Why had Rita always trusted Samuel and Scarlett? It all began the year she entered the entertainment industry as an actress. That year, they were involved in a car accident that, while not serious, left them bedridden in the hospital for nearly two weeks. Rita didn't arrive until the third day, and it was Rick who had stayed by their side, taking care of them. She was filled with guilt and remorse, but it was also that day when they gave her their entire savings—5 million yuan.
"Accidents happen so suddenly," Samuel had said, "and we don't know how long we have left. It's better to be clear about things early on. We're giving you all the money we have, Rita. From now on, you'll be the backbone of this family."
"Your brother will get married one day," Scarlett added, in her usual stingy tone but with words that carried a strange warmth. "If the money goes to him, who knows whose side he'll be on once he has a wife. You might end up being the one who suffers. But if the money stays with you, we can rest easy. If your brother is good, you can give him some; if not, we'll keep it for ourselves."
Scarlett's familiar miserly attitude was still there, but her words were laced with affection. "Don't blame me for being frugal; look, I've saved this money for you! Have I ever lied to you? You're the best, Rita. I may nag you a lot, but you're my favorite."
What a performance.
Rita had always thought she was being cautious, otherwise, she wouldn't have only given away half of what she earned over the years.
She often wondered if she was too cold-hearted, questioning why she held back when her family trusted her so much, giving her everything they had.
It wasn't until the third year of the game's invasion, when she was being hunted by the Lopez family and had nowhere to turn, that she stumbled upon the Wilson family's secret room while hiding in their home for a day.
How absurd—she had thought that buying two floors of a luxury apartment in the city center was impressive. She had no idea that the adjacent unit on the first floor also belonged to the Wilsons, used exclusively to store the family's treasures. The storage room in that apartment connected directly to the study in their home, serving as a hidden vault.
Inside, there were 300 kilograms of gold bars, thirteen boxes of valuable antiques, paintings, and artifacts, and seven boxes of jewelry.
It turned out that the Wilson family didn't have much cash. Samuel was merely a distant relative of the Wilson family in B City, with no right to participate in the family's business. On the surface, he was just an ordinary professor, but the real wealth of the family lay in the treasures his father had inherited when the Wilson family divided their assets.
Those 300 kilograms of gold alone were worth over 70 million yuan...not to mention the priceless antiques and art.
Yet they had told her that 5 million was all they had, claiming they trusted her with everything.
Rita clutched her aching chest and reminded herself not to rush, not to blame herself, that she wasn't stupid—they were just too clever.
But the more she tried to rationalize it, the more the tears flowed.
She knew that from now on, for the rest of her life, she would never be able to trust anyone again.
They had destroyed her ability to trust.
If her closest family could betray her, if their sweet words were laced with poison, if what she thought was unconditional love was nothing but calculation, then how could she ever trust anyone else?
Rita opened her eyes and exhaled deeply. She couldn't wait any longer. If she didn't retrieve those things tonight, she wouldn't be able to sleep.
It was only the 25th, but Rita felt busier than a dog.
She drove out and bought several large cardboard boxes from a SF Express station, dragging them back home.
After assembling the boxes and packing them neatly into her backpack, she drove openly to the Wilson family home. By now, the news of Robinson's forced suicide by Amelia had already spread in the company's group chat. After exchanging a few words with Samuel and Scarlett, Rita pretended to be in a bad mood and retreated to her room.
Scarlett hesitated, and as Rita was halfway up the stairs, she finally couldn't resist calling her back to tell her about Rick's plans to bring his girlfriend home tomorrow. The girlfriend was none other than the youngest daughter of the Lopez family.
Rita feigned surprise and asked, "Dating in secret, huh? Nice. But the Lopez family? Which Lopez family?"
Scarlett smiled as she mentioned the name. "You know Mateo, right? The actor? It's his family—*that* Lopez family. Mateo is the eldest, and the second son, Theodore, won an Olympic gold medal in archery. Your brother's girlfriend is the youngest daughter, Zoey. They've been dating for about six months and thought it was time to introduce her to us."
Rita smiled and said, "That's great! You must make a good impression."
Rick, noticing Rita's cheerful demeanor, frowned slightly.
Seeing the look in Rick's eyes made Rita want to vomit. She couldn't understand why, in the book, Rick was portrayed as having an obsessive, distorted affection for her as his paranoid sister. She didn't think she had ever crossed any boundaries.
She chalked it up to the author wanting to justify killing off a character who genuinely cared for the male lead. By making her seem crazy, the male lead could be "forced" to kill her out of necessity and then repurpose her divine talent for someone more deserving, helping him achieve greatness.
But that was the book's perspective.
From her point of view, when she died, she finally saw through the hypocritical facade of those words.
He wanted her talent, so she had to die.
The stains on her reputation were just there to make the male lead look "pure and innocent."
But now it seemed like Rick genuinely believed that she considered him her property. Who was the real psycho here?
Rita suppressed her disgust and played along with Scarlett, saying a few supportive words but never mentioning the villa purchase.
However, she couldn't help but ask, "Mateo is rich, right? Will his family approve of ours?"
Rita was genuinely curious, no acting required. She couldn't understand it, even after dying once. Mateo was a well-known rich second-generation in the industry, and the Lopez family's assets were in the billions. Could they really accept Rick as a brother-in-law?
Scarlett's expression stiffened, and her voice lowered. "That's why, you see, you already have a house. Couldn't you buy one for your brother too? Just for show at the wedding. We can transfer it back to you afterward."
In her previous life, they didn't need to ask her directly. Rita stifled a laugh, pretending to be helpless as she spread her hands. "I'm out of money. A friend told me about a great investment opportunity, and I put all my money into it. We celebrated with drinks the other night because of that. If it pays off, I'll buy as many villas as you want, but right now, I'm really broke."
Scarlett was easily manipulated by Samuel, but she was also easy to deceive. After Rita's explanation, the anger on her face subsided. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but she remained silent and looked to Samuel.
Rita knew this was Samuel's cue to step in.
But Rita didn't want to hear it. She quickly suggested, "Why don't we sell this house? That should be enough for a down payment."
Everyone fell silent. Rita sighed and lamented her uselessness, mentioned that her current movie hadn't finished filming, and that her agent was in trouble, throwing out a few useless phrases before retreating to her room with a look of career frustration.
As she passed the study, she walked in and discreetly placed the thrush's skeleton in a corner. The bird's flesh had already been stripped away, leaving only the small, delicate bones.
After hiding the thrush, she grabbed a random book and exited the study, only to find Samuel standing outside. He smiled warmly, but Rita knew he was guarding the study's secret from her.
Rita returned to her room as if nothing had happened. She then began doing bodyweight exercises on the carpet, keeping a close eye on the thrush's movements. She hadn't allocated her upgraded five attribute points yet because certain attributes could be increased through training in the early stages.
After an hour of exercise, she took a shower and started jotting down all the secrets and information she remembered from her previous life.