Reborn, She's Back for Revenge novel Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Edith came down the stairs. The moment she stepped into the living room, the place went oddly quiet.

Her eyes landed on Joseph, calm and steady, as she studied her brother closely. Joseph stared back at her

He’d grown up knowing he had a sister who’d been sent away to a small town for treatment because of some serious illness.

People said all kinds of bad things about Edith, but he’d always been curious what she looked like. Now that he’d finally seen her in person, he thought she looked a lot prettier than he expected.

Standing off to the side, Hallie frowned. She’d talked trash about Edith to Joseph more times than she could count, so she’d assumed he’d tell Edith to leave the second he saw her. She didn’t get why he was just standing there, staring.

Hallie took a deep breath and said, “Joseph, don’t be like this. Your mom died in a car crash–it wasn’t Edith’s fault.

“That day was her birthday. She really wanted your mom to come home and celebrate with her, so she called to ask. No one could’ve known there’d be an accident.”

Just a few words, and Joseph’s face darkened. He remembered–if Edith hadn’t made that call asking Mom to come back and blow out candles, maybe their mom wouldn’t have died in that crash.

It was Edith’s fault. She killed their mom. And now he had come all the way home only to see her face.

Joseph shot Edith a cold glare, grabbed his backpack, and turned to leave.

Edith glanced at Hallie. Since Hallie dared to plant seeds in her brother’s head right in front of her, she’d make sure to settle the score–soon.

But for now, there was something more important to take care of.

“Stop,” Edith said coolly.

Joseph didn’t stop. He walked even faster.

She

Josep

in a flash and grabbed his shoulder. A seventeen–year–old girl overpowering a nine–year–old boy wasn’t hard

with the System’s strength backing her.

ze unable to move. He was furious. “What are you doing? Let me go!”

“Where are you going?” she asked, still calm.

“None of your business!” Joseph snapped. “I’m gonna count to three. If you don’t let go, I swear I’ll destroy you.”

Edith smiled coldly. “Let me help you count. One. Two. Three.”

Joseph tried with everything he had, but he couldn’t break free. His face turned red with rage.

“Edith, it’s one thing to pick on me, but Joseph? He’s just nine,” Hallie said, stepping in with a fake tone of concern. “Joseph, stop being so stubborn and just apologize to your sister. You’re family. What’s there to hold a grudge about?”

“I didn’t do anything wrong.” Joseph growled. “Why should I apologize?”

Edith grabbed him by the collar and started dragging him back inside. “You can do whatever you want–after you finish your

homework.”

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Chapter 4

Joseph nearly exploded. He was already in fourth grade, but he’d never once known what his assignments were.

He never did homework. No one in the family made him, and the teachers didn’t dare. He never had to answer to anyone about school.

“Mom, Hallic, Help me!” Joseph screamed.

+10)

The second Edith heard him shout for help, her heart clenched like it’d been stabbed with a needle. But she couldn’t blame him.

After all, from the moment he could remember, everyone around him told him Karen was his mom, and Hallie was his

sister.

Edith only hated that she hadn’t come back from her previous life sooner.

Karen and Hallie’s voices echoed behind her, chasing after her.

Edith pressed her lips together and dragged Joseph upstairs without a word. She marched to the third floor, slammed the door shut, and blocked out all the noise from outside.

She threw Joseph onto the floor, unzipped his backpack, and dumped out all the books inside.

“What’s your homework today?” she asked coldly.

Joseph clenched his jaw. “Why do you care? Who do you think you are? What gives you the right to boss me around?”

Edith bent down slightly, placed a hand on his shoulder, and said slowly, “I’m your sister. Since Mom’s gone, I’m in charge of everything that has to do with you. Tell me what homework your teacher assigned. If you don’t, I will call your teacher.”

After six years of Karen’s hands–off parenting, Joseph had started to go down the wrong path. Without a firm hand, there was no way he’d listen.

Joseph’s fists tightened. He snapped, “I was asleep in class. I didn’t hear what the homework was.”

Edith flipped through his books. They were all brand–new, barely touched. Even if she found out what the homework was, he probably wouldn’t do it anyway.

Jum

mple today,” she said calmly. “Write ten vocabulary words from memory.”

want to do it, but he knew if he didn’t listen, he wouldn’t be allowed to leave the room. So he sat down in the chair wat as owl.

Edith asked, “After all that yelling, are you thirsty? Want some water?”

Joseph wanted to say no just to be difficult–but his throat really was dry. He said coolly, “Yeah.”

Edith smiled faintly. “Get it yourself.”

Every room had its own water purifier and disposable paper cups.

Joseph shot her a hateful glare but still got up to pour a cup. Just as he finished filling it, Edith snatched it out of his hand.

She downed the whole thing in one go, then smiled. “Thanks, Joseph”

Joseph stared at her in disbelief. If he were stronger, he’d have kicked her across the room.

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Chapter 4

Edith asked silently in her mind. ‘Mission complete–where’s my reward?”

The system stayed silent. It wanted a sweet sibling moment, not Edith stealing Joseph’s water.

Edith chuckled inwardly. ‘System, don’t be so petty‘

System: [Mission complete. Reward unlocked: Basic Escape Skills–an essential survival tool for every heiress. Please use responsibly.]

Edith frowned, unsure what basic escape skills were.

System: [Sixty percent of heiresses around the world face kidnapping attempts every year. Over half die in captivity or have their reputation ruined. If you’re ever kidnapped, Basic Escape Skills will let you unlock any door or lock.]

Edith’s lips curled into a smile. Being able to unlock any door was quite a useful skill. She could try it out tonight.

Joseph saw the weird smile on her face and shrank back. He had planned to just scribble out the words and be done with it. but now he was too nervous to slack off. He kept writing.

Under Edith’s strict watch, it took him half an hour to finish all ten words.

As soon as he opened the door, Hallie rushed in and asked with a worried face, “Joseph, are you okay? Did she hurt you?”

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