The Price of a Pearl

It was the day I was brought back to the estate that I finally learned I was the biological daughter of the wealthiest man in Manhattan.

There was no dramatic confrontation.

The moment my parents saw me, their eyes filled with tears and they pulled me into a tight embrace.

Even Chloe, the adopted daughter who had been pampered for over a decade, carefully wiped the mud off my shoes and said softly:

"Welcome home, little sister."

But I couldn't stand it.

Whenever I struggled to figure out the smart home appliances, or mistakenly drank the expensive mouthwash thinking it was tea, I could always hear the maids snickering behind my back.

"She really is a country bumpkin. It's so embarrassing to even take her outside..."

I finally hit my breaking point and shoved them hard to the floor.

My mother's eyes widened in shock. "Are you ever going to stop?!"

I said, my voice hoarse, "I know you all look down on me! You think I'm uncultured and an embarrassment to the family!"

"But Chloe has spent the last ten years living the life that was supposed to be mine!"

Tears streamed down my face as I enunciated every word: "She is a thief!"

My father's face darkened, and he snapped:

"Shut your mouth! None of this is Chloe's fault!"

If it wasn't her fault, then was it mine, the victim?!

My heart completely died in that moment. I wiped away my tears.

"You can only have one daughter. Pick one."

"Eleanor..."

My mother reached out to wipe the tears from my face, but I aggressively slapped her hand away.

"Don't touch me!"

Rejected, my mother stood frozen, looking incredibly awkward.

My fathers anger instantly ignited. His face turned thunderous as he delivered a vicious kick to my stomach.

The pain made my legs give out, and I collapsed onto the floor.

"You ungrateful brat! Look at yourself! Do you look anything like a proper lady?! All those etiquette lessons these past few weeks were completely wasted on a dog like you!"

A cold sneer crept onto my face. "A proper lady?! Dad, did you forget? I'm just a country bumpkin from a trailer park! And honestly, Dad, have you ever genuinely seen me as your daughter?!"

The grievances I had bottled up for so long exploded. I turned and grabbed the crystal bowl of bright red cherries from the table, smashing it onto the marble floor with a deafening crash.

"In your eyes, am I only worthy of taking her leftovers?! You think I have no class, so you feel perfectly justified fobbing me off with the garbage she doesn't want?!"

A few days ago, the housekeeper brought me a bowl of cherries, claiming they were just flown in and this was all that was left.

I excitedly ate one, intending to save the rest to share with my parents.

But then, I overheard two maids whispering in the hallway.

"Did you see how happy she was? She really is from the sticks, acting like she's never seen anything good."

"She probably didn't even know what they were. Miss Chloe thought they weren't fresh enough and threw them out, and she actually treated them like some rare treasure!"

In that moment, I trembled uncontrollably.

It turned out that the things I cherished were nothing more than discarded garbage in their eyes.

Why did she get to be the pampered little princess of the house, while I was treated like a worthless burden from the slums?

Even though I was their biological daughter.

My eyes were bloodshot as I screamed through my tears. "In your eyes, will I never measure up to Chloe?! You all look down on me!"

"Eleanor, no one looks down on you..."

My mother tried to explain:

"They were just making a joke. Look, whatever you want to eat, just tell the butler. If he doesn't get it for you, tell me!"

My father also looked displeased.

"I'll increase your allowance. If you want something, go buy it yourself. Is it really necessary to throw such a massive tantrum over a bowl of fruit?"

Chloe walked over to me, her eyes rimmed with red.

"Eleanor, I didn't expect them to... I'm so sorry, it's all my fault. From now on, whatever good food or fun things I get, I'll give them all to you."

I stared right through her and let out a cold laugh.

"I am their biological daughter. Everything in this house should rightfully be mine. Why the hell do I need you to 'give' it to me?!"

I turned to my parents and said, "I don't like her. I want her sent back to that trailer park!"

In an instant, the living room fell dead silent.

Chloe stood frozen, tears streaming continuously down her face.

My mother frantically wiped the tears from Chloe's eyes, cooing, "Don't cry, don't cry..."

Watching this scene, I finally understood.

There was no place for me in this house.

I didn't even qualify to be an option.

