Chapter 1

I'm the long-lost biological daughter of a wealthy family.

After returning home, I did only three things.

First, I installed surveillance cameras throughout the house -- no blind spots, 360 degrees.

Second, I dumped a whole bag of "true vs. fake heiress" stories on them and told them to learn how to handle the relationship between a biological daughter and an adopted one.

Third, I stayed ready to go completely unhinged at any moment.

It turns out, the first two didn't work on a family that's both blind and willfully ignorant.

Only by going full-on crazy and taking everyone down with me could I reclaim what rightfully belongs to me.

"I'm the one who stole eighteen years of Vanessa's life."

"Now that she's back, I should leave."

The fake heiress stood there in an expensive white designer dress, crying like a wilting flower.

Just as Mom, Dad, and my brothers were about to comfort her, I took the initiative and threw two large canvas bags off my shoulder onto the expensive floor.

"Wait a second, everyone."

"The security here is terrible."

"Let me install some surveillance cameras first."

To survive, I'd worked countless part-time jobs.

Installing surveillance cameras was nothing difficult for me.

I had to admit, wealthy estates were huge -- but also truly contradictory.

They didn't even have a single security camera.

I casually wiped the sweat from my face and flashed an honest smile at the family members with their varying expressions.

"Dad, Mom, Vanessa, Ethan, Lucas -- you don't need to thank me too much."

"Sure, buying all this stuff drained my entire savings, but at least it'll keep everyone safe."

"Plus, now other wealthy families won't laugh at us for not being able to afford surveillance cameras."

Seeing their suddenly stifled expressions, I quickly bent down to open the other bag and pulled out several novels with flashy covers.

Without waiting for a response, I stuffed them into their stiff hands.

"This is my first time being a real heiress, so I don't have much experience."

"But I figured reading more books can't hurt."

I rubbed my rough fingers together, my eyes sincere.

"Let's study and learn together."

Vanessa clutched the book in her hands so tightly her knuckles went white.

Tears instantly streamed down her face.

"Vanessa, are you doing all this because you're guarding against me?"

"I should just leave."

I quickly moved aside from the doorway and gave her a thumbs-up.

"You want to go back to your biological parents?"

"I knew you were beautiful inside and out."

"All that wealth didn't make you forget your real mom and dad."

"Sure, your dad loves drinking, gambling, and beating people."

"And your mom is cruel and vicious -- eighteen years ago, she deliberately switched you and me while working as a maid for the Hayes family."

"But at the end of the day, you share the same blood as them."

"There's a saying, isn't there?"

"A child doesn't despise their mother's ugliness, and a dog doesn't despise its family's poverty."

"No matter how awful they are, they're still the ones who brought you into this world."

With every word I spoke, Vanessa's face grew paler.

By the end, her whole body was swaying.

Ethan quickly pulled her into his arms protectively.

"Vanessa, shut up."

"Pearl was just a baby who didn't understand anything back then."

"What fault could she possibly have?"

I nodded eagerly.

"Ethan, you're New York's best lawyer."

"Since you've determined that switching children isn't a crime, then this whole thing must be perfectly legal."

Watching Ethan's expression darken progressively, I slapped my thigh hard.

"I'm such an idiot!"

"Pearl is so kind -- how could I say she has dirty blood flowing through her veins?"

"Three years ago, when her adoptive parents secretly came to the Hayes residence looking for her, she even gave them a large sum of money."

My eldest brother's handsome face turned completely dark at this point.

Pearl, leaning against him, rolled her eyes back and fainted.

"Lucas, go get the family doctor quickly."

Lucas was my second brother.

Ethan carried Pearl upstairs in a rush.

I anxiously followed behind them.

"Wait, so when you're sick you're supposed to see a doctor?"

"But my adoptive parents always said I just needed to tough it out."

Mom and Dad, who had been about to follow them upstairs, involuntarily stopped in their tracks.

The two exchanged glances and thoughtfully opened the "true versus fake heiress" novel in their hands.