The day I announced my relationship with Liam Hayes, the CEO of Hayes Corp., my parents blew up. They exploded, declaring I wasn’t their biological daughter.
They brought their true daughter, Chloe , back from a small remote town. I fought hard to keep the real heiress out of the Sterling household, even earning a reputation as a vicious villain. It was useless. Chloe stepped into my life, her eyes shining with triumph.
From that day on, my parents became my adoptive parents. They cut me off from all family affairs and kicked me out of the company.
Chloe even said to me, “You’ve enjoyed a privileged life long enough. You have no idea how hard my life has been. I don’t blame you, but please, stop trying to prevent me from reuniting with my parents, okay?”
Ultimately, I chose to leave the Sterling home, observing their drama from a cold distance.
But barely two weeks later, Chloe was crying, begging for my help. “You have to save me! I don’t want to marry that monster!”
I was Aria Sterling, the family’s golden child.
At school, I was a model student, top of my class. At home, I was polite and obedient.
Everyone said the Sterlings had raised a perfect daughter. But when my parents chose Victor Thorne as my future husband, I rebelled.
I clashed with my parents three times over Victor, even running away from home.
Everyone was talking about the good girl gone rogue. My parents played the helpless victims in public. But in private, they hired bodyguards and private investigators, obsessively trying to drag me back.
Eventually, I returned on my own terms and publicly announced my relationship with Liam Hayes, the head of Clover City’s wealthiest family.
When my parents confirmed the news, there was no joy about marrying into high society. Only fury.
They swept the entire dinner table onto the floor and watched with cold eyes as a piece of shattered porcelain cut my leg, blood streaming down my skin.
“Aria Sterling, you’re unbelievable! Your father and I raised an ungrateful viper!”
I sat silently in the dining chair, already accustomed to their theatrics.
“So, are you still forcing me to marry Victor? Because if you are, I can’t promise the Sterling Corporation’s survival, but I can absolutely guarantee its demise.”
I was Liam Hayes’s girlfriend now. Even if the Sterlings tried to force the marriage, the Thornes wouldn’t dare take me.
The Thornes might be arrogant and think themselves above everyone, but even they wouldn’t dare cross the Hayes family.
My parents gritted their teeth. My adoptive mothers voice was cold. “Aria Sterling, you are our daughter, but not by blood. Our true daughter is coming home. And the Sterling Corp. shares you hold? They all belong to our true daughter. I expect every last share returned.”
This was unexpected.
I never looked much like my parents, a fact often noted while I was growing up. They were decidedly ordinary, my father bordering on plain. The contrast was obvious. I was striking. So striking that an offhand photo from my middle school years went viral, and my family was suddenly flooded with inquiries from entertainment agencies.
I used to think it was a genetic mutation. The truth, it seemed, was that I simply didn’t share any of their genes.
And from their tone, they seemed to have known all along that I wasn’t their own.
I frowned, sending this piece of news to Liam.
“Oh, and who knows if the Hayes family will still acknowledge you once you’re no longer ‘Miss Sterling.'”
My adoptive mother, who had raised me for over two decades, now looked like a wicked stepmother from a fairy tale, glaring at me with a twisted face.
I promptly forwarded her message to Liam too.
His reply came almost instantly.
“Even better. I won’t have to worry about you having Sterling genes and us ending up with an ugly child after we get married.”
I immediately relayed Liam’s words.
He was backing me up, and I wasn’t about to waste the chance to leverage his power, ensuring that while I was still in the Sterling house, they wouldn’t dare lay a finger on me because of the Hayes family.
I’d asked Liam to track down the real Sterling heiress, and he hadn’t disappointed. He’d found her.
I immediately set off for a remote, forgotten town, deep in the countryside. There, in a dilapidated farmhouse, I found Chloe, covered in grime, feeding pigs, alongside my birth parents, Mr. and Mrs. Miller.
I stood before Chloe. She sized me up and said, “You must be Aria Sterling. Hello. From today on, my name is Chloe Sterling, as in ‘glorious’ Chloe.”
I nodded slightly. It seemed the Sterlings had already filled her in on the truth.
I looked at her, speaking seriously.
“The Sterling family isn’t a good place, Chloe. If you’re willing to abandon this idea of going back, you can name your price.”
Chloe’s expression immediately hardened.
She pressed her lips together, clearly annoyed. “My parents raised you for over twenty years, and this is how you talk about them behind their backs?”
“Didn’t my parents raise you for over twenty years too? And you’re just cutting ties with them right away?”
I shot back. Chloe slammed the basin in her hands onto the ground.
“Look at the difference between us! What kind of life did you live in my house? And what kind of life did I live in yours? You want this life? You can have it!”
I had to admit, it was because of her identity that I had my current capabilities.
The Sterling family had indeed elevated me.
But I didn’t feel guilty.
I simply looked at her, asking calmly, “Was your childhood happy?”
Before I arrived, Liam had already sent me a background check on my birth parents.
They weren’t wealthy, but they owned a farm, and their daily income was substantial enough that they never lacked food or clothing.
And my parents had only one child – Chloe.
Growing up, Chloe also had everything she wanted. While not extravagant, her life was one of comfortable contentment.
Chloe gritted her teeth, glaring at me. “Life without money isn’t happiness! You’ve been Miss Sterling for two decades. How could you possibly understand the struggles of ordinary people like us?”
I lowered my head and chuckled bitterly. Humans truly are interesting; they always envy the lives they haven’t lived.
Chloe envied my privileged, comfortable life as a rich girl.
And I envied her free, cherished life with her parents.
