Chapter 2

As soon as we stepped into the villa, a swarm of cameramen and reporters closed in on us.

Noticing how much I resembled Sophia, everyone started bombarding me with questions, shoving microphones right in my face.

"Can you tell us your relationship with Sophia?"

"Is the rumor about the real and fake heiress true?"

"How come you came back with Mr. Warren and Mrs. Warren?"

Feeling awkward, I was just about to tell the truth.

But Sophia snatched the mic before I could get a word out.

"Don't get the wrong idea, everyone. She's just our maid Miranda's daughter. She's got nothing to do with me.

"My parents only brought her here because she had it rough in the poor village. They just wanted her to experience a bit of city life, that's all."

I then turned to look at my biological parents.

But as soon as I met their eyes, they immediately looked away.

Not even a sign they'd step up and tell the truth about me.

One reporter kept pressing, asking, "Miss, you and Ms. Warren look so much alike. Are you really not just a stand-in heiress?"

Sophia's face went pale, and she quickly dragged me off to the side.

"Emily, go help Miranda with the cake, okay? We'll all have some together after the show," she whispered.

Then she turned to the cameras. "If you have any questions, just ask me. She's new here from the village and a little nervous."

I got pushed out of the crowd before I could say anything.

Everyone was all over Sophia, gushing about how gorgeous and sweet she was.

Two hours later, the reality show finally wrapped up.

I'd barely sat down on the couch when a reporter rushed over. "Emily, you're about the same age as Sophia—what's she like? Is she easy to get along with?"

I just said coldly, "No idea. Don't know her."

The atmosphere grew awkward for a moment.

Sophia came over and pulled me up. "Emily, you're always working, so you must be good at this. Come help us cut the cake."

I glanced at my real parents—they were basically begging me with their eyes to just do it.

I then picked up the knife and started slicing the cake.

Sophia smiled, picked up a piece with her fork, and handed it to me, saying, "Emily, have you ever had a fancy cream cake like this back in the countryside?

"This is made with fresh cream."

I shook my head. "I can't. I'm allergic to milk."

Sophia giggled, saying, "Kids who grew up with nothing always pretend they don't want what they can't have. Just try it! You've worked so hard today—eat as much as you want."

With that, she kept shoving pieces of cake into my mouth.

Then Sophia gave me a sugary sweet smile, like she'd just done me a huge favor.

The reporters couldn't stop praising Sophia.

"Such a beautiful and kind-hearted heiress."

"Ms. Warren really knows how to teach Emily the value of hard work. So wholesome!"

I started coughing, accidentally gulping down a few bites of cream.

It didn't take long before I broke out in hives all over.

My biological parents saw what was happening and quickly took me to another room.

Meanwhile, Sophia kept up her perfect heiress act for the cameras, surrounded by entertainment reporters.

With all those reporters still swarming the place, there was no way my parents could take me to the hospital.

So my dad, Michael Warren, had the driver run out and grab some allergy meds for me.

It felt like forever, but once I took the medicine, I finally started to feel human again.

After the reporters finally cleared out, I was ready to bail.

No way I was sticking around this place any longer.

When I was a kid, my real parents were too busy chasing deals at the market to notice me, and that was when I got kidnapped by traffickers.

They kept me quiet with a bunch of meds.

I slept for days, and when they thought I was dead, they just left me for dead on the roadside.

In the northern winter, with temperatures plummeting below -4 degrees Fahrenheit, every inch of me turned numb with cold.

Lucky for me, my adoptive parents happened to pass by and rescued me.

Since they couldn't track down my real family, they