I am the real daughter. On the very first day we were reunited, my biological mother pushed a bank card across the table toward me. "One million dollars a month. You don't have to genuinely treat me like your mother, but you will act the part in front of outsiders. Do not embarrass me." I froze for half a second. The next second, I dropped to my knees and hugged her leg tightly, refusing to let go. "Mom! Why are you setting conditions with me?! We are a match made in heaven! Anyone who tries to tear us apart will face divine retribution!" She frowned in distaste. "...Stop talking nonsense." I immediately changed my tune. "Understood, understood. Keep a low profile. We'll just call this a family bonding subsidy. I accept." Twelve million dollars a year. Forget acting like a loving daughter—for that kind of money, if she told me to call the fake daughter "Big Sis," I'd say it sweeter than anyone else on earth. 1 My knees hurt a little. The marble floor was incredibly hard. But the smile on my face didn't falter for a second. Eleanor Vance, the biological mother I had just been reunited with, had clearly never seen a display like this before. "Get up," she said, her tone clipped. "What do you think you look like right now?" I scrambled up from the floor with practiced efficiency. "Yes, Mom. Whatever you say, Mom." "Let's get the ugly truth out of the way first." She sat back into the plush sofa and crossed her legs. "Mia has lived in this house for twenty-two years. Her health is fragile; she has a heart condition and cannot handle stress. To the outside world, you two are twins. She is the older sister, and you are the younger sister. I do not want to see any petty jealousy or dramatic fighting over favoritism." I took the bank card with both hands and shoved it deep into my pocket. "Rest assured, Mom." I stood at attention, practically saluting. "As long as the funds clear, Mia is my biological sister. If she wants water, I absolutely will not hand her a Coke. If she wants to walk, I will absolutely not let her use a wheelchair. Oh, wait, no, I mean I will personally carry her on my back." Just then, a girl appeared at the top of the grand staircase, gripping the railing and looking down at us. This was the fake daughter who had occupied my place for twenty-two years: Mia Vance. Her eyes were red. She looked at me, tears falling before she even spoke a word. "Mom... is this... is this Ms. Miller?" If this were a typical soap opera, this would be the moment I pointed at her nose and called her a thief. But I was built different. This wasn't my enemy. This was my walking, talking cash cow from another mother. If Eleanor wasn't trying to protect Mia's fragile feelings, would she have ever offered me a million-dollar monthly salary? Mia bit her lip, looking utterly pathetic. "Ms. Miller, I am so sorry. I stole your life... If my presence bothers you, I can move out..." Eleanor's face darkened, and she opened her mouth to intervene. "Sis! What are you talking about?!" I widened my eyes, putting on a look of profound, agonizing heartache. I channeled the exact same level of sincerity I used when hustling portable chargers to old ladies at the train station. "What do you mean 'stole'?! That's a terrible word! For twenty-two years, you have suffered immensely in this wealthy household!" Mia looked completely lost. A tear hung precariously on her eyelashes, unsure if it should fall. "...Huh?" I grabbed Mia's hands tightly, pouring every ounce of fake emotion I possessed into my voice. "Sis, just look at you! You're so thin! The food in this mansion must be terrible, right? And the rules! The pressure must be suffocating! I heard rich people have to learn piano, painting, equestrianism, and socialize every single day. That sounds exhausting! "I was completely different. I fed pigs and chopped wood in the village. Look at me—I'm strong as an ox and eat like a horse! That kind of grueling, bitter life is only fit for a rough girl like me. Knowing you took my place and endured all this suffering for so many years... as your younger sister, my heart simply bleeds for you!" Mia's mouth hung open. She stared at me for a long time, completely unable to formulate a response. I struck while the iron was hot, turning back to Eleanor. "Mom, look at this! Sis is treating me like a stranger! From now on, with me here, nobody is going to bully my sister. Sis, you just live your life exactly as you always have. I promise I will keep my mouth shut, I will never cause trouble, and I will absolutely not give you or Dad any reason to worry." "Alright, that's enough. Since we've cleared the air, let's eat." 2 I had barely picked up my chopsticks when a middle-aged man