Chapter 1 I spent two years in Switzerland recovering from an illness. On my first day back in New York, my cousin Chloe threw a welcome home party for me in the Hamptons. The guests were all the heirs and heiresses of the city's elite. Long time no see. The girls who used to hang on my every word were unusually quiet today, sitting in silence. Even my younger half-brother, Vincent Vance, the heir to the Vance Empire who used to follow me around calling me "Sister," treated me with a distant coldness. At my own party, I, the guest of honor, was being given the cold shoulder. A commotion erupted at the entrance. Gabriel Sterling walked in, holding a woman's hand. The quiet banquet suddenly sizzled like water dropped into hot oil. My brother was the first to jump up and welcome them. "Gabe, Felicity, you guys finally made it." The heiresses who were stiff and silent a moment ago suddenly came alive. "Felicity, come sit here!" "We saved a seat just for you." The young woman surrounded by the crowd smiled brightly, her posture graceful and light. Gabriel, standing beside her, looked at her with such tender eyes. They looked like the perfect couple. If Gabriel wasn't my fiancé, I might even ship them. My cousin Chloe, ever the gossip, leaned in and whispered, adding fuel to the fire. "Cousin, see that? That woman was the stand-in they found. But she stood in for so long, she started thinking she was the main character." "If you came back any later, she'd probably be pregnant." Chloe and I grew up together. My aunt was lazy and often dumped her at our estate to be raised alongside me. My mother couldn't say no to her sister, and fortunately, our family had the money to raise another child without blinking an eye. Two months ago, Chloe sent me a photo. In the photo, Gabriel was intimately holding a young woman who looked about fifty percent like me. I heard this Felicity Quinn, a newfound daughter of the up-and-coming Quinn family, had been raised in the countryside. She only returned to the New York social scene two years ago, right when I left for Switzerland. At first, Felicity imitated my style and dress. Because she looked like me, she was mocked as a cheap copycat. But later, the circle discovered that while she looked like me, her personality was gentle and submissive—the complete opposite of my arrogant, domineering reputation. Felicity was far more likable. Besides being gentle, Felicity knew how to liven up a party. Summer rafting trips, autumn fishing, winter skiing in Aspen. She quickly became the core of the social circle. My former minions gravitated toward her. My brother Vincent, who initially despised her, eventually started treating her like a real sister, getting the warm sibling affection he never got from me. Even my fiancé, the Sterling heir Gabriel, went from yelling at her not to copy me to looking at her with deep affection, as if she were his real fiancée. Chloe, my real-time scout, sent me every detail. I couldn't feign ignorance even if I wanted to. "Miss Quinn looks like me?" I looked at her sharply. Felicity trembled, habitually hiding behind Gabriel. I scoffed. "You all need to get your eyes checked. Where is the resemblance?" Today, I wore a white cocktail dress. Felicity also wore white. I wore a priceless pink diamond necklace. She wore pink pearls. Felicity was indeed pretty. But even wearing the same color and similar style, I didn't see the resemblance in our features. My words silenced the room. People glanced at each other, their expressions complicated. Felicity was the first to react. Her face paled as she said unwillingly, "Miss Vance is known as the most beautiful woman in New York. How could I deserve to be compared to you?" The crowd frowned, displeased by her humility. "Sister, looks are determined at birth. It's not Felicity's fault she looks like you. You demand to be unique in everything, but you can't take your anger out on an innocent person," Vincent said. I almost laughed out loud. If I were truly taking my anger out, would any of you still be standing here? "Idiot. Did you not realize I was insulting you?" I was speaking to Vincent, but my gaze slowly swept over everyone present. "Two years gone, and the Vance Princess's temper is still this bad?" "We used to think they looked alike. Seeing them side by side, the sickly Miss Vance really can't compare to the rosy Felicity." "Miss Vance just has okay looks. But her personality..." My temper is notorious. Everyone knows it. My father once told me a woman should be like water—gentle and yielding. But a flood is also water. Rather than internalizing the stress, I prefer to burn others. Watching these people, whose fake peace I shattered with one sentence, trembling in fear... It was boring. "You call this a welcome party? You all look at me like you're at a funeral, but you're all smiles for the irrelevant Miss Quinn." "Chloe, thanks for organizing this. But in the future, don't invite me to any event where these people are present." I grabbed my clutch, ready to leave. As I passed Felicity, her best friend suddenly screamed. She stumbled, and the gift box in her hand