Smack!

The sharp sound echoed through the room.

Elise’s eyes narrowed instantly as Margaret’s palm connected brutally with her cheek. A vivid red handprint bloomed across her pale skin.

"You shameless creature! How could you betray your own sister like this?" Margaret shrieked, her voice trembling with fury. "Do you have any idea what you've done to our family's reputation? How did we raise such a disgraceful daughter, Elise?"

Elise pressed her lips together tightly. The sting on her cheek was fiery and familiar.

A flood of painful memories rushed through her mind all at once.

She had been completely alone since her mother passed away.

Meanwhile, Sophia always knew how to win Benjamin and Margaret's affection. She took every opportunity to torment Elise.

As a child, Elise never learned how to fight back. She simply endured the abuse. Even when Benjamin or Margaret knew Sophia was at fault, Elise was always the one punished.

There was one terrible incident where Margaret locked her in a closet for two full days without food or water.

Margaret had slapped her before too—just like this, with all her might.

Back then, Elise was just a small child. The force of the blow knocked her to the floor and left her partially deaf for nearly a month.

She was constantly forced to stand or kneel outside the house as punishment. Any time Sophia cried, it was automatically Elise's fault for not giving her younger sister whatever she wanted.

For years, Elise could never understand why she was treated this way.

Eventually, the truth became clear.

From the very beginning, neither Elise nor her mother had ever been truly accepted by the Scott family!

They tolerated Elise's mother only because the survival of Scott Enterprises depended entirely on her.

Though Elise's mother was solely responsible for building that company into one of Crestwood's elite corporations, no one in the family appreciated her hard work. Instead, they resented her authority and felt she robbed them of their dignity in social circles!

So when Elise's mother died unexpectedly and Scott Enterprises fell completely into the Scotts' hands, their true ugliness emerged. They wasted no time venting all their pent-up grievances onto Elise herself.

"Cat got your tongue? Weren't you so articulate and bold facing the press earlier?" Margaret sneered, her voice shrill and grating like a common street harpy.

"I don't converse with criminals." Elise's tone was eerily calm.

She appeared completely unruffled, as if she hadn't just been screamed at and struck—if not for the glaring red mark on her face.

Margaret started, "What nonsense are you—"

But Elise was already pulling out her phone, dialing quickly. "Hello, police? I'd like to report an assault. I've been physically attacked and feel my safety is threatened. Please send officers immediately to the chairman's office at Stellar Group—"

Margaret snatched the phone from her hand, cursing viciously. "You insane little witch! Calling the police on your own grandmother? This is exactly why you're no better than stray gutter trash! No wonder your mother died—she couldn't stand having a daughter like you!"

Elise's fists clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white. She stared coldly at Margaret's hateful, twisted face.

The same face that haunted so many of her childhood nightmares!

"The greatest regret of my life is bearing the Scott name!" Elise retorted sharply.

"Elise Scott...!" Margaret howled, her face purple with rage.

Elise continued relentlessly. "If I could speak to my mother now, I'd beg her never to let your rotten family near either of us!"

"You think she was some saint? Your mother was lucky my son even looked her way!" Margaret spat venomously. "Do you think she could've married into our family if she hadn't thrown herself at him? You're both pathetic jokes!"

Elise's hands were clenched so tightly her nails dug into her palms.

It wasn't that she didn't dare hit Margaret back—she simply refused to give her the satisfaction of such an easy resolution!