“From the age of three, my life was a relentless cycle of dance, piano, and foreign languages. While other kids played, I was shuttled between tutors and instructors, trapped in various classrooms.”
“Until six months ago, I never knew freedom.”
“I..”
Before I could finish, Chloe raised her hand, cutting me off. “Enough! Are you trying to brag about your life as a rich girl? You’re sick!”
She pushed me away. After taking a few steps, she turned and added, “Aria Sterling, I don’t hate you for taking my life. I know it wasn’t your fault. But if you try to stop me from going home, then you’re just pathetic and evil.”
Chloe might have a temper, but she knew right from wrong.
And that’s precisely why I wanted to stop her from going back to the Sterlings.
Because the Sterling heiress was destined for sacrifice.
I didn’t learn all those things growing up because I liked them; it was because the Sterlings needed a perfect daughter.
Besides me, the Sterlings had a son, Julian. He was the one they truly intended to elevate.
To ensure Julian could mingle in elite circles, I had to be the perfect, obedient daughter. Whenever my parents took me to gatherings, I was expected to charm every adult, to be flawlessly agreeable.
Even at kindergarten age, I had to learn to sit quietly.
If they told me to perform, I performed. If they allowed me to speak, I spoke.
If I failed, I faced the dreaded dark room and the sting of their ‘discipline.’
Most of my childhood was spent in that dark room. That pitch-black environment remains a nightmare I can’t shake, even now.
Even as an adult, I couldn’t escape the Sterling’s control.
Julian, the Sterling heir, had developed a dangerous gambling addiction six months ago. He’d lost hundreds of millions and was now being held by the casino’s enforcers. The Sterlings were desperate to get him out.
The Thornes were their chosen saviors. This family had deep ties to the city’s underworld, controlling the shadowy parts of society. A marriage alliance would clear Julian’s gambling debts and give the Sterlings an untouchable, illicit powerful ally.
But everyone in their circles knew Victor Thorne’s reputation: brutal, sadistic, taking perverse pleasure in humiliating others. The women he’d been involved with almost always ended up with severe psychological issues; some had even taken their own lives.
For Julian’s sake, the Sterlings were willing to push their daughter into a fiery pit.
I had already found a way to save myself, but I wanted to save Chloe, this innocent girl.
Seeing her today, knowing her temper, I could already imagine how difficult her life at the Sterling house would be.
I wanted to keep persuading her, but Chloe had already given me my marching orders.
“This is still my house. Please leave.”
I didn’t leave. Instead, I waited for my birth parents, Mr. and Mrs. Miller, to return.
Their expressions were incredibly complex when they saw me.
There was longing and affection in their eyes, but also guilt towards Chloe.
After all, from their perspective, their biological daughter had taken someone else’s happy life.
“Aria, could you please leave for now? I hope you understand, darling. It’s not that your mom doesn’t love you, it’s just that… we did take advantage of the situation.”
My mom spoke very gently, persuading me to leave. I couldn’t be too forceful.
I stayed in a hotel, looking out at the endless night, feeling a strange loneliness.
And by chance, as I was gazing at the night view, I saw Chloe on the street, laughing and playing with her friends.
“Soon I’ll be a rich heiress! Don’t worry, once I’m back with the Sterlings, I’ll make sure you all live the good life too!”
Watching her bright, uninhibited smile, I genuinely hoped she would have a good ending.
If the Sterling family was a good place, I wouldn’t stop her.
But the Sterling house was a den of wolves. She would be stripped bare, left with nothing but bones.
After much thought, I bravely went downstairs.
I never used to go out at night. I was terrified of the dark, a severe phobia.
But this time, I wanted to stop another girl from becoming like me.
I hurried out to follow Chloe. Her group was making noise and taking their time, so they hadn’t gone far.
When I caught up to her, the bright smile on her face withered instantly.
“Are you done yet? Are you really that scared I’ll go back to the Sterlings and steal your good life?”
Chloe frowned, her eyes filled with hostility.
Her friends clustered around her, glaring at me.
“Your biological brother owes hundreds of millions in gambling debts. The Sterlings can’t handle it, that’s why they’re bringing you back.”
I tried to keep my explanation as concise as possible. I knew Chloe had a preconceived notion of me and wouldn’t have the patience to listen.
“Oh, please. You’re just terrified she’ll take back your status. Honestly, you’re shameless, wanting to hog all the good life yourself and making up stories. A billion? What’s that to the Sterlings?”
Chloe completely agreed with her friend’s words and took a few steps towards me.
“Aria Sterling, I promise that once I’m home, your life won’t change. I won’t let the Sterlings kick you out. So, can you please stop harassing me? You’re incredibly annoying.”
I maintained my patience, explaining, “Most of the Sterling family’s assets have been squandered by Julian these past few years. You can just search online to see how extravagant he is. The Sterlings truly can’t handle this situation, so they want to use a marriage alliance…”
“Hey, are you deaf? She said you’re annoying, didn’t you hear her? Can you just shut up?!”
A few guys, fists clenched, started closing in on me. I instinctively stumbled back, right into a solid chest.
I looked up. It was Liam Hayes.
“What are you doing here?”
Liam wrapped his jacket around me, speaking softly. “My security team said you’ve been down. I came to see who upset you.”
I shook my head, looking at Chloe with deep concern.
I wasn’t upset. I was just worried. Worried that she would fall into hell.
Chloe met my gaze, then looked at Liam, her eyes seeming to understand something.
She sneered, “You don’t need to waste your energy trying to convince me not to go back. I’m not interested in taking other people’s things. I just want to reclaim what’s rightfully mine.”
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