Chapter 2 Into the Story
Upon opening it, Anthony discovered a bundle of coins neatly tied with rubber bands inside the box. Beneath the coins lay an account number for remittance and a worn-out notebook. “Hey, isn’t this the account number Stephanie used to send us money? Why is it here with Milly?” Anthony exclaimed in surprise. Jordan’s face remained cold and expressionless, but his fingers trembled slightly as he held the box, a realisation dawning on him. As he flipped through the notebook, he noticed the elegant handwriting inside. On May 19th, under clear skies, the writer expressed concern for her brother’s financial crisis, hoping to quickly earn thirty thousand to help him.
By May 30th, with gloomy weather outside, the writer worried about her brothers’ dwindling funds and eagerly awaited her part-time salary at the end of June. On July 3rd, a text from Xavier brought joy, though the writer refrained from replying. Attempts to reach Stephanie, who was abroad, went unanswered, leaving the writer longing for her brothers. … The diary’s owner seemed to conserve paper by writing small, yet every joy and sorrow was meticulously documented. Further back, detailed expense records filled the pages. Initially, the writer juggled five jobs, only finding respite on the subway between shifts. Despite earning over three thousand in a month, expenses totaled a mere seven dollars and fifty cents, with the surplus transferred to her brothers’ account.
During the Burnetts’s bankruptcy, ‘Stephanie’ diligently sent money, responding to every request. When Jordan faced challenges with his new company, ‘Stephanie’ promptly sent thirty thousand to assist him. Their curiosity peaked as to how Stephanie, who was abroad, remained so informed. The siblings assumed Stephanie simply cared deeply for them. As time passed, each sibling pursued their dreams with financial support from Stephanie. It almost felt like Stephanie knew they needed money when they needed it. But they knew they were mistaken. Yet the truth revealed a different benefactor—Milly, whom they had scorned. Impossible, they thought. How could Milly suddenly provide such substantial sums? Perhaps it is all a ruse! Further pages unveiled signed agreements for kidney sales, drug trials, and blood donations under Milly’s name. That would explain why Stephanie kept saying she was busy and wouldn’t take their calls. It would also explain why she knew they needed money when they needed it. It would also explain why the account the money came from was from a bank in the nation. The pieces fell into place.
The storm outside mirrored the turmoil within. … On set, Milly slammed shut a romance novel, My Awesome Brothers, startling her assistant. “Is the author my hater? The protagonist has my name, and she dies horribly.”
“And she calls her brothers awesome? More like awesome stupid.”
“And she claims the protagonist is spoiled? It seems to me Stephanie’s the one who’s spoiled.”
“And is Milly stupid for giving money? Can’t those brothers earn on their own?” The more she spoke, the angrier Milly became, her chest heaving with rage. Finally, she threw the book to the assistant. “Go, throw it away. No, burn it!” As a well-known actress, she had experienced her fair share of big and small scandals. She had always brushed them off with a smile, believing her mental resilience was quite strong. She never expected a book to provoke such anger in her today. The assistant, holding the book, stood there in a daze and said, “You really don’t want to see what happens next? The six brothers in the later part are …” Before she could finish her sentence, Milly, in a fit of anger, interrupted, “What are you looking at? I’m annoyed by even one more word. Alright, hurry up and get ready to shoot.”
“Okay.” The assistant could only temporarily place the book on the table and quickly stood up to follow Milly. As soon as the two of them left the lounge, the sky, which had just been sunny, suddenly darkened, followed by a fierce wind. Milly couldn’t help but sigh. The weather in June was really unpredictable.
She had only taken a few steps when she suddenly heard a loud shout: “Milly, move quickly. The billboard is about to fall!” The wind was too loud, mixed with noisy voices, and Milly couldn’t hear clearly. The next second, she felt a sharp pain in her head and fell into darkness … … “Milly, wake up. Are you alright?” A chirping voice made Milly’s headache even worse. Opening her eyes, the first thing she saw was not a set full of machinery but a brightly lit … mansion? Strange, wasn’t she filming? How did she end up here? Where is this? Milly stood still in confusion. “Milly, what’s wrong with you? What are you waiting for? Mom asked you to go to her room and bring back that red wooden box. She’s very anxious. You need to hurry,” a girl in a blue dress with delicate makeup said in a sweet voice. The scent of perfume on her was too strong, causing Milly to frown and step back. “Who are you?”
The girl blinked innocently, “Milly, I’m Stephanie. What’s wrong with you?” Stephanie? Sister? Red wooden box? This is a scene from “My Awesome Brothers”. Why am I here? Ignoring Stephanie’s surprise, she rushed to the side of the pool, where she could see her reflection clearly on the shimmering water surface. Her thick bangs covered most of her face. Her pale and thin face clearly showed signs of malnutrition, and her slender figure was so weak that it would fall over with a gust of wind. Even the dress she was wearing felt like a sack on her. It was her, yet not her … So, am I transmigrating into a book? She saw this scene at the beginning of the story. The adopted daughter Stephanie asked the newly arrived Milly to fetch the redwood box containing the hairpin left by her grandmother for Olivia, pretending that it was Olivia’s order. However, the hairpin was missing after she brought it back.
Olivia was furious, and with Stephanie’s instigation, she indirectly confirmed the rumours that Milly was a theiving country bumpkin, causing Olivia to be completely disappointed in her own daughter. Seeing that she remained silent, Stephanie couldn’t help but feel a bit annoyed. However, thinking of her plan, she suppressed her inner anger and continued with a sweet smile, “Milly, the banque t is about to start, and Mom is waiting anxiously. If you delay, Mom will definitely be angry.”
“Milly, you just arrived at the Burnetts. If you make Mom angry at this time, there will definitely be a rift between you in the future.” A rift? Haha! Milly subtly curled the corners of her delicate lips. Since her good little sister was trying so hard to frame her, she had to let her finish the act. The original owner, Milly, was a pushover, but she was not. It’s anyone’s game at this point.
