Reborn: My Sister Stole My Adopted Daughter

In my past life, my sister adopted a boy, and I adopted a girl.
She wanted a stranglehold on the family fortune and sneered at me, What's a pretty face going to do for the family business?
But later, the boy she adopted got into a fight at school that turned fatal, costing her every penny she had.
And the girl I adopted was discovered by a director and became a child star, a veritable goldmine.
My sister couldn't stomach it. She goaded her adopted son into murdering me.
When I opened my eyes again, we were back at the orphanage.
This time, my sister lunged for the girl, scooping her into her arms. "Sweetheart, from now on, I'm your mommy."
I looked at the boy, his head bowed in silence, and smiled as I took his hand.
My sister had lived two lives and still hadn't learned a simple truth: you reap what you sow.

1
My sister Olivia and I were both reborn, finding ourselves back on the day we went to St. Jude’s Home for Children to adopt.
Just like last time, the director brought out Leo and Ayla.
Leo was covered in scrapes, his face a stoic mask, but his eyes were wary, guarded.
Ayla was nervously twisting the hem of her dress, looking small and pitiful.
Both were only six years old, yet they lacked the carefree innocence of other children their age.
This time, before I could speak, Olivia snatched the girl into a hug. "Sweetheart, from now on, I'm your mommy."
Ayla flinched, instinctively trying to pull away, but she seemed to catch herself, nodding with a look of stunned disbelief.
Olivia smiled, satisfied, then shot a disgusted glance at Leo.
The memory of the last life must have surfaced, because she frowned. "This one… so much anger in such a little kid."
"It's just his nature. If he's like this now, imagine what he'll be when he grows up…"
Leo felt the sting of her malice. He looked like he wanted to argue but couldn't, so he just lowered his head and bit his lip.
"He'll grow up to be decisive, a real force to be reckoned with," I said, cutting my sister off as I gently took Leo’s hand.
The staff smiled kindly, though their looks toward Olivia were tinged with confusion.
As we walked out of the office, I faintly heard them talking behind us.
"Didn't Olivia Sterling specifically ask for a smart, independent boy?"
"Why'd she end up taking little Ayla?"
"Eh, who cares? The two biggest troublemakers are gone. Makes our lives easier."
"Speaking of which, her sister, Daisy, seems so gentle. That little Leo is going to give her a world of headaches…"
Watching Olivia coo over Ayla as she bundled her into the car, I couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.
Did she really think that in our past life, Ayla became "America's Sweetheart" on pure luck alone?

2
My name is Daisy Sterling. My sister, Olivia, is two years older.
Our parents only had the two of us, and both of us were committed to a child-free, career-focused life.
After failing to pressure us into marriage, and to ensure the sprawling Sterling empire wouldn't be left without an heir, our father ordered us each to adopt a child.
His meaning was crystal clear: whichever child proved more capable would grant their mother more power and a larger share of the company stock.
Even clearer than our father's intentions was Olivia's ambition.
She had specifically told the orphanage director she wanted a sharp, independent boy—the perfect raw material to mold into a future corporate shark.
The director picked Leo only because he was constantly getting into fights, so much so that even the older kids knew not to mess with him. As for Ayla, she was the prettiest girl at St. Jude's, but also the most timid. She was bullied relentlessly and, at such a young age, was already showing signs of depression and withdrawal.
The director, worried the two would cause a major incident and tarnish the orphanage's reputation, pushed them on us.
In our past life, Olivia had taken Leo without a second thought, mocking me. "What's a pretty face good for? She's nice to look at, but she can't even speak up for herself. What do you expect her to accomplish?"
She thought she had victory in the bag. What she didn't expect was that under her permissive parenting, Leo's aggression festered. Eventually, he bullied a classmate with fatal consequences.
At the time, Leo was not yet fourteen and escaped serious legal punishment.
But Olivia nearly exhausted her savings on settlements and legal fees to keep him out of juvenile detention.
Our father was beyond disappointed. He refused to help financially and revoked Olivia's inheritance rights on the spot.
Meanwhile, under my guidance, Ayla blossomed into a confident, charming young girl. She was discovered by a director for a role in a hit series, which launched her into stardom as "America's Sweetheart."
When our father prepared to hand the company over to me, a resentful Olivia incited Leo to kill me.
"Leo's a minor," she'd said. "He won't do hard time. What's the difference between one life and two?"
"Oh, little sister," she whispered as I bled out, "if you want to compete with me, you'll have to wait for the next life."
"And by the way, thanks for leaving me such a profitable little daughter."
I didn't hear the rest. Stabbed repeatedly, I died right in front of her.
Now, reborn, she wore the same smug look on her face.
"Well, well, little sister. Looks like there really is a next life."
"The tables have turned. This time, it's my turn to sit back and enjoy the good life."
"You can have the little murderer. Now you get a taste of what I went through."
"He's a real handful, you know."

