Chapter 1

Three months after my biological parents bring me home, I come down with a high fever. When I wake up, I gain a strange ability.

I can see the "Final Beneficiary" behind every gift.

My biological father, Michael Harper, holds a bowl of herbal tonic. He grasps my hand with a guild-ridden expression, saying, "I know I've always favored Zane. From now on, I'll make it up to you."

Hovering above the bowl, however, is a line of blue text.

"Final Beneficiary: Zane Harper."

"Objective: Restore the donor's health in preparation for next week's bone marrow extraction."

A chill crawls down my spine, but I keep my composure.

Over the next few days, the Harpers' kindness becomes almost excessive.

The expensive suit my sister, Maya Harper, gives me has a label attached to it, too.

"Beneficiary: Zane Harper."

"Objective: Make the fake heir appear more capable at the banquet."

The same goes for the company shares my mother transfers to my name.

"Beneficiary: Zane Harper."

"Objective: Use the true heir as the legal representative to take the fall for the company's impending tax scandal."

One night, Maya, who has always despised me, throws her arms around me. Her eyes are red with tears as she says, "We'll send Zane abroad tomorrow. From now on, you'll be the only one I spoil."

At that moment, a massive crimson label flashes over her head, stinging my eyes.

"Final Beneficiary: Zane Harper."

"Objective: Appease the real heir and trick him into signing the heart transplant consent form tomorrow."

Chapter 1

I did not push my sister, Maya Harper, away. I let her hold me, but my eyes stayed locked on the translucent red panel floating over her head.

"Go to sleep. Everything will be fine tomorrow," she said.

Maya let me go and patted my shoulder. Her eyes were still red-rimmed from crying, but she managed a warm smile.

"Okay. Good night, Maya."

I nodded, entered my room, and locked the door behind me.

The moment the lock clicked, my obedient expression vanished.

This family of mine was even worse than I imagined.

I walked to my desk and pulled open the bottom drawer. Inside lay the expedited lab report that arrived yesterday.

Three months ago, the Harpers brought me back from the countryside.

Irene Grant and her husband, Michael Harper, had held my hands tightly. They cried as they apologized for all the years I'd suffered.

Zane Harper stood beside them, his eyes watery as he called me his brother.

Then, three days ago, I came down with a high fever.

When I woke up, Michael came into my room carrying a bowl of herbal tonic.

He sat beside my bed, gently stirring the tonic before taking my hand. His face was filled with guilt as he said, "My dear son, you've suffered far too much. I'm going to make it up to you. I had a renowned doctor prepare this preion. It's supposed to replenish your strength."

That was the first time I saw the status panel.

At that moment, I didn't say a word. I didn't knock the bowl away either.

Instead, I picked it up and complained that I hated bitter stuff. After that, I asked for some candy from the kitchen.

The second he left, I poured every drop of the tonic into an empty bottle. Then, I smeared the dregs left at the bottom of the bowl across my lips.

When he returned, I pretended to finish the last mouthful in front of him before eating the candy he handed me.

The next morning, I mailed the bottled tonic to a private laboratory in the city.

The results had finally arrived. "High concentrations of multiple potent anticoagulants".

Long-term use of the tonic would not improve one's health. On the contrary, it would destroy one's body's ability to clot.

If someone in that condition underwent a bone marrow biopsy or any major surgery, they would bleed out on the operating table.

It seemed that Michael intended to make sure I died during the operation. He wanted my death to look completely natural.

I folded the lab report and slipped it into the inside pocket of my jacket.

The next morning, Irene called me into her room. Besides her stood the Harpers' longtime legal counsel, Elise Sawyer.

Chapter 2

Several thick stacks of documents lay across the desk. Irene motioned for me to sit before pouring me a cup of tea.

"Stephen, it's been three months since you've come home. I've been thinking… It's not enough to simply say I'll make it up to you."

She slid a document to me, her voice warm and kind. "These are the transfer papers for one of my subsidiary companies, along with the paperwork to change its legal representative. Once you sign them, the company will be yours. That way, you'll always have something to rely on even if I'm no longer around."

Another blue line of text floated above the papers.

"Beneficiary: Zane Harper."

"Objective: Use the real heir as the legal representative to take the fall for the company's impending three-billion-dollar tax fraud scandal."

I stared at the words and picked up the pen.

"You're so good to me, Mom."

I lowered my head, my pen hovering over the signature line.

"But there's some legal jargon I don't understand. Can I ask Ms. Sawyer about them privately? I don't want to embarrass you by not knowing what I'm doing after taking over the company."

Irene froze, then broke out into a pleased smile.

"Yes, of course. My darling Stephen is all grown up. Ms. Sawyer, tell Stephen what he wants to know. I'll see how lunch is coming along."

She left the study and closed the door. Only Elise and I remained.

Elise adjusted her glasses and spoke in a professional tone, "Which part would you like me to explain, Mr. Stephen?"

Instead of looking at the documents, I stared at her.

Floating above her head was a line of words.

"Beneficiary: Zane Harper."

"Objective: Assist Irene Grant in preparing fraudulent contracts. Shield Zane Harper from the tax investigation and let the real heir take the fall."

I twirled the pen between my fingers.

"On page three, clause seven, it says the addendum on debt assumption is bound in a way that allows the pages to be switched. If I sign, you can remove the original pages and replace them with a version listing Zane as the final beneficiary. That means I'll take the fall for the three-billion-dollar tax fraud, right?"

Elise instantly paled. She stood up so quickly that she knocked over the cups. Tea spilled across the desk.

