They Brainwashed Me Nine Times

The system chime echoed for the third time in my mind as I stood in the center of the Prescott family's luxurious living room.

They were going to brainwash me again. This would be the ninth time.

My three brothers brought out a glass jar filled with wooden lots, forcing me to draw a new identity. I had three choices: the fake heiress, the maid's daughter, or the charity case.

My oldest brother, Liam, let his face darken first. He warned me to stop having delusional dreams of taking Vivian's place.

My second brother, Silas, furrowed his brows and coldly reminded me that Vivian had a severe heart condition and needed the family's undivided attention.

Then there was Asher. He wore a face identical to mine, yet it was twisted in pure disgust. He sneered and declared that he only recognized Vivian as his sister.

I stood frozen in place. My heart had gone completely numb a long time ago.

Suddenly, the System broke its silence. It told me the capture mission was officially canceled. It advised me to just pick a way to die and leave this wretched world.

A genuine smile crept onto my lips. I could finally go home.

But what I didn't expect was that after my death, those three heartless brothers would actually shed tears.

...

My original mission was painfully simple: win the affection of my brothers and be acknowledged as the true biological heiress of the Prescott family.

Yet in the five years since I returned to this house, I had been subjected to memory altering hypnosis eight times.

I had been a maid, a nanny, a poor relative begging for scraps, and an orphan taken in by the butler.

The only thing I was never allowed to be was the actual daughter of the Prescott family.

Every single time Vivian squeezed out a few pathetic tears, my three brothers would choose her without a second thought.

They were absolutely certain that as long as they erased my memory of being the true heiress, I would never dare to compete with Vivian for their love.

With every hypnosis session, the System had to burn massive amounts of energy to forcibly awaken my true consciousness.

But the dosage of the mind altering drugs increased every time, and the duration of my memory loss grew longer and longer.

It wasn't until the eighth time, after I had worked as a lowly servant in my own home for three entire years, that the System finally managed to drag me back to reality.

I had had enough.

The System was at its breaking point too. It canceled the mission and offered me a ticket home.

Wild joy erupted in my chest. My eyes frantically darted around the room, searching for any sharp object that could grant me sweet release.

Seeing my shifting gaze, my twin brother Asher instantly pulled a long face.

"Don't even think about trying any of your dirty tricks. We will strap you to that chair today even if we have to tie you down!"

As he spoke, he casually pulled a wooden slip from the jar. The words "Fake Heiress" were glaringly etched into the wood.

Asher let out a cruel scoff and threw the wooden slip right at my face. The sharp edge sliced across my cheek, leaving a stinging trail of blood.

"Well, look at that. You got lucky."

"We are actually letting you play the role of the Prescott heiress this time."

He turned his head to look at Liam, Silas, and Vivian, carelessly proposing a sick wager.

"Care to make a bet? The dosage is ten times stronger this round. How long do you think it will take for her to remember?"

"I'll go first. The last round lasted three years. I bet she stays under for five years this time."

Silas leaned back against the leather sofa and spoke in a chillingly flat tone.

"Eight years."

Liam tapped his fingers rhythmically against the mahogany table, his eyes devoid of any warmth.

"Ten years."

Vivian walked over and affectionately clung to Asher's arm. She shot me a smug, triumphant look before pouting her lips in a sickeningly sweet manner.

"Asher, I think it will take her twenty years."

Asher affectionately ruffled her hair and smiled.

"Alright, my little princess. I will have the doctor increase the dose by another ten times. I definitely won't let you lose your bet."

These scenes used to pierce right through my soul, but looking at them now, I felt nothing but absolute tranquility.

I calmly bent down and picked up the bloodstained wooden slip from the floor, my voice coming out in a soft whisper.

"No. This time, it will last a lifetime."

After all, dead people never remember anything, do they?

The next second, under their shocked and horrified gazes.

I gripped the wooden slip tightly and plunged it brutally into the carotid artery of my own neck!

Blood sprayed out in a violent arc, splashing directly onto Vivian's face.

A piercing scream tore from her throat.

Right before I lost consciousness.

I saw Vivian shrieking in terror, Silas bolting up from the sofa, and Liam's face draining of all color.

And Asher was just standing there completely paralyzed, clutching his own neck in horror as he stared at me.

I forgot. We were twins. We shared a telepathic pain connection.

When I woke up again, I was lying in a hospital bed with thick layers of bandages wrapped tightly around my neck.

I actually didn't die?

The slightest movement sent a dull, tearing agony radiating from my throat.

[Host, detecting extreme pain levels. Would you like me to activate the pain blocker?]

[Yes, please!]

The pain vanished instantly. My entire body relaxed into comfort.

It was only then that I noticed a vicious glare pinning me down, looking as if it wanted to flay me alive and rip my bones apart.

