When I finally learned that my long-lost daughter had been found, I immediately dropped everything and rushed back home. Stepping out of the car, a girl quickly approached me, intimately taking my hand. Her voice carried a hint of deliberate envy: “You must be my older sister, right? Look at your skin, so well-maintained. You must have never known hardship, unlike me, who tasted every bitterness in the countryside.” I hadn't even fully processed this sudden address when she abruptly yanked my hand towards herself, dramatically falling to the ground. “Sister! How could you push me?” she cried, clutching her arm, tears instantly welling up. “If you really don’t want me here, I’ll leave right now. I won’t be an eyesore…” She choked back a sob, adding, “Please, don’t tell Mom and Dad. I don’t want them to be torn, and I certainly don’t want my presence to disrupt this family’s peace.” With that, she curled up on the ground, trembling like a leaf in the wind, drawing curious stares from passersby. I stood there, utterly bewildered—What older sister? I’m her mother! … “Sister, please don’t be angry…” “I… I know I was wrong… I shouldn’t be a bother here…” In front of me, Mishay was still on the ground, a picture of pure injustice. Passersby rushed to help her up, their gazes at me burning with anger. “You’re Elara Culver, aren’t you? The fake heiress adopted by the Culver family?” “How dare you push Mishay? You’re just an imposter, what right do you have to bully the real daughter?” “Fakes are always fakes; all they know is how to stir up trouble!” The crowd murmured, their eyes filled with disdain. “Please don’t talk about my sister like that…” Mishay suppressed her sobs, staggering forward and clinging tightly to my wrist. “It’s alright, Sister. You can hit me, you can scold me. I’m used to it, growing up in the orphanage…” “Only…” She paused, large tears streaming down her face. “Sister, could you please let me see Mom? I grew up in an orphanage and never even knew what Mom looked like…” Hearing this, the crowd instantly erupted. “Mishay is so pitiful! The true daughter of the Culver family, abandoned in an orphanage to suffer!” “Elara Culver, you’ve usurped her place for so many years, and now you won’t even let her see her mother? Are you even human?!” I looked at the crowd, my brows furrowed. When did I ever forbid her from seeing her mother? It’s her who didn't recognize that I am her mother. These past few years, due to the sensitive nature of my work, I’d never appeared in public, so almost no one had seen me. Coupled with my meticulous skincare routine, I still looked quite young. But I never imagined I’d be mistaken for my adoptive daughter, Elara Culver. “Sister, I beg you…” Mishay suddenly dropped to her knees before me, gazing up with tear-filled eyes. “After I see Mom, I’ll leave immediately and never appear before you again… Please, Sister, I just need to see Mom once…” I looked down at her, a swirl of emotions in my heart. Last week, I was on a secret mission. It wasn’t until I left the lab today that I learned my daughter had been found, and I rushed back home. All the way, I’d been imagining our reunion, thinking about what to say. But I never in a million years expected that the first time my biological daughter saw me, it would be to frame me. “Get up first.” I bent down to help her. “Mishay, actually, I’m not—” My words were cut short. Suddenly. “What are you doing?!” A furious voice boomed from behind me. 2 “Mishay, you don’t have to be afraid of her.” Caleb Thorne walked up, helped her to her feet, and glared coldly at me. “You’re Elara Culver?” “Let me tell you, Mishay is my girlfriend. It’s not your place, you imposter, to bully her!” The moment he spoke, the surroundings erupted. “Girlfriend? Young Master Thorne is with Mishay?” “But Young Master Thorne has an engagement with Elara Culver! Is he publicly breaking it off? That’s a huge slap in the face!” “So what if he does? Mishay is the real heiress. What is Elara Culver anyway?” “Tsk, tsk, Elara Culver is completely humiliated now. If it were me, I’d crawl into a hole and disappear.” Listening to the chatter, my brows furrowed deeper. Caleb Thorne was the only son of the Thorne family, and I had personally chosen him as a suitable match for Elara. I had planned for the two children to meet after I finished my current projects. I never expected him to appear here so suddenly, or that he would be embracing Mishay and claiming she was his girlfriend. “Elara Culver, since you’re here today, I’ll make things clear.” Caleb stared at me, holding Mishay tightly in his arms. “I fell for Mishay at first sight. She’s the one I want to marry.” “As for you, my parents forced you on me. I wouldn’t be caught dead with someone who throws herself at people like you.” A burst of laughter erupted from the crowd. I clenched my fists, a cold sneer escaping my lips. This engagement, his parents had begged us to accept it. The Thorne family’s finances were on the verge of collapse a few years back, and it was my old friendship that saved them. If anyone was “throwing themselves at people,” it was his Thorne family, shamelessly clinging on. “Caleb, darling, don’t say that.” Mishay tugged at his sleeve, then looked up at me. “Sister, please don’t be angry. Caleb just can’t stand to see me wronged.” As she spoke, a flicker of