Chapter 3

3

Following that incident, Landon and Savannah paraded their relationship everywhere.

He flaunted her at high-society galas, introducing her to everyone as his future wife.

Under envious gazes, he even neglected his family business duties just to fly Savannah to tropical resorts.

My heart, however, remained entirely untroubled.

I finally realized that whatever love I once felt for him was dead and buried.

Whenever old acquaintances reached out to pry about my dynamic with Landon, I answered candidly.

"We were never together. Savannah is the love of his life."

People were shocked that I hadn't thrown a massive fit.

In the past, whenever another woman crossed personal boundaries with Landon, I would lose my temper.

Back then, Landon would always patiently soothe me, buying me treats until I smiled.

I had truly believed that was love.

After replying to the last message, I dialed my mother's private number.

"Mom, I've made up my mind."

"I'm flying to Manhattan in five days."

I had grown up in an orphanage in Upstate New York. The director had found me on the doorstep and raised me alongside the other kids.

Thanks to academic excellence, I covered my living expenses through scholarships and part-time jobs from middle school onward.

It wasn't until I graduated at the top of the state that my biological parents from Manhattan finally tracked me down.

I had an older brother whom I had only seen once when I was an infant.

That was when the truth came out: the family nanny had secretly switched me at birth with her own daughter.

The fake heiress had been discovered secretly funneling money to the nanny when she was thirteen, and my parents had disowned her on the spot.

The Mercer family was one of the most powerful dynasties in New York, commanding an empire worth hundreds of billions.

To make up for my lost years, my parents decided to pass over my brilliant brother and hand the entire family enterprise to me.

At first, I didn't dare accept it.

It felt like a fever dream, and I feared that once I woke up, everything would vanish.

Only with time did I see their unwavering sincerity and gradually accept my true identity.

Yet, I had never found the right moment to tell Landon any of this.

Looking back now, I was grateful I hadn't.

In this world, a woman must hold her destiny in her own hands.

Anything given by someone else, even out of pity, can be snatched away at any second.

My mother's voice rang through the receiver, brimming with joy.

"We've been waiting for you, sweetheart."

"Everything we built belongs to you. Even if you want to squander it on a whim, it's all yours."

The tears I had held back for days finally spilled over my cheeks.

"Thank you, Mom."

After chatting for a while, I hung up.

Opening my feed, I saw the announcement that Landon and Savannah were holding their grand wedding in exactly five days.

The comment section was flooded with congratulations from mutual friends.

A few thoughtless people even messaged to ask what I was going to do about it.

I simply smiled and ignored them.

Five days later, while digital billboards across the city broadcasted Landon and Savannah's lavish wedding preview, I was already strapped into my first-class seat, soaring above the clouds toward Manhattan.