Chapter 1

For seven years, I lived under a different name overseas. Now, to celebrate my sister’s graduation, I secretly came back home.

I went straight to the Art Authentication Gallery where she was interning, only to find the three prospective fiancés I’d arranged for her years ago, sneering and mocking her.

“You ungrateful brat, you're nothing but trouble! Stealing Serena's clients was bad enough, but how dare you accuse her of stealing artifacts?”

“You’re such a lowlife, no one would touch you even if you were naked on the streets!”

“Serena comes from a respectable family, unlike you. A commoner like you shouldn't dream of marrying into our league!”

Behind the three men, Serena Vance stood, tears streaming down her face, looking utterly wronged.

“I treated you like a sister, and yet you slander me like this…”

The crowd around them pointed and whispered, their judgment heavy in the air.

After returning home, I’d planned to surprise my sister at her internship and scout the local antique market for future investments.

But no sooner had I stepped into the firm's showroom than I walked straight into this drama.

My sister, Chloe Adams, was being openly ridiculed by the onlookers. Some even thrust their phones in her face, recording short videos.

Her face was pale, and beneath her feet lay an ancient painting, covered in muddy footprints.

The three men leading the charge were the prospective fiancés I’d chosen for her before I left the country: Brandon Hayes, Kyle Jensen, and Liam O'Connell. All of them were either rich or well-connected.

Beside them, Serena Vance sobbed uncontrollably, pouring out her grievances.

The three prospective fiancés launched into Chloe, one after another:

“Chloe Adams, you better explain yourself!”

“You secretly took a five-million-dollar appraisal fee, then swapped the original, and now you’re trying to deny it?”

As he spoke, one of them pulled out a voice recorder. The next second, an edited recording played through the speakers.

“The money’s in your account, the goods are yours.”

It was a woman’s voice, and if you listened closely, it sounded exactly like Chloe’s.

Then he pulled up a transfer screenshot, clearly showing "Five Million Dollars."

Instantly, the crowd erupted, whispering and loudly accusing my sister.

“You pocketed the appraisal fee AND stole the painting? Talk about being greedy and shameless! How low can you get?”

“Using such tactics in an appraisal firm is utterly despicable!”

“Who knows? With all this evidence, how can she possibly deny it?!”

Chloe clutched the hem of her shirt, biting her lip, her face a mask of humiliation.

“I didn’t do it, this is slander…”

Before she could finish, Serena burst into even louder sobs.

“If I’m making this up, everyone is welcome to check! This authentic Tang Palace Lady painting is a genuine piece worth eight million dollars, and now it’s a fake! She was the only one who appraised it; isn’t it obvious she swapped it?!”

The onlookers even raised their phones, live-streaming the scene.

My eyes narrowed. I spotted a tiny, almost invisible mark on the edge of the painting.

That was the Vance family’s signature forgery technique. Only an expert would notice it.

It suddenly clicked. The girl standing there was Serena Vance, the daughter of our next-door neighbors.

Years ago, my family owned a vast collection, which made our rivals jealous. They conspired against my parents, setting a trap that ultimately led to their deaths.

To survive, I sold off all our family assets for a pittance and went into hiding overseas, living completely off the grid.

Before leaving, I had to entrust my sister to the Vance family as their foster daughter, and arranged for the sons of three families we'd been close to for generations – the Hayes, Jensens, and O'Connells – to look after her.

But judging by what I was seeing now, was this how they "looked after" my sister?

I pulled out my phone and made a call.

“Get the owner of this appraisal firm here, now!”

“Tsk tsk tsk, you think just holding a magnifying glass and waving it around makes you an appraiser? You’re nothing but a charlatan!” Brandon Hayes sneered, grabbing the magnifying glass Chloe had used and tossing it into a trash can.

Chloe gritted her teeth, tears welling in her eyes.

Seeing this, Brandon seemed to think it wasn’t dramatic enough. He turned to the operating desk.

“Since the painting can’t be appraised now, why don’t we look at something more interesting instead?”

Before he finished speaking, he tapped a few keys on the computer, and a set of high-definition pictures popped up on the large screen.

They were explicit photos of my sister in the shower!

The scene immediately exploded into chaos, mixed with crude jokes and cheers.

“Holy hell, this is way better than any old painting!”

“If I could sleep with her for a night, that’d be incredible!”

Brandon Hayes remained unruffled, speaking slowly.

“Chloe Adams, since you like stealing things and playing risky games, you won’t mind if everyone else gets a thrill, right?”

Someone whistled, others started taking pictures, and the situation quickly spiraled out of control.

My fists clenched instinctively, my knuckles turning white.

I remembered Brandon Hayes was the one Chloe liked most when they were kids.

I turned and called my assistant, instructing him to immediately investigate what was going on.

“Brandon Hayes, didn’t you say you’d marry me if we had a child? Are you trying to ruin me now?!” Chloe’s voice trembled as she asked.

Brandon laughed wildly, a cruel, mocking glint in his eyes. “You actually believe what a guy says in bed? Who knows how many men you’ve slept with?”

Chloe was trembling with rage. “You bastard! What exactly do you want?!” she screamed.

“Simple. Transfer five million dollars back to the Vance family’s account, and publicly admit you swapped the painting and faked the appraisal. Do that, and I’ll take the photos down immediately. Otherwise, I’ll add another one every minute.”