tilted. A massive white crystal geode slid out and smashed onto Felicity's foot. Her instep instantly turned red. In an instant, Gabriel's roar filled my ears. "Seraphina Vance, what are you doing!" "Felicity spent ages finding this crystal geode for you! She thought it would purify your aura and help your health. If you didn't want it, fine, but why smash it?" Gabriel and I grew up together. He was the "flower on the high cliff," cold to everyone. Even on the day of our engagement, he was expressionless. This was the first time I'd seen him so angry. Right now, he was kneeling on the ground, checking Felicity's injury. Confirming nothing was broken, he stood up and glared at me. "Everyone came to welcome you back. But you? You spewed cold sarcasm and smashed a gift, making a scene." "Two years, and you haven't changed a bit." Slap. A crisp sound echoed. Gabriel finally shut up. So much talking. I relaxed my wrist and pulled back my bag. The metal studs on it had scraped Gabriel's shoulder. The crowd watched the show, stunned. Gabriel looked at me in disbelief. "You hit me?" I hit you. Do I need to pick a lucky date for it? I sneered. "You are still my fiancé. Defending another woman in front of me? Did you think I would tolerate this disrespect?" I thought my temper had improved over the years abroad. Anger hurts the liver, after all. If it were the old me, I would have started a brawl. They seemed to have forgotten who I was. Start trouble, get hit. "Miss Vance, it's all my fault." "I... I didn't know the gift was so fragile. If I held it flat, it wouldn't have fallen." I laughed coldly. "Of course it's your fault. Sending me a crystal? Do you think I'm some evil spirit that needs purifying?" Felicity cried. A true beauty, her tears were pitiful. While covering her face, I saw the corner of her mouth twitch upward. Smiling for me to see. Only I could see it from this angle. Gabriel's face darkened further. He stopped rubbing his shoulder and turned to comfort Felicity, throwing harsh words at me. "I didn't know you were so unreasonable." My brother also pointed at me. "Sister, what did Felicity do wrong for you to treat her this way?" "When I see Dad tonight, I'm definitely telling him to punish you!" I laughed, waved my hand, and turned to leave. "Go ahead and tattle." "And 'Sister Felicity'? Since when can any random cat or dog be your sister?" "Oh right," I stopped and turned back. "Gabriel, did you forget? Our engagement was something your father brought you to my house to beg for." "Since you like Felicity so much, I won't stand in your way. I agree to break the engagement. You can explain it to the Sterling family yourself." Might as well finish them all off. I turned to Felicity. "As for you, do I look stupid?" "I have a bad temper, but I walk fast. I didn't even touch your friend. She dropped it herself to frame me." "Don't believe me?" I pointed at the garden lamp. "That surveillance camera should have a great angle." After my tirade, Vincent looked gloomy, Gabriel looked livid. Felicity's face alternated between red and white. The others looked uncomfortable. They were unhappy, so I was happy. I'm used to it. They gossip about me to my face or behind my back. I'm not a masochist. If someone talks smack, I hit back. "No need for you to tattle. I'll do it myself. I will send the footage of everyone's behavior today to the heads of your respective families." "This place has HD cameras everywhere. Your outfits, expressions," I waved my phone, "and even what you said, are recorded clearly." Ignoring their panicked expressions, I turned to walk out. I bumped straight into a man entering the garden. Strong hands gripped my arms, steadying me. I looked up into a flawless, devastatingly handsome face. The man blushed and gently let go. But I wasn't in the mood for eye candy. I pushed him away. "Don't touch me. Move!" Instantly, the man's face turned redder, pink spreading to his ears. I frowned. Does this guy like being scolded? "Cousin," Chloe said weakly. "Let's go together." "Oh, ignore him. He likes getting yelled at." Does that kink exist? He was so handsome; he must have a unique personality. He felt familiar. Seeing me look at him, the blushing man introduced himself. "Miss Vance, hello. I am Julian Thorne." Thorne family? A second-tier family, a step below the Vances and Sterlings. Before I could react, Julian shoved a gift box into my hands and ran away. Sitting in the car, I was still confused. "Julian Thorne? Have I met him?" Chloe leaned back comfortably, tapping on her phone. An AI voice spoke: "Julian Thorne, second-in-command of Thorne Corp, second son of the family head. Current net worth in the billions, potential inheritance hundreds of billions. Age 22, unmarried, height 6'2". Size unknown, but estimated comparable to a water bottle..." My face flushed. What kind of dirty AI is this? "You don't know him? Had to use AI?" "Uh, should I know him? It's my first time seeing him too." I looked at Chloe with amusement. Keep acting. Chloe feigned ignorance. "Cousin, why don't you see what he gave you?" She quickly grabbed the box and unwrapped