I turned my head and met Asher's face, which was black with rage.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

He violently grabbed the collar of my hospital gown and dragged me straight into the adjacent room. He pointed at Vivian, who was lying pale and fragile on the bed, and fiercely demanded answers.

"You know her heart is weak! You deliberately triggered an episode! Did you think that if she died, you could just waltz in and become the true heiress?"

"Keep dreaming! Let me make this crystal clear. We will never acknowledge a venomous snake like you as our sister!"

I tried pulling my collar out of his grip but failed. I had no choice but to maintain the awkward posture and speak to him with absolute sincerity.

"I didn't try to harm her. I genuinely just want to die."

Asher acted like he had just heard the funniest joke in the world. He leaned in close, his eyes brimming with mockery.

"Want to die? Sienna, cut the pathetic act!"

"Did you think faking a suicide attempt would get you out of the hypnosis? You are going to be the fake heiress, and that is final! I will never let you threaten Vivian's place in our family!"

He then glanced at the bandages wrapped around my neck and spoke in a deeply sarcastic tone.

"If you really wanted to die, you wouldn't have used a flimsy piece of wood to put on a show!"

Silas, who was sitting by the bed using a surgical scalpel to peel an apple for Vivian, paused his movements. A cold glint flashed across the silver blade.

The apple peel snapped.

"Sienna, if you pull another cheap stunt like this, don't blame me for disregarding our blood ties."

My eyes immediately lit up.

That was a truly excellent blade!

Staring intently at the scalpel in Silas's hand, I looked at him with eager, starry eyes and made a polite request.

"Um, could I borrow that knife you have there?"

"Asher is totally right. A wooden stick can't kill a person. If I want to commit suicide, I really need to use a blade."

The air in the room froze solid.

Asher let out a furious laugh, pointing his finger right at my nose and cursing.

"Playing this game again? Sienna, how long are you going to keep up this act?!"

"Here! Take the knife! Let's see if you actually have the guts to die!"

Before Silas could even react, Asher snatched the scalpel from his brother's hand and threw it right at my feet.

I picked it up frantically, like I had just found a priceless treasure.

Without a single ounce of hesitation, I raised the blade and slashed it ruthlessly across my own throat.

Asher's eyes blew wide open in sheer terror.

Remembering the phantom agony he had experienced just hours ago, his body moved on instinct, and he reached out to grab the descending blade barehanded.

Drops of crimson blood slowly trickled down the silver handle and splattered onto the white tiles.

My hand gripped the handle tightly, pausing mid air. I looked up and met Asher's eyes, which were blazing with a monstrous, apocalyptic fury.

He stared at me, his lips trembling violently, his voice completely cracking.

"Sienna! Have you lost your goddamn mind?!"

The sharp edge of the blade had sliced deep into Asher's palm. The flesh was torn open, exposing a gruesome, bloody mess that made my scalp tingle just looking at it.

Yet he kept his fingers clamped around the metal, refusing to let go.

Silas's expression changed drastically when he saw the blood.

He lunged forward and brutally twisted my wrist. The force was so immense I felt like my bones were going to shatter into pieces, forcing me to release my grip.

The scalpel clattered onto the floor.

He kicked the knife far away before turning his darkened face to me with a low, menacing growl.

"Are you done throwing your tantrum?"

I just felt an overwhelming wave of exhaustion.

It was so hard to simply die these days.

Seeing Asher bleeding because of me, Vivian's face turned ghastly white. She bit her lower lip so hard it almost bled, and tears began falling without any warning.

She struggled to sit up from her hospital bed, clutching her chest, crying out to me.

"Sister, if you want to hurt someone, just hurt me! Don't hurt Asher!"

"It's all my fault. I never should have been swapped at birth and stolen your life. Take all your anger out on me!"

"If my death is the only thing that will satisfy you, then I'll go die!"

Vivian threw off the blankets, stumbled out of bed, and ran toward the stairwell outside the ward like a madwoman.

"Vivi!"

Silas's face contorted in panic, and he immediately chased after her.

Asher didn't even care about his profusely bleeding right hand. Ignoring the pain, he sprinted right behind them.

A dramatic Titanic style scene quickly unfolded at the top of the stairs.

Silas wrapped his arms tightly around Vivian from behind, while Vivian spread her arms wide, crying and shivering uncontrollably.

"Silas, let me go. Only if I die will my sister stop torturing you all!"

The more she struggled, the tighter Silas held her. Asher stood closely by, nervously shielding both of them.

The three of them pulled and pushed in a chaotic, tangled mess.

I slowly walked over to the edge of the railing and glanced down.

We were over a dozen floors up. The height was definitely sufficient.

"Alright, you won't actually jump even if we wait twenty years. I'll just do it myself."

With those clean and decisive words, I vaulted over the metal railing and threw myself headfirst into the abyss.

In that split second, it was as if Asher sensed something through our twin connection. He looked toward where I was falling and charged over like a lunatic.

"Sienna!"