"Mr. Harper, what are you talking about? It was Mrs. Harper who prepared these documents," she said, trying to remain calm.

"You know very well what I'm talking about."

I fished out my phone and played an audio recording. It appeared that I had started recording before entering the room.

Placing the phone on the desk, I told her, "Ms. Sawyer, this is fraud. If I hand these documents and this recording to the Financial Crimes Unit, how many years do you think you'll spend in jail?"

A beat of sweat rolled down Elise's forehead.

"What do you want?" she finally asked in a low voice.

"Make Zane Harper the legal representative and the party bearing final liability. Also, remove all the replaceable pages."

I held her gaze before continuing, "If you do that, I'll pretend nothing happened and sign the papers. If you refuse, I'll call the police right now."

Elise glared at me.

Just then, Zane walked past through the study's glass door. Her eyes instinctively followed him.

She looked at him like she was looking at something that belonged to her.

Gritting her teeth, she pulled out a backup copy from her briefcase. That one contained no loopholes. She filled in Zane Harper's name on the line for the party bearing legal responsibility.

Then, she pushed the contract to me. "You can sign now, Mr. Stephen."

Chapter 3

That afternoon, Maya knocked on my bedroom door. She held a large black gift box. Inside it was a bespoke suit.

"Stephen," she said, "Mom is holding a banquet tonight to celebrate your homecoming."

She lifted the suit and held it against me, checking the fit. "I had this custom-made just for you. You'll look dashing in it. You'll be the only star of the evening."

Floating above the suit's collar was another line.

"Beneficiary: Zane Harper."

"Objective: Make the fake heir appear more refined at the banquet. A miniature microphone is hidden in the collar to record the real heir's voice. It will be edited with an AI program into a declaration agreeing to donate his heart."

I ran my fingers over the fabric and gave her a bright smile. "Thanks, Maya. I love it."

Maya's gaze flickered for an instant before she cleared her throat.

"I'm glad you like it. Go change. The stylist will be here soon. Zane still needs my help, so I'll head over first."

She turned and hurried away.

After the door closed, I carefully traced the stitching around the collar with my fingertips.

Beneath the label at the back of the neck was a tiny hard bump.

I took a pair of small scissors from my drawer, cut the seam open, and removed the tiny black microphone.

It was still powered on. I gripped it in my hand and left my room.

At the end of the hallway was Zane's bedroom. The door was left ajar, so Zane and Maya's voice drifted from inside.

I quietly approached the door.

Zane sat in front of the vanity while Maya adjusted his tie.

An expensive watch sat next to his hand. It was his favorite one. He never went anywhere without it.

"Maya, Stephen will be dressed to the nines tonight. Won't he steal all the attention?" Zane asked, sounding aggrieved.

"He won't. That style is outdated. It'll only make you look even more charming," Maya assured him gently. "Besides, after tonight, he won't be able to take anything from you again. His heart will be removed very soon."

I listened from outside, my expression unreadable. When they turned away to pick out Zane's cufflinks, I slipped into the room and grabbed the watch.

Using the tip of the scissors, I pried open the hidden layer inside the strap and tucked the microphone into it.

The entire exchange took less than 30 seconds.

Then, I slipped back out and returned to my own bedroom.

Chapter 4

At 8:00 pm, the Harper estate was ablaze with lights.

In the ballroom of the first floor, nearly every prominent figure in the city's business world was gathered.

I stood quietly in the corner, wearing the bespoke suit Maya gave me.

Meanwhile, Zane wore a pure white suit. A group of scions surrounded him, singing him praises.

By 9:00 pm, the banquet had reached its climax.

Irene took the microphone and stood on stage. The lights in the ballroom dimmed.

"Thank you all for coming tonight." She looked radiant, her voice carrying through the hall. "Tonight, other than celebrating the return of my biological son, Stephen Harper, I have another important announcement to make."

She paused briefly, shifting her gaze to me.

"To make up for all the hardships Stephen suffered over the years, I have decided to establish a medical charity foundation in his name.

"In addition, Stephen is grateful to Zane for taking care of this family in his place for the past ten years. He has agreed to sign a transfer agreement giving half of his shares to Zane."

The ballroom erupted into thunderous applause.

"Mrs. Harper is such a philanthropist!"

"Mr. Stephen is incredibly considerate and humble too. They're the perfect image of a loving mother and son!"

"The Harpers are truly a treasure!"

The guests' praises continued without end.

Irene waved, and Elise approached me with a document.

At the same time, Michael walked over carrying two glasses of champagne.

His eyes were slightly red as he handed one to me, saying, "Stephen, I'd like to make a toast to you. You're a good son. I'm glad you came to this world."

Maya also appeared behind me before I realized it. She gripped my shoulders firmly, as if wanting to make sure I had nowhere to escape.

"Stephen, sign it. After drinking from this glass, you'll be the pride of the Harpers forever."

Her voice, which was tinged with excitement, floated into my ear as a whisper.

I simply stared at them without any intention of moving.

Above Irene's head, I saw the words, "Objective: Force him to sign the agreement and send him straight to the operating table tomorrow."

Above Michael's head was, "Objective: Watch him drink champagne laced with a high dose of sedatives and anticoagulants, leaving him unable to resist tonight."

Finally, above Maya's head was, "Objective: Restrain him. If he resists, summon the bodyguards and have them knock him out in front of everyone."

I reached out and took the champagne from Michael. With my other hand, I took the pen Elise offered.

"Okay," I said. "I'll sign the document."