walked into the dining room. This was my biological father, Richard Vance. Well, technically, he married into the family. The Vance family had the money, and he had the looks. Back in the day, it was the classic trope of a poor boy marrying a rich heiress. "So this is the one... who came from the village?" He handed his suit jacket to the maid, unbuttoning his cuffs as he walked toward the table. "Why is she dressed like that? And she has terrible posture." I looked down at myself. I bought this outfit off a cheap discount app. Sure, it wasn't high fashion, but it wasn't like I was exposing anything inappropriate. Richard sat down, completely ignoring me. Instead, he picked up a choice piece of fish and placed it directly into Mia's bowl. "Mia, eat more. You've looked so exhausted these past few days. It breaks my heart." Mia glanced at me quickly, then said softly, "Thank you, Dad. Dad... my sister just got back. You should give her some too." What a perfect, pristine white lotus. Even now, she was making sure to draw aggro toward me. Right on cue, Richard slammed his chopsticks onto the table. "Her? She grew up in the country; what hasn't she eaten? Why would she need me to serve her?" "Since you're back, you will follow the Vance family rules. Wash off that repulsive, rural stench. Do not embarrass your mother in public. Also, what was your name again? Chloe Miller? How incredibly vulgar." He waved his hand in disgust. "We're changing it tomorrow. I've already decided. Your new name is Chloe Vance." The million-dollar monthly salary covered enduring my biological mother's bad temper. The contract did not say anything about tolerating her husband's pretentious bullshit. I calmly took a bite of a spare rib, chewing silently, and glanced up at Eleanor. Eleanor acted like she hadn't heard a thing. Got it. If the boss didn't intervene, it meant this was considered an extra, out-of-scope service. I put down my chopsticks and wiped my mouth with a napkin. "Dad, I can't change my name." Richard's eyes bulged. "What did you just say? You just walked through the door and you're already talking back?!" "I'm not talking back." I put on my most earnest, sincere expression. "The name Chloe Miller might sound a bit common, but it's the name my adoptive parents gave me. Yes, they treated me terribly. They beat me, yelled at me, and made me feed pigs and farm the land. But they still raised me for twenty-two years. "If I change my name the second I return to my wealthy biological family, what will the public think? They'll say the Vance family uses their wealth to bully the poor. They'll say I'm a vain, greedy opportunist who completely abandoned her roots." I let out a heavy, theatrical sigh. "I mean, I don't care. If people want to curse my name, let them. But Mom is different! Mom is a prominent entrepreneur! The Vance Corporation relies on its public image. What if the media spins this as 'Wealthy Family Forces True Daughter to Erase 20 Years of Adoptive Ties'? The stock price would plummet!" I turned to Eleanor, looking exactly like a deeply concerned, devoted daughter. "Mom, am I right? Losing hundreds of millions in market value just for a name... it's just not worth it." Richard pointed a shaking finger at me. "You... you're twisting the facts! What does this have to do with the stock price?!" "How is it not related?" I asked, feigning shock. "The internet loves to hate the rich these days. Dad, do you not go online? Oh, right, you just drink tea and play golf all day. You don't handle the company's affairs, so it makes sense you wouldn't know." "Enough." Eleanor finally spoke. "Chloe makes a valid point. A name is just a label; changing it involves too much paperwork anyway. Chloe Miller it is. I think it's fine. It keeps her grounded." Mia looked at me with a completely different expression now. I flashed her a massive, toothy grin and popped a piece of cheesy lobster into my mouth. Wow, rich people food was delicious. Some people choked on the bread of charity. But me? I prefer to earn my keep standing tall. After dinner, Eleanor called me into her study. "You are very smart," she said. "Thank you for the compliment, Mom." I stood respectfully in front of her desk, my hands clasped together. "Do you know why I brought you back?" "Because blood is thicker than water?" I ventured cautiously. Eleanor scoffed. "Because Mia's fiancé only recognizes the true Vance bloodline. We need an alliance with the Sterling family. Mia isn't a biological Vance, so the marriage won't hold. But Mia's health is too fragile. She could never survive being married to the Sterling family's notorious playboy heir. So..." "You will marry him in her place." Oh