Chapter 1 The Olsens.
“Fido, eat your meal.
Inside the warmly decorated room, Tiffany Olsen gently put a bowl filled with dog food. The little white puppy happily wagged its tail and was just about to dig in-until the sound of a chain clinking broke the calm.
Lisa Olsen shoved the dog aside, snatched the bowl, and shoveled the food into her mouth like she hadn’t eaten in days.
The puppy let out a scared whine and cowered on the floor. Tiffany’s heart ached at the sight as she quickly scooped the dog into her arms. “Lisa….how could you take Fido’s food and hurt him like that?”
But Lisa didn’t seem to notice anything else. She stayed on the floor, scarfing down the dog food. Her stomach, unused to being full, twisted painfully, and she nearly threw it all up.
Still, she forced the food down. After three full days without a single bite, her hunger had become unbearable.
Just then, their fifth brother came running in. “Tiffany? Are you okay?” he asked, noticing her tears. “Why are you crying?”
Tiffany’s voice trembled as she tried to speak. “Nathan … it’s Lisa
The moment Nathan Olsen saw Lisa’s state, his expression darkened with rage. Without thinking, he lashed out with a kick “Lisa! it’s bad enough you take things from Tiffany-now even the dog’s food?!”
The blow landed hard. Lisa tumbled across the floor, pain shooting through her body. But even then, she kept her hands clamped over her mouth, terrified she might throw up what little food she had managed to swallow.
Because in her mind, she didn’t know when she’d get another meal.
“Look at you.” Nathan said sharply, glaring down at Lisa. “Do you even realize what you’ve become? You’re a disgrace to the
Olsens.”
He bent down beside her and yanked the iron chain fastened around her neck, forcing her to lift her head. Her lifeless eyes met his, but he showed no hint of pity. “Living with dogs-how’s that treating you? Didn’t you always enjoy stealing Fido’s things? Well, now I’ve locked you up in here-shouldn’t you be pleased?”
Lisa couldn’t breathe-her throat was tight from the chain, her face turning pale and bluish. No words came out.
Tears streamed down her face, not from pain, but from hopelessness.
She never wanted to steal. Ever since she was brought back to the wealthy fagmily three years ago, she’d been living without enough to eat or wear. She didn’t want to starve or freeze… she only did it because she had no other choice.
“I didn’t steal anything!, I’ve been eating expired dog food and sleeping on the old bed Fido didn’t even want… cough!”
Nathan’s voice dropped, cold and firm. “You still haven’t learned your lesson, huh? Looks like life here’s been too easy for you. I just spoke with our parents-we’ve decided to send you to a mental hospital for two years. Maybe that’ll straighten you out.”
Lisa’s eyes widened in shock, her face pale with fear. She trembled, desperately clutching at Nathan’s pant leg, her voice raw and broken. “No please don’t … Nathan….
“Afraid now?” Nathan struck her across the face. “Did you feel even a hint of fear when Tiffany shattered her leg and lost her chance to ever dance again?”
Blood spilled from Lasa’s mouth, her eyes shimmering with pain.
But it hadn’t been her fault. Tiffany had blamed her without proof, and no one had listened to her side of the story. No matter how she tried to explain, they were convinced she was guilty-and the punishments only got worse. Lisa had learned to stay silent.
“What a mess,” came another voice, light with amusement. It was the fourth brother, Xavier Olsen. He bent down, took hold of Lisa’s chin, and tilted her face up to inspect her.
“Lisa” he said with a mocking smile, ‘you know, some people can wear all the gold in the world and still never look like
royalty. And you-no matter how long you’ve been back with the Olsens, no matter what title you have-you’ll always be that filthy little girl crawling through the dirt.
Lisa’s eyes brummed with tears.
“Tiffany? Thank goodness you’re here!” The door flew open, and someone rushed in, breathless. “There’s a fire downstairs! It’s spreading fast-you need to get out now!”
Everyone was shocked. Without a second thought, Xavier grabbed Tiffany’s hand-and bolted for the exit. “What happened? Mario, Julius-how did the fire start all of a sudden?”
Julius Olsen, the second eldest, shook his head, a deep frown on his face. “We’re not sure yet, he said. “First, let’s get Tiffany out of here safely”
By now, heavy smoke was filling the air, and the heat had noticeably risen. Tiffany coughed as the smoke stung her throat, while Xavier and Nathan shielded her on their way out. Once outside, she gasped for air, then suddenly cried out, “Fido Fido’s still in there!”
Mario Olsen, the eldest, knew how much that puppy meant to her. If Fido didn’t make it. Tiffany would be heartbroken. He gave her a reassuring look and said firmly. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure it gets out too.”
Tiffany finally felt a sense of relief as her brothers led her to safety.
But the flames roared louder, and with a sharp crack, one of the wooden beams above gave way.
“Watch out!” Julius shouted.
He dashed toward Lisa, and for a moment, her eyes lit up with hope. They were family-surely her brothers wouldn’t let her die like this
Lisa stretched out her hand toward Julius with everything she had, believing he was coming to rescue her. But instead, he brushed past her and scooped up the frightened little dog trembling by her side. The beam split in two and came crashing down. In a flash, Julius dodged out of the way, clutching the dog to his chest.
