Chapter 3 But before Camila could finish her words, Mollina jumped in. "Mom, Dad, it's fine. I bet Camila was just grumpy from waking up. She didn't mean it." Seeing Mollina's fake concern made Camila feel sick to her stomach. When Mollina first returned home, Camila actually felt bad for her older sister, who had been through so much. She even gave Mollina her favorite stuffed animal, totally unaware of how much trouble this poor sister would cause her. At first, it was just small things. Mollina cut the flowers that Maria had cared for so lovingly, but then left the scissors in Camila's room and blamed her. She broke an antique vase Howard treasured, tricked Camila into standing by the shards, and accused her of smashing it. Later on, things just got crazier and crazier. Camila had put in so much effort for half a year to get ready for this competition, but then she lost her entry certifi- cate. Yet Mollina acted all wronged and said it was an accident. Once, Mollina even jumped into the river and almost drowned, but she lied and claimed Camila pushed her. And every single time, Howard and Maria would yell at Camila for no reason at all. Whenever she tried to stand up for herself, they brushed it off as excuses and accused her of being bitter. Slowly, she started to realize. From day one, Mollina never really saw her as a sister, and their parents' love didn't seem to be hers anymore. So, Mollina was back at it again, trying to frame Camila once more. But Howard didn't even try to find out the truth. He just pointed his finger at Camila's face and started shouting, "You've totally messed up a perfectly good breakfast with all this drama! When are you going to get over that awful temper of yours? "How did I end up with such a stuck-up and bossy daughter? You're nothing like your sister!" Camila bit her lip, watching her parents surround Mollina. When she saw that smug look in Mollina's eyes, she got so mad that she actually laughed. When she was younger, she might have cried and tried to defend herself. 0.0 % 09:03 But now, she said, "What do you mean by stuck-up and bossy?" She smirked. "This is what stuck-up and bossy looks like!" She yanked the tablecloth hard. With a loud crash, all those fancy breakfast dishes went crashing down onto the floor, making an absolute mess. Zachary glanced at Camila, a quick flash of emotion flickering across his face. Howard's angry shout boomed through the living room. "Camila, get out!" Camila just let out a cold laugh and walked away without looking back. The sound of her high heels clicking on the marble floor was sharp and clear, like a slap in the face. There were still two weeks to go. She hadn't wanted things to get so messy, but why did Mollina have to push her but- tons? Well, now nobody was going to have an easy time with this. But just as she stepped onto the street, someone suddenly covered her mouth and nose from behind. Camila struggled for a bit, but then she passed out. When she came to again, she found herself stuck in a cold storage room. Above her, she heard a bodyguard's voice. "Mr. Maddren said we need to teach you a lesson-so you stop hurting Ms. Mollina." Camila froze for a moment, her fingers tightening up suddenly. Just because of Mollina's almost non-existent burns, Zachary was going to throw her in here? "Let me out!" Camila gritted her teeth and yelled, but all she could do was watch helplessly as the door slammed shut behind her. Her throat got sore from shouting, but no one answered back. Darkness and cold wrapped around her in a flash. She curled up in the corner, shaking all over, but her heart felt even colder than the chilly storage room itself. Right before her phone lost signal, she got a message from Mollina. It was a photo of Zachary gently taking care of Mollina's barely noticeable burn. The worry on his face hit Camila hard. He was so sweet and caring with Mollina, yet he treated her like dirt, He even locked her in that freezing storage room just to teach her a lesson. 42.5 % 09:03 Camila stared at the photo, her eyes getting red. She had clearly told him she was scared of the cold. Back then, he seemed totally chill about it, but he still took off his coat and gave it to her. She thought that kind of care was just for her-turns out, she was fooling herself. Because that care didn't even come close to what he showed Mollina. Camila laughed as tears rolled down her cheeks. It wasn't until she felt so frozen that she was losing consciousness that the door to the cold storage room finally opened. Through her blurry vision, she saw a tall figure standing in front of her. Before she could do anything, Zachary scooped her up into his arms. "Let me go!" She squirmed, but Zachary held onto her wrist. His voice was low and calming. "It's okay, I've got you." 09:03 83.6 %