ho. I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. This was the real reason I was here. A high-society alliance. A wealthy heir. A substitute bride. Wasn't this just another massive business contract? "That's going to cost extra." The words slipped out of my mouth instinctively. Eleanor paused for a second, then laughed. "Deal." She pulled open a drawer and tossed another bank card onto the desk. "This is the advance on your dowry. I'll add an extra five hundred thousand a month for emotional damages. As long as you lock down the Sterling family, half of the Vance family's assets will eventually be yours." "Mom, just sit back and watch. I don't care if he's a rich heir or the King of Hell himself, I'll have him trained and eating out of my hand." 3 The next day at noon, to celebrate my return, the family hosted a luncheon with several extended relatives from the Vance side. I didn't hold back. I sat down and prepared to feast. But before my chopsticks could even reach the center of the table, Richard spun the lazy Susan, stopping a plate of premium, double-head abalone directly in front of Mia. "Mia, your health is delicate. You need the nutrients." The lazy Susan spun again, and what stopped in front of me was a plate of stir-fried bitter greens. Richard cast a sideways glance at me. "Chloe, your stomach is used to cheap, coarse food. Eating rich food too suddenly will give you indigestion. Dad is doing this for your own good. Eat more vegetables. It cleanses the grease." Mia looked deeply conflicted and said softly, "Dad, is this really appropriate? My sister just got back..." "What's inappropriate about it?" Richard raised his voice. "A wild boar can't digest fine grain. Giving it to her is just a waste." Seeing that I stayed silent, Richard assumed I was intimidated. His ego inflated, and he kept going. He poured himself a glass of red wine and swirled it. "Speaking of which, our Mia really is incredibly lucky. That Sterling marriage arrangement was originally meant for you. Thank goodness your health is fragile. That Julian Sterling... tsk tsk. Everyone in our circle knows what he is. He drinks, he gambles, he sleeps around, and his temper is explosive. I heard he broke a model's leg just last month." He took a sip of wine and patted Mia's hand, looking utterly relieved. "A fiery pit like that is only suitable for a thick-skinned, feral girl to jump into. It's the perfect match: a trash can for a trash lid. Absolute garbage paired with absolute garbage. A match made in heaven." Mia's tears were threatening to spill again. "Dad, please don't talk about my sister like that..." "Dad is just telling the truth!" Richard was getting more and more animated. "Those rich playboys are nothing but scumbags. If the Vance family didn't need their business, who would even bother acknowledging him? Only an ignorant country bumpkin like Chloe would treat him like a prize." I glanced at Eleanor, who was sitting at the head of the table. Understood. When the boss couldn't conveniently tear someone a new one, the biological daughter had to step up and do the dirty work. I stood up. Richard was mid-rant, spit flying from his mouth. He was startled by my sudden movement. "What are you doing? Are you going to get more rice? You have absolutely no manners..." I flashed him a brilliant, radiant smile. The next second, I gripped the edge of the heavy marble table, anchored my stance, and flipped it with explosive force. The table full of abalone, bird's nest soup, red wine, and hot broth flew through the air in a very ungraceful parabolic arc before crashing violently onto the floor. The greasy, thick abalone sauce splashed directly onto Richard, instantly ruining his custom-tailored suit. "Ahhhh...!" Mia shrieked and hid in Richard's arms. Richard was utterly stunned. His finger trembled as he pointed at me. "You... you... you absolute savage! Are you out of your mind?!" I dusted off my hands, my face a mask of righteous indignation. "Dad! You have crossed the line!" I pointed at the mess on the floor, my voice booming even louder than his. "Who is Julian Sterling?! He is my future husband! He is the Vance family's future, most vital business partner! And here you are, in front of all these people, publicly slandering the heir to the Sterling Group as garbage and a scumbag! What if word gets out?! What if the Sterlings pull their investment?! What if the Vance stock crashes?! What if you destroy all of Mom's hard work?!" I clutched my chest, looking agonizingly heartbroken. "It doesn't matter if I, Chloe Miller, suffer a little. Even if you forced me to eat scraps, I would accept it. But you cannot use the future of the Vance family as a joke just to elevate