moment and standing in line to buy her desserts the next. Like a little servant, I was exhausted from running around for her, and she even threw punches and kicks at me occasionally.

　　Eliza watched me, sweat dripping from my brow, with a smug smile and a mocking glint in her eyes.

　　But soon enough, her laughter ceased. Thirsty, she took a big gulp of coffee, only to be struck by intense pain, coughing up blood.

　　She tried to speak but couldn't. When she was rushed to the hospital, they discovered she had swallowed a small thumbtack.

　　Though it was removed, her esophagus was damaged. From then on, she could only survive on liquids, forever deprived of the pleasures of solid food.

　　When Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd arrived, Eliza immediately accused me of putting the thumbtack in her coffee on purpose.

　　Mrs. Lloyd, favoring me slightly, didn't take Eliza's words at face value and asked me seriously, "Mia, did you really do this?"

　　With tears in my eyes, I shook my head, giving her a firm denial.

　　But Mr. Lloyd didn't believe me. He angrily shouted, "You served the coffee to your sister. If not you, then who?"

　　Frightened, I quickly hid behind Mrs. Lloyd, afraid of his fists raining down on me.

　　Mrs. Lloyd, angered by his actions, questioned, "Byron, without any evidence, you're blaming Mia. Are you really her father? Why won't you even give her a chance to explain?"

　　Mr. Lloyd scoffed, "Who else could it be? She thinks Eliza stole her life, and her heart is full of jealousy. Is it surprising she would do such a thing?"

　　"You!" Mrs. Lloyd pointed at him, furious.

　　To prove my innocence, Mrs. Lloyd had to check the surveillance footage.

　　However, before the matter of the thumbtack could be found, what she saw almost made her lose her breath in anger.

　　At first, she watched me being bossed around like a servant, which she could barely tolerate.

　　But when she saw Eliza kicking me in the stomach, making me writhe in pain, she couldn't hold back any longer. She slapped Eliza hard across the face,

　　leaving one side of her face swollen.

　　Poking Eliza's temple forcefully, she shouted, "Who do you think you are? Know your place. You're Ruby's daughter. Mia is my daughter, the true heiress of the Lloyd family. How dare you treat her like this? Are you looking for trouble?"

　　This was why, in Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd's absence, I obeyed Eliza and let her bully me.

　　I hugged Mrs. Lloyd, choking out, "Mom, don't blame Eliza. It's my fault. I bought the wrong things, so it's normal for her to be upset."

　　My words only made Mrs. Lloyd feel worse. There were maids in the house, yet Eliza forced me to run errands.

　　Just as she was about to slap Eliza again, Mr. Lloyd stopped her.

　　"Olivia, please be reasonable. We need to find out who put the thumbtack in the tea, not argue about this."

　　"How can I be reasonable? You didn't carry her for ten months, so of course you don't feel the pain," Mrs. Lloyd yelled, breaking down.

　　She couldn't believe Mr. Lloyd was so biased.

　　They started arguing, almost coming to blows.

　　Eliza watched coldly, a subtle smile playing on her lips. She seemed to enjoy watching them fight.

　　I started crying and begging, which finally made them calm down.

　　After taking deep breaths, they continued reviewing the footage.

　　They watched today's video multiple times. Besides the moment when I handed over the cup, I never touched the coffee.

　　Moreover, Eliza was right there; I had no chance to do anything.

　　Mr. Lloyd, still not satisfied, began looking through yesterday's footage.

　　Everyone gasped when they saw the footage.

　　Just after 11:30 PM, a woman in white drifted into the living room. She scattered a few thumbtacks and then grinned at the camera.

　　Her face was half decayed, and one of her eyes bulged grotesquely.

　　She left behind a chilling message, "I want you all to join me in death!"

　　Eliza screamed, covering her eyes and crying loudly.

　　The ghost looked exactly like Mia before she died, no wonder Eliza was so terrified.

　　Mr. Lloyd, furious, smashed the player on the floor. "Whoever is behind this trickery, I'll make sure you wish you were dead," he shouted,

　　glaring at me as if accusing me of dressing up as the ghost.

　　He didn't believe in ghosts, but Eliza did.

　　Clinging to his waist, she begged, "Dad, please save me. Find a priest to exorcize that ugly ghost."

　　To ease Eliza's fears, he agreed.

　　This played right into my hands.

　　Feeling wronged, I quietly complained, "Dad is so biased. He'll hire a priest for Eliza, but when I mentioned a legend, he slapped me and called me ignorant."

　　My voice was just loud enough for Mrs. Lloyd to hear.

　　Without hesitation, she refused to hire a priest and mocked Eliza for being so ignorant despite her education.

　　Initially, Mrs. Lloyd still had some feelings for Eliza, but Mr. Lloyd's blatant favoritism stirred her rebellious spirit.

　　Without her approval, no exorcism would happen.

　　Mr. Lloyd could only comfort Eliza, insisting it was all fake and urging her to trust in science.

　　Mr. Lloyd was right—there are no ghosts in the world.

　　But Eliza had a guilty conscience, so she believed in them.

　　That night's ghost was me in disguise, and I planted the thumbtacks. I knew Eliza's true nature too well. She only revealed her vicious side when Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd were absent.

　　A scratched esophagus was nothing compared to the suffering Mia endured. It didn't even come close to one percent of her pain.