Reborn The True Heiress Strikes Back

After being kicked out of the Bennett family, the fake heiress set my rented apartment on fire.

I was burned within an inch of my life, yet not a single person reached out to help.

My biological mother clung protectively to the fake heiress and scolded me in disappointment and fury.

“Did you set the fire on purpose to kill Olivia?”

“She only came to persuade you to come home, and you’re this vicious!”

When my brother saw my scorched face, he shielded Olivia’s eyes.

“Don’t look—such bad luck.”

My father shook his head coldly, cursing me as a useless waste who had brought this on herself.

My fiancé, relieved to be rid of me, turned and proposed to the sobbing Olivia.

And there I was, struggling in the searing agony of the flames until I died, my heart full of hate.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day I had been brought into the Bennett family.

“I know my sister only grabbed the steering wheel and caused me to lose control because she hates me. I won’t blame her,” Olivia said sweetly.

“It’s just… I was so scared. I was afraid I’d die there and never see Mom, Dad, or Ethan again…”

Clutching her scraped knee, Olivia wept pitifully to our parents.

At her words, my mother instinctively slapped me across the face.

“How can you be so cruel? We wanted to make it up to you, and the first thing you do is try to kill Olivia.”

“If you want revenge, go find that damned mother of hers—don’t take it out on Olivia!”

My brother Ethan Bennett grabbed me hard—fresh out of surgery, my leg still in a cast—and yanked me down to the floor.

I braced myself on the ground, trembling from the pain.

“Sure enough, a stray raised outside has no manners—rotten to the bone!”

“Apologize to Olivia right now!”

Realizing I had been reborn, I didn’t even have time to feel relieved.

Two hours earlier, Olivia had eagerly volunteered to pick me up—

Only to deliberately hit the gas instead of the brake and send me flying.

With a metallic taste in my throat, I bit my lip, forcing back the urge to defend myself.

I lifted my eyes to glare at the very people who had killed me in my past life, hatred boiling inside.

The scene before me overlapped perfectly with my memories of that lifetime.

I had once sobbed and pleaded, explaining over and over that I hadn’t hurt Olivia.

But no one had believed me.

To them, Olivia was the sweet, innocent little princess everyone adored.

They didn’t know she had smashed my father’s most prized collectible, injected glue into my mother’s skincare, and keyed my brother’s new car—

Then turned around and blamed it all on me.

She tore up my homework, jabbed holes in my skin with a compass, and led classmates to corner and humiliate me in the restroom.

I had explained, cried, and raged.

All I ever got in return was harsher scolding and deeper disgust.

I began to doubt myself—maybe I really wasn’t good enough, maybe that’s why they didn’t like me.

I reflected, tried harder to please every single one of them, even Olivia, who had harmed me countless times.

But in their eyes, my efforts looked like guilt after doing something wrong.

That only encouraged Olivia to torment me even more.

Even after I was forced to move out of the Bennett home, she didn’t let me go.

She came to my apartment, cursed and beat me, then, her face twisted with malice, lit the place on fire.

“Only when you’re dead will Mom, Dad, Ethan, and the title of Bennett heiress truly belong to me!”

Once again, the agony of the flames and the despair of dying engulfed me.

Hatred surged in my chest, and before I could hold it back, I coughed up blood.

My mother and Ethan stepped back, holding Olivia protectively, their faces full of disgust.

“How disgusting,” my mother spat.

Olivia’s eyes filled with tears as she asked timidly,

“Mom, now that my sister’s back… will you still want me?”

My mother pulled her into her arms and soothed her gently—

“Olivia’s such a good girl. How could Mom ever give you up?”

Ethan Bennett ruffled her hair in agreement.

“In my eyes, Olivia is my only sister!”

Then he kicked me and threatened,

“If you don’t apologize to Olivia, you can forget about stepping foot in the Bennett home!”

In this life, I couldn’t care less about that socalled lifeordeath family bond.

And I refuse to be the spineless Madison Clark I once was.

Whoever crosses me will get it back double.

I shot Ethan a fierce glare and sneered,

“Is that a tumor sitting on your neck?”

“If I really wanted her dead, I’d stab her with a knife—not just let her scrape her knee.”

All three of them stared, wideeyed, stunned.

Leaning on the bedframe, I forced myself to stand.