your favorite daughter! You are undermining Mom's empire! You are cutting off our family's primary source of wealth!" Richard was suffocating under the weight of the massive accusations I had just hurled at him. "You... you're talking out of your ass! I'm your father! I can say whatever I want!" "You are my father, but you are also a man who married into the Vance family wealth!" I took a step forward, my aura completely dominating the room. "You eat the food the Vance family provides, yet you smash the bowl we eat from! You are biting the hand that feeds you! As a member of this family, I, Chloe Miller, will absolutely not tolerate such ungrateful, treacherous behavior!" Richard was trembling with sheer rage. He tried to lunge forward to hit me, but slipped on the greasy soup covering the floor and fell hard, landing face-first in the mess like a dog. "Enough." Eleanor's voice chimed in right on cue. She placed her napkin on the table, not even glancing at Richard groveling on the floor. She simply looked at me with a cool expression. "Since the mood is ruined, dinner is over. Chloe, Julian Sterling has requested a meeting this afternoon. Go get ready." I nodded obediently. "Yes, Mom. I'll go get ready right now. I promise I will dress beautifully, I won't embarrass our family, and I absolutely will not let that fifty-million-dollar dowry go to waste." With that, I stepped directly over my groaning biological father and headed upstairs without looking back. Faintly, I heard Eleanor's icy voice behind me: "Mop the floor. And from now on, anyone who speaks out of turn at the dinner table won't be eating at all." 4 My meeting with Julian Sterling took place at an exclusive, dimly lit private club. The legendary, notorious rich heir was sprawled on a leather sofa. He had a cigarette in his left hand, a glass of liquor in his right, and the top three buttons of his shirt undone. He looked incredibly impatient. "Oh, so this is the... village girl the Vance family dug up to replace Mia?" "I heard you used to feed pigs in the country? What, did the Vance family think I'm a pig, so they hired a professional breeder to take care of me?" His posse of wealthy frat boys erupted into obnoxious laughter. I didn't get mad. I picked up an empty glass from the table and poured myself a drink. "Mr. Sterling, you're hilarious. Raising pigs is incredibly hard work. You have to wake up before dawn, mix heavy feed, and shovel manure. It requires serious technical skill." "Taking care of you is infinitely easier. As long as the money clears, if you tell me to go east, I'll never go west. If you tell me to beat a dog, I'll never chase a chicken." Julian froze. He clearly hadn't expected me to be so brutally straightforward. He sat up straighter. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, the door to the VIP room was shoved open. A woman in a flowing white dress burst into the room. "Julian..." Her voice trembled, her eyes locked entirely on him. "Are you really going to marry this... this country bumpkin?" Julian's face instantly turned black. I raised an eyebrow. I knew exactly what this was. According to the dossier Eleanor had provided, this was Julian's legendary "first love," Lily. Back in the day, she dumped Julian because he was a "useless slacker" and ran off with a college athlete. Now that she heard Julian was entering a massive corporate marriage, she suddenly rushed back to play the role of the devoted, heartbroken lover. Before Julian could say a word, Lily charged right up to me. "Ms. Miller, right? I know you're only marrying Julian for his money. How much will it take for you to leave him? One million? Two million?" Two million? Who the hell did she think she was talking to? My current net worth was evaluated in the hundreds of millions. "Ms. Lily." I looked her dead in the eye. "Please mind your phrasing. I am currently Julian Sterling's fiancée. I am the future Mrs. Sterling, officially recognized by both our families. You storming in here and throwing pennies at my face... don't you think that's incredibly disrespectful to my professional integrity?" Lily was stunned. "What professional integrity?!" I took a step forward, physically blocking her line of sight to Julian. "Taking care of Mr. Sterling is my job. My client... excuse me, my fiancé, is currently drinking and in a bad mood. You barge in here crying, screaming, and trying to use pocket change to insult his taste in women. Are you trying to create a hostile work environment, or are you openly questioning Mr. Sterling's judgment?" Lily's face went completely pale with rage. "You... how could someone like you possibly be worthy of Julian?! Julian and I have a deep, emotional