it. When the packaging fell away, Chloe gasped. She held up a velvet cushion displaying a glass-texture Imperial Jade bangle. Such a bracelet was rare even at auctions. I examined it and slid it on. It fit perfectly. Chloe tutted. "Cousin, you say you don't know him, but he knows your wrist size and taste perfectly." I turned my wrist, watching the emerald light flow within the jade, and smiled. The party was unpleasant, but getting a perfect bracelet wasn't a bad haul. Maybe the jade had a calming effect; I slept well that night. I woke up early. After finishing my morning Pilates, it was barely 8 AM. Once ready, I had my bodyguards go to The Cloud, the elite restaurant the circle frequented. They set up a massive screen at the entrance and looped the edited video from yesterday's party. Felicity's fake fall, Gabriel's scolding, Vincent's rage. Everyone else was helpfully subtitled with their names and dialogue. Passersby, customers, and internet sleuths uploaded it online. It went viral instantly. The socialite WeChat groups were buzzing today. A bunch of people tagged me, demanding to know what I meant. I sent a "smile" emoji and left the group. According to my assistant, the heirs tagged in the video were severely punished by their families when they got home. After all, who gave them the guts to mock the Vance heiress to her face? In the afternoon, Father called me to the study. Vincent was standing straight by the coffee table, head down. Seeing me, he glared and whispered, "What are you doing here?" I smiled, ignored him, walked to the sofa, and sat next to Father, acting sweet. "Dad." Vincent continued his rant. "What are you proud of? You just rely on Grandpa and Dad spoiling you." "Felicity grew up suffering in the countryside. You targeted her the moment you came back." Father patted my hand, then grabbed a book and threw it at Vincent. "You helped outsiders mock your sister, and you have the nerve to speak? Get out!" Vincent left the study unwillingly. I watched the door close. "Dad, are you really going to let him inherit the company?" Father returned to his calm demeanor. "Your brother lacks experience, and you're just causing trouble." He handed me the documents he was reading. It was a record of the insults from the other families involved today. Just ugly words. "These families all rely on the Vance family for scraps to live this good life, right?" I handed a prepared folder to Father. "Dogs that bite people should die. Dogs that bite their masters should be put down." With every page he turned, Father's face grew darker. When he finished, he slammed the file on the table. "Ingrates!" The file detailed how several companies had blocked, price-gouged, and trapped Vance Group's overseas projects. I was indeed in poor health. But recovering abroad was half-true, half-false. No one guards against a sickly non-heir. While ostensibly recovering in Switzerland, I investigated the Vance family's overseas assets and hidden pitfalls. There were plenty. And the culprits were the domestic families we had helped. My biological mother died shortly after giving birth to me due to complications. Father later married Linda from the Lane family, and they had Vincent. Among the families conspiring against Vance Group was the Lane family. This made Father even angrier. The Vance Group was meant to be handed to Vincent. But this son was so eager, he wanted to carve out chunks of the company now. "The Lane family has sucked a lot of blood using Vincent's name these past few years." "Dad, can you bear to see the Vance Group become Lane property in the future?" Father understood. But Vincent was his only son. He hesitated. The company was still meant for him. Colluding with the Lanes wasn't enough to disown him completely. "I'll think about it. You can go." Expected. So I brought up breaking the engagement with Gabriel. Father agreed. After all, Gabriel slapped the Vance family in the face. The Vance heiress didn't need to worry about finding a husband. Worst case, I wouldn't marry and would just enjoy life. A few days later, news of the broken engagement reached the Sterlings. Gabriel couldn't sit still. When Gabriel stormed over to find me, I was having afternoon tea in the garden with Chloe. Seeing Gabriel from afar, Chloe tried to bail. "You guys chat, I have stuff to do." She retreated to the corridor, watching from a safe distance. Gabriel didn't notice. He marched up and sat across from me. "Seraphina, we need to talk." I was in a good mood, ignoring his rudeness. I pushed the teapot toward him. "Talk about what?" Gabriel's face was grim. "Why did you break the engagement like that? My father scolded me because of it. Do you know what the rumors are saying?" I leaned back comfortably. "What could they say? That I'm arrogant and willful, unloved by my fiancé?" "Or that Young Master Sterling is engaged to me but hangs out with Felicity all day?" Mentioning Felicity, Gabriel thought I was jealous. "Felicity and I are innocent. I just treat her as a friend I can talk to. Why break the engagement over jealousy?"
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