triumph and pride flashed in her eyes. I stared at her face, my heart clenching painfully. Mishay had wandered off and been lost for over a decade, and I had searched for her all those years. I had yearned for her return, and now she was finally home. But I never imagined… she would become this kind of person. “Elara Culver, I know you must like me and want to marry me.” Caleb arrogantly tilted his head. “But I don’t like you. You should give up.” “Who said I like you?” I finally couldn’t help but chuckle, looking up at him. “Caleb Thorne, I’m already married. How could I possibly want to marry you?” The air quieted for a moment. Caleb was stunned, then burst out laughing as if he’d heard the funniest joke in the world. “Married?” “Elara Culver, what are you trying to pull? How could you be married?” “You’re not trying some ridiculous reverse psychology because you like me so much, are you? I told you, I’m not interested.” Listening to his words, I found it increasingly ridiculous. I had initially agreed to let him be with Elara because I’d seen him at a banquet once and thought he was presentable, worthy of my daughter. I never imagined that, in private, he would be such an arrogant, self-important fool. “Sister, I’m so sorry…” “But Caleb and I truly love each other. You’ve already taken everything from me these past years.” “Just let me have Caleb!” Mishay sobbed, tears streaming down her face, burying herself in Caleb’s arms, trembling. Caleb hugged her tighter, his eyes burning as if he wanted to flay me alive. I stared at her, truly at a loss for words. I had searched for her for seventeen years, fearing she would suffer, be bullied, or not live well. Yet now, she was publicly putting on an act, slandering her own mother, and stealing her sister’s fiancé. What was even more ridiculous was that the man she was stealing was someone of Caleb Thorne’s caliber. “Sister, I beg you!” Seeing that I still hadn’t spoken, Mishay cried out anxiously, “You can’t take Caleb away!” “You clearly… clearly already secretly with another man…” 3 Mishay’s words hung unfinished as she clapped a hand over her mouth, feigning regret for speaking out of turn. “Another man? What other man?” Caleb’s face darkened. “Mishay, what do you know? Speak clearly.” “I…” Mishay looked at him with feigned difficulty, then suddenly turned and bowed deeply to me. “I’m sorry, Sister… I didn’t mean to say it… I just didn’t want Caleb to be deceived…” With that, she pulled out a photo from her phone and held it up. It was a picture of me and a man embracing. My face was clear. The man, however, was only a blurred profile, unidentifiable. “Holy cow! Elara Culver has a boyfriend too? So what is this? Cheating on Young Master Thorne?” “Who’s that guy? Looks a little familiar.” “Doesn’t matter who. He doesn’t look young, does he? Tsk, tsk, I can’t believe Elara Culver would ditch Young Master Thorne for an older man. Her taste is… unique!” Listening to the whispers of the crowd, Caleb’s face grew uglier. The next second, he suddenly lunged forward, grabbing my hand, his eyes blazing with fury. “Elara Culver, how dare you cheat on me!” I was utterly dumbfounded by his absurd accusation. Firstly, I wasn’t Elara. Even if I were, and Elara did have a boyfriend, what business was it of his? The engagement hadn’t been formalized, and they hadn’t even met. He could be openly affectionate with Mishay and announce their relationship, but Elara had to remain chaste for him? What kind of logic was that? “Actually…” Mishay, seeing the situation, hesitantly uttered two more words. She shot me a provocative glance, then suddenly sighed. “Sister… actually, you’re not just involved with this one older man, are you?” “My people also caught you frequently entering those kinds of places, and the men around you were also…” At this, her voice stopped, and she looked at me, as if advising me. “Sister, a woman still needs to respect herself. You mingling with so many men is really…” Hearing this, everyone’s gaze swiveled to me. “I can’t believe it, this Elara Culver is actually that kind of person.” “She must have been used up by now, what a cheap whore.” “This imposter knows no shame? She should just get out of the Culver family!” The curses grew uglier, and the looks they gave me became incredibly lewd. I stood my ground, my eyes fixed on Mishay. I couldn’t believe it—my own biological daughter was spreading malicious rumors about me! “Sister, what’s past is past. I’ll definitely help you keep it a secret.” “And I certainly won’t let Mom and Dad know about this, don’t worry.” As she spoke, she suddenly reached out again, feigning intimacy, to take my hand. A chill seeped into my bones. I took two steps back, instinctively shaking her hand off gently. “Ah—!” Mishay suddenly shrieked and fell backward, hitting the ground hard, even rolling twice before stopping. “Mishay?! What happened? Who dared to push you?!” Hasty footsteps approached from a distance. The next second, a familiar figure burst through the crowd and helped Mishay up from the ground. I followed the sound and saw an incredibly familiar face. It was the man from the photo Mishay had just used to slander me. My husband of twenty years, her father. Arthur Culver.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "406276", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel