Trading My Daughter For Success

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My husband, Logan, lost his brother early on, and he took it upon himself to support both our family and his brother's widow. I felt so much pity for his struggle.

To help him, I raised our daughter, Sienna, with barely any help. I even handed over my entire dowry to fund his first business venture.

Years later, he became a titan of industry. One day, he announced he was sending Sienna to study abroad.

I was overjoyed. I stayed up all night, too excited to sleep.

But only two months after she left, the nightmare began. News came from across the ocean that my daughter had been brutally murdered.

Logan didn't even shed a tear. He just sneered and said, "She was your daughter, after all. Just like you, she was born under an unlucky star."

His coldness nearly made me faint. My entire world crumbled into ash.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the very day he arranged for Sienna to go abroad.

I secretly followed her to the airport, determined to see the truth.

In the VIP lounge, I saw Logan living a life of luxury I never knew existed. A young, beautiful woman was clinging to his arm.

What shocked me more was the truth about Sienna's trip. She wasn't going to school.

Logan was sending her to a wealthy businessman named Mr. Zavala to be his "goddaughter." In reality, she was being traded as a plaything for business favors.

Since he's chosen to be this heartless, he shouldn't blame me for being ruthless.

I took every cent of my savings and bought a plane ticket. I followed the group taking my daughter to a massive, gated estate in a wealthy city.

I was stunned.

Logan came from a humble background. How could he afford to bring Sienna to a place like this?

Then I saw the sign on the gate: "The Miller Estate." A cold dread pooled in my stomach.

I slipped inside quietly. There weren't even any security guards at the main entrance.

Suddenly, I heard muffled, suggestive sounds coming from a nearby room.

"Lydia, do you really think we can pull this off? Sending Sienna to Mr. Zavala instead of Leah?"

My heart stopped. That was Logan's voice.

"Why wouldn't it work? Do you really want Leah to spend her nights with that old man? You've heard the rumors about Zavala. He's ancient and treats women like disposable rags. If Leah goes, her life is over."

I stood there, paralyzed, as if struck by lightning.

Sienna was our biological daughter. Leah was his niece, the daughter of his late brother and Lydia.

They were sending my daughter abroad to be a sacrificial lamb.

In my last life, after Sienna died, Logan did everything to stop me from going abroad to claim her body.

I thought she had joined a prestigious family. I never imagined she had been pushed into an abyss.

Sienna didn't die in an accident. Mr. Zavala killed her.

And my daughter had just turned eighteen.

"But what about Sienna? This will ruin her..." Logan's voice sounded weak.

"Sienna grew up in that tiny backwater town. she's tough and doesn't know any better. She's nothing like our Leah. Leah is delicate; she's a princess."

"Fine, Logan. Let's stop talking about work. Didn't you say the lounge near the driveway was the most thrilling spot? Listening to the cars go by makes it better, doesn't it?"

Lydia's voice was a purr of seduction.

Then came the sound of tearing fabric.

The truth shattered my mind. My husband and his sister-in-law had been having an affair for years.

Logan's brother died ten years ago.

Logan had been so devastated, promising to care for his brother's family forever.

He swore to me that Lydia was just his sister-in-law. He promised I was the only woman he ever loved.

Years ago, when he moved to the big city for business, he took Lydia with him. He claimed he didn't want her to be bullied in our small hometown.

I believed him. Sienna and I worked our fingers to the bone just to send him money and make their lives easier.

Two lifetimes, and I never saw the filth right in front of me.

My trust was rewarded with my daughter's blood.

The pain in my chest was unbearable.

Suddenly, Sienna saw me. She ran toward me, tears streaming down her face.

"Mom! Please, I don't want to go! I don't want to be that old man's goddaughter!" she wailed.

I held her tight, wiping her tears with trembling hands.

The noises inside the room stopped. A moment later, Logan and Lydia walked out.

Their clothes were messy, and their faces were flushed.