He threw himself onto the floor, the veins popping on his right arm as he desperately clamped his bleeding hand onto the hem of my hospital gown.

My entire body was suspended in mid air. Drops of his blood fell directly onto my face.

Hearing the commotion, Silas whipped his head around, staring at the scene in absolute disbelief.

It was as if he had just been jolted awake from a nightmare. He shoved Vivian aside, strode over, and dropped to his knees to help Asher pull me back up.

Realizing I was about to be dragged back to safety, I panicked.

I thrashed my body wildly, trying to slip out of my outer gown.

But I was no match for the combined strength of two grown men, and I was forcefully hauled back onto the landing.

Asher was panting heavily. He stared at me, his eyes hiding a lingering terror he hadn't even realized himself.

"Do you not care about your own life?!"

"If you want something, just ask! But can you please stop trying to kill yourself every five minutes?!"

Silas wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his voice still shaking noticeably.

"Don't you just want to come back to the family? Don't you just want to be the true heiress? We will go talk to Liam right now!"

"Just please stop putting us through this!"

I froze for a moment.

If I had heard those words just a few days ago, I probably would have been ecstatic.

But right now, my only desire was to die quickly so I could go home.

Hearing their desperate promises, Vivian's face turned as pale as a sheet of paper. Her already red eyes filled with fresh tears.

A barely detectable glint of jealousy and pure malice flashed through her eyes, vanishing in an instant.

"Sister, I don't know how much longer my broken body can hold on. Please, just wait a little longer. Once I'm dead, you can..."

Before she could finish her sentence, she violently clutched her chest, her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed stiffly onto the floor.

"Vivi!"

Asher instantly let go of me and rushed forward like a madman to catch her. His face was covered in undisguised heartache and intense frustration.

Silas also hurried over. After doing a quick preliminary check on Vivian's vitals, his expression turned gravely serious.

"Get her to the resuscitation room, now!"

The two men carried Vivian and rushed away in a panic. Neither of them even spared a single backward glance at me.

I silently walked back to my room and found the sharp, cold scalpel lying in the corner.

Asher's blood was still smeared across the metal.

The System suddenly chimed in my mind.

[Host, detecting that the capture mission progress has reached 60%!]

[Would you like to continue the strategy?]

[I quit.]

I shook my head, grabbed a tissue to carefully wipe the scalpel clean, and then hid it securely in my pocket.

I just wanted to find a quiet place where no one would bother me so I could leave in peace.

Just as I stepped out of the ward, I ran right into my three brothers, who were rushing over.

Liam's gaze fell on the blood seeping bandages around my neck. A complex emotion flickered in his eyes.

"They told me what you did."

"I can let you return to the family and restore your identity as the true biological daughter."

I said nothing, waiting for him to finish his sentence.

"But," Liam paused, his voice turning heavy. "To the outside world, Vivian and Asher will remain twins. Her identity cannot be changed."

"And you... you will be the newly found, adopted child of the Prescott family."

I let out a cynical scoff in my heart.

To put it bluntly, they wanted me to hold the title of the true daughter internally, but live publicly as an illegitimate, unacknowledged child.

That was a hundred times more nauseating than just being the fake heiress.

Before I could even open my mouth to refuse, he sharply changed the subject.

"There is one condition."

I looked up at him and spoke flatly. "What condition?"

"Vivian suffered a severe shock today. She is in heart failure and urgently needs a transplant."

Silas, standing behind him in his white doctor's coat, suddenly spoke up.

"Your tissue matching is a perfect, flawless fit."

I was genuinely stunned. "And so?"

"You don't need to be afraid. Medical technology is highly advanced now. We will install an artificial heart to keep you alive. Your life won't be in danger. Afterward, the family will use every single resource at our disposal to find a suitable donor heart for you."

I laughed out of pure, unadulterated anger.

"If artificial hearts are so great, why don't you just give one to her?!"

Asher immediately lost his temper. His tone was laced with intense anxiety and harsh accusation.

"Vivian has a special constitution! Her body rejects metal implants! She can't use an artificial heart!"

"You are the one who caused her to end up like this! Her life is hanging by a thread right now. If you refuse to save her, you are forcing her to die!"

I pressed my fingers against my throbbing temples, taking a deep breath. I had finally reached the absolute limit of my tolerance.

"Fine! Great! You just want a heart, right?"

"I will donate it. Happy now?"

Hearing my words, relieved and gratified smiles appeared on all three of my brothers' faces.

"Once you finish the surgery, we will publicly announce..."

But in the very next second, without the slightest hesitation, I pulled the scalpel from my pocket, aimed the blade ruthlessly at my own chest, and plunged it directly into my heart. Then, with brutal force, I sliced downward!

Hot blood splattered across their utterly terrified faces, and I let out a soft, airy laugh.

"Here is the heart you wanted."

"Come and get it!"

The moment my body began to fall, three figures stumbled wildly toward me.