The Lee mansion was in a state of frenzy. Maids scurried around as artworks, furnishings and vases were rearranged frantically. Orders were called out over the room. In the kitchen, famous chefs made platter and platter of dishes. Overseeing the chaos was a tall, robust man dressed in a black suit. Looking at him from behind, one would believe that he was in his forties. The only indication of his age, was the full head of white hairs he sported.
Standing away from the chaos was a man and a woman. The man watched over the arrangements with narrowed eyes, adding further pressure to the maids. The woman beside him was fidgeting, her dainty fingers picking at the hem of her dress.
"Do you understand what I'm saying, mum?" The man said.
Madam Lee hesitated. "But Lucas..."
"Mother." Lucas Lee turned his steely eyes on her. "I've already given the biggest concession by allowing her to stay in the family. If you're expecting me to allow her stay in the same mansion as my sister, then I can only disappoint you."
" She's only seventeen..." Madam Lee murmured. "How can such a young child live alone. Plus she's a girl."
"Seventeen?" Lucas threw his head back and laughed. "I've never seen such a worldly seventeen year old."
"Lucas..."
"Mother. I will not allow that girl anywhere near my sister. You raised that brat and you know her attitude best. Her schemes and little tricks against her classmates might have been overlooked, but I will never allow her do the same to my sister. Truthfully, the only reason why we tolerated her was because she was family. Thankfully, it turned out not to be the case. I can finally understand why she has such a venomous character; she's not a Lee."
" But she is still my daughter." Madam Lee said firmly.
" That is your choice to make. As it is also our choice to accept her or not. And we have long had enough of her. So, while she might be your daughter, she is nothing but a menace and a scourge to us. And forgive us for not wanting to soil our moods by seeing such an antagonizing sight everyday." Lucas spoke calmly. "I will allow her live in the mansion on Anderson street and also allow her to continue schooling at First City High, but one wrong move from her and she will be kicked out of the family." Watching the butler approach, he said with a note of finality, "This will be the last time we will have this conversation, mum. I do not want to hear you plead for her again."
The butler caught the last of the conversation between mother and son and sighed. Madam must be pleading for the second miss again. Such a pity, none of the Lee brothers were particularly fond of this sister of theirs, so Madam's effort was just a waste.
"Butler Zhou?" Butler Zhou started at his name being called. "Ah yes, Eldest Master. Everything has been arranged for the arrival of the First Miss." He bowed.
" Thank you Butler Zhou." Lucas nodded. Butler Zhou retreated to the side and watched Lucas stride off.
"Tell me, Butler Zhou, am I wrong to care about Anna?" Madam Lee sniffled.
Butler Zhou hesitated. " You know how the brothers view second miss, madam.
Pleading for her does more harm than good."
" Then what should I do? Both of them are my daughters, I can't lose either." Madam Lee began to sob.
Butler Zhou could feel an headache coming on. He hastened to comfort Madam Lee, while surreptitiously taking out his phone to send a message to Mister. What a joke! If the wife-slave came back and heard his darling had shed tears, it would be his head on the line!
**********
"Sigh."
Anna couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh. She placed her hand over her chest as she tried to sort out the messy memories clouding her mind.
She was in coma.
Not the her now, but the her in her previous world. Because you see, Anna had transmigrated.
This was such a far-fetched situation that when Anna first woke up, her first reaction was to go back to sleep and hopefully dream this off or wake up from a nightmare. Except, even after sleeping and waking up seven times, the girlish pink bedroom decor remained the same. She had truly transmigrated.
While Anna believed in the supernatural, she had never expected it to happen to her. Reading transmigration stories was her favorite pastime, but having it happen to her was weird.
Recalling the plot of the story she transmigrated into, Anna could only be thankful it was a modern novel and not an historical or fantasy one. She would have killed herself immediately. At least, the novel was an easy face smacking romance. The only problem here was... Her face was part of those that would be smacked.
Anna held her forehead in exasperation. Of all bodies to occupy, why did she have to take that of Anna Lee, the fake daughter of the Lee family? What extraordinary sin had she committed?
The novel revolved around the life of Ava Park. A mistake at birth caused her to be taken from her real parents and brought up by foster parents. At the age of seventeen, she was found and returned to the Lee family where her journey of face smacking began. Except Anna was one of those facesmacked people. The 'fake daughter who had her place usurped'. She did everything humanly possible to get rid of Ava and remain the real daughter of the Lee family, but all her plans were ruined and she incurred the hatred of the Lee family instead, dying miserably in the end.
Anna held her forehead as she recollected those events. The main problem here was she skipped entire parts of the novel, especially the parts involving the annoying second miss Lee. Who would have thought that annoying character would be her someday?
According to the memories of the former owner, they had just found the real daughter and were preparing to bring her back. The original owner in a pique of anger had gone clubbing and sadly overdosed on sleeping drugs and wine, allowing Anna to cross over.
"Thankfully, no damage has been done." Anna was relieved. Unlike the original owner, Anna did not have a single devious bone in her body. Infact, she sympathized more with Ava, as she knew what it was like to be estranged from her family.
Anna in her previous world, originally was brought up in an orphanage. From her childhood, she had been called a little angel by everyone because of how kind and generous she was. At the age of five, she caught the attention of a rich woman looking for a child to adopt. As such, Anna grew up extremely pampered and trained in a ladylike manner. When she was twenty, her real mother found her and apologized for abandoning her. Anna's foster mother implored her to forgive which Anna did. Thereafter, Anna spent her time divided between both households, both of which pampered her to high heavens but ensured she was disciplined and raised right. As such, Anna was just a nice, little spoiled lady. Thinking of the plane crash that caused her to be in coma and lead to her transmigration, tears filled Anna's eyes. She could only close her eyes and pray her foster mother was fine.
Opening her eyes, Anna heard a knock on the door.
"Who is it?" She called out politely.
Outside, the maid was shocked that this devil like second miss didn't scold her. "It is Flora, second miss." Terrified Anna would flip back to her mean self, Flora hastily passed her message through the door. "Madam and First Master would like to see you." With that, the maid scurried off.
Anna sighed and stood up. Seeing as she won't be returning to her original world anytime soon, Anna resolved to make the most of this new world she found herself in.