At my engagement party to Luke, the fake heiress Chloe tried to kill herself again. That was the last straw. I set the banquet hall on fire and vanished. Five years later, my family caught my interview on television. My older brother Daniel’s call came through. “Anya, you’re alive!” I didn’t answer. As I was about to hang up, Daniel scoffed. “Grandma’s funeral is next week. Come if you care.” After the call, my husband Ryan came in with our daughter. “I’ll take Lily to camp. You should go. Your grandmother always loved you so much.” I nodded. Five years. It was time to go back and collect every last debt. Five years changed nothing. The estate stood just as I remembered. “Where is Grandma buried?” I asked Daniel. Daniel replied. “Just come inside.” I lowered my gaze and followed him in. Daniel was seated on the sofa. A faint smile touched his lips as I finally entered. He raised a hand, pushing a glass of lemon tea towards me. “Came straight through the night? Still get airsick, I guess.” For a moment, I was lost. I remembered him years ago, bringing me from our small town to the city-my first flight, my first bout of sickness. I could still see his frown as he fixed that same lemon tea. But later, because of Chloe, everything between us froze solid. I snapped back, pushing the lemon water away. “Thanks, I don’t need it.” I stated calmly, “I don’t get airsick anymore, and I don’t like this either.” These past few years, I’d been busy building my career, constantly flying all over the world. Daniel’s pupils constricted abruptly. After a long moment, he simply uttered a low “Hm.” Silence filled the room. I broke it first. “If you haven’t decided where to lay Grandma to rest, Daniel, then let’s not waste each other’s time.” Seeing me rise to leave, Daniel stood up abruptly. “Anya, you-” “Is big brother back?” A girlish laugh, sweet as syrup, cut through his words from the direction of the garden. It was Chloe, the fake heir.
Chloe ran to the garden entrance, her back to the floor-to-ceiling windows. She didn’t seem to notice us in the living room. A gentle breeze lifted her dress, revealing a slightly rounded stomach. Was she… pregnant? I froze. Then I saw Noah, my former younger brother, anxiously following behind Chloe. “Chloe, be careful! Do you even remember you’re pregnant?” Chloe pouted, cooing, “Oh, come on, I’m not a fragile doll.” Noah shook his head helplessly. Turning around, he saw me and froze. Before Noah could react, Chloe, who had also seen me, already smiled sweetly at me. “Anya. You actually came back. I was…so happy to hear you weren’t dead!” I scoffed. “You look radiant. I can only imagine how comfortable these past five years have been for you.” Chloe’s eyes instantly welled up. She tugged on Daniel’s sleeve. “Daniel, she’s targeting me again.” Daniel frowned, but this time, he didn’t scold me. Just then, Noah excitedly stepped forward and grabbed my shoulder. “These past few years, have you been okay, all alone?” I sidestepped, avoiding his touch. “I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you, Noah. I’m doing more than okay. I’m doing great.” Noah stiffened, as if my words had burned him. Five years ago, at my engagement party, he’d smashed a wine glass and cursed. “Anya, if anything happens to Chloe, I’ll never forgive you! A cold-blooded, selfish woman like you doesn’t deserve happiness!” Now, he was feigning concern about how I was doing. I sneered. Just then, Chloe suddenly clutched her stomach, her expression twisting in pain. “Noah, my stomach hurts.” “Chloe!” Noah was instantly distracted. He scooped up Chloe, intending to call a family doctor. Daniel walked over to me. “Chloe is pregnant. The baby is from your ex-fiancé, Luke. After you ran away from the wedding, Chloe helped you complete the alliance. Don’t blame her.” She stole my fiancé, and he called it helping me. I couldn’t help but sneer. “Right. My boyfriend of many years, who then turned around and married my sister. Isn’t that an insult to me?” I looked at him, my gaze icy. “Besides, are you getting old and forgetful, or are you deliberately playing dumb? Do I really need to remind you why I ran away from that wedding?” Daniel’s face instantly turned ashen. The next day, I personally went to choose a gravesite for Grandma. She had lived a life of strict adherence to rules, and the most rebellious thing she ever did was help me leave the family five years ago. Five years prior, Chloe had once again caused a scene, threatening suicide at my engagement party with Luke. That time, I didn’t let her disruptive behavior stop the wedding. Instead, I called an ambulance and insisted the engagement continue. Noah, the brother I’d protected since childhood, glared at me as if I were his enemy. “Why do you have to provoke her? You’ve already gotten the person Chloe loves, what more do you want?” My brother, Daniel, looked at me with disappointment. “Anya, you’re too cruel. Do you really have to hold the engagement now?” My fiancé, Luke, said nothing. He simply carried Chloe away from the engagement, never once looking back at me. All the guests’ astonished gazes fell upon me. All the years of pent-up hurt and fury surged within me. I snatched a serving knife from a waiter and chased after them like a madwoman. But Grandma stopped me. “Pathetic!” she chided. “Is a fickle man, wavering between two women, worth you committing a crime for?” Then she handed me a bank card and said, “Go. Don’t come back.” I staggered, regaining my footing. When I looked up again, she had already turned away. Later, I used those three hundred thousand dollars to establish myself in a foreign country. And later still, I built my own family. As I walked out of the cemetery, I saw Luke, my ex-fiancé.