foundation!" "An emotional foundation?" I scoffed, glancing back at Julian. The idiot was watching me with intense amusement, showing absolutely zero intention of intervening. I turned back, directing my full firepower at Lily. "Ms. Lily, 'emotions' are too abstract. They don't retain value. You claim you had such deep emotions, so why did you run away? And now that you're back, what happened? Did the athlete get bored of you? Do you want to come back and graze on your old pasture? I'm sorry, but this pasture has already been fenced off by me. Whether it's fresh grass or dead grass, it's mine, and no one else is touching it!" 5 After my relentless verbal barrage, Lily's tears finally spilled over. She ignored me, looking past my shoulder directly at Julian, and pulled an old, worn-out watch from her purse. "Julian, this was the very first gift you ever gave me. I've kept it all these years... Are you really going to be this heartless? Are you really going to let this feral, country shrew humiliate me?!" In that moment, I saw a flicker of emotion in Julian's eyes. That was the spark of an old flame trying to reignite! Absolutely unacceptable. If that flame caught fire, my fifty-million-dollar dowry would be burned to ashes. Moving with lightning speed, I snatched the watch right out of her hand. "Oh my! The leather strap is completely worn out and peeling, and Ms. Lily still kept it? You are so incredibly frugal!" I held the watch up to the dim club lighting, clicking my tongue twice. "But with Mr. Sterling's current net worth, this cheap flea market garbage stopped being worthy of him a long time ago. Since Ms. Lily doesn't want it anymore, did you bring it here so we could help you throw it away? No problem. I'm used to doing the dirty work; we don't need to bother Mr. Sterling with this." With that, I simply opened my fingers. Plop. The watch dropped directly into the ice bucket on the table. "Chloe Miller!" Lily shrieked, lunging forward to claw at my face. I smoothly dodged to the side and allowed gravity to carry me directly into Julian's lap. "Hubby! Help! The crazy lady is attacking me!" The way I screamed "Hubby" was a masterclass in dramatic, heart-wrenching vulnerability. Julian's entire body went rigid for a full second. But he didn't push me away. He raised one hand, easily blocking the hysterical Lily. "Enough." "Are you done throwing a tantrum? If you're done, get out." Lily stared at him in utter disbelief. "You're protecting her?! You're actually protecting this shameless, gold-digging whore?!" Julian laughed. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me tighter against his chest. "She's here for the money. What's wrong with that?" Julian looked at Lily, his eyes filled with pure mockery. "People who only want money are the cleanest. It's infinitely better than someone who constantly preaches about 'true love' while their heart is full of nothing but selfish, manipulative calculations." With that, he looked down at me. "Come on, wifey. Let's go buy you some things." My eyes practically sparkled with dollar signs. "Yes, Hubby! I want the most expensive things they have!" Lily was still sobbing hysterically behind us, but I didn't have time to deal with her anymore. Julian and I walked out of the VIP room and got into his limited-edition sports car. I thought he was going to take me to a jewelry store to buy some shiny trinkets. Instead, he drove us straight to the most exclusive luxury mall in the city. "You called me 'Hubby' pretty smoothly back there," he said, steering with one hand, looking at me with a half-smile. "What kind of reward do you want?" I immediately sat up straight and pulled out my phone's notepad app. "Mr. Sterling, let's speak frankly. That 'White Lotus Defense' operation I just executed was highly hazardous work. It requires hazard pay. But since you're offering gifts, I won't hold back." I pointed at the Hermes boutique ahead. "I want that bag, and that diamond necklace, and..." Julian raised an eyebrow. "Your taste is that tacky?" "Tacky?" I shook my head. "Mr. Sterling, you don't understand. These items retain their value! They are hard assets! If one day you decide to kick me to the curb, I can liquidate these and live comfortably for the rest of my life. This is what we call risk hedging." Julian stared at me for a long moment, then suddenly slumped over the steering wheel, laughing so hard he couldn't stop. "Chloe Miller, you are an absolute piece of work." He tossed a sleek, black American Express Centurion card into my lap. "Go swipe it. As long as you manage to piss Lily off to the point of a stroke, I'll buy this entire mall for you."
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