Chapter 2

It's cold.

The cold was biting.

The freezing water filled my mouth and nose, choking me.

I thought I would die.

I thought this was the end.

But in the last moment before my consciousness faded, a strong hand grabbed my wrist.

It wasn't Stephen.

The hand wore a special diving glove, with a hard insignia pressed into the palm, causing a sharp pain.

When I woke up again, I was in a black submarine.

Around me were precision instruments, ticking and beeping.

An elderly man in a deep blue uniform stood at my bedside, his gaze filled with a mix of emotion and excitement.

"Miss, you're finally back." someone said.

Miss?' I thought, confused. My mind was a mess.

I was the illegitimate daughter of the Rowe family, never welcomed, far from being a 'Miss'.

The old man handed me a mirror, then a document from decades ago.

"That man from the Rowes is your adoptive father. Your real father was the former head of the world's largest maritime family, the Poseidons. In that shipwreck twenty years ago, everyone thought you died, but the Rowe family secretly took you." he said.

My hands shook as I took the document.

The DNA results were clear and undeniable.

I wasn't the unwanted bast**d I had thought.

I was a family member of the most prestigious family on the seas.

I placed a hand on my stomach. There, a faint heartbeat still pulsed.

"The baby's safe," the old man said. "But you're very weak, Miss. If you want to keep this child, if you want to take back what's yours, you must become stronger than anyone."

I stared at the deep ocean outside the porthole.

I thought of Stephen's icy expression, Lydia's smug smile, and those unbearable days and nights in the mental hospital.

I want to live,' I told myself, determination burning in my chest.

"Not only will I live, but I'll make them pay back everything they owe me—tenfold, a hundredfold." I spat out the words with venomous hatred.

In that moment, the weak Shirley Rowe died.

What emerged was Alice, the sole heir of the Poseidon family.

The next five years changed me completely.

I gave birth to a boy and named him Finn.

He was a genius. At two, he could read complex navigation charts. At three, he hacked into the family's internal network.

While raising him, I pushed myself through brutal training-

from business deals to hand‑to‑hand combat, deep‑sea diving to all kinds of guns.

I squeezed every minute dry.

Because I knew that, somewhere across the sea, that awful couple were living in luxury, standing on what was left of me.

Whenever I wanted to quit, I'd look at Finn's face, so much like Stephen Foster's.

It was a reminder of my hatred.

And it was also what gave me strength.

Five years later. Riverport International Airport.

I took off my sunglasses, my expression delicate but cold.

Four bodyguards followed behind me, pushing luggage, their presence hard to ignore.

Finn, in a tiny suit, sat on a suitcase, a lollipop in his mouth and a tablet in his hands. His fingers flew across the screen.

"Mom, the target is going to the Midnight Blue Gala tonight," Finn said something ruthless in his cute baby voice, "I've already hacked the security system. You'll have the best way in."

I ruffled his hair. "Good job."

The Midnight Blue Gala was a high-end event hosted by the Foster Group to boost their global shipping business.

They said it was held in memory of his late wife, who had "fallen into the sea."

How ironic. To honor me, and profit from my name?

Stephen Foster, you really think you deserve that?' I thought.

The gala was held at a seven-star hotel owned by the Foster Group.

The hall was dazzling, filled with guests in elegant dresses and suits.

I wore a deep blue mermaid gown, covered in thousands of tiny crystals that shimmered like stars under the lights.

The dress was called "Nemesis".

When I walked into the ballroom, arm in arm with Nathan Rivers, the current executive of the Poseidon family and my cousin, the room fell silent.

All eyes turned to me—amazed, confused, shocked.

Because my face looked strikingly similar to Shirley Rowe from five years ago.

But everything else was different.

Back then, she kept her head down and spoke softly, like someone used to being overlooked.

Now, I walked in with my head high, my gaze sharp, my presence impossible to ignore.

Then I saw Stephen Foster. He stood in the center of the crowd, a glass of wine in hand. Five years had made him thinner and more angular, with deep dark circles under his eyes.

At his side was still Lydia Wynn. She wore a white dress like a princess, holding onto his arm, smiling brightly as she greeted guests.

When Stephen Foster's eyes landed on me, he froze.

A sudden crash echoed through the hall.

The glass slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor.

Red wine splashed over his shoes, but he didn't react.

He stared with red eyes and trembling lips, wanting to say my name but too afraid to believe it.

"Shirley?" His voice was barely a whisper, like he was afraid the moment would disappear.

I smiled politely and walked over on Nathan's arm.

"Mr. Foster, nice to meet you,"

I held out my hand, my tone distant, like I was speaking to a stranger. "I'm Alice, CEO of Poseidon for Greater China."

Stephen Foster didn't take my hand.

He just stared into my eyes, searching for something familiar.

But he would be disappointed.

"Don't you recognize me?" His voice was rough, almost pleading.

"You must be joking, Mr. Foster," I withdrew my hand casually. "Poseidon is new to this market, but of course I've heard of you. People say you're a devoted man. Your wife passed away five years ago, and you haven't remarried?"

At the mention of "your wife," his face went pale.

Beside him, Lydia Wynn caught on.

Her eyes widened as she looked at my face, unable to hide her jealousy and fear.

"You… you're supposed to be dead?" Lydia Wynn shrieked, "Who are you?"

"That's an interesting question, Miss Wynn."

I gave a cold laugh and glanced at her. "Have you done something you feel guilty about?"