3
She wasn't wrong. On his very first day of school, trouble found him.
When I went to pick him up, I saw him pinning another boy to the ground, raining down punches.
By the time a teacher pulled him off, the other boy was a mess of bruises and tears.
Leo had a few cuts on his own hands and face.
He stood stubbornly to the side, ignoring the scolding adults, saying nothing. An apology was out of the question.
The other boy’s parents arrived, furious. If the police officer hadn't been there, the father looked ready to beat Leo himself.
I quickly pulled Leo behind me, bowing and apologizing profusely.
"Sorry? Is that all?" the father roared. "How about I beat you up and then just say sorry?"
"Like mother, like son. What kind of trash raises a little bastard who dares to touch my boy!"
"Where's the principal? A student like this needs to be expelled, now!"
His voice echoed across the schoolyard, drawing a crowd.
Olivia was there to pick up Ayla. Seeing the scene, she looked as if she'd been waiting for this all day, a smirk playing on her lips.
"My, my, what a vicious little monster. Doesn't seem like a child at all…" she stage-whispered.
"And on the first day, too. Well, you're in for a rough ride."
With that, she turned away, pulling Ayla with her.
"Come on, sweetie, Mommy's taking you shopping for pretty dresses."
"Homework? What homework! You're going to be a star…"
"Don't look back. Why are you staring at that little hooligan?"
I ignored Olivia and handed my business card to the angry father, promising to cover all medical expenses and offer financial compensation.
The police officer, seeing my cooperative attitude, helped mediate.
Perhaps the Sterling name still carried some weight. After glancing at the card, the father’s expression, while still hostile, lost some of its edge. He grudgingly accepted the wire transfer and stormed off, still muttering insults under his breath.
I pretended not to hear and led Leo to the car, wanting to avoid any more drama.
He remained silent, his head down. I didn't press him.
It wasn't until he noticed we were driving in the direction of the orphanage that a flicker of panic crossed his face.
He shot a furtive glance at me, his mouth opening and closing as if he wanted to speak but couldn't find the words.

4
I pulled over at an urgent care clinic and had his cuts treated.
"We're running late. The housekeeper's dinner is probably cold by now."
"What do you feel like eating? My treat."
I looked at the small bandage on his forehead and smiled. "You earned yourself a battle wound today. We need to refuel."
Leo stared at me. "I… I caused so much trouble. Aren't you going to punish me?"
He paused, then glanced nervously toward the intersection again, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I thought… I thought you were taking me back."
"No one sends their son back to the orphanage. Don't be silly," I said gently.
"As for what happened today, I'm sure you had your reasons."
"You can tell me if you want, or you can keep it to yourself. It's over and done with."
Leo looked up, a flicker of light in his dark eyes.
"He was bullying my deskmate," he mumbled. "And he told me to mind my own business, so… I hit him."
"I know it was wrong… From now on, I'll try…"
I smiled and finished his sentence for him. "From now on, you'll make sure to protect yourself first, my little hero, my brave boy."
A real smile, bright and genuine, finally broke through his tough exterior. He touched the bandage on his head, embarrassed. "Okay."
I couldn't help but remember the last life. Olivia hadn't bothered to ask Leo why he fought. She'd just thrown money at the other parents and threatened them with the Sterling family name.
Back home, she had praised him.
"That's my boy! Making a name for yourself on the first day."
"That's the spirit. Anyone messes with you, you let your fists do the talking. The Sterlings will clean up any mess you make."
"You're the future heir to this family. That little girl Daisy adopted? She doesn't stand a chance."
"Your grandfather loves a man with a killer instinct."
Young Leo didn't understand what a "killer instinct" was.
All he knew was that he'd hit someone and been rewarded for it.
Perhaps that was the moment the first seed of evil was planted in his heart.
This life, I would never let it bloom.

