Chapter 6

Seraphina knocked on my door promptly at 6:30 AM the next day.

I was already awake.

"Eleanor, time to wake up. Breakfast is downstairs." Her voice was gentle, like coaxing a small animal.

I sat up in bed and casually opened the door. "Morning, Aunt Seraphina."

She paused, probably not expecting me to be so quick to adapt.

"Such a good girl," she chuckled. "Come down for breakfast. I'll drive you to school in a bit."

On the table were milk, sandwiches, cereal, and an exquisitely sliced fruit salad.

As I sat down, a small shadow darted out from the living room.

"Mommy, I want a hug."

The little girl threw herself into Seraphina's arms, her words saccharine sweet.

I looked over. She was wearing pink Daisy Duck pajamas, her hair soft, her eyes a little timid, and there was a bit of milk on the corner of her mouth.

It was then I noticed her eyebrows and eyes were quite similar to my father's.

She looked up and saw me, instantly quieting, her eyes darting over me as she softly asked, "Who is she?"

Seraphina stroked her hair. "She's your big sister."

"Big sister?" The little girl tilted her head, then looked at me again. "Why don't you look like me?"

I lowered my gaze and smiled, my voice gentle. "Because my mommy and daddy are different from yours."

She bit her straw, nodding as if she understood, but only I noticed the flicker of displeasure in Seraphina's eyes.

Just then, the little boy came down the stairs, clutching a very cute bunny toy. He didn't speak, only stood on the steps, watching me, his eyes as wary as a cat's.

I smiled at him. "Good morning, Dominic."

He ignored me, just lifting his bunny a little higher, as if asserting his dominance.

Seraphina looked slightly embarrassed. "They're a bit shy around new people, don't mind them."

"It's fine, they'll get used to it," I said, still smiling. "They're still so young."

I spooned some cereal, lowered my head, and took a bite, hiding the turmoil in my eyes.

Seraphina wasn’t even bothering to hide it. Did she truly think I was stupid? Both children had Richard Vance's surname, yet she kept saying their father worked abroad.

In my past life, I ate breakfast like this too, watching one call her 'Mommy' and the other ignore me.

Four years. I went from being a sister to an unwanted Vance, then to a guest, and finally not even a guest. My school enrollment was inexplicably canceled, and I even needed their approval to apply to go back home.

Not this time.

This time, I'd make them hand over their future themselves.

Before Seraphina drove me to school, she didn't forget to pull the two children closer and say, "Come, say goodbye to your big sister."

"Goodbye, big sister!" The little girl waved cheerfully. The boy didn't speak, just grunted softly.

I looked back at them, smiling and nodding.

"Goodbye, good children."

That 'good children' was meant for them, and for Seraphina too.

I knew she was smart, and highly perceptive. She would notice my every glance, every word, even my posture.

So I had to act even more harmless than she did.

As she dropped me off at the school gate, she helped me with my bag, then started to fuss again. "The school provides lunch, remember to stay hydrated, Los Angeles is dry. Call me anytime if you need anything…"

I watched her, her eyes gentle, her smile perfectly poised, thinking she was a natural-born actress.

I pretended to listen intently. "I've got it, Aunt Seraphina, thank you."

She nodded, satisfied.

Before I walked through the school gates, her last words were almost a whisper, right by my ear: "Eleanor, you need to know that abroad, no one will protect you. You have to rely on yourself."

I paused, then smiled faintly. "Yes, I understand."

I walked through the school gates with my backpack, the sunlight so bright it made me squint. Ahead lay new classmates, new teachers, new courses, and the entirely new game I was meticulously planning.

But I wasn't afraid.

Because I wasn't here to hide from the storm. I was here to lay the mines.

At lunchtime, I didn't go home. Instead, I went to a nearby library to meet a former schoolmate I'd already contacted – a student in accounting who had worked on Vance Group’s North American accounts in my past life.

"You're saying there were false accounts in that Vance Americas acquisition?" I asked in a low voice.

He nodded, his eyes darting nervously. "I don't want to get too involved. I was just asked to modify two invoices; it was definitely a money-laundering channel. I can't say who…"

I pulled out a business card. On it was the logo of the headhunting firm he would seek out in his future.

"I know whose desk your future resume will land on, and I know which company you'll intern at after graduation. Whether you get your career off the ground depends on how much you say today."

His face went pale. "…Who are you?"

"I am Eleanor Vance, daughter of Richard Vance of the Vance Group," I said slowly. "The legitimate, rightful, Elara Vance's daughter."

He hesitated no longer, sending the two hidden false account documents to my email.

As I received the files, I couldn't help but smile.

This life, I was no longer 'good'.

Nor was I slow.

I would use every rule they taught me to nail them to the table, one by one.

When I returned, I would make Richard Vance, Seraphina Hayes, and her little prince and princess know:

I wasn't a pawn they'd hidden in America.

I was a hunter they'd unwittingly raised.