“Anya!” Luke stepped out of a black Bentley and blocked my path. “Anya, you’re really back! I’ve been looking for you all these years.” I ignored him. Luke followed me. “Don’t you remember me? We were in love for over a decade.” I stopped, unable to help but laugh. “Luke, weren’t you the one who was secretly seeing Chloe behind my back?” Luke and I truly had grown up together, childhood sweethearts supporting each other. In winter, we’d share a scarf; in summer, we’d split an ice cream. I still remember that summer night when I was seventeen, the stars were incredibly bright. And so were Luke’s eyes. “Once I get to college, I’ll work and save up to buy you a big house!” “Okay! I want a balcony where I can plant flowers,” I giggled. To save money for our college expenses, I secretly worked odd jobs at a restaurant. My hands turned white from the water, but my eyes were full of hope. Until just before the exams, Luke’s family found him. He was the true heir of a powerful family in the city, lost and now found. The day he left, he cried, holding my hand. “Anya, wait for me.” But I waited and waited. I received my college admission letter, but he never came back. We met again at a family banquet. I had become the long-lost true daughter of the family. And he, was my sister Chloe’s new boyfriend. Now, Luke was staring intently at me. “Marrying Chloe was forced. I had just returned to my family, and I wanted to secure my inheritance. Only a marriage alliance with a family of equal standing would do. But you, you just…” So fake! Now, his eyes were full of calculation; he was no longer the innocent boy he once was. Seeing that I still didn’t speak, he continued. “Anya, I’ve missed you all these years. You’ve come back alone, aren’t you waiting for me to marry you?” I couldn’t help but slap him across the face. “Luke, don’t be pathetic! Your wife is pregnant!” Luke staggered back two steps, not saying another word. I had just turned to leave when Noah came over to warn me. “Anya, he’s already married!” “Don’t worry,” I said coldly. “I have no interest in cheating men! Chloe might be desperate, but I’m not.” Noah’s face instantly flushed. He stammered awkwardly. “No matter what, you still have me as family.” “Family?” I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “Noah, in this city, besides Grandma, no one is my family.” With that, I intended to return to my hotel. But Noah still followed behind me. “Where are you staying? I’ll take you!” I warned him, “If you keep following me, I’m calling the cops!” That evening, my husband, Ryan, video called. “Sweetheart, how are things going? Lily and I miss you.” Seeing the loving expressions on my husband’s and daughter’s faces, my heart softened. “I miss you too. I’ll be home soon.” I chatted with Lily and Ryan. Midway through our conversation, he suddenly said, “You should watch out for your sister, Chloe.” “I understand.” I knew Chloe was a viper. Now that she saw me back, how could she resist striking? But I had some surprises prepared for them too, and I’d deliver them one by one.
On the day of the funeral, I planned to leave early. Just as I was about to go, I saw Chloe, arm-in-arm with Luke, and Daniel and Noah, emerging from the lounge. They clearly saw me too. Daniel walked towards me. “Where are you going?” I said blandly, “I’m leaving.” Daniel blocked my path, his brows deeply furrowed. “Where are you going? Aren’t you coming home with us?” “Home? I don’t have a home here,” I retorted. “Anya!” Daniel’s emotions suddenly flared. “Are you really willing to wander around outside rather than come home? Are you truly planning to cut all ties with this family for good, this lifetime?!” Before I could answer, Chloe cut in. “Anya, how long are you going to keep this up with us? Do you really have to mess up the family until everyone is miserable? Mom and Dad wouldn’t have wanted…” She hadn’t finished speaking when I slapped her hard across the face. “I didn’t want to hit you, but you don’t deserve to mention my parents!” The men nearby’s expressions changed, but in the end, none of them moved. Chloe’s eyes welled up with tears, feigning hurt. “Did I say something wrong?” “Oh?” I raised an eyebrow, looking at her with a smile. “Since this is my family, I’d like to ask, when are you returning the ten percent of the company shares that are in my name?” A heavy silence fell. Chloe was speechless, tears hanging in her eyes. Daniel’s face paled. Five years ago, Daniel forced me to transfer the shares my parents left me into Chloe’s name. He said Chloe was weak since childhood, and she needed the money more. “Why should I give them back to you! I won’t!” Chloe’s eyes turned fierce when she heard me demanding the shares. “Alright, I’ll make her transfer them back to you,” Daniel said to me. “No!” Chloe shrieked. But Noah stepped forward, his voice low. “Those shares were left to Anya by her parents. You should return them.” Chloe’s eyes welled up. She couldn’t understand why her doting brothers had turned on her, unmoved even by her tears. I was puzzled, too. What had gotten into them? Still, it worked in my favor. Less trouble for me. Chloe fell silent for a moment. Then, as if she’d just pieced it together, she didn’t lash out. She smiled. “Anya, so this was your game all along? Disappear, make them feel guilty, and then collect? Fine. These shares mean nothing to me. If you want them, have them.” I didn’t answer. I simply pulled a share transfer agreement from my bag. “Good. Sign it now.”
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