The Favored Daughter of Destiny

My eighteenth attempt at a wedding with my fianc, and once again, my adoptive sister stole everyone away.

My parents called, their voices a mixture of anxiety and impatience.

Mollys stomach is acting up again. Were taking her to the hospital. You handle the wedding. Its been canceled so many times, youre an old pro at this.

My maid of honor, my best friend since childhood, just clicked her tongue.

"Is your wedding really more important than Mollys health? She was in so much pain she almost passed out, and you expect us to just ignore her? When did you become so cruel, Kara?"

And my fianc? He didn't even bother to call.

Just a text with five words: Wedding's off. We'll reschedule.

We'll reschedule.

I repeated those words to myself over and over.

He'd used those same five words to dismiss me seventeen times before.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. I was so done with this.

"System."

"Sever my ties with all of them."

A familiar voice replied, "As you wish. All connections between you and the other characters have been severed."

"Countdown initiated. In 72 hours, they will lose everything they possess. Including their lives."

As the system's countdown began, I picked up the microphone and walked onto the stage, a sea of violetMolly's favorite flower. How fitting for my wedding.

"I apologize, everyone. Today's wedding is canceled."

The guests exchanged glances, but no one seemed surprised.

"I knew it," one woman whispered. "They've never managed to actually go through with one. If I were Kara Fairley, I'd be too embarrassed to even show my face."

"The whole family dotes on the younger one. If I were her, I'd just let my sister have him. At least she'd get a reputation for being generous instead of being the laughingstock of the city."

"You don't get it," another chimed in. "This one's not to be messed with. Every time Mr. Vance refused her, his company's stock would tank the next day. He lost millions before he finally agreed to stay with her."

I walked away under a cloud of pitying stares, a sarcastic smile playing on my lips.

This time, it was going to be more than just a stock dip.

I changed out of my wedding dress and went back to the Fairley mansion to pack a few things. As I was about to leave, the front door opened, and the whole laughing, smiling group walked in, gathered around Molly.

The moment they saw me, the smiles vanished.

Liam Vance's eyes flashed with anger. "Kara, if you were going to cancel the wedding, why didn't you explain it properly? Now everyone is going to assume it was because of Molly again."

My father's voice was a sharp command. "Kara, your handling of this was abysmal. In the past, you've managed the PR for these cancellations flawlessly. You've disappointed me. Go and release a statement immediately. Say it was because of your own selfish whim."

My best friend, Chloe, whipped out her phone. "I'll have my agent contact the media. If Kara posts a statement now, we can still control the narrative. We'll hire some online trolls to attack her, and no one will suspect Molly..."

I didn't respond to their accusations.

I just watched the countdown timer in my mind.

Two days and eighteen hours.

Then, they would be finished.

"Kara, are you deaf? Let me be clear. If you don't fix this, I can't promise you when the next wedding will be." Liam stepped in front of me, his voice dripping with impatience.

Finally, Molly spoke, her voice soft and frail.

"It's all my fault. I ruined your wedding, Kara. I'm so sorry."

"There are still other good days this month. You two shouldn't postpone it any longer..."

She broke off, coughing weakly.

Liam rushed to her side, rubbing her back.

"It's not your fault, don't even think that. Your sister will never leave me. It doesn't matter when we get married."

"You've got that wrong," I said, my voice cold. It was the first thing I had said.

They all stared at me, stunned.

I held up my duffel bag. "I'm leaving."

The words had barely left my mouth when a sharp crack echoed through the living room.

I turned my head to the side, a bitter laugh escaping me.

My mother's hand was still trembling with rage.

"How dare you cause a scene?! We've spoiled you rotten all these years, and this is what you've become? So selfish and arrogant?"

"And you're leaving? Where will you go? Are you trying to make this a city-wide scandal, to make everyone think we favor Molly, that we're cruel to you? Kara, when will you ever learn to be considerate? How could I have a daughter like you? You're not even half the woman Molly is!"

The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.

I licked my lips.

Yes, in the past, I would have thrown a fit.

Because I didn't understand.

I didn't understand why, when Molly was the one who broke our father's priceless antique, they blamed me.

I didn't understand why, even with security footage, they refused to believe I hadn't pushed Molly down the stairs.

Even buying flowers that triggered Molly's allergies was seen as a deliberate act of cruelty.

This wasn't the first time my mother had hit me.

The last time was just two days ago.

Because I refused to let Molly wear my wedding dress.

And then, she fainted.

My mother shoved me, then took a pair of scissors and shredded the custom-made gown I had waited six months for.

For Molly, my mother and I were practically at war.

So, yes, I would cause a scene.

I would make everyone see the injustice.

But this time, I was done fighting.

I am the Chosen One in this world.

All the other characters can only gain their power and luck by being connected to me.

The day after I was born, the nearly bankrupt Fairley Corporation suddenly struck gold, becoming the wealthiest family in the city. My father's stage-two liver cancer miraculously vanished.

