Do Not Touch My Wife!

Zoey spent so much time staring at the money in sheer disbelief that her family mistook it for something else.

Gina's heart ached even more.

Her daughter was so astounded to see such an amount at once that she forgot she had to reach out and take it.

Just what kind of hard life had the family in the countryside subjected her to all these years?

Henry and Kate naturally thought the same.

Pushing the money into Zoey's palm, Kate squeezed out a small smile.

"Don't be so shocked you're getting this much. You're a member of the Smith family now. Getting five thousand dollars at once is nothing big."

"Use this wisely. It's not until next week that we get our monthly allowance. Now, go get ready for school. Mom and Dad pulled so many strings to get you into my year and class so late in the school year."

Zoey took the money and numbly went up the stairs, the only words registering in her mind being that she'd be getting her weekly allowance next week.

They must be testing the waters with her with this twenty thousand.

Surely, her monthly allowance would be ten million at least.

Watching her obediently go up the stairs, Gina smiled and leaned toward Henry.

"Our babies are getting along so well, it makes me happy."

Kate immediately clenched her jaw, her eyes darkening with hostility as she watched Zoey disappear into a corner.

It was barely a day, but they already saw this good-for-nothing country bumpkin as their daughter?

Hah! She knew it!

All their nonsense about still loving her even though she wasn't their biological daughter was just a lie.

They only agreed to let their daughter marry that cripple so they wouldn't feel guilty about bringing this bumpkin to usurp her life.

Inwardly, they were certainly planning on shipping her off to that poor family in the countryside.

No.

She couldn't let that happen.

She was here first. This was her place. She was the daughter they had raised for eighteen years.

They gave her the best of everything and showered her with love. Because they pampered her so much, she was able to excel in everything she put her mind to.

As long as she went to school with Zoey today and made it clear who the intelligent sibling was, there'd be no debate about who the true daughter of the Smith family was.

Once the whole world begins dotting on and showering her with praises, it wouldn't be long before everyone forgets about the so-called biological daughter.

Blood wasn't everything. All she had to do was show everyone who was better between them.

With that, she sat beside her mother and patiently waited for Zoey, looking up the stairs as she did.

After a while, Gina leaned toward her.

"Baby, will you be comfortable riding to school with your sister in the same car?"

Henry hummed, "She's probably never been in a real car except the one we sent to the countryside, so she can always take the bus…"

But Kate quickly refused, shaking her head and putting on a pitiful expression, "Sister has suffered enough without her biological parents already."

"Now that she's with you two, I want her to have the best experience, ride in the best cars, not in some public transport. That's the least I can do for taking her place all these years."

Gina immediately hushed her, "Oh, baby. We already feel enough guilt about this. You don't have to share it with us."

"I'm certain your sister will eventually understand that what happened when you were babies wasn't your fault."

Placing both hands on her thighs, Kate lowered her eyes and slowly gripped her skirt, saying raspily,

"Sister doesn't look like she'll forgive me anytime soon. I mean, I just gave her five thousand from my savings and she didn't look the least grateful."

"But I understand why. You gave me the money, so it isn't mine to begin with. She has no reason to be grateful for getting the money her parents gave me."

It was at that moment that Zoey came down the stairs.

Since she had just arrived yesterday, they couldn't get her school uniform beforehand.

So, she was wearing a pair of skinny black jeans and a plain black tank top.

Her hair, which had been tied up in a bun earlier, now cascaded down her back, the wavy strands swaying with the wind as she walked.

She was frowning the entire time and checking the bottom of her shoes.

That woman had not only torn out every label from her luxury clothes, but she also scraped the soles of her canvas and red-bottom shoes to make them appear cheap.

While she was worrying about her damaged shoes, Henry barked, "Zoey, did you thank your sister for giving you money from her savings?"

As if surprised by the question, Kate hurriedly waved her hand to refuse, opening her mouth to say something, but Zoey beat her to it.

"Thank you for giving me five thousand. Though it's nothing like I expected."

The whole family stared at her in surprise.

She'd been with them an entire day and not once had she done as she was told.

Hearing her say this on her own, Gina didn't bother about the rest of the sentence and beamed.

Since Zoey was quick to apologize, Kate couldn't pursue the matter any more and stared spitefully at her clothes which had no labels.

"Sister, your clothes look cheap. We should stop by a clothing store after school today."

Zoey shifted her gaze toward her, saying blankly, "Just call me Zoey."

Kate sneered inwardly, but outwardly, her cheeks drew back into a bitter smile.

"Does sister get offended when I call her 'sister'? Is it because I've been living with our parents all these years while you've been tirelessly groveling in the countryside?"

Hearing her bring up this matter again, Zoey immediately grew irritated to the core and almost hit her.

She was living a wonderful life in the countryside before this Smith family found her!

Compared to there, she was suffering here. Imagine she had to walk around with these damaged clothes and shoes just so she wouldn't make them bad for being poor.

As if being poor wasn't enough, this sister of hers was scheming every minute, twisting her words so fast it was as if she were patiently waiting for her to make a mistake.

Forget it. She was too lazy to play along with this two-faced clown.

With that, she turned and began walking out of the house.

Kate's lips twitched and turned to pick her bag.

Turning back to her parents, she lowered her head in a small bow.

"Sister does not mean to be rude. I'm off to school now. Do have a nice day."

Watching her go after Zoey, Henry and Gina glanced at each other proudly.

The ride to school was long and quiet.

The driver watched both sisters in the rearview mirror, noticing how Kate diligently revised what she had learned in class, while the other sibling lay back playing a board game on her phone.

Their school was one for the children of the wealthy, and as the top of her class, numerous students often waited in front of the school every morning bearing expensive gifts to beg Kate to tutor them.

This was one highlight of her day and her first plan to put Zoey in her place.

While pretending to read in front of the driver, she reminisced on what she'd do once the driver dropped them off in front of the school.

Step out of the car gracefully. Pretend not to notice the students lurking around for her, and smile faintly whenever someone shouted how pretty she was.

Once she saw Zoey get out, she'd rush to her and introduce her to everyone as her new sister from the countryside.

The car soon pulled to a halt outside the school.

She waited a few seconds before stepping out, back straight and movements delicate.

As the students outside hurried to her side, Zoey, unaware of what Kate was plotting, sat up and tapped the driver.

"Reverse and take me back. I saw a store selling chocolate milk earlier, and there's still twenty minutes before class starts."