Chapter 1

I was adopted by the richest man in the country.

When I was five, his own daughter went missing.

He spent an entire year searching for her, burning through every resource he had, but still couldn't find her.

His wife was crushed. She cried every day and wasted away, missing their daughter.

To distract her, they decided to adopt a child from an orphanage.

Life in the orphanage was rough. We were always short on food and clothes. The kids even had to do endless heavy chores.

Whenever a couple came in to pick a child, all of us would tense up, feeling nervous, hopeful, terrified.

Because for us, that was the one and only chance to change our life.

So even without the orphanage director or the caretakers reminding us, we all knew exactly how to behave, to look lovable enough for someone to want us.

This time, every single one of us had prepared for it.

*****

I put on my cleanest clothes, washed my hands and feet as clean as I could, and even trimmed my nails.

All the kids at the orphanage lined up obediently in front of Titus and Shonda Kingsley. I stared at them, eyes wide, not even daring to blink.

Shonda was stunning. She was tall and slender, and dressed in a pale blue dress. Her skin was radiant.

Her long hair made her look like one of those fairies on TV.

I'd never seen anyone so gorgeous, and I just couldn't take my eyes off her the whole day.

I did my best to behave, sitting quietly and obediently in the corner, watching the older kids perform, trying to look as attentive as possible.

She came up to me and gently asked my name.

I was so nervous my throat tightened up, and I couldn't get a word out for a long moment.

After a bit, I finally managed to stammer out a few simple answers, my voice barely above a whisper.

I felt a wave of disappointment wash over me.

I'd practiced for so long in secret.

"My name is Cora Irving. I'm five years old," I finally managed to say.

When Shonda turned to talk to another kid, I felt so disappointed and discouraged.

Why was I so useless? I couldn't even say two simple sentences properly.

I kept my head down, not saying a word. I couldn't bring myself to watch the other kids showing off how confident they were as they talked to Shonda.

After that, nothing else mattered to me.

I figured I'd probably spend my whole childhood in the orphanage, and when I turned eighteen, I'd just leave and try to make it out there alone.

As the event was winding down, the director leaned in and whispered that Shonda wanted to know if I wanted to go home with her.

My eyes lit up instantly, and I looked at Shonda like I couldn't believe it.

I smiled at her. Titus smiled at me too. From now on, they would be my parents. I finally had a home.

The first time I set foot in the Kingsley family's mansion, I was so stunned I didn't even blink.

The garden was overflowing with exotic flowers and rare plants, their colors dazzling and vibrant.

The living room was pure luxury. Tall crystal chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, and the floor was spotless.

I kept my eyes wide open, terrified I'd miss even a single detail of all the lavish decorations.

Their home was like a grand castle.

There were so many people in the house; the cook who always made delicious meals, the cleaning lady who kept everything spotless, and the gardener who took care of all those amazing flowers.

Everyone was so warm and welcoming to me.

My room was like a sea of pink, pinker than I'd ever seen in my life.

Shonda said she didn't know what kind of style I liked, so she decorated it just like her daughter would have loved, hoping I'd love it as much.

I nodded as hard as I could.

Of course I loved it. Everything here was stuff I'd never even dared to dream about before.

Shonda also had a son named Michael Kingsley, who had just started middle school.

Since he'd started middle school, I barely ever saw him as he was always buried in homework. He was set to inherit the family business one day, so there was no room for mistakes; he had to be perfect all the time.

Shonda's eyes were gentle but unwavering as she looked at me. "From today on, I'm your mom."

Her gentle voice lingered in my ears, filling my heart with a comforting warmth.

"Your name is Adeline Kingsley. I'll call you Addie," Shonda said softly.

I nodded hard, my eyes growing misty.

"Okay, Mom," I whispered.

I had a real family now, a dad, a mom, and even a big brother.

From now on, I didn't have to worry about ever going hungry again. I finally had a cozy home.

My days at the orphanage were already starting to feel like a distant memory.

I made a silent promise to myself to give it my all and never let my new parents down, not after everything they'd given me.

I was determined to become the kind of daughter they could truly be proud of.