Logan froze when he saw me.

"What are you doing here?"

I swallowed my grief and looked at my daughter's red eyes.

I forced myself to kneel in front of Logan.

"Logan, I've been your wife for years, and I've never asked for anything. Just this once, for the sake of our marriage, don't throw our daughter into that fire."

Logan's expression shifted. "So you know. Look, Mr. Zavala has power and connections. Sienna will be well taken care of."

He gave a forced, awkward smile.

"It's a massive opportunity. Most girls would kill for a chance like this," Lydia added.

She was smiling, but her eyes were full of triumph.

I narrowed my eyes at her.

"If it's such a great opportunity, why aren't you sending Leah? She's two years older than Sienna, isn't she?"

Logan's face darkened instantly. He looked at me with cold eyes.

"How dare you speak to Lydia like that? Where are your manners? Besides, Leah already has a boyfriend. I can't force her."

So, he could force his own daughter into a nightmare instead.

The last spark of hope I had for him died right then and there.

Sienna helped me up.

A young maid walked over and bowed slightly. "Mr. Miller, Ms. Lydia, dinner is served."

"Mr. Miller? Ms. Lydia?" My suspicions were confirmed. Logan was the master of this luxury estate.

For years, he had kept this entire life a secret from me.

Every time he called home, he gave the same excuses: "Work is busy, I'm doing okay, don't worry." He never sent a single dollar back.

When our family hit rock bottom a few years ago and the debts piled up, I borrowed money from everyone I knew. I didn't want to burden him while he was "struggling" in the city.

Meanwhile, he was living like a king.

Anger boiled in my blood, but I forced myself to stay calm.

Logan looked flustered. "Miranda, let me explain. I only just started seeing success recently. Mr. Zavala gave me this house as a bonus. I just brought Sienna here and was planning to send for you next."

"Exactly. The staff just use fancy titles. Don't take it to heart, Miranda," Lydia chimed in.

Just then, a man in a construction vest walked by. "Mr. Miller, are you sure you want to cut down that oak in the yard? It's been there since you moved in eight years ago."

"Shut up and do your job!" Logan barked, his face turning pale with guilt.

I took a deep breath. He had been away for ten years. He had played the part of a poor man for eight of them while living in a mansion.

"Uncle Logan, Auntie, is this my aunt? Let's have dinner together." Leah walked over with a sweet, practiced smile.

I was stunned. Leah looked like a princess, draped in designer clothes and radiating elegance.

My daughter, Sienna, stood next to her in simple, worn-out clothes. She looked thin and exhausted.

My heart ached with a sharp, physical pain.

Leah took Sienna's hand and led her toward the garden. Logan relaxed a bit, seeing the girls "getting along."

But I noticed Sienna's body was shaking. I looked at Leah with newfound suspicion.

Dinner was a feast of delicacies I couldn't even name, served in a beautiful garden pavilion.

Sienna looked overwhelmed. For years, we had skipped meals to save money.

When things were at their worst, we couldn't even pay rent and moved from one basement to another. Our "provider" was dining on lobster and fine wine.

Leah walked over to us with a bowl of soup. "Auntie, Sienna, you have to try this. It's delicious."

She handed the bowl toward us, but suddenly, her grip loosened.

The boiling liquid splashed all over our hands. Sienna let out a sharp cry of pain.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! My hand just slipped!" Leah cried out, her face a mask of fake horror.

Sienna looked up, her eyes brimming with tears and rage. "Leah, you did that on purpose!"

"How dare you speak to your cousin like that? She was being kind!" Lydia slammed her hand on the table, her face twisted in anger.

Logan reached out and rubbed Lydia's back to soothe her.

"Uncle Logan, do you believe me?" Leah looked at Logan with big, watery eyes.

Logan frowned and didn't hesitate. "I've raised Leah since she was a child. She doesn't have a mean bone in her body. It was just an accident. Sienna, don't be so dramatic."

