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damning. Sure enough, my parents‘ brows furrowed.
Dominic seized the opportunity to lean close to me and
whisper, “You don’t know about high–tech surveillance,
do you?” In this era, surveillance was indeed still a
novelty; most ordinary families had no idea what it even
was. Dominic’s lips curled into a smug smile. “I warned you that Felicity is innocent. I told you not to touch her!” “But since you insist on using dirty tricks, you
only have yourself to blame for your wicked intentions!”
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4
06:30
Felicity added fuel to the fire, crying out for her innocence to be proven. “Sister just came back and wants Mom and Dad’s attention, I understand that!”
“But why frame me? What did I do wrong?!”
“Even if Mom and Dad found their biological daughter
and don’t want Felicity anymore!”
“Felicity will leave gracefully!”
My parents looked at me, torn. I smiled sadly, playing
the dutiful daughter. “Mom, Dad, even though Elara
wants nothing but peace and understanding, and
doesn’t want to blame my sister, and doesn’t
understand anything about surveillance… if sister wants
to check, then let’s check.”
“After all, your daughter doesn’t want to cause trouble
for you as soon as she comes home.”
The surveillance footage was pulled up. Felicity and
Dominic were confident, but their hopeful eyes only saw
the angle that showed Felicity raising her hand and me
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falling. The pendant, too, undeniably dropped at the
exact moment of our exchange.
“This angle isn’t clear!”
“But I saw it clearly! It was Elara’s self–staged frame-
up!” Dominic raged, his voice furious.
“You did it on purpose! How can your heart be so
twisted?!” The more aggressive Dominic became, the
more I played innocent, shrinking into myself and crying,
clinging to my parents.
My father slapped Dominic across the face. “Silence!”
“Elara didn’t even know there was surveillance! How
could she stage it herself?!”
But Father, in truth, I had seen the dark camera lens
the moment I stepped into the house. While still
uncommon in this era, by the time I died, surveillance
cameras were ubiquitous, and adjusting an angle was no
difficult feat. But now, as a seemingly naive young
woman from a small town, I watched the “film” before
me, feigning surprise, “distress,” and “amazement.”
“Is that… surveillance? Are there cameras at the front
door too?”
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“Mom, Dad, can Elara watch, please?” My timid voice
was laced with a feigned vulnerability that tugged at
their heartstrings.
“After all, that was the first time brother and I stepped into this house together~”
As I spoke, I glanced at Dominic. Watching his face.
drain of color, I allowed a barely perceptible smile to
touch my lips. While he was entirely focused on
guarding Felicity and preventing me from harming her,
he had unknowingly walked right into my crosshairs. He,
Ethan, and Felicity were all stumbling blocks on my
path. Who I disposed of first made no difference. The
hunt had only just begun.
Despite Dominic’s desperate attempts to obstruct, my
parents, feeling deeply wronged by me, had the front
door surveillance footage retrieved. Just as I expected,
they heard the “arrogant prince’s” comments. My
father’s face immediately turned ashen.
“Dominic! Who gave you permission to call yourself the
future heir of Sterling Enterprises?!”
“Who allowed you to speak to my daughter like that?!”
“Before, Felicity was the Sterling heiress. From now on.
Chapter 2..,
¤་|ཅད༦, ༔ ཅ་“པ་་
Elara is even more so!”
פייי-
06:30 D
་པ་་་ ་་ཅ་་
“Don’t forget why you were allowed into this family!”
In my previous life, Dominic did inherit Sterling
Enterprises, but that was after my parents died in an
accident. Now, watching Dominic lower his head but
clench his fists, a chilling suspicion began to form in
my mind. Was my parents’ death in the past life truly
an accident?
Dominic bore all of my parents‘ reprimands, allowing
Felicity to emerge unscathed. And for the next few
days, Felicity seemed to learn her lesson. She began to
imitate my “humble” demeanor. She voluntarily moved
out of the best bedroom in the villa, replacing her
lavish clothes with the most modest attire.
“Sister is back; of course, Felicity wouldn’t dare to
occupy sister’s belongings anymore.”
“I only ask that sister doesn’t send me away. As long
as Felicity can be with Mom and Dad, I’m willing to be
a housekeeper, a servant in this very home!”
She even deliberately piled all her cherished jewelry and
clothes before me in front of my parents, offering them
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as “atonement.” “Brother angered sister that day
because he truly cared for Felicity after all these years
together. Ultimately, it’s all Felicity’s fault!”
“Felicity knows sister won’t care for these things now,
but this is all Felicity has to offer. As long as sister
isn’t angry anymore, and allows my brother and me to
stay by Mom and Dad’s side and fulfill our filial duties,
Felicity is willing to kowtow and apologize to sister.”
As she spoke, she actually knelt at my feet, banging
her head against the ground until her forehead was red
and swollen, making my parents‘ hearts ache.
“Elara, your sister is pure of heart,”
“A family can’t keep dwelling on past mistakes!”
“You can’t be so petty in how you act!”
Dominic also chimed in, helping Felicity up, then turning
to hand in his resignation. “Mom, Dad, you adopted me
to protect Felicity. Now that Elara can’t tolerate Felicity,
I have no reason to stay with the Sterling family.”
Dominic had been groomed for years, holding many of
Sterling Enterprises‘ resources and internal information.
If he were to leave now, the company would
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undoubtedly suffer a significant blow. As the two of
them worked in perfect concert, my soft–hearted
parents, torn, took my hand and “discussed” with me.
They showed me Felicity’s childhood photos, images of
a doll–like Felicity growing up, and my parents‘ eyes
filled with tender affection.
“Felicity never suffered growing up, and she truly is
innocent, knowing nothing.”
“From now on, you and Felicity are sisters. We’ll tell
everyone you’re our long–lost daughter.”
“Our Sterling family can afford to raise a few more
children!”
“You and Felicity are both Mom and Dad’s children
now!”
“From now on, Dominic will manage the company, and
you and Felicity will split the company shares equally.
Mom and Dad will ensure you never suffer again in this
life.”
Looking at my parents‘ “well–arranged” plan, even
though I had expected it, a flicker of disappointment
still coursed through me. Was I too greedy? But why
should I share what was rightfully mine with someone
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else?
06:30
“Next week is Felicity’s birthday. We’ll combine it with
your homecoming party. We’ll have a big double
celebration…” I interrupted my parents for the first time.
“Mom, Dad, next week is also my birthday.”
5
Years of habit meant my parents, when mentioning
Felicity’s birthday, completely forgot it was also mine.
Though born on the same day, Felicity had naturally
claimed the role of “younger sister,” because as “older
sister,” I was expected to be “sensible” and yield to
her. Seeing the guilt in their eyes, I lowered my gaze,
then raised it, a timely glimmer of tears in my own.
“I heard from my brother that sister receives birthday
gifts every year. Even the villa we live in now was
sister’s eighteenth birthday gift.”
“Elara has never had a birthday party, Mom and Dad. If
Elara can do one thing, can she trade it for one
birthday wish from you?” Reborn, what I wanted was
not to compete with Felicity for the “little princess”
title.
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The birthday banquet was a lively affair. Everyone who
came wanted to see what the Sterling family’s long–lost
“second daughter” looked like. Felicity, dressed in the
custom gown Dominic had ordered for her, was still the
haughty Sterling heiress. While helping me change into
my own gown, Felicity leaned in, her eyes gleaming with
smug triumph.
“Elara, so what if you’re the biological daughter?”
“Now you’re just a disposable, second–tier daughter,
while I’m still the Sterling family’s most beloved little
daughter!”
“Playing these uncouth little games with me, Big Sister
still has a lot to learn~”
She gave a hard tug, and the sound of fabric ripping
echoed. The custom gown I received had clearly been
made a size too small. In front of our parents, Felicity
intimately linked her arm through mine. “Oh my~ Sister
gained a tiny bit of weight, didn’t she~”
The gown had been personally handled by Dominic.
There was no way I could have gained that much
weight in just a few days. Dominic, the culprit, now
looked at me with disdain. “Felicity started controlling
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her diet half a month in advance. Unlike some people,
who clearly know there will be many important guests,
but can’t even control their own appetites.”
“Being a Sterling heiress isn’t just about the lavish life
you see. Today’s guests are here partly out of respect
for Mom and Dad, partly my long–time business.
partners, and partly Felicity’s close friends. Each of
them is deeply connected to Sterling Enterprises.”
“Mom, Dad, it seems Elara still has a very long way to
go before she’s a qualified Sterling child.”
Without a proper gown, I could only change into
ordinary clothes, making me look like Felicity’s servant
in comparison. Whispers filled the banquet hall.
“Is that the ‘second Miss Sterling‘ they found and
brought back?”
“Dressed so casually at an event like this, she clearly
has no manners!”
“Her demeanor is nowhere near Miss Felicity’s!”
“I really don’t understand why Sterling Enterprises would
bring such a common, half–baked heiress out to
embarrass themselves!”
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“I heard she grew up in a small town. What could she
possibly understand about an event like this?”
My parents, too, frowned, casting a glance my way,
tinged with disappointment. “Elara, follow your sister.
Meet some friends.”
2
Felicity deliberately led me through the crowd, gracefully.
accepting everyone’s birthday wishes and gifts for her,
the “Sterling heiress.” Her hands were full of presents,
making my empty hands seem particularly shabby.
Finally, she dragged me to her group of friends, letting
those heiresses surround me.
“This is my second sister, who just came home-” She
deliberately emphasized “second,” causing the
“heiresses and socialites” to smirk.
“Even though my sister got lost because she was
naughty when she was little!”
“But no one is allowed to call her a little dummy~”
“Sister grew up in a small town~ She didn’t even make
it to high school~ The luxury brands we usually use,
Sister isn’t even familiar with their English names~”
“So, when we play together in the future, everyone has
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to be mindful of my sister’s fragile self–esteem-”
Under their scrutinizing, mocking gazes, I coldly shook
off Felicity’s hand. “No need. I don’t think I’ll have any
opportunity to ‘play‘ with you and your ‘socialite‘
friends. After all, I’ll be taking over the company. Unlike
your friends, who are lucky enough to be mere
parasites on their families.” –
2
Dominic, who had been silently watching, saw Felicity’s
“distress” and rushed over to her defense. “Elara, I
know that when people are overly self–conscious, they
mask it by pretending not to care!”
