Chapter 1

Before my business trip, I left my daughter an unlimited Black Card.

I demanded she spend at least one million dollars a month to get her used to a luxurious lifestyle.

At first, I thought seeing her spend money would motivate me to make more. But as time went on, things felt off.

Within three days, she bought hundreds of luxury items. In five days, she purchased ten luxury villas. Yesterday, she even ordered a hundred adult toys.

I secretly flew back to New York to find out what was going on.

But to my horror, the moment I stepped off the plane, I got a call saying my daughter had been hit by a car while scavenging for recyclables.

She was in the hospital, unable to even pay her medical bills.

The nurse’s tone on the phone was dripping with disgust. "Mrs. Vance, I’ve never seen a mother as heartless as you. If you don't get here right now, your daughter might not make it!"

Panicking, I rushed to the hospital, only to find her lying on a cheap cot, emaciated and broken.

As my heart bled for her, my phone buzzed. It was a notification that my Black Card had just been used for a luxury spa package.

I immediately stopped my assistant from cancelling the card and let out a cold laugh.

Oh, they love swiping my card? I’ll make sure they swipe it until they burn in hell.

I stepped off the plane clutching a carefully wrapped birthday gift, imagining the bright, happy smile on my daughter’s face.

But the moment I turned on my phone at JFK airport, a dozen missed calls flashed on the screen.

Before I could even process it, my phone rang again. I picked it up.

"Is this the mother of Seraphina Sterling? This is Mercy Community Hospital."

"She was hit by a car yesterday while dumpster-diving on the highway. We brought her in for emergency surgery."

"We saved her life, but you need to clear her medical bills immediately."

I stood frozen, as if struck by lightning.

"That’s impossible!" I blurted out.

The nurse's voice instantly turned hostile.

"Are you trying to skip out on the bill? Get here and pay up, or we’ll have to throw your daughter out to fend for herself."

With a sharp click, the line went dead.

My heart pounded with dread. I rushed out of the terminal and told my chauffeur to fly to the hospital.

How could Seraphina be scavenging for trash? Even if she ran out of cash, the housekeepers at the estate would have fed her.

And with the Black Card I gave her, how could she be unable to pay a medical bill?

The moment I ran into the ward, my breath caught. Lying on a filthy cot was my skeletal daughter.

Her arm and right leg were wrapped in thick plaster casts, making her already frail body look painfully tiny.

When she saw me, her lifeless eyes suddenly filled with tears.

I rushed to her side, pulling her into my arms and gently stroking her back.

"Don't cry, my sweet girl. Mom is here. You’re safe now."

Her face was covered in dark bruises, and her exposed arms were mapped with old and new scars.

In just one year, my bubbly, beautiful princess had been reduced to this.

Seraphina sobbed against my shoulder, her tears soaking my coat. "Mom, the nurse said today is the deadline. If we don't pay, they’re going to throw me out on the street."

Her words pierced my heart like a dagger. I stroked her matted hair and whispered, "Sera, didn't I leave you my Black Card? How could you run out of money?"

Her fragile frame shuddered. It took all of her courage to look at me and whisper:

"Julian took my card. He gave it to Chloe. He said... he said I didn't deserve to be a Sterling, and that I was too pathetic to ever be his girl."

Julian Miller was the son of our housekeeper, Martha Miller. Chloe was the girl who had been swapped with my daughter at birth. Those two had always been close.

Many in our social circle assumed Julian would eventually marry into our family, so they constantly licked his boots.

When we finally found Seraphina and brought her home, I wanted her to feel secure.

I immediately kicked Chloe out of our villa, giving her enough money to live comfortably for the rest of her life. I thought I had been more than generous.

I never imagined that these two ungrateful snakes would dare abuse my daughter the moment my back was turned.

I will make them regret ever being born.

Looking at my terrified, frail daughter, my soul burned with rage.

"Mom is going to make them pay, sweetie. No one will ever hurt you again."