Sienna broke down. "You're my father!" she screamed before turning and running away.

Logan's face remained cold. "This is how you raised her? She's a brat, Miranda."

I didn't waste another word on him. I gave them both a look of pure hatred and ran after my daughter.

I found Sienna in a dusty, cramped storage room at the back of the estate. She was frantically packing her bag.

"Mom, I want to leave. I want to go home," she sobbed.

I stroked her hair and looked her in the eyes. "Okay. Mommy is taking you home."

We tried to reach the main gate, but Logan and Lydia were already there, blocking our path.

They looked anxious. "It's late. Where do you think you're going?" Logan asked.

"Miranda, I'll let the soup incident slide. I'll call a doctor tomorrow to treat the burns so it doesn't interfere with the meeting with Mr. Zavala."

I almost laughed at the absurdity. "She isn't going anywhere near that man. My daughter is staying with me."

Logan's face turned a bruised shade of purple. "Don't be ridiculous. This isn't a decision for a woman to make." He signaled to the nearby guards. "Take them back to their room."

The guards grabbed us and dragged us back to that tiny, dilapidated room in the corner of the estate. After I tended to Sienna's burns, she curled up against me.

Through the window, we could see Logan, Lydia, and Leah back in the pavilion. They were laughing and eating, looking like a perfect, happy family.

"Mom, I hate him," Sienna whispered. Her voice was flat, hollow with a deep, echoing hurt.

I wiped my tears and held her tight. "I will get you out of here. I won't let that old creep touch you."

I reached out to my old mentor. I was an orphan raised in a martial arts dojo. I had run away with Logan against my mentor's wishes years ago. Now, I realized how massive a mistake that was.

Late that night, Logan came to the room. He tried to pull me into his arms, his voice dripping with fake affection. "Miranda, I'm sorry about the past few days."

"I've missed you so much all these years," he whispered, leaning in to kiss my forehead.

I felt like vomiting. His breathing grew heavy. "Miranda, let's have another baby. A son this time, okay?"

I shoved him away with all my strength. "I want a divorce."

Logan blinked, stunned. He let out a condescending chuckle. "What are you talking about?"

"You lied to us for years. You're still calculating how to sell our daughter. Do you even have a soul?" I shouted. "And I know about you and Lydia. Aren't you afraid your brother's ghost is watching you?"

His jaw tightened, and his eyes shifted nervously. "You've been listening to gossip. Lydia is my sister-in-law, nothing more..."

"Get out!" I spat.

He stayed silent for a moment, his voice turning low and dangerous. "I see. You clearly don't understand how things work here."

He walked out and barked an order to the guards. "Watch them. If they escape, you're all dead!"

Over the next few days, Logan vanished. Sienna was dragged away every morning to learn "social etiquette." They were trying to turn her into a clone of Leah.

Sienna whispered to me that on the first day, Leah had her punished for not bowing correctly. She had to stand in the scorching sun for six hours, and they had bruised her arms.

I shook with rage, but I had to wait. My mentor sent word: they would move to rescue us on the day Mr. Zavala came to collect Sienna.

The day before the "handover," Sienna was in the yard practicing her posture with a book on her head. Leah sauntered over, smirking.

"How's the training going, cousin?"

I immediately stepped in front of Sienna.

"Relax, Auntie. She's going in my place, after all. I just wanted to check on her."

"What?" Sienna's eyes went wide.

Leah delighted in Sienna's shock. I moved to lung at her, but two of Leah's cronies grabbed my arms, pinning me back.

"You didn't know? Uncle Logan loves me too much to let that old pervert touch me. He was happy to offer his own daughter instead."

"Honestly, I'm surprised you both are still alive. My mom hired people to deal with you so many times over the years."

"But it's fine. You're the perfect scapegoat now. The old man loves young ones like you. Try to last more than a week, okay?"

