Chapter 1

I was the long-lost daughter of a billionaire family, finally brought home.

On my very first day, a delivery man tried to slit the throat of the fake heiress, Seraphina.

I rushed forward and pushed her out of the way, but the blade sliced deep into my own arm.

Instead of a thank you, my biological mother accused me of staging the whole thing.

"What a performance. You've barely stepped through the door and you're already using these disgusting tricks?"

"Do you think this will make us pity you? Do you think you can replace Seraphina? Look at yourself in the mirror first!"

She laughed cruelly, cradling the fake heiress and calling her "my precious darling."

I felt a chill run through my soul. Then, my own brother shoved me to the floor.

"Get out! We don't want a wicked woman like you in this house! Leave now!"

"Seraphina is our only sister. You're nothing but an island rat from some trailer park in the middle of nowhere!"

I slowly stood up and wiped the blood from my arm. I pulled out my phone and dialed my "poor" father back home.

"Dad, I don't want to stay with these billionaires anymore. They're too poor. Send someone to bring me back to our island."

1.

The other end of the line went silent for a second. Then, a roar like a cornered lion erupted from the speaker.

"Who dares to make my daughter suffer?! Stay right there, Chiara. I'm sending the fleet for you now!"

The living room fell into a deathly silence.

Lydia Sinclair, the woman who was supposed to be my mother, clutched the trembling Seraphina. Her shock lasted only a moment.

In the next second, she burst out laughing as if she had heard the best joke in the world. She snatched the phone from my hand.

"Hello? You old fossil, you actually picked up? Who do you think you are?"

"Sending people? What, in a rusty tractor? Can you even find your way off that rock you call an island?"

"Listen to me. This girl belongs to the Sinclair family now. Whether she lives or dies has nothing to do with you!"

"If you're smart, you'll never show your face again. If you come here, I'll make sure you and your pathetic island vanish!"

She screamed into the phone and then slammed it onto the marble floor.

"Crack!"

The screen shattered into a thousand pieces.

Before I could say a word, a sharp pain shot through my scalp.

"Everyone, come look at this!"

Lydia grabbed my hair and dragged me into the center of the room. She shrieked for the maids and bodyguards to gather.

"Look at this little snake from the sticks! Look at how manipulative she is!"

"She staged a bloody scene to get sympathy, and she even found an old con artist to play along on the phone!"

She leaned down and hissed into my ear.

"Who do you think you are? You grew up picking up trash on a beach. You don't deserve to step foot in the Sinclair mansion."

The wound on my arm was still bleeding.

I never wanted to come back here in the first place.

They were the ones who sent people to the island. They used every trick to tell me I was their biological daughter lost eighteen years ago.

My dad had encouraged me to go. He said they were my blood and might treat me with love.

I looked at Lydia and felt nothing but irony.

"What's with that look in your eyes?"

A cold voice rang out.

My biological brother, Chester Sinclair, kicked me hard in the back of my knees. I collapsed onto the floor.

"Seraphina is traumatized because of you! You almost got her killed!"

"You're a curse to everyone you touch. Just thinking that we share the same blood makes me want to vomit!"

He cursed at me while grabbing my backpack. He dumped everything inside onto the floor.

A soft "thud" echoed as a simple wooden bird rolled across the polished tiles.

My heart tightened. I lunged for it.

But Seraphina's crystal-encrusted heel stepped firmly onto the carving.

"What is this garbage?"

A butler standing nearby shifted uncomfortably. He whispered, "Miss, wait. That wood looks like…"

Chester spat on the floor with contempt.

"It's just a piece of scrap wood. Only a peasant would treat this like a treasure!"

"Give it back! My father carved that for me!"

I struggled to crawl toward it, but Chester pinned me down.

Seraphina leaned over and picked up the wooden bird. She weighed it in her hand.

She smiled then, a look that was both innocent and evil.

"Is this all your poor father could give you? A worthless toy? How pathetic."

She raised her hand high and threw the carving into the stone fireplace.

"Snap!"

The bird's wings broke on impact.

"There. That's where trash belongs."

She laughed as the broken wood lay in the cold ashes.

The servants nearby let out muffled giggles.

Tears blurred my vision instantly.

How could they call it worthless?

Last year, when I was very sick, my dad carved that from the rarest Starlight Wood on the island just to make me smile.

He told me the wood had a calming soul. He said as long as I kept it, I would never have nightmares again.

Now, it was broken.

I reached out with trembling hands to gather the pieces, but Lydia kicked my hand away.

She looked down at me with pure disgust.

"A stray dog from the country will always be a dog. Thinking a piece of wood is a jewel!"

She grew violent then. She slammed her elbow into my face.

Blood trickled from the corner of my mouth. My head spun.

But I kept my eyes locked on her.

"What is this noise?! Have you no shame?!"

A commanding voice boomed from behind.

It was the master of the house. My biological father and the CEO of the Sinclair Group, Barrett Sinclair.

He walked into the room with long strides.

Lydia immediately began to cry, twisting the story to make me look like a monster. His face turned as cold as ice.

"Chiara, apologize to Seraphina and your mother right now!"