Chapter 2: Truly Chaotic Relationships

Esme ignored their questions, staring straight ahead as the elevator doors closed. Slurs, questions, and accusations were all being thrown at her—she didn't answer any of them, even when their words grew more and more exaggerated and toxic. Her heart pounded in her chest as the non-stop cameras flashed at her in the elevator's thin walls. Finally, she reached the sidewalk and tried to flag down a taxi. Most drivers sped away, scared off by the swarm of paparazzi surrounding her. She couldn't even hear clearly with them yelling questions and the continuing clicks of the cameras.

Finally, one taxi stopped for her. The driver glanced at her through the rearview mirror as she got in, his eyes wide with recognition. The car gave her a temporary quietness from the madness outside.

"Aren't you that girl?" The driver seemed to think about it for a second: "Esme Ashworth! The one who stole her own twin sister’s fiancé! The relationships in the wealthy circle are truly chaotic. Huh?" His voice trailed off, filled with both surprise and judgment.

Esme stared at him quietly. The encounter with Jaiden happened just a few minutes ago, and already, even the taxi drivers knew about it. She could see clearly how vicious her “good” sister’s methods were.

As she expected, when she opened her phone, she was immediately flooded with new articles about her. Most of them showed pictures of "her" taking a drunk-looking Jaiden Westcott into the hotel. The comments in the articles were also unbearable, accusing her of ruining her sister's relationship and calling her a mistress.

"Mistress..." Esme stared at the words, "Who is the mistress?"

Esme gripped her phone tightly in her hands as she read the articles, so tightly that the outline of the case was now leaving red marks on her palm. Ignoring the driver's continuous comments, she gave him the address in a calm voice: "The Ashworth Residence, number forty on Orchard Road, thank you."

Even though she fell silent after that, the driver didn't give up. As he drove, he continued to comment on her actions, moralizing about what was right or wrong. Esme ignores him as she turns her gaze to the window, watching the scenes of the city fly by.

The taxi rolled to a stop in front of the Ashworth residence. Esme paid the fare, her fingers trembling slightly as she handed over the money. Stepping out of the car, she took a deep breath.

As she walked into Ashworth House, she saw Anissa, who was nestled comfortably against their mother, Madison Tyrrell. Anissa was elegantly draped in a silk robe, her dark hair falling in perfect waves. She sipped from a fine china cup, a happy smile on her lips as she talked with Madison. They seem to be in different worlds from her.

Half an hour ago, Anissa had looked like the victim of some unseen betrayal; now, she sat in the warmth of the family home, unaffected, while Esme was left to deal with everything that she had caused.

As Esme entered, the two's cheerful chatter stopped. Anissa's gaze met Esme's with a look of shock as if she didn't know what had happened. Without a hint of remorse, she reached into Madison's bag, pulled out a blue card, and casually set it in front of Esme. "Here's a million, thanks, sis."

Esme's eyes locked on to the card. Her body trembled slightly, and she let out a speechless, dry laugh. With a mix of disbelief and anger, she raised her eyes to look at Anissa. "So, to you, my reputation, my entire person, me. I'm only worth one million." Her voice cracked, betraying her hidden sadness. Grabbing the card with a shaking hand, she threw it back towards Anissa.

"I don't want to be your sister. Who will ever want to be your sister?" Esme's voice rose as she stepped closer to the two on the sofa, her fist clenched to her sides. "Being your sister meant I had to let you steal my boyfriend. I had to get tricked into your own fiancé’s bed, and now you're humiliating me?" Her voice trembled with emotion. "I'm not desperate for love, Anissa. I'm not so kind either that you hurt me so many times, and I still need to treat you nicely and be your sister! GET LOST!"

"Esme!"

Madison's sharp voice caused Esme to flinch. Madison rose to her feet, her face flushed with anger, her silk robe rustling as she moved. "How can you speak to your little sister like that?" She demanded.

Esme's eyes filled up with frustration and desperation; it was always her mom. "I'm just speaking the truth!" she shouted. Esme took a deep breath, her hands gripping the edges of the table in front of her as if it gave her strength. “Mom, you’ve always favored Anissa over me. Do you remember when she snatched the candy Grandma gave me, and you just looked away? When I was with Jaiden, you accused me of stealing Anissa’s love, even though it was her who was manipulating everything.”

Her voice trembled, and her eyes glistened with tears that she didn't want to let roll down. "And now, you've watched as Anissa tricked and manipulated me into Jaiden's bed. You let people call me a homewrecker and a thief of my own sister's fiancé when I did nothing! Mom, I'm your daughter too! We're twins, born at the same moment, with the same face. How can you even pick favorites like this?"

Madison's expression hardened, her brows knitting together into a scowl. "And because of that, you think you can be cruel to her?" She snapped, her voice sharp, ready to cut through Esme. She stepped closer to Esme, her movement aggressive. "If it weren't for the fact that you were pressing down on her in the womb, making my dear Anissa's body so weak, why would I need to protect her so much? How dare you even try to shame her? If it weren't for Anissa, you wouldn't even have the chance to be in Jaiden's bed."

Madison's eyes flew to the red marks on Anissa's hand, left by the card Esme had thrown. Her face darkened further. "When Mr. Westcott, Jaiden's grandpa, sees the news, you won't have to worry about marrying into the Westcott family. You should thank Anissa," she said as she pulled Anissa closer to her side, trying to shield her from Esme. "By replacing your sister in this marriage, your future will be secure. And once Anissa becomes the princess, our family's status will rise immediately. Esme, you should be grateful."