Chapter 1

I supported my fiancé’s college tuition for four long years, only for him to dump me the second he graduated.

He told me that the powerful King family of Manhattan was a beast he couldn’t fight. He had no choice but to marry into their family and become their kept husband.

Then, he sighed, looking down at me, and called me an ignorant, clueless country girl.

He threw a check for twenty thousand dollars at my face and said we were even.

Too bad for him, he had no idea.

I am the only real heiress of the King family—the one destined to inherit the entire empire.

I packed my things, getting ready to head back to New York City.

I called Oliver. Within an hour, he pulled up outside my rural cabin in a blinding silver supercar.

He had to stop there because the road ahead was too narrow for his low-clearance ride.

"I thought you’d fallen in love with the quiet country life and forgotten all about Manhattan," Oliver teased, leaning against the door.

"None of this scenery is half as distracting as you," I smiled, sliding into the passenger seat.

The moment I arrived in New York, I went straight to Columbia University to see Ethan. I spotted him from a distance and waved.

When he saw me, he panicked and ran over, looking around nervously.

"Mia, I know I broke your heart," Ethan hissed, his voice hushed. "But even if you stalked me all the way here, I’m not changing my mind. We are over."

I walked right past him, completely ignoring his existence.

Just then, Dean Fletcher of Columbia University walked up. He smiled warmly and patted my shoulder.

"Chloe! Welcome back. I’ve kept your enrollment active this entire time. Whenever you're ready, you can resume your classes."

I took the documents Dean Fletcher handed me. I didn't give Ethan a single glance.

Ethan stood there, his jaw practically hitting the floor. He looked like his entire reality had just shattered. He definitely recognized the Dean.

Leaving him to drown in his confusion, I drove straight to the King family's estate.

The security code at the front gate was still the same. The moment I walked in, my mother rushed over and hugged me so tight I could barely breathe. She was crying so hard she forgot all about her usual high-society elegance.

Suddenly, Serena bounced out from the living room. Her face went pale, and she shrieked as if she had seen a ghost.

"Aunt Helen, don't let her fool you! My cousin Chloe died four years ago!"

She lunged forward, trying to grab me.

*Slap!*

I smacked her hard across the face.

"I’ve come back from the grave to collect my debt, Serena," I whispered, my voice ice-cold. "You better lock your bedroom door very tight tonight."

Serena burst into tears, completely losing her composure.

I didn't care.

"Mom, I'm home," I said, wiping my mother’s tears. "And I'm never leaving again."

My mother believed I had just been studying abroad for the past four years. She had missed me too much to question anything else.

Just then, the front door swung open, and my father walked in.

"Chloe? My baby girl is back?!"

His booming voice echoed through the grand hallway.

I rubbed my ears with a smile and threw myself into his arms.

My tough-guy dad was trying hard to play it cool, but I could see his eyes brimming with tears.

Hearing the commotion, Grandma Evelyn came out of her study. She was visibly shaking.

"Your rebellious granddaughter is finally home, Grandma," I said.

I knelt beside her rocking chair, burying my face in her hands. Grandma was a woman of traditional values. To her, family respect was everything.

That night, the lights in the King estate burned until dawn.

Serena stood in the corner, muttering bitterly.

"Grandma, we should double-check her identity. What if she’s just some imposter who wants our family fortune?"

I knew she would try this.

Before coming down, I had already explained everything to Grandma, and my parents knew the truth too. For the public, we agreed on a cover story: I had been studying secretly in Europe for four years and had just returned.

"That's enough, Serena!" Grandma snapped, slamming her cane on the floor. "Your cousin's return is a blessing. If I hear you spreading rumors again, I will personally kick you out of this house!"

Serena had every reason to doubt my return.

After all, four years ago, she was the one who hired the thugs to kill me. She was also the one who plunged a knife into my back before pushing me into the freezing river.