I scoffed. Before anyone could react, I grabbed the fruit knife from the table and plunged it into my chest with a sickening thud.

"Since that's how it is, I'll make it easy for you."

When I woke up, the family doctor was treating my wound.

I shoved him away and immediately tried to get out of bed.

Before I could even stand, my mother, who had been standing nearby, pinned me back down.

"Eleanor! Are you trying to kill me?! I am begging you, please, just calm down..."

I struggled violently in her arms, causing the poorly treated wound to instantly rip open again.

Blood soaked through my shirt, but I didn't feel a shred of pain.

I roared at my mother like a madwoman, "If you don't want me to die, then send her away!"

Just then, Chloe stepped forward and offered my mother a smile, though it looked incredibly bitter and forced.

"Mom, send me away..."

Her voice was hoarse. "Mom, I'm willing to leave. Don't let me ruin your relationship with Eleanor. Please take care of yourself after I'm gone..."

I finally stopped struggling, staring at her in shock.

She turned to me and offered a small bow.

"Eleanor, I'm sorry. I stole your mom and dad... I'm leaving now. Please don't hurt yourself anymore. Mom and Dad are getting older, don't make them worry about you..."

I searched her eyes for resentment or bitterness, but all I saw was reluctance and pleading.

At that moment, I almost felt like I was the villain in a movie, tearing apart their happy family of three.

In the end, she hugged my mother and actually left. My mother didn't say a word; she just patted Chloe's back with red, tear-filled eyes.

Her belongings were quickly and thoroughly cleared out of the house.

I thought I had won, because I had finally gotten my parents back.

However, I noticed that my parents smiled less and less.

At first, I thought they were just exhausted from work.

So, I bent over backward trying to make them happy. I gave them massages, told them jokes to make them laugh.

I studied twice as hard, wanting to make my father proud.

I thought that with time, everything would eventually go back to the way it was.

That was until my father's birthday banquet, when Chloe's best friend cornered me in the restroom and mocked me:

"The country bumpkin really is a scheming little snake, aren't you? Kicking Chloe out so quickly."

I gripped the edge of the sink, forcing myself to stay calm.

"She felt guilty and left on her own"

"Save it."

She cut me off impatiently. "Can you stop making up lies? Aren't you exhausted? Look around! Everyone in Manhattan knows the Vance family took in some unpresentable trash, and within days, you used a pathetic guilt trip to force our sweet, understanding Chloe out! You've completely humiliated the Vance family."

My pupils contracted, my knuckles turning white as I gripped the marble counter.

I was just taking back what belonged to me. Why was everyone sympathizing with Chloe?

She stepped closer, her voice dropping.

"Before, everyone praised Mr. Vance for having such an amazing daughter. So what if she wasn't blood? Chloe's manners and education brought honor to the family! But you? What use are you besides making the Vance family a laughingstock?!"

Seeing me frozen in shock didn't seem to satisfy her malice.

"You didn't seriously think your parents actually chose you, did you? Mr. and Mrs. Vance already set everything up for Chloe. They bought her a massive penthouse downtown and gave her a ten-million-dollar trust fund to start her own company. Soon enough, she'll be a successful CEO, and you"

"You can just sit here and play 'proper lady.'"

Chloe's company was right in the heart of the financial district.

I went to the building but was stopped by the receptionist. I explained calmly:

"I am the eldest daughter of the Vance family. I'm here to see my father, Richard Vance."

After registering, I walked unimpeded to the executive office.

Through the glass window, I saw my parents happily admiring the office space.

Chloe was sitting in the CEO's chair. She tried to get up to offer my father the seat, but he gently pushed her back down.

He smiled and patted her head:

"Don't be a stranger with your Mom and Dad. If you run into any trouble, just tell us. Don't keep it bottled up and suffer in silence."

My mother also pulled her into a hug, fussing over her:

"Chloe, honey, you have to learn to take care of yourself now that you're living alone. If you can't adjust, just tell Mom, and I'll send a maid over. Don't work too hard, and if you need money, just ask me."

Chloe nuzzled into my mother's embrace, acting like a spoiled child:

"Okay, okay, I'll remember everything you said, Mom. I'll miss you so much, and you too, Dad..."

They looked exactly like a real, happy family of three.

I pushed the door open. "A company this size must have cost a pretty penny."

My father's face immediately darkened, and my mother opened her mouth to speak but couldn't seem to find the words.

They both instinctively stepped in front of Chloe, shielding her.

I demanded harshly: "Didn't you promise me?! That you would send her back!"

"Did I or did I not say that you are never to have any contact with her again?! Why... why won't you just let her go! Do you even see me as your daughter?!"

I practically screamed the last sentence.

My mother rushed over, trying to calm me down:

"Eleanor, you know what kind of hellhole that place is. Chloe has been pampered her whole life. Sending her back there now is a death sentence!"

I felt an overwhelming sense of irony and let out a cold laugh.

"Mom, I survived being trapped in that hellhole! Why did I manage to live, but she wouldn't?!"

Those mountains were like a cage, locking me in that place.

My adoptive father constantly called me a worthless money-drain. Whenever he got drunk, he used me as a punching bag, kicking me and burning me with his cigarettes.

Even now, I still bear the scars from those burns.

My adoptive mother was even more vicious. She forced me to chop firewood in the dead of winter. When I had no water, I had to eat handfuls of snow just to survive.

I once passed out from the cold and was only found and brought back by a neighbor.

But what greeted me was an even more brutal beating, because she blamed me for not bringing the firewood back.

The anger and resentment I had suppressed for over a decade made my whole body tremble.

"Ever since I came back... neither of you has ever cared about me. You spend all day revolving around Chloe, terrified she might suffer even the slightest grievance! Now that she's finally out of the house, you buy her a penthouse and fund a whole company for her!"

"But Mom, Dad... I am your real daughter!"

My mother's eyes grew red, flashing with regret, but she looked at me earnestly.

"The past is the past. Can't we just live together as a family from now on? Why are you so intolerant of Chloe? Do you really need to see her die there before you'll let this go?!"

Her words froze me in place.

So this was how my mother truly saw me.

Maybe, from the moment I was brought back, I shouldn't have held onto any hope.

My mother quickly realized what she said was inappropriate, a flicker of regret crossing her face.

"Eleanor, don't overthink it... Mom misspoke."

"But no one wanted any of this to happen, and you can't blame Chloe for it. She's already moved out, just like you wanted. What more do you want?!"

What more did I want?

I just wanted them to love me, to truly look at me.

I wanted to be able to cry in my mother's arms when I was wronged. I wanted my father to stand in front of me and protect me when I was bullied.

How did it end up that everything was somehow my fault?!

I felt incredibly wronged.

"Mom, I just want to be treated equally, is that so hard? She was raised like a princess, so Im just a weed that deserves to be trampled on?!"

I paused, then continued:

"And another thing, her last name is still Vance, but your biological daughter is still named Miller! Mom, do you honestly think that's appropriate?!"

My mother frowned, trying to explain. "We just haven't had time to change it"

"When will you have time?! When I'm dead?!"

Some employees had been drawn by the argument and were curiously peering through the glass walls.

My fathers face was thunderous, his hands clenched into tight fists as he fought to suppress his rage.

"Shut up! Have you no shame?!"

"Security!"

Two bodyguards immediately entered the room.

"Take Miss Eleanor home. She is not to step foot outside the house without my permission!"

And just like that, under the curious stares of the entire office, I was forcefully dragged out of the building.

When I got home, I locked myself in my room, refusing to eat or drink. I smashed everything in the room that could be broken.

I tried to use this to get their attention, but my parents never came to check on me even once.

Soon enough, I snapped back to reality. Doing this was only hurting myself; it was utterly pointless.

If they didn't love me, what was I still hoping for?

Everything else was an illusion. The only thing you can rely on is what you hold in your own hands.

Once I figured that out, I went to my father's study.

The annoyance on his face was palpable the moment he saw me.

"What do you want now?!"

I didn't yell or demand answers like before. I just said calmly:

"Dad, since you bought Chloe a penthouse and funded her company..."

"As your biological daughter, I should get my rightful share too."

I slowly laid out my demands:

"I want two penthouses under my name, and twenty million dollars. Basically, whatever she got, I want double."

He looked at me as if he'd just heard a hilarious joke, letting out a contemptuous scoff.

"You?! Start a business?"