Having finished her hygiene routine, Evangeline returned to her campsite, only to find her tent vanished. Everything else had disappeared, and even the campfire had been extinguished. She had little doubt about the culprits.

Evangeline muttered a curse. "That bunch of losers can't do anything productive. They're experts at stealing, though."

Comments popped up:

• [Evangeline, you're right! All they know is scheming!]
• [You're being too soft, Evangeline. Give them a harsher tongue-lashing!]
• [Don't let them off the hook. Get your things back!]

Another comment read: Besides retrieving your belongings, you need to teach them a lesson they won't forget!

Clad in her windbreaker and cargo pants, Evangeline headed toward Meghan and the others' campsite, using a flashlight. They had apparently chosen a different spot for nighttime camping.

With a somber expression, Evangeline continued. Not far away, she spotted them through a cluster of tall grass. Her tent was there, its contents scattered on the ground. Meghan sat at the tent entrance, applying a bottle of mosquito repellent—Evangeline's mosquito repellent.

Meghan complained, "There are way too many mosquitoes in this forest! I'm covered in bites. I'll never come to this dreadful place again!"

Jolene looked at Meghan longingly and said, "Meghan, are you done with that? I need some too. I've been bitten all over."

"We only have this small bottle. It's not even enough for me alone. Figure something out on your own," Meghan retorted.

Jolene bit her lip, casting resentful glances at Meghan. It doesn't even belong to her, yet she wants it all to herself.

However, due to the Gallagher family's influence in the entertainment industry, Jolene didn't dare oppose Meghan and suppressed her grievances.

"Enjoying my belongings, are you?" Evangeline remarked, emerging from the grass, her gaze fixed coldly on Meghan.

"Ah!" Meghan screamed, startled. She instinctively hid behind Samson.

Samson frowned and asked with disgust, "What are you doing here? Didn't you refuse to team up with us and told us to stay away? Why are you here now?"

Evangeline sneered, "Why do you think I'm here?"

"I'm not a mind reader," Samson responded.

Evangeline retorted sarcastically, "You're good at playing dumb. Why weren't you this dumb when you were stealing my things?"

Samson's face paled. He gritted his teeth, saying, "Cut the harsh words. We're family. I was just borrowing your stuff. Don't be so stingy!"

Evangeline quipped, "Borrowing? You took my belongings without asking. Taking something without permission is theft."

Samson frowned. "Why are you so stingy! I'm just borrowing your stuff. I'll return it when I'm done. If you're not satisfied, I'll buy your belongings from you when we get back. I'll pay ten times the original price. Happy now?"

"In your dreams! Now give me my stuff!" Evangeline insisted.

Meghan immediately hid the repellent and the tent. She cautiously told Evangeline, "These things are mine now. Don't try to take them away!"

Evangeline scoffed. "Not planning to return them? Fine, I'll retrieve them myself."

She began to approach. Meghan, remembering Evangeline's physical prowess, grabbed Samson, crying, "Sam, stop that lunatic! Don't let her get near me!"

Samson, though frightened, couldn't appear cowardly. He reluctantly softened his tone. "You can take back some of your things. But let Meghan keep the tent and the mosquito repellent."

Evangeline responded icily, "I won't lend you anything. I'm taking back everything that belongs to me."

Samson pleaded, "Why can't you be more accommodating? Meghan is fragile. Her body can't endure hardships. Without a tent or an air mattress, how can she spend the night?"

"And what about me if she uses the tent?" Evangeline inquired.

Samson frowned. "You're different from Meghan. You grew up in the slums and are accustomed to hardship. A little more suffering won't hurt you. Spend the night on the grass."

Meghan smiled, caressing her skin. "I'm sorry, Evangeline. I was born delicate. Unlike you, who can handle hard work. So please endure a bit more and show us the resilience you acquired growing up in the slums."

Evangeline smiled wryly. "I have to thank all of you. Otherwise, I wouldn't know what a shameless person looks like."

Meghan's face darkened. "You're calling me shameless? How dare you when you're the one who's shameless here!"

Samson shook his head. “Evangeline, you're so uncultured. All you do is resort to violence and insults. When will you ever become more sensible?”

Evangeline shot back, "Who are you to criticize me?"

