Kendall Villa.

"Oh no! Something's wrong—Miss Sophia tried to kill herself!"

A piercing shriek shattered the quiet, shaking the whole house.

Everyone in the living room jumped up and bolted to the second floor.

Charlotte Kendall glanced lazily in the general direction of Sophia’s room, then strolled upstairs at her own pace, looking completely indifferent.

The bedroom was crowded, though it was spacious enough to hold them all.

Charlotte swept her eyes over the fancy decor—everything practically screamed luxury. There was no doubt, whoever lived here was the family’s golden girl.

A touch of mockery flickered in her eyes.

"What the hell happened?"

Michael Kendall's furious voice cut through the room.

A trembling maid knelt on the floor, head down, stammering, "Sir, we went to wake Miss Sophia and found her lying there, not moving… There was a note and a bottle of sleeping pills by her bed."

A note? Sleeping pills?

Gasps filled the room as everyone froze in stunned panic.

Charlotte raised an eyebrow. Wow, Sophia really went all in this time.

Herbert Carson, who was kneeling by the bed, didn't waste a second. He scooped Sophia into his arms, face dark with anxiety.

"To the hospital!" he barked, voice low and urgent.

As he strode past Charlotte, he shot her a glare cold enough to freeze—

"You better pray Sophia pulls through."

He rushed off without waiting for a response.

Charlotte simply narrowed her eyes and said nothing.

Then came another shrill voice, sharp and laced with sobs. Margaret White. Of course.

"Charlotte, how could you drive your sister to this? What kind of heartless monster are you?"

Charlotte turned her head slowly, brows slightly drawn. Her almond-shaped eyes flashed with frost as she stared straight at her stepmother.

"If she wanted to end her life, what’s that got to do with me?" Her voice was cool and emotionless.

"You ungrateful brat! She’s your sister! How can you be so cold-blooded? So vicious?!"

Michael Kendall exploded, shouting at her without a second thought.

Charlotte didn’t even flinch. She was used to this.

She gave a faint smile, slick and frosty, without saying a word.

Then her gaze shifted to the old man standing stiffly with a cane. Her grandfather, William Kendall.

She looked him in the eye with lazy defiance.

"What? You planning to hit me again, Grandpa?" Her voice was nonchalant but chilling.

She could read the disgust and loathing in his eyes from a mile away.

This old man was blind in more ways than one—heart and mind included.

"How did this family end up with someone like you? Heartless little snake—you don’t even deserve to carry the Kendall name!"

Charlotte let out a dry chuckle, sarcasm dancing in her eyes.

"Oh yeah? You think I care? If you’ve got the guts, kick me out."

William Kendall couldn’t stand her attitude—her wild, untamable look made his jaw tighten in fury.

"You’re impossible! If anything happens to your sister, then you—"

Charlotte cut him off, voice sharp with mockery.

"What, you want me to die with her?"

She scoffed. Yeah, right. Like Sophia would just give up her life that easily. That girl’s terrified of dying—and obsessed with her spotlight.

Let’s be real, this snow-white little flower had gotten real good at playing innocent.

"You seriously think she’s some kind of royalty?"William Kendall and the rest stared at Charlotte Kendall like she was a cactus in clean air—no hint of affection, only deep disgust and resentment in their eyes.

“I’m also a daughter of the Kendall family. Why should I always give in to Sophia?” Charlotte’s tone was flat but sharp.

Michael Kendall snapped, “She’s your sister!”

William Kendall’s expression turned grim and stern. “Why? Just think about all the nonsense you’ve pulled these past few years. Besides trying to drag Sophia down, causing chaos, being arrogant and disrespectful—what else have you ever done right? Hmm? What have you ever done that actually benefitted this family?”

Charlotte’s eyes were pitch black, cold as a midnight void. Her face, delicate and beautiful, carried a chilling smile that was more eerie than warm.

Oh, right. How could she forget—Sophia was the so-called “genius of Baicheng,” showering the family with praise and profit.

Then William added with finality, “The engagement with the Carson family—you need to call it off. With your reputation in the gutter, there's no way they’ll let you marry in.”

Charlotte’s tone was calm, aloof, with a rebellious edge. “And what if I say no?”

“Bang!”

William’s cane slammed against the floor with a loud thud. His wrinkled face twisted with fury. “Even if you don’t agree, you’ll still have to!”

Then he turned and led the others out toward the hospital.

Charlotte watched them leave, her eyes still and emotionless.

She’d lost count how many times she’d seen scenes like this.

To the Kendall family, Sophia was their lucky charm; Charlotte was the cursed one.

She’d reached the point where feeling hurt or lonely didn’t even register anymore.

The whole family had fallen for Sophia’s second-rate performance, but she got it—it’s easy when all they care about is status and profit.

