Chapter 1

Sarah Miller knew the rules of the Harrison household. Her parents, David and Victoria Harrison, were tech billionaires, yet for Sarah, their biological daughter, every penny was a battle.

Any expense over five dollars required a written justification, a full-page essay sometimes, explaining its necessity.

"It builds character, Sarah," David, her father, would boom, his voice echoing in their cavernous, empty-feeling mansion. He was a self-made tech tycoon, and "tough love" was his favorite sermon, a convenient excuse for his stinginess towards her.

Victoria, her mother, a socialite obsessed with public image, found Sarah an embarrassment. Sarah wasn't like Ashley, their adopted daughter, who was charming and malleable. Sarah was too quiet, too intense, a constant reminder of something Victoria preferred to forget.

Today was her SATs, a crucial exam. The testing center was miles away, a long drive from their secluded estate. A torrential downpour had started last night and showed no signs of stopping.

Sarah stood before her father in his vast study, the rain lashing against the bulletproof windows.

"Dad, I need fifty dollars for an Uber. The storm is bad, and I can't risk being late."

David' s face, usually set in a stern mask, contorted with anger.

"Fifty dollars? Are you insane? Spoiled brat!"

He snatched the worn twenty-dollar bill from her hand, her emergency cash, saved from months of skipping lunches.

"You'll walk, or you'll figure it out. Character, Sarah. Build it."

His eyes were cold, devoid of any parental warmth.

She didn't argue. Arguing was pointless.

Sarah struggled through the storm. The old bicycle she was allowed had a flat tire, of course. She walked, then ran, her cheap backpack doing little to protect her papers.

She arrived at the testing center an hour late, soaked to the bone, shivering, her hair plastered to her face. The proctor looked at her with pity but followed the rules. She could take the test, but with no extra time.

Her mind was a blur of rain, her father' s harsh words, and the biting wind.

During a brief, unauthorized break, hiding in a bathroom stall to try and warm her hands, she saw it. A live social media feed on a borrowed phone from a kind classmate.

Her parents, David and Victoria, and her older brother, Ethan, the family's "golden boy," were hosting an extravagant party.

Millions of dollars, the caption boasted, for Ashley.

To celebrate Ashley winning a minor school debate competition.

The post, shared by Victoria, read: "So proud of our Ashley! Learning to handle success gracefully is a test in itself. #ProudParents #HarrisonLegacy."

A test.

Sarah stared at the screen, the bright images of laughter, champagne, and Ashley beaming in a designer dress a stark, cruel contrast to her own miserable state.

The fifty dollars for an Uber was too much, but millions for Ashley's "test" was perfectly fine.

Something inside Sarah, something that had been fraying for years, finally snapped.