Chapter 1

My twin brother Steven's wife, Clara Hayes, had just given birth to their daughter when he ran off with my girlfriend.

Furious, I used our identical faces and claimed Clara.

Ten years later, Steven returned.

By then, his daughter was healthy and beautiful. Clara's company was on the brink of an IPO.

My once-wealthy ex-girlfriend, however, was bankrupt.

Steven sneered. "I've returned your girlfriend. Now return the family you stole from me."

I gritted my teeth and agreed.

That night, I booked a flight to leave.

But on the way to the airport, Clara slid into my lap and whispered,

"You'd really leave? Tell me, is she better than I am?"

When my brother eloped with my wealthy girlfriend, Mia Winters, he even had the audacity to send me a photo of them together. His message read:

"Goodbye. You couldn't beat me growing up. You never will."

Rage coursed through me.

I stared into the mirror at the face I shared with my twin, and a plan crystallized.

That same night, I stood at Clara's door, ready to become Steven

If he could abandon his wife and newborn daughter in my city, then he had no right to complain about how I chose to... care for them!

Clara seemed uncomfortable with her husband's sudden change in behavior.

But at that time, her business was struggling.

She naturally assumed I was angry because she wasn't making money, dragging me down and burdening our daughter. She thought my temper was justified.

So she became even more submissive toward me.

Every time I criticized her harshly, she would just silently lower her head and promise she would soon give us a better life.

I knew Clara was docile, but I hadn't expected this level of submission.

So I turned my focus to his daughter, Emma.

I'd raised her since she was three. In her eyes, I was her father.

But I was a strict one. The food I cooked was terrible, and my temper was worse. I scolded her constantly.

Every time, she would press her lips tight, her small hands clutching her dress, looking up at me with eyes swimming in tears.

"Daddy, please don't be angry. I'll go kneel outside. Please don't hurt yourself being upset."

Mother and daughter were cut from the same spineless cloth.

That was my conviction, right up until the day I went to pick her up from kindergarten and saw a circle of children kicking and punching her

Something in me shattered.

I had never laid a hand on her.

I went straight to the principal.

The ringleader bullying her was the heir to the city's leading corporation.

The principal advised me to drop it, implying I'd be ungrateful to cause trouble.

So I walked out and punched the boy's father-the CEO-right in the jaw.

Clara spent the next hour apologizing profusely, bowing and scraping in a way that made my blood boil.

After forcing them to cover the medical bills, I took the mother and daughter by the arm and led them out of there.

On the way back, Clara seemed like she wanted to say something but hesitated.

I shot her an irritated look.

"What? You think I was too impulsive?"

She coughed, awkward. "It's not that..."

"Then save it!"

I cut her off, my voice sharp. "Either you find a backbone so your daughter never has to be bullied again, or you stay silent."

"Or let me handle it. That's better than having the whole family be cowards!"

I didn't expect Clara to actually do it.

Now, that CEO had to send me gifts through intermediaries just to get a meeting with Clara.

The Hayes family had truly made a name for themselves in New York.

No one dared to bully Emma anymore.

After I stood up for her at the kindergarten that time, seeing her thin, bony frame,

I gritted my teeth and spent my own money to buy lots of nutritional supplements, even though Clara was still in debt.

"Look how skinny you are! No wonder people bully you! Don't call me Dad until you've fattened yourself up!"

Under the supervision of this stepfather, Emma not only gained weight,

but also achieved a healthy body fat percentage.

Whether in terms of strength or status, no peer dared to lay a hand on her anymore.

Everything was good.

Emma saw me as her father.

She would brag to everyone about how I'd faced down the CEO in front of the principal.

Clara also saw me as her husband.

After her success, she kept pushing company shares into my hands, showering me with luxury cars and deeds to properties, never thinking of herself.

Me, who'd never known money-I started to believe this life could last forever.

Then my brother came back.

And pulled me out of my beautiful dream with Clara.