“Let me clear something up—you’ve misunderstood. I’m not here to ‘reunite with family.’ I’m here to cut ties.”

“Based on Olivia’s standard of living and my seventeen years of emotional damages, you can just pay me the equivalent in cash. From now on, I don’t want to see you people ever again.”

My mother’s breath came hard and fast with rage.

“You want to cut ties with us? Outrageous!”

“In your eyes, is money more important than your father, mother, and brother?”

“We’ve already announced your existence to the world. Doing this puts us in a terrible position!”

Ethan scoffed,

“I knew it—she only acknowledged us for the money. What a disgrace to the Bennett family.”

Years ago, after Olivia’s biological mother swapped us, she left me in a dumpster to fend for myself.

It was my grandmother, who scavenged for a living, who took me in and raised me with great hardship.

Two years ago, Grandma was diagnosed with severe lung disease. I juggled school and odd jobs, just trying to save enough for her treatment.

They refused to help.

Instead, to punish me, they abandoned me in the hospital.

When I was discharged a month later, I returned to the house I had spent six miserable years in during my past life.

Olivia stood in the doorway with her arms crossed, her expression venomous.

“You’re really hard to kill. Not even that could finish you off.”

“Even if you’re back, so what? As long as I’m here, Mom, Dad, and Ethan will never give you a second glance.”

Her bulldog barked at me from her side.

I smirked coldly.

“Relax. I’m not interested in fighting you over a pile of garbage.”

I didn’t want them—but in this lifetime, Olivia wouldn’t get them either.

Suddenly, she grabbed my hand and shoved it against herself, then stumbled back two steps and screamed, pretending to fall.

The scene played out just as Ethan walked in.

He rushed over and slapped me hard across the face.

“Madison Clark! How dare you push Olivia? Just because you’ve got Bennett blood doesn’t mean you can throw your weight around!”

I licked the blood from the corner of my mouth, then jumped up and slapped him back—harder.

“Stray dogs cross the street to avoid me. What the hell are you?”

“Hit me again, and I’ll break your arm.”

Ethan had never suffered such humiliation in his life. His eyes went bloodred with rage.

In the past, whenever Olivia framed me, I would freeze in fear.

But now, I hooked my lips into a smirk, yanked her up by the arm, and said,

“That fall was pathetic. Do it again—for real this time.”

Her pupils dilated in shock.

I gritted my teeth and shoved her to the floor with all my strength.

Her body hit the ground with a dull, heavy thud.

By the time Ethan snapped out of it, Olivia’s wails were echoing through the entire mansion.

I clapped my hands and smiled in satisfaction.

“Remember that feeling. Next time you cross me, it’ll hurt even more.”

Ethan Bennett shot me an angry glare before carrying the sobbing, wailing Olivia Bennett off to the hospital.

The housekeeper told me my parents had a social engagement tonight and wouldn’t be home for dinner.

I kicked the bulldog that had been barking at me from the corner and strolled leisurely upstairs.

God, it felt amazing not to be the doormat anymore.

The next day, the four of them sat around the dining table, each face darker than the bottom of a burnt pan.

Olivia dabbed at her tears now and then, sniffling pitifully.

My father cast me a sharp look and told the housekeeper to bring another chair.

Auntie Wang brought it over, but no one moved to make room.

I gave a short, cold laugh and stepped in to spare her the awkwardness.

“Don’t bother. From now on, just send my food up to my room.”

“I don’t exactly have an appetite staring at them.”

It wouldn’t be long before Olivia, just like in my last life, would find some excuse to kick me off the table entirely, leaving me to eat with her dog.

When they didn’t react, I picked up a piece of bread, eating as I turned to leave.

Suddenly, my father slammed the table with a loud crack and barked,

“Leaving before your elders finish speaking? Have you no manners at all?”

“Just like your mother and brother said—rotten to the core.”

I met his glare without a hint of deference.

“You’re the one who chose to speak the moment I stood up. What am I supposed to do?”

“And no matter how rotten I am, I’m still your blood. If there’s a problem, maybe it’s in the source.”

He froze midbreath, nearly choking on his own anger.

“You’ve gone too far! Disrespectful! Today you’re getting a proper lesson!”

He roared for the butler to fetch the family discipline.

Olivia’s eyes glinted with satisfaction as she curled her lips in a smirk.