My pupils dilated. My breath hitched in my throat.

Sienna turned her head sharply, and the book fell to the grass with a soft thud.

"The robberies, the house fire, the creeps who followed me home... that was all you?" Sienna's voice trembled with pure rage.

"So what if it was?" Leah laughed, looking bored.

"Fine. Let's see what happens when I tell Mr. Zavala the truth about who I am and what you did," Sienna hissed through gritted teeth.

I realized Sienna was walking into a trap with that threat.

Leah's face twisted. She pulled a leather belt from her bag and whipped it toward Sienna.

I felt a surge of adrenaline. I threw off the two girls holding me and shoved Leah hard. We were on grass, and I barely used any force.

But Leah collapsed, clutching her ankle and screaming in agony.

Lydia appeared out of nowhere and slapped Sienna across the face.

Before I could hit back, Logan grabbed my arm.

He looked murderous. "What is going on here?"

"Uncle Logan, I'm so sorry. Sienna lost her balance and crashed into me. It wasn't her fault," Leah sobbed, the perfect picture of a victim.

Sienna looked lost. "Dad, that's not true! She tripped herself!"

"Enough!" Logan roared. "Sienna, can you tell the truth for once in your life?"

Sienna flinched, her tears drying up from pure shock.

Lydia rolled her eyes and pretended to faint. "If my sister-in-law and niece feel this way, I'll just kneel and apologize to them myself."

Before her knees even hit the ground, Logan caught her.

I laughed, a cold, bitter sound. "Go on, Lydia. Kneel. Why are you stopping?"

Logan's hand flew out and struck me across the face.

"Like mother, like daughter. You're both vicious."

I stared at him, stunned. My mind flashed back to my previous life, right before I died. I had confronted Logan about Sienna's death. He had looked at me with that same disgust and said, "She was a low-life, just like you. Why are you even asking?"

The memory felt like a shard of ice in my heart. I shivered.

Logan picked Leah up to take her to a doctor. Leah looked over his shoulder and stuck her tongue out at us.

Lydia followed close behind them.

Sienna touched my bruised cheek, her tears falling silently.

I closed my eyes in despair.

The next morning was the "ceremony." They took Sienna to another room to dress her up early.

I ran to find her, but I ran into Leah and her friends coming out of a room.

She winked at me. "I gave her a special gift to get her ready."

The pit in my stomach bottomed out.

I burst into the room. Sienna was on the floor, her mouth covered in blood. She was making desperate "ah, ah" sounds, but no words came out.

They had drugged her. She was mute.

I grabbed her, trying to find a way out, looking for a doctor.

Instead, I ran into Logan.

I grabbed his coat, begging. "Help her! Please, help Sienna! She's your daughter!"

He shoved me away. "Still playing games? What kind of act is this now?"

"I'm warning you, Miranda. Don't ruin this. Mr. Zavala will be here any minute."

"I'm not joking! She's been drugged!"

"Stop being hysterical. You caused enough trouble yesterday."

He called the guards to lock me in a room and walked away.

I felt dead inside. I wiped the blood from Sienna's lips as the guards paced outside.

I cupped her face. "Just hold on. Once we get out, I will fix this. I promise."

Sienna nodded bravely.

When it was time, I was forced into the car with Sienna. We drove toward Zavala's estate.

I heard the guards gossiping. "Shame about the Miller girl. She's a beauty, but Zavala is a monster."

"Did you hear? Logan's real wife and daughter showed up?"

"No way. Lydia is the lady of the house. Everyone knows that."

I ignored them, my heart burning with a black, oily hate.

At Zavala's mansion, Sienna stepped out of the car.

Lydia and Logan were already there, standing at the entrance like they owned the place.

The ceremony started, but suddenly, a scream pierced the air.

"Fire! There's a fire! Run!"

Sienna and I locked eyes through the smoke and chaos. We finally had our chance to disappear.