My best friend, Chloe, grew more beautiful with each passing year of our friendship, eventually achieving her dream of becoming an award-winning actress, a superstar.

As for Liam...

He was a street vendor, hawking counterfeit goods.

Chased by police, beaten by competitors.

Until he saved me when I got lost in a night market. I fell for him instantly.

From that day on, he founded his own brand, and every business venture he touched turned to gold, until the Vance Corporation was listed on the stock exchange.

For over twenty years, they had all cherished me.

Liam, especially, treated me like the most precious thing in the world.

And through me, they all got everything they ever wanted.

But then, Molly was brought into our family.

And everything changed.

My father's voice was cold.

"Someone, take her things. She's not taking a single thing from this house with her."

"Kara, you can leave. But this time, no one is coming to coax you back. If you walk out that door, we will hold a press conference and disown you. You will no longer be our daughter!"

They threw me out without so much as a change of clothes.

Liam sighed and discreetly handed me a key.

"You can stay at this apartment. Kara, we're tired. We can't keep playing these games with you."

"I wish the person I had saved that night was Molly."

I scoffed. "You can marry her now, then."

Liam sighed again, a weary sound.

"There you go again. Kara, you know I promised to marry you. I won't go back on my word."

"Molly is a sweet, innocent girl. I won't have you speak of her so casually, as if she's some kind of toy. Don't let me hear you say that again."

He turned and walked back up the steps.

I threw the key on the ground and was about to leave when Molly rushed out, grabbing my sleeve.

"Don't go, sister! I shouldn't have wished for a life that wasn't mine! I don't deserve it!"

"Don't go. I'm the one who should leave. I'll leave the Fairley family right now..."

I knew what she was doing.

So I just stood there, letting her cling to me and put on her show.

But when I didn't push her away like I usually did, she suddenly gasped for air and collapsed at my feet.

"Molly!"

"Call Dr. Chen! Molly, my daughter!"

They all rushed over, surrounding her.

Liam's eyes were blazing as he grabbed me by the throat. "Kara, you dare to touch Molly again? Do you really think I won't hurt you?!"

I almost laughed. It was truly absurd.

I hadn't even touched her.

And yet, here I was, the attacker.

"Liam, I hope you all don't regret this."

"Someone!" my father roared, pointing at me. "Lock her in the basement! It's time for some family discipline!"

The damp, dark basement.

This was my second time here.

The first was still fresh in my memory.

It was because I found Molly sneaking into Liam's room in the middle of the night.

I caught her red-handed, right there on his bed.

But she cried and claimed she was sleepwalking, a result of some past trauma.

She didn't know why she had ended up in Liam's room.

She just said it felt... safe.

She hadn't meant to do it.

My parents and Liam bought her story completely.

Liam even told her, gently, that if she was ever scared, she could come to him anytime.

At the time, I was more in love with Liam than ever.

I wouldn't even tolerate a female assistant near him.

The entire executive floor was a no-woman's-land.

So I had slapped Molly across the face.

And my parents had locked me in this basement.

For seven days, with only a bowl of thin porridge each day.

They only let me out when I was so weak from hunger that I agreed to apologize to Molly.

This time, it was clear they had more in mind than just starving me.

When my father came down with a rattan cane, Liam was with him.

"According to the Fairley family rules, you should receive thirty lashes. But Molly feels sorry for you. She knelt and begged me to use the cane instead. The cane is not as severe as the whip, so you will receive fifty strokes."

Crack!

The cane struck my back, and a red welt immediately rose on my skin.

My father hit me a dozen times.

The welts turned into open wounds.

Each subsequent blow was a searing, agonizing pain.

I remembered them saying Molly had begged for the cane.

It must have been soaked in chili water.

"Apologize to your sister!"

"Are you going to apologize or not?!"

My father grew more enraged with each unanswered demand.

After fifty strokes, my entire back and arms were a mess of lacerations.

The skin was torn and bleeding, trickles of blood running down my spine and pooling on the floor.

I was numb with pain.

I huddled in the corner, gasping for breath.

My father threw the cane down and left.

"Stubborn girl!" he spat as he walked out.

Liam walked over and knelt beside me.

"Molly prepared this medicine and these clothes for you. Kara, Molly has always been respectful to you. As her older sister, and as her future brother-in-law, we should take care of her. Why are you so petty? Why do you always assume the worst of her?"

"When you've thought it through, apologize. Don't make us angry again."

He shook out the clothes Molly had "prepared" for me.

And thoughtfully draped them over my back.

The moment the fabric touched my open wounds, it felt like I had been plunged into a vat of salt water.

I curled into a ball, shaking with pain.

"So dramatic. Molly is in agony every time she has one of her episodes, and she never makes a scene like you do."

Liam clicked his tongue and stood up, then left.

It took me a long moment to catch my breath.

"System..."

"Host, would you like me to activate your pain shield?"

"No. I want to accelerate the severance."

"Understood. Acceleration initiated. At noon tomorrow, all characters will experience the full backlash."