Chapter 1

My mother had my kidney taken for her adopted daughter, then let that same adopted daughter pull my father's oxygen tube.

I was thrown out of the house and ended up at a spa, massaging clients' feet just to scrape together enough money to survive.

Three years later, she tossed me two million dollars and told me to get lost, to stop bringing shame to the Sterling family.

On the anniversary of my father's death, I publicly released the security footage.

The adopted daughter had pulled the tube with her own hands while my mother stood at the door, keeping watch for her.

The adopted daughter collapsed on the floor and wet herself.

My mother rushed over, threw her arms around my legs, and sobbed with tears streaming down her face.

I kicked her away and threw that card in her face.

"Two million. That should buy you two a decent life behind bars."

Sloane's POV

My mother, Lauren, personally carved out one of my kidneys so her adopted daughter could have a rosy complexion.

My father was literally driven to death by rage. I became the person the Sterling family couldn't avoid fast enough.

To survive, I had no choice but to work as a massage therapist at a spa.

In my third year of exile from the Sterling family, Lauren came to the spa and ordered the most expensive premium package.

"Ma'am, is this pressure okay for you?"

Crash! The teacup in Lauren's hand shattered into pieces.

My aunt, Grace, was about to start cursing when she caught sight of my face. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head as she shrieked.

"Sloane? What are you doing here?"

Lauren's face went purple.

She pointed at me, her finger trembling.

"Sloane, what are you doing here? Did you do this on purpose?"

I pressed the service timer on my wrist.

"If you're not satisfied with the service, you can request someone else. Though the hourly rate still applies."

Lauren shot to her feet.

"Sloane, has the Sterling family starved you? Denied you anything? You're here giving people massages? If people find out a Sterling daughter works as a massage therapist, what about Jasmine's wedding prospects?"

My mother didn't ask why I was here. She only cared whether the adopted daughter's reputation would be damaged.

"Would you like to continue?"

I pulled out a price list and held it directly under Lauren's nose.

"If not, please settle the bill. Also, since the teacup was damaged due to your own actions, you'll need to pay compensation."

Lauren's whole body shook with rage. She raised her hand to strike.

I didn't dodge or flinch. I just looked at her.

"If that slap lands, tomorrow's headline will read: 'Mrs. Sterling Assaults Service Worker.'"

Lauren's hand froze in mid-air.

Service staff around us were already craning their necks to look.

Grace tugged at her awkwardly from the side.

"Lauren, forget it, forget it. Don't stoop to her level. People will laugh."

"Since you don't want to see me, how about a membership package?"

I pulled a POS machine from my uniform pocket and handed it to Lauren.

"Supreme Imperial Card. Deposit two million, and from now on you can specify that I stay five hundred meters away from you at all times."

Lauren's eyes went wide.

"Two million? Sloane, what do you need that much money for?"

I expertly entered the amount.

"If you don't want the Carter family knowing I have this kind of job, consider the two million hush money. Mom, surely your reputation is worth more than two million?"

Lauren stared at me with complicated eyes.

After several seconds of standoff, Lauren backed down.

Transaction approved.

I tore off the receipt, handed it over with both hands, and even performed a standard bow.

"Thank you for your patronage. We look forward to serving you again."

Lauren looked like she wanted to say more, but I had already turned and left the room without looking back.

Looking at the receipt in my hand, I silently calculated.

The commission from this transaction should be enough for Emma Peach's surgery, right?

As for dignity?

That thing wasn't worth a damn compared to a poor person's life.

The rain was heavy. I stood at the roadside bus stop, soaked to the bone.

A black stretch car pulled out from the spa, its wheels running through a puddle.

Muddy water splashed all over me.

The window rolled down, revealing the anxious face of our family butler, James Carter.

"Miss Sterling, it's pouring! Get in the car!"

I wiped the muddy water from my face.

So Lauren was specifically waiting for me to get off work?

This area was remote. Without adding a surcharge, getting a cab was basically impossible.

To save the few dozen dollars in nighttime fees, I opened the door and got in.

The car interior was warm with heating, filled with a faint fragrance.

It was Lauren's favorite scent diffuser. A thousand dollars per gram.

"Miss Sterling, please dry off."

James handed me a towel.

"Don't call me Miss Sterling anymore."

From the other side of the back seat, Lauren spoke with her eyes closed, her voice carrying disappointment.

"Someone so depraved doesn't deserve that title."

James froze awkwardly in place.

Three years ago, Lauren brought home Jasmine Sterling.

She said Jasmine was in poor health and the whole family needed to pamper her.

From that day on, I became invisible in that house.

If Jasmine coughed once, the whole family would panic.

But when I ran a high fever, I could only boil water and take medicine myself.

Lauren didn't need a daughter. She needed a pet who knew how to act cute and satisfy her vanity.

I tossed the towel aside and turned to look out the window.

"James, Mrs. Sterling isn't wrong. I really don't deserve it."

Lauren's eyes snapped open, complex emotions flickering in them.

"Are you trying to kill me with anger? You won't study properly and insist on doing this shameful work! Look at Jasmine. She's accomplished in every skill. Now look at yourself. What do you look like?"

I said nothing.

Accomplished in every skill?

That kind of accomplishment cost money.

My card had been frozen three years ago. I paid tuition through scholarships.

The car entered the slums.

The road was full of potholes. Harsh scraping sounds came from the undercarriage.

Lauren covered her nose, looking at the filthy streets outside and the crumbling abandoned buildings. She frowned.

"Stop the car!"

Before the car had fully stopped, Lauren started shrieking.

"You live in this pigsty? Sloane Sterling, are you doing this deliberately? Trying to make people say I abuse you?"

I pushed open the car door.

Rain was still falling outside.

I lived here because it was close to the dialysis hospital. Rent was only two hundred dollars.

"If you think so, then sure."

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Drive!"

The car spewed exhaust and fled like it was escaping for its life.

I stood at the mouth of the dark alley, watching those two red taillights disappear.

I looked down at my mud-spattered shoes.

A pigsty?

Maybe so.

But in this pigsty, at least nobody wanted to steal my kidney.