Chapter 2Petty Real Heiress

The housekeeper opened the door.

There stood Sadie, dressed in patched clothes and carrying a massive woven plastic sack. After walking for over ten hours, her face was flushed a dark red and beaded with sweat.

Everyone rushed to greet her. My mother took the sack from her. It clinked and rattled, and she assumed it was luggage. "Sadie, dear, are these your things?"

The moment she opened it, a sour, musty stench hit us like a physical blow. Sterling, our older brother, who had just returned, frowned deeply, muttered an excuse about work, and promptly left again.

Dan couldn't hold back. "What the hell is that, a bag of trash? It reeks!"

Mom shot him a death glare. "Be quiet. Don't be rude."

Dan sulked, shooting me a helpless look.

Sadie, however, lifted her chin, her eyes defiant, and snatched the sack back. "These are soda cans I collected on the way. You can sell them for money. I hate waste more than anything."

She looked pointedly at all of us. "I hope everyone here can learn to be more frugal from now on."

My mother immediately gushed, "Sadie, you're so sensible." She then glanced at me and Dan. "Poppy, Dan, you two should learn from your sister instead of just eating and playing all day."

My father chimed in. "Frugality is excellent. Especially for you two. You need to learn its value." He then pulled out a credit card and offered it to Sadie. "Sadie, this is a little something for your allowance."

Sadie turned her head, glanced at the card, and sneered. "I despise the stench of money. Don't pollute me with such things."

The atmosphere turned instantly awkward. No one in the Sterling family had ever disliked money. My father awkwardly retracted the card. "Well, let's have dinner then."