My mother pressed her lips together in silence, while Ethan looked like he was settling in to watch the show.

The butler handed my father a rattan whip as thick as my wrist. He glared at me with severity.

“Disrespecting your elders, harming your siblings, a vile nature with no remorse—do you admit your fault?”

In my past life, thanks to Olivia, I had suffered many such punishments.

The worst time, I was whipped until my back was split open, the wounds deep enough to show bone, and I nearly died from complications. I was bedridden for two months.

My eyes flicked to the whip and my stomach clenched, but I kept my chin high and shot back,

“Under mutual respect, I’m a polite young lady. If you think I was rude, maybe you should first reflect on your own attitude.”

His gaze on me grew even colder. He pointed the whip at me.

“Sharptongued brat! You caused Olivia’s car accident before, and yesterday you pushed her, giving her a concussion—how dare you talk back?”

So this was all about taking Olivia’s side again.

“You’re all blind, of course you didn’t see her run me over and break my leg, then frame me. She only—”

The rest of my words were cut short by the whistle of the whip slicing through the air, striking my back.

Once. Twice…

The pain exploded through my scalp, my body arching involuntarily as I shivered, teeth clenched against the agony.

After five blows, my father flung the whip to the ground and barked,

“Now do you understand your mistake? Will you apologize to Olivia?”

I straightened slowly, met his gaze with defiance, and suddenly smirked.

“I’ll apologize—if you tell me how much you’ll pay me for it.”

His eyes bulged in fury, fists tightening until his knuckles whitened.

“Ungrateful wretch! I’ve never seen such a vile child in my life!”

He was shaking with rage, and my mother quickly stepped in to calm him, helping him sit back down.

“Alright, alright. We know her nature now—just take your time to teach her. Don’t get yourself worked up.”

Then she turned her reproach toward me—

“Your dad stayed home this morning just to have breakfast with you, and you had to stir up chaos until the whole house was in an uproar?”

“Today you’re going with Mr. Tom, the assistant, to change your last name back.”

I forced myself upright despite the pain.

“I’m not changing it.”

Everyone turned to look at me. Ethan Bennett’s voice rose in anger.

“Madison Clark, don’t be ungrateful!”

I took a deep breath, rolled my shoulders, and said,

“My name is already registered in the SAT system. Changing my last name would affect my exam.”

The last name had been given to me by Grandma Grace, and I wasn’t giving it up.

Margaret Bennett nodded slightly, accepting the excuse.

She pulled out two bank cards and handed one to me and one to Olivia Bennett.

“This is your allowance for the month.”

But Olivia’s card had $100,000, and mine only $50,000.

“Why do I only get fifty?” I asked, displeased.

Richard Bennett’s voice was cold.

“Because you’re devious and not worth a single strand of Olivia’s hair.”

I clenched my teeth.

Fine. If that’s how they wanted it, I’d take the rest myself.

I tucked the card safely into my bag. This was enough to get Grandma Grace a full medical checkup.

Margaret sighed.

“On the 20th of next month, Olivia will turn eighteen. We’ve decided to hold your official ‘return to the family’ banquet on the same day—two happy occasions at once.”

It seemed they’d forgotten that day was also my birthday.

In my last life, I’d been humiliated beyond belief on that day.

I was going to refuse, but then an amusing idea came to mind, and I smiled in agreement.

When the time came, I’d give them a surprise they’d never forget.

The Bennetts transferred me to a new school, but I didn’t bother going.

In my previous life, desperate for approval, I had obediently followed Olivia to school—

Only to be isolated and bullied under her lead, missing the best window for Grandma Grace’s treatment.

Ignoring my injuries, I patched myself up, took the money, and went straight back to my hometown to bring Grandma to the city for treatment.

By the time she was settled, it was already evening.

When I returned to the Bennett house, Ethan was proudly reporting Olivia’s grades to our parents.

“Olivia improved a lot in her last practice SAT—already above the threshold for top universities. If she keeps it up, her actual score will be great.”

Richard grinned from ear to ear, his eyes full of pride for Olivia.

The moment I walked in, their smiles vanished.

Olivia hurried over, grabbing my hand with fake concern.

“Madison, why did you skip school today?”

“There’s only a week until the SATs. Even if your grades aren’t great, you shouldn’t just give up. I can tutor you.”

