False Accusations

"What's the matter? She's just someone from the slums, who somehow managed to get adopted by the Lin family. That woman is so smug, thinking she's a Lin now that she's in their house. Worse, she somehow sweet-talked Uncle and Aunt Lin into letting her stay in Saira's room," Samara huffed, indignant on behalf of her friend.

Samara fumed at the mention of Zuri. After all, it was all because of that little wretch Zuri that she was in this mess and had been hit.

Zuri!

Samara inwardly seethed as she muttered the name.

Samara was straightforward and unthinking, unlike her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Yu, who exchanged a knowing glance.

"Who told you all this?" Mrs. Yu asked.

"Of course, it was Saira," Samara replied immediately, then added, "We saw Saira was in a bad mood, so we pressed her for answers. You know Saira's character; she never talks about these things."

Mrs. Yu shook her head at her daughter's naïveté. "Go get Mrs. Song to put something on your face."

After sending her daughter away, Mrs. Yu turned to her husband, Yu Tianming. "Dalia doesn't seem like the type to suddenly decide to adopt a child. She was reluctant enough with Christian. Adopting a girl out of the blue doesn't add up."

"Indeed," Yu Tianming agreed.

Yu Tianming made a phone call. "Look into the situation with the Lin family's adopted daughter. Yes, the adopted daughter. I want all the details."

Twenty minutes later, the investigation results came back.

"We were right. The newly returned child is actually the Lin couple's biological daughter, while the one they've been raising, Xiaowan, was the one who was switched at birth," Yu Tianming said with a sigh.

This kind of thing was often heard of but rarely seen so close to home.

Mrs. Yu was astonished, then enlightened. "No wonder. Saira didn't tell Samara the truth."

Mrs. Yu laughed softly. "This whole mess started because of her, so we might as well use her to resolve it for both families."

"I imagine people will find such an extraordinary story interesting, especially happening in a wealthy family. One child raised in a slum, another living in luxury as an imposter—it's more dramatic than a TV show. Don't you think so, darling?"

Yu Tianming held his wife and chuckled. "You're full of ideas. What if people online don't buy it?"

"It's simple. Spend some money to hire internet trolls to guide public opinion and shift everyone's focus to this matter. Even if someone still digs into our issues, they won't cause much of a stir."

After all, the suddenness of this incident had caught both families off guard.

Yu Tianming kissed his wife's forehead. "Go comfort our daughter. We might have been a bit harsh."

"Feeling sorry now?" Mrs. Yu teased. "She deserved it."

Mrs. Yu found Samara, her face still swollen, and felt both pain and anger. "You need to be more careful."

"Mom, even you are scolding me?" Samara pouted.

"Don't believe everything Saira says. Use your head."

Samara, still sulking, only half-listened, responding dismissively, "Alright, alright, I get it."

---

"Finally reached you," reporter Fang Xiang sighed in relief. "The online narrative has changed. Both families must have acted. If you want to keep the attention, you'll have to spend money on internet trolls. Otherwise, you won't be able to beat them."

As Zuri scrolled through the latest news, she listened calmly. When he finished, she said, "No need. Let's end it here. I'll transfer the remaining payment to you now."

After hanging up, Zuri removed the SIM card from her phone and flushed it down the toilet, watching it disappear.

"Miss, dinner is ready."

Just as Zuri reached the staircase, a sharp voice called out, "Stop right there."

Zuri ignored the voice and continued downstairs.

Saira, furious at being ignored, rushed down to grab her but lost control and fell heavily to the ground.

"Ah!" Saira screamed.

Her piercing cry echoed throughout the mansion. Dalia, Aaron, and Arianwen hurried to the scene.

"What happened?" Dalia rushed to her daughter's side. "Saira, why are you on the floor?"

"What's with the noise?" Aaron came down the stairs, frowning at the sight of Saira on the ground. "What happened?"

Saira, wincing in pain, her eyes misty, said, "I'm fine. Mom, Dad, don't blame my sister. I just fell by accident."

Dalia, enraged, lunged at Zuri, aiming to slap her.

The slap never landed. Zuri caught Dalia's wrist, and with a flick, sent her stumbling back two steps.

"How dare you? You hit your sister and now you dare lay hands on me? Do you have any respect for me as your mother?" Dalia shouted.

"I'll consider you my mother if you consider me your daughter. If you don't, then you're not my mother."

"You..." Dalia turned to Aaron. "Honey, did you hear what she said?"

"Rude words?" Zuri sneered. "You believed her side of the story without question and raised your hand to hit me. Did you even consider me your daughter? If not, what right do you have to scold me?"

Saira tried to get up to stop them but fell back again, unable to stand from the pain. She cried out, "Mom, it's not my sister's fault. I fell on my own. Don't blame her. It's all my fault."

The more she insisted it was her fault, the less Dalia believed her.

"Honey, look at Saira, then look at her. This girl wasn't raised by us; she's full of bad habits and lies without blinking. How can we show our faces if people see this?"

Aaron looked at Zuri. "What's going on?"

"Don't blame my sister, Dad. It's my fault," Saira hurriedly defended, though her face was pale with pain, cold sweat beading on her forehead.

Aaron's frown deepened, his gaze softening with concern for Saira and hardening towards Zuri. "Explain."

"If I tell the truth and say it's like Saira said, you'll think I'm lying. That's the cunning of a fake sweet girl. If I lie, it's an indirect confession. There's no escaping blame."

"Just like she said, she fell because she was careless."

Seeing Aaron and Dalia's rising anger, a smug glint flashed in Saira's eyes, but she wasn't satisfied.

"Dad, Mom, see? I told you, my sister didn't push me. I fell on my own. Don't be mad at her."

Aaron commanded, "Apologize to your sister."

Dalia added, "And no dinner tonight. Maybe hunger will clear your head and help you understand right from wrong."

"An apology is necessary, but she should apologize to me."

Before they could explode, Zuri interrupted, "Don't rush to scold me."

"What else do you have to say?" Dalia couldn't believe this girl had any more tricks.

Zuri pointed to a maid. "Come here."

The maid walked over hesitantly. As she approached, Zuri suddenly pushed her, and the maid fell heavily to the ground.

Everyone was shocked, especially the maid, who stared at Zuri in disbelief.

Zuri looked at Aaron. "See?"

Aaron wasn't like Dalia. He immediately understood, his gaze turning icy as he looked at Saira.

Saira's confidence faltered. "Dad, I..."

How could they blame her? She had said it was her fault. It was their fault for not believing her.

Aaron looked at Dalia. "Don't jump to conclusions without understanding the situation."

Dalia was stunned. "Honey, what do you mean? Do you believe her? Saira is the one injured, and you're taking her side. Didn't you see how easily she pushed Xiao Chun?"