But Herbert Carson?

Charlotte couldn’t make sense of it. How could someone that calculated and clever fall for something so fake?

Honestly, she wouldn’t have guessed a guy like him made it this far in the Carson family.

At First Hospital.

By the time Charlotte arrived, Sophia had already finished getting her stomach pumped and was being sent back to the ward.

She had just reached the door when she caught a bit of the conversation inside.

“Doctor, how’s my daughter? Is she out of danger?” Margaret White asked anxiously.

“Yes, doctor, what about my granddaughter? She’s been weak since she was a baby and has a bad heart. Will there be any lasting effects?” William asked, brows furrowed.

The attending doctor froze for a second—bad heart?

He didn’t think much of it and simply replied, “No need to worry. She got here in time, so she’s stable now. She’ll wake up soon. Keep her diet light for the next couple of days; she’ll be ready to go home after some rest.”

Everyone finally let out a huge sigh of relief.

Charlotte gave a cold, silent laugh.

The doctor left after finishing his instructions.

Margaret turned around and immediately spotted Charlotte standing at the door. Her face twisted like a storm cloud. With sharp eyes full of suspicion, she snapped, “What are you doing here? Trying to hurt your sister again?”

Charlotte rolled her eyes. Like mother, like daughter.

Did they really think she had nothing better to do?

Sophia barely needed her help tanking her own life—she handled the drama just fine on her own.

“You little monster, what the hell are you doing here?! Get out! Don’t pollute your sister’s room with your bad energy!” Michael barked.

Charlotte raised an eyebrow, arms crossed, her almond eyes narrowing like frost creeping over glass.

She couldn’t just let all that yelling slide.

Her lips curled into a smirk. “Why am I here?” Her voice was soft, but her tone sharp.

“Just checking if your precious princess is dead yet.”

As soon as the words left her mouth—

“Charlotte!”

A cold, heavy voice suddenly rang out behind her.Charlotte rubbed her ear lazily before finally lifting her gaze to Herbert, who was standing at Sophia’s bedside.

He was decked out in a tailored suit, tall and statuesque, standing there like some hero out of a romance novel.

Actually, scrap that. He really was playing the part.

Handsome and put together, born into a good family, with sharp features, smooth pale skin, those deep-set eyes under thick brows—he was practically a walking prince.

No wonder Sophia fell for him.

Herbert strode over with his long legs and, without warning, grabbed Charlotte’s arm, dragging her toward the hallway.

She yanked her arm back, and before she even had time to react, he snapped, icy cold:

"Charlotte, she’s your sister!"

Charlotte raised her head slowly, locking eyes with him. That damn line again—everyone loved throwing it at her.

She let out a dry chuckle. "Sister? Really?"

Herbert met her stare, momentarily caught off guard by the chilling look in her eyes.

Her face looked like it’d been carved from porcelain, but the frost in her expression was unmistakable. She reminded him of one of those rare snow lotus flowers—cold but impossible to ignore.

He’d always known Charlotte was prettier than Sophia. Way prettier, if he was honest. But she was also sharp-edged, distant—never the gentle type.

Then Charlotte’s voice cut through the tension, crisp and biting. "Ever seen a sister steal her little sister’s fiancé? Be the shameless side chick in her own sister’s relationship? If that’s what being a big sister means, no thanks."

"Charlotte, Sophia and I are in love. I—”

She didn’t even let him finish. "Save it. I don’t care who loves who.”

Herbert stared at her, thinking she had to be shaken or heartbroken. He softened his tone. "Fine, then. But the engagement’s off."

"What if I say no?" Charlotte blinked lazily, like she couldn’t really be bothered, her voice calm.

There was hesitation in Herbert’s eyes—he didn’t want to hurt her. He saw her as family, nothing more. He loved Sophia, and that hadn’t changed.

"Charlotte, I—"

"Want me to agree to the breakup? Easy—have Sophia get on her knees and say sorry. Do that, and I’ll send you two lovebirds off with a big fat smile."

The second she said that, his expression darkened instantly. That handsome face twisted with anger, his eyes suddenly turning cold.

He raised his voice. "Charlotte, you’re the one who messed up, not Sophia! Forget apologizing—you should be the one begging for her forgiveness! When did you become so heartless?"

"Since forever, right?" Charlotte tossed back, still unfazed, still calm. "I'm not the one trying to play the victim here. Didn’t ask her to end up in the hospital, now did I?"

Herbert’s face turned red from frustration. It was like shouting at a wall—no reaction, no guilt, just indifference.

"You used to care, Charlotte. What happened to you?"

She didn't bother answering. Honestly, she’d heard it all before, and at this point, she just didn’t care anymore.