Chapter 3

The birthday party ended in total chaos.

The DNA test results came back swiftly. Just as expected, Chloe was indeed a biological Vance.

Overnight, I became a stranger under my own roof.

My position in the house turned unbearable.

Wendy showed up constantly, crying buckets of crocodile tears and talking about how "guilty" she felt all these years.

She claimed greed had clouded her judgment back then.

She also bragged about how Chloe had shown terrifying intelligence from childhood, only held back because they were too poor.

"The poor girl suffered so much with me..."

Wendy sobbed, keeping one eye on my parents' reactions.

Helen broke down completely, pulling Chloe into her arms and calling her "my precious baby."

My father sighed and ordered the staff to give Chloe the largest, most luxurious suite in the penthouse.

From that day on, the way they looked at me grew stranger.

Pity, guilt, but mostly... the polite, distant coldness reserved for a guest who had overstayed her welcome.

Only my brother, Brandon...

He treated me the same.

Whenever I pulled an all-nighter studying, he still brought a mug of warm milk to my desk, saying softly:

"Don't worry, Nora. No matter what happens, you will always be my little sister."

In a house freezing with rejection, he was the sole spark of warmth I had left.

Naively, I believed he was the one person who would never betray me.

Until a multi-million-dollar corporate project Chloe touched went horribly wrong, demanding a scapegoat.

My father summoned the entire family into his private study.

"Chloe is still young, and she's still in school. Giving her corporate responsibility was too much, too soon," Helen started, her voice hesitant, dodging my eyes.

"She's suffered enough her whole life. If she takes the fall for this failed merger, her reputation in business will be ruined before she even starts..."

"Nora, you're different..."

My heart sank. I knew exactly where this was going.

They wanted me to take the blame for Chloe's catastrophic blunder.

Just as I opened my mouth to speak, Brandon—the brother who swore he would always stand by me—spoke up.

"Dad, Mom... I think Nora should release a statement taking full responsibility. After that, we can send her abroad to study."

I snapped my head up, staring at him in utter disbelief.