“Mom and Dad care most about our academics—you can’t embarrass them.”

In my last life, when she found out I’d already been offered early admission to Harvard, she had her little clique torment me until I was halfdead, tore up my acceptance letter, and threatened me into silence.

I yanked my hand away and said mockingly,

“All that oneonone tutoring and you barely scraped past the cutoff?”

“You really are slow.”

Olivia’s jaw clenched, her cheeks flushing red.

Richard hadn’t had much education and had made his fortune by marrying into Margaret’s family business.

He was often mocked for relying on his wife’s money, so he placed an obsessive emphasis on his children’s academic achievements.

I ignored them all and headed upstairs to sleep.

To care for Grandma during her surgery, I’d already requested a week off from school.

On the day of the SAT, Olivia “kindly” packed my admission ticket and test materials for me.

“Don’t be nervous. Even if you don’t get into college, Dad can always get you a job—maybe as a janitor.”

I ignored her, rolled over, and went right back to sleep.

When Richard Bennett found out I hadn’t taken the SAT, he blew up again.

In the end, he decided to hire a private tutor for oneonone lessons so I could repeat the year.

After the exams, Margaret Bennett took Olivia on an overseas vacation, while I stayed in the hospital with Grandma Grace until she was discharged.

They only returned the day before the banquet.

Just like in my previous life, all the guests believed this event was purely Olivia’s eighteenth birthday celebration, forgetting it was also supposed to be my welcomehome banquet.

But this time, instead of feeling wronged, I was actually looking forward to it—because I knew there’d be a good show.

Olivia opened with a piano performance, earning the crowd’s applause and praise.

“Not only is Olivia beautiful, but she’s also talented in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. And she scored above the top university threshold on her SATs—truly impressive.”

Olivia gave a coy smile and thanked them.

“It’s all thanks to Mom and Dad’s guidance. I love you both so much.”

Richard and Margaret beamed with pride.

Then a few of Olivia’s arrogant friends turned their attention to me.

“If the younger sister is so outstanding, then the older sister must be even better! Why don’t you perform something for us?”

“I heard she didn’t even take the SAT—must be hiding some terrible scores.”

The teasing grew louder until Olivia stepped in with faux compassion.

“Oh, don’t make fun of my sister. She grew up in the countryside, has poor grades, and isn’t used to high society. Her temper can be bad—be careful she doesn’t offend anyone.”

Well, since she’d said that, it would almost be rude of me not to offend someone.

I walked up onto the stage confidently, mimed rolling up nonexistent sleeves, planted my hands on my hips, and smiled at her little clique.

“I’ve actually got plenty of skills—throwing spoiled brats over my shoulder, slapping the smug off a fake sweetheart, stabbing a bully with a compass, or making one drink toilet water. Which of you wants to help me demonstrate?”

The atmosphere froze instantly, and I could feel their glares slicing into me like knives.

My parents and Ethan glared at me in disappointment.

At that moment, a delivery man suddenly burst into the hall, shouting,

“Who’s Madison Clark? I’ve got your acceptance letter from Harvard—congratulations!”

Perfect timing.

The awkwardness on everyone’s faces turned into shock.

Olivia’s face went from pale to flushed red, disbelief written all over her.

“What? Madison Clark? Harvard? I must have heard wrong!”

“This has to be a mistake—she didn’t even take the SAT, how could she get into Harvard?”

“Yeah, this delivery guy must’ve been paid to fake it and make her look good.”

The delivery man’s brow furrowed.

“Who’s Madison Clark? Please sign for this. I’ve got other packages to deliver.”

Olivia lunged forward, snatching the envelope and tearing it open.

Richard leaned in, his face serious.

When he saw the bold crimson Harvard seal, his eyes widened and he grabbed the letter from her hands.

He stared at it over and over before finally looking up, his expression breaking into uncontrollable excitement.

“It’s real! It’s real! My daughter has been accepted to Harvard!”

Margaret clasped his hand, overjoyed.

Olivia’s shoulders slumped, her face full of panic.

I curled my lips into a cold smile.

Can’t handle it already?

I seized the moment.

“Dad, Mom, today’s not just my official return to the family—it’s also my birthday. Can you grant me one birthday wish?”

Richard, still grinning from ear to ear, agreed instantly.

“Of course, sweetheart. Ask for anything—you have my word.”