With a deafening crash, the beam slammed down on Lisa’s legs. A sharp, agonizing scream tore from her throat. Julius… Julius, please help me….
Julius gently removed his coat and wrapped it around the puppy, holding it close to protect it from the smoke and heat.. Julius Mario Please don’t leave me here..”
Julius hesitated. He looked back at her-her legs were a mangled mess, dragging uselessly behind her like broken cloth. There was no way she could escape on her own.
He started to step toward her, but Mario grabbed his arm. “Have you lost your mind?” he snapped. “Look at her-if you try to save her like that, we’re all going to die!”
“Let’s move, Mario urged, his brow furrowed. “If the dog gets scared, Tiffany will be heartbroken
Julius gave a silent nod, tightening his hold around the tiny dog. Without sparing another glance at Lisa, he turned and fled the burning house alongside Mario.
Behind them. Lisa was left alone in the
Flames surged higher, thick smoke swirling all around. Lisa’s legs were shattered-completely useless. With no other choice, she dragged herself across the floor, inch by painful inch. The wood beneath her was blistering hot, searing her skin with every movement, but she didn’t flinch. She didn’t even care
All that mattered was staying alive. She had to get out.
Smoke filled her lungs, making her cough nonstop Blood rose in her throat. At last, she reached the doorway. But then, with a heavy dang Lisa was yanked backward-she coul
move forward anymore
The iron chain once used to restrain the dog had pulled right. It had already blistered her neck raw and bloody, but without
the key, there was no escape-unless someone cut her head off.
+5 Free Coins
She collapsed at the threshold, her bloodied fingers stretching just past the doorframe. Freedom was only an arm’s length away, but she couldn’t reach it. She was trapped-one step from survival.
Her brother had chosen to rescue Tiffany’s dog instead of her.
The beams above gave way, flames roaring as they collapsed. In seconds, fire swallowed Lisa whole.
“Hahaha…” Her voice cracked with pain as she laughed, her body charred beyond recognition, barely human anymore. She stared through the doorway, eyes filled with bitterness.
“If there’s another life…” she rasped, her voice dry and broken, “I’d never … ever want to be born into the Olsens again.”
The pain was unbearable.
It felt like every bone in her body had been crushed, her skin scorched raw, and her lungs suffocating with smoke.
Lisa clutched the fabric over her chest, gasping-and suddenly, her eyes flew open. She was drenched in cold sweat, her whole body trembling.
There were no chains, no fire, nothing but silence.
Lisa blinked, scanning her surroundings. “Is this… my room?”
The cramped space, barely big enough for a bed and a table, had once been a storage room. Two people couldn’t even turn around in it-it was only slightly better than a dog cage. But Lisa knew it well She’d been forced to live here for three long
years That’s why everything f
felt so familiar-this was her room.
But… hadn’t she died in the fire?
Before Lisa could make sense of anything, the door slammed open. Someone stormed in, yanked her up by the hair, and dragged her out without a word. A sharp smack rang out the next moment.
Her head snapped to the side as the stinging pain exploded across her cheek. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. “How low can you be the young man in front of her snapped, his face dark with anger. “You even steal from a dog?”
Lisa lifted her head slowly, her vision still a bit hazy. It was Xavier.
“What are you staring at?” he barked, eyes cold. “You little thief! Hand it over, now.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lisa replied quietly, wiping the blood from her lips, her voice rough and tired.
“Oh, still denying it?” Xavier sneered, then stormed into Lisa’s room and began tearing through everything. Moments later, he returned, holding something in his hand. Without warning, he hurled it straight at her face. “Got anything to say now?” he
demanded
Lisa stared at the item-it was a small, goose-yellow blanket
And the moment she saw it, a memory came rushing back.
Did I travel back to a year ago
Back then, someone had gifted Tiffany a puppy, and she absolutely adored it. Because of her affection, the little dog’s the Olsen household soared-treated far better than Lisa ever was.
place in
All the brothers brought presents for the puppy, and this blanket had come from Xavier. Somehow, it ended up in Lisa’s room. When Xavier found it there, he instantly jumped to conclusions.
He’d never liked her. And now, thinking she’d ‘stolen the gift he’d given, his anger exploded. He dragged her out in front all the household staff, berated her in the living room, anal publicly shamed her as a thirt
In the end, it was Tiffany who stepped in, claiming she had seen Lisa like the blanket and had given it to her willingly. But everyone could tell she was just trying to cover for Lisa-trying soften the blow.
Though Xavier didn’t push the issue any further, out of respect for Tiffany, the damage had been done. The rumor that Lisa was a thief spread quickly. She was shunned at school and completely isolated Before long, she couldn’t keep up with her
lasses and ended up dropping out. She became the Olsens disgrace-the girl with the lowest education, the black mark on their perfect image
Theard you used to steal back in the countryside too, Xavier said with a cold stare, his voice full of contempt. “Still up to your old tricks, huh? Looks like it’s time someone taught you a real lesson”