“But since you chose to come back to the Sterlings,
please exert some self–control!”
“Don’t disgrace the Sterling name!”
“If you can’t adapt, you can choose to leave! Anyway,
no one at this party came for you.”
“In short, I will not allow you to disrupt Felicity’s
birthday party!”
Around him, the “heiresses” gazed at him with
adoration. With the title of Sterling heir, Dominic was
already a sought–after match. Yet, in my past life, he
Chapter 2
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had always acted as Felicity’s loyal guardian. Just as
Dominic was reprimanding me, a familiar voice from the
crowd called out to me.
“Elara?!”
6
It was Ethan, whom I hadn’t seen in ages!
“Elara, long time no see.” Ethan walked closer, casting a
sidelong glance at me. “Looking at you now, it seems
abandoning me for wealth hasn’t quite brought you the
heiress life you imagined.”
The scattered murmur of the banquet hall instantly drew
everyone’s attention to Ethan’s booming voice. Felicity,
feigning ignorance, feigned surprise. “Ethan, you know
my second sister?” She sweetly linked arms with our
parents, who had hurried over, and introduced Ethan.
“Mom, Dad, this is Ethan, my classmate from my
tutoring class. Though from a humble background, he’s
very ambitious~ He’s already participating in research
projects in university, and he might become a great
scientist someday!”
Humble background, but in the past, he had me, a fool
who was willing to be his blood bank. Without financial
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06:31
pressure, Ethan could, of course, devote all his energy
to his studies. Felicity then steered the conversation
back to me. “Ethan also knows my sister~”
Ethan snorted coldly. “Know her? Miss Elara has been
clinging to me for years.”
“After all, back then, for an uneducated, poor orphan, a
promising university student like me was Miss Vance’s
best option.”
“I agreed to Miss Vance’s pursuit out of a sense of
kinship and shared upbringing, but I never imagined that
the first thing Miss Vance would do after becoming a
phoenix was to break up with me.”
“But it’s no wonder, Miss Vance is now a Sterling
heiress, so of course she looks down on a poor boy
like me!”
Watching my parents‘ suspicious glances, Dominic
quickly chimed in, “confirming” Ethan’s story. “When I
picked Elara up, I indeed saw her decisively break up
with Ethan.”
“She also said that since she was now a Sterling
heiress, Ethan shouldn’t bother her anymore.”
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“Otherwise, she’d show him what the power of a
wealthy family could do.”
So that’s why Ethan hadn’t pestered me at all after I
left that day. It turned out he was a “secret weapon,”
waiting for a grand occasion to deliver a fatal blow to
me in front of everyone. Ethan’s eyes gleamed with
triumph as he looked at me, chin raised.
“But Miss Elara, you don’t need to worry.”
“I said I might be poor, but I have backbone.”
“I didn’t come here to bother you, but to thank Miss
Felicity Sterling.”
“Miss Felicity is beautiful and kind. When she learned
of my humble background, she didn’t look down on me.
Instead, she funded my tuition and living expenses…”
As Ethan spoke, he pulled an invitation from his pocket.
“This is an invitation from Apex Labs. I’m giving it to
Miss Felicity as a birthday gift today.”
“As long as Miss Felicity needs me, I will do everything
in my power to help.”
The words “Apex Labs” caused another stir. This was
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currently the nation’s top private research lab, and an
invitation meant limitless prospects. Ethan raised his
eyebrows, looking down at me.
“Elara, never underestimate a poor young man.”
“You were so eager to cling to a powerful family, you
never imagined I’d rise to prominence so quickly, did
you?”
Ethan’s “gift” added a significant weight to Felicity’s
side of the scale. For wealthy families, bloodline was
important, but the benefits it could bring were even
more crucial. The guests, already prejudiced against me,
now, after this spectacular performance, sided
overwhelmingly with Felicity.
“She used to cling to that university student when she
had no talent herself.”
“Now she just recognized her family, and she dumped
him! This second Miss Sterling is truly manipulative!”
“She climbed over others to get ahead! I say, so what
if she has a bloodline? She’s clearly gone rotten all
these years!”
“People say poverty breeds cunning, while wealth
cultivates conscience! Miss Felicity, who grew up in the Sterling family, is truly gentle and kind!”
Amidst the whispers, Dominic leaned towards my
parents, suggesting in a low voice, “The guests here.
today are all wealthy and influential. If Elara stays here,
it will undoubtedly bring significant negative publicity to
Sterling Enterprises.” Just as my parents frowned in
distress, about to ask me to leave early, the banquet
swung open, and a clear, cool male
hall doors sudden
voice spoke.
“My apologies.”
“Miss Sterling’s birthday banquet, I’m late.”