She looked at Meghan and Samson with indifference. "I've endured hardships since childhood. Does that mean I should suffer for the rest of my life? Don't forget that I should have been the pampered one. Meghan's mother schemed and swapped me with Meghan. Instead of raising me well, she abandoned me in the slums and forced me to endure hardship. Meghan's life of luxury and wealth wasn't rightfully hers. So how does that make her 'born delicate'? They made me suffer, and I nearly died out there. Does that mean I deserved it? Was I destined to lead a miserable life of perpetual suffering?"

"Meghan's greed and selfishness are one thing, but Samson, as my blood relative, how can you say such things to me! Are you out of your mind? Actually, no. You're not insane. You're just brainless! The Gallagher family are a bunch of fools. Stay away from me from now on. Having brainless relatives like you makes me sick."

Evangeline's expression was one of disgust. She didn't feel sad; she simply felt sick. If possible, she would opt for genetic modification to sever all ties with the Gallagher family. Sharing genes with them was a stroke of bad luck.

"W-What are you saying?" Samson asked, his voice trembling. He sounded unconfident and guilty. "Meghan was just a baby when you were switched with her. She was innocent and had nothing to do with it. You shouldn't blame her! We're siding with Meghan because of your disruptive behavior and your schemes against her after you returned. You've caused chaos in our family! Lately, your actions have been even more outrageous. How can we like you when you behave this way?"

Evangeline replied coldly, "You all deserve every beating you get. Stop acting like the victims here. Have you forgotten how I was treated when I first came back? Your entire family is responsible for my change in attitude."

She warned, "I don't want to waste any more words on you. I just want my things back now. Hand them over, or I'll take them myself."

Regret gnawed at her. I regret not beating them up and leaving as soon as I returned to the family. I wasted so much time on them and even nearly lost my life there.

On her first day back home, everyone in the Gallagher family had taken turns talking to her. They initially expressed concern and asked her not to compete with Meghan, explaining that Meghan was their closest family. Evangeline hadn't seen anything wrong with that at first. She believed Meghan's mother was to blame, and Meghan herself was innocent. She hadn't harbored any ill feelings toward Meghan. Her parents and three brothers had spent many years with Meghan, so their closeness was natural. Evangeline hadn't even thought of comparing herself to Meghan; she simply hoped to experience some familial affection. So she reined in her arrogance and humbled herself, trying to please them. Unfortunately, no matter what she did, they viewed her actions as attempts to vie for Meghan's favor. Regardless of how flawed Meghan's schemes were, the family always sided with Meghan. Evangeline should have given up much sooner. Yet, she persisted for a year until Meghan literally pushed her off a stage. Even then, the family showed no concern, and that's when she gave up entirely. "Maybe spending too much time with those fools has lowered my IQ, leading me to put up with them for so long," she mused.

Samson reminisced about when Evangeline first returned home and enthusiastically called him "Sam." He was an avid gamer, and Evangeline often stayed up late playing games with him. He didn't know she'd gone to great lengths to secure him a pre-release game console—a creation of one of the world's most technologically advanced game companies, with only around 1,000 pre-release units. Despite the Gallagher family's once substantial wealth, they couldn't acquire one. But Evangeline managed it, surprising Samson with one, claiming she'd won it in a raffle. While it cost her nothing, the gift spoke volumes about her desire to connect with him.

However, as time passed, Meghan became increasingly distressed, believing Samson was growing too close to Evangeline. To appease Meghan, Samson distanced himself from Evangeline, eventually smashing the console. Only then did Meghan feel content. Following that, Evangeline found herself constantly clashing with Meghan, which further soured Samson's opinion of her. In reality, Evangeline wasn't malevolent; her change in demeanor was partly a result of the family's favoritism. Yet, Samson didn't think it was wrong to favor Meghan. "Meghan grew up alongside us. Is it wrong for us to lean more toward her?" he pondered. Nevertheless, Evangeline remained his biological sister, and Samson was open to giving her a second chance.

Taking a moment, Samson addressed Evangeline, "I understand you're not a bad person. We share part of the blame for your transformation, but your jealousy also played a significant role. Let's not dwell on the past and consider giving each other a fresh start. You could turn over a new leaf and be kind again. We'll also make an effort to treat you well, but you must get along with Meghan."

He added, "After all, Meghan has been a part of our lives for many years, and we can't sever family ties with her. I hope you can understand that."

Meghan was furious; she had no intention of fostering a bond with Evangeline or allowing her to reintegrate into the family. However, she held her objections in check since Samson had spoken. Evangeline remained a Gallagher by blood, while Meghan was an outsider. Meghan worried that opposing too vehemently might lead to her rejection by the family.