Chapter 1

As the destined lucky star of the Sinclair family, I skipped evening self-study to prepare for the annual family ritual. Little did I know that just as I caught my breath, the door of the Koi Hall would be kicked open by my classmate.

"You bitch! Not only did you seduce my boyfriend, but you dare to come to his family's ancestral hall for an affair? You must be tired of living!" Vanessa Jennings shouted at me.

Confused by her sudden accusation, I retorted casually. Unexpectedly, this group of people became convinced that I had seduced young master Theo Sinclair and proceeded to smash my face with a feng shui ornament, leaving me bloodied.

Touching my throbbing forehead, I was speechless.

With me, their lucky star, injured, the Sinclair family would no longer be able to maintain their status as the wealthiest family.

Vanessa's lackeys, though loud in their threats, fell silent at the sight of blood.

As I touched my bloody forehead, my first thought was that the Sinclair family was about to face misfortune again.

My name is Autumn Kensington, and I've been an orphan since childhood.

The old patriarch of the Sinclair family, known for his ability to read stars and fortunes, adopted me immediately and held an internal meeting to honor me as a distinguished guest.

"The rise and fall of our Sinclair family lineage will henceforth be tied to Autumn alone," he declared.

"Immediately establish the Koi Hall and make sure to take good care of Miss Autumn. Write it as the first rule in our family code!"

And so, I grew up in luxury in the Koi Hall built for me by the Sinclair family.

Soon after, the old patriarch passed away. The current family head, Richard Sinclair, heard rumors that I had caused the death of my parents. He treated me disrespectfully and kicked me out of the family. That very night, the Sinclair family's stock prices plummeted, and even the young master Theo Sinclair, whom they had just mentioned, suddenly suffered a heart attack and barely survived.

It could be said that from the moment I was adopted by the Sinclair family, my fate became inextricably linked with their prosperity and decline.

When I'm happy, the Sinclair family naturally prospers.

When I'm injured, the Sinclair family inevitably faces setbacks.

The servants of Koi Hall, who had always treated me with utmost respect since childhood, were stunned at the sight of my bloodied state. After a moment of shock, they screamed.

"Who are you people? Who gave you the audacity to harm Miss Autumn!"

"Kneel and apologize to Miss Autumn immediately, or don't blame us for being impolite!"

Vanessa still held the bronze fish she had used to hit me.

This bronze fish was a feng shui artifact specially crafted for me by the old patriarch at great expense. Apart from me, no one else was allowed to touch it. Now that it was stained with blood, the Sinclair family would suffer financial losses tonight.

This spoiled young lady, ignorant of everything, was controlled by anger and swung the bronze fish around wildly.

"Bah! I should be asking you where you get the nerve to talk to me like that!" she spat.

"I'm Theo Sinclair's girlfriend, and I'm about to exchange birth charts for engagement right here in Koi Hall. I'm your future mistress!"

Vanessa's lackeys, now emboldened, reached out to poke my forehead.

"Autumn, it's bad enough that you flirt around with teachers, but now you dare to seduce young master Sinclair?"

"Everyone in school knows that young master Sinclair is going to marry our Vanessa. How dare you get into his car? If we don't teach you a lesson today, who knows what you'll do next – maybe even climb into his bed!"

I covered my wound, my face full of helplessness.

"Stop slandering me. I got into Theo's car because he begged me to!"

That Theo has always been unruly, and as the only heir of his branch, Richard Sinclair often beat and scolded him out of frustration.

So he came to me, wanting me to put in a good word for his new girlfriend to the old master. He was so subservient, serving tea, pouring water, and opening car doors more attentively than any servant.

So that new girlfriend turned out to be Vanessa.

I've been busy preparing for the annual Sinclair family ritual these past few days and didn't have time to wait for Richard to return home. I came to Koi Hall instead, only to be beaten up by them.

Without the approval of me, the family's lucky charm, Vanessa's dream of marrying into the Sinclair family was nothing but a fantasy!

I sat back down in the center of Koi Hall with a cold smile, and the servants immediately came forward to treat my wounds.

They carefully collected the bloodstained gauze and cotton swabs, and even reverently placed my torn hair on the altar.

Seeing this, Vanessa's lackeys gasped.

But Vanessa's eyes blazed with fury. She grabbed my hair and violently pulled me from the mahogany armchair.

"You orphan, who do you think you are? How dare you put on an act in the Sinclair family ancestral hall right in front of me? As the future mistress, I must teach you a lesson!"