5
Leo was, indeed, incredibly smart and a diligent student.
Ayla had been the same way in our past life.
But this time, under Olivia's care, Ayla barely had time for school.
Olivia claimed that studying was useless. Ayla was destined to be a star. Why waste time on books when she could be building her brand?
So she enrolled Ayla in an endless series of lessons.
Piano, dance, vocals, modeling… Every day, Olivia pulled Ayla out of school early to shuttle her from one class to another.
Her wardrobe became shockingly mature for an elementary schooler.
Ayla’s teachers called for meetings several times, but Olivia arrogantly ignored them.
I happened to witness one of these confrontations.
"My daughter is going to be in show business. Could you please stop wasting her time?" Olivia said, her voice dripping with condescension.
"We're not doing the homework, and we don't care about test scores."
"Look, Ms. Davison, have you said your piece? One of her piano lessons costs a few hundred dollars. Are you going to reimburse me for the time you're wasting?"
Olivia was a brick wall. Ayla's homeroom teacher eventually gave up.
Freed from any oversight, Olivia grew bolder, often making Ayla skip school for modeling gigs and fashion shows, all while building up her social media presence to cultivate a following.
Soon, Ayla started booking commercials for children's clothing brands and began earning money.
Olivia was ecstatic.
But I was consumed with worry.
This was the child I had poured my heart into for eight years in a past life. Even if she wasn't my daughter this time, the affection remained.
Ayla was so young, her worldview still fragile.
Under Olivia's influence, there was no telling what kind of person she would become.
But Olivia and I lived separately, and I rarely got a chance to see Ayla.
At a family dinner, Olivia couldn't stop bragging to our father about Ayla's follower count and how much she earned per ad.
I couldn't stand it any longer and tried to gently intervene. "She's still so young. There's no rush to make money. It's more important to focus on her studies for now, and then later…"
Olivia cut me off with a cold laugh before I could finish.
"Oh, listen to you. Sour grapes, much? You're just jealous my daughter is so successful!"
"Is it because your son is busy getting into fights every other day that you can't stand to see my daughter thriving?"
"Instead of worrying about our Ayla, you should keep a closer eye on your own son. Wouldn't want him to actually kill someone this time!"
Since adopting Ayla, Olivia had been so obsessed with creating a "star" that she paid no attention to Leo.
She had no idea that the little troublemaker from our past life was transforming into a responsible, considerate, and honorable young man under my care.
And Ayla…
"Ayla, you really should keep up with your studies…" I couldn't help myself, patting her shoulder as they were leaving.
"Leave me alone!" Ayla violently shrugged off my hand and shoved me. Her face was set in a defiant pout I'd never seen before.
Just then, Olivia emerged from the other room and saw the exchange. She shot me a triumphant, venomous look and lowered her voice.
"Daisy, don't you forget, that little murderer is your son now."
"Stay away from my Ayla. She doesn't want anything to do with you."
I lowered my eyes, my face impassive. After Olivia and Ayla left, I went back to my room.
Clutched in my palm was a small, folded piece of paper Ayla had pressed into it when she shoved me.
"Mom, don't worry."
The four words, written in the delicate script she had practiced for eight years in our past life, hit me like a lightning bolt. I stood frozen in place.
Ayla… she was reborn, too.

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