“Laura, the Forbeses have raised you for eighteen years. We’ve done more than enough. Sign the papers.”

Natalie Forbes slammed an agreement down in front of me the second I stepped into the dining room.

The crystal chandelier blazed bright, and the long table groaned under lavish dishes. Foie gras, caviar, vintage wine, fresh flowers flown in from overseas…

This was the most extravagant meal I had seen in my eighteen years living with the Forbes family.

However, it was never meant for me.

This was their celebration feast for welcoming their biological daughter, Judy Forbes, back home.

It was also the day I got thrown out.

A medical report half a month earlier had shattered the truth — I was no blood daughter of the Forbeses.

The real young lady they had tracked down sat right beside Natalie at that moment, dressed in a white Self-Portrait lace gown, diamond earrings glinting softly under the lights.

Judy Forbes lifted her gaze toward me, her expression gentle, her voice perfectly soft.

“Don’t blame Mom, Laura. I heard your birth parents don’t have much money. You’ll probably never live a life like this once you go back.”

She bit her lip lightly after speaking, as if afraid to embarrass me.

Natalie squeezed her hand at once, eyes full of fondness, and her face turned icy cold when she looked back at me.

“Judy, you’re far too kind. She stole eighteen years of your life, and you still speak up for her?”

Stole. The word settled heavy, and I suddenly wanted to laugh.

I had only been a few months old when the Forbeses took me in. I knew nothing back then, let alone that I was not their biological child.

I had poured myself into piano, ballet, finance and etiquette all these years, chasing nothing more than an occasional “not bad” from Franklin.

I dared not fall sick, dared not act spoiled, dared not complain about ill-fitting hand-me-downs, and dared not ask why they never remembered my birthday.

So this was what all of it amounted to in their eyes — theft.

Judy sighed softly, then spoke again with feigned casualness.

“And the engagement to Alex… it belongs to the Forbes blood daughter by right. If you can’t bear to let it go, I can beg Mom and Dad on your behalf.”

She talked of pleading for mercy, yet her eyes stayed fixed on the severance agreement on the table, terrified I would refuse to sign.

I pulled out a chair and sat down, lifting my gaze slowly to meet hers.

“Judy, you’ve only just become a Forbes heiress, and you’re already rushing to take my room, my parents, and now my fiancé too?”

Judy’s smile froze instantly.

“Laura, that’s not what I meant…”

“Isn’t it?” I gave a faint smile. “Then what did you mean?”

Natalie slammed her palm hard against the table.

“Laura! Judy is my real daughter! You robbed her of eighteen years of life, and now you still want to cling to the Cargill engagement? How shameless can you be!”

Franklin Forbes sat at the head of the table, his brows knotted tight, as if my very existence annoyed him.

“Enough. Sign the document, and we can all part ways decently.”

Decent? They wanted to cast me out, strip me of my identity and my engagement, and still demand I keep it decent.

I stared at the paper — a severance agreement. Once signed, I would have no ties to the Forbes family ever again.

Eighteen years, reduced to a few sheets of paper.

I picked up the fountain pen. My fingers paused for a split second as the tip hovered above the line.

I was not reluctant. A distant memory had surfaced unbidden: I had spiked a high fever long ago, delirious, curled up alone in my room through an entire night, and Natalie had never once opened my door to check on me.

I had thought back then that no one loved me because I was not good enough. I understood now. I had not fallen short. They had never seen me as their daughter.

I scrawled my name: Laura Williams. Not Laura Forbes.

I pushed the agreement back toward them, my tone steady.

“I’ve signed the severance. Take the engagement if you want it.”

Natalie let out a quiet breath of obvious relief.

Triumph shone almost unmasked in Judy’s eyes.

I looked straight at her and added calmly, “I just hope you can carry it.”

Judy’s face shifted slightly.

Natalie let out a scoff.

“Who do you think you’re scaring? Judy has only been home half a month, and your father closed two huge deals. She is the true lucky star of the Forbes family.”

Franklin’s expression softened too, as if he had finally found proof of Judy’s worth.

“That’s right. Starline and Phoenix both reached out to us for cooperation after Judy came back. Laura, learn to accept your fate. Some things were never yours to begin with.”

I did not argue. I pulled out my phone and sent a pre-drafted message to a saved contact.

I lifted my head then.

“Are you so sure those deals came because of Judy?”

Natalie laughed as if I had said something ridiculous.

“If not because of her, then because of you?”

Franklin’s phone blared before she finished.

He answered it irritably. “What is it?”

His complexion changed the next instant.

Jose, his secretary, sounded frantic, his voice cracking through the speaker.

“Mr. Forbes, disaster! Starline’s investors pulled their funding out of nowhere, and the contract scheduled for this afternoon is canceled!”

Franklin shot to his feet.

“What are you saying? The deal was already settled!”

“They said… they said the Forbes household has been plagued by bad luck for half a month, and they won’t move forward with the partnership!”

Natalie’s smile froze on her face.

Judy forced composure.

“It might just be a misunderstanding, Dad, ask them again…”

Her sentence trailed off as Franklin’s second phone rang.

This call was from the bank.

“Mr. Franklin, we regret to inform you that the renewal of the Forbes Group loan requires a full reassessment.”

Franklin’s hand started to shake.

“Why? It was already approved.”

His colour drained little by little as the person on the other end spoke.

That call had not ended when a third one came rushing in.

Jose sounded close to breaking down.

“Mr. Forbes! Phoenix also wants to terminate our contract early. They’re willing to pay the penalty!”

A deathly hush fell over the dining room.

Judy, hailed as their lucky star only minutes before, sat there, her face pale as paper.

Natalie whipped her head toward me.

“Did you do this?”

I stood up and grabbed my coat.

“Calm down.” I met her gaze and smiled faintly. “This is only the start.”

I turned and walked out.

Franklin’s suppressed roar and Natalie’s panicked questions echoed behind me.

I spotted a beat-up electric tricycle parked by the roadside as soon as I reached the manor gate. Cardboard boxes were stacked on its back, and a middle-aged man covered in grease stood beside it.

Natalie chased outside and burst into laughter at the sight of the vehicle.

“This is the person your birth parents sent to fetch you? A scrap collector?”

Judy followed her out, her tone sweet, but delight gleamed plainly in her eyes.

“Laura, it seems some people are simply not born for wealth. Hurry home with your scrap-collector father.”

The servants standing by the doorway snickered quietly.

The middle-aged man frowned and walked straight over to me, bowing respectfully.

“Miss Williams, I’m James, the family driver. My car broke down nearby. I borrowed this tricycle for fear of being late to pick you up.”

Natalie’s laughter cut off abruptly.

I glanced at the man. His clothes were ragged, dust coated his shoes, yet his posture was unshakable and his gaze calm — he was no ordinary driver.

I nodded.

“Let’s go.”

Whispers drifted from the servants behind us.

“Calling herself Miss, riding home on a tricycle. That suits her fine.”

I glanced back at them before climbing aboard.

“You’d better start worrying whether you’ll still collect your paychecks at the Forbes estate next month.”

The tricycle pulled into a quiet parking lot ten minutes later.

James climbed down and opened the door of a black Rolls-Royce.

Sunlight slid across its body, catching its cold, luxurious curves. The license plate lined with eights stung the eyes.

He bowed his head respectfully.

“Miss, the car has been repaired.”

I settled into the back seat.

The man handed me a folder, his voice even more deferential than before.

“Sir and Madam have waited eighteen years for you.”

I flipped open the first page and read the name listed under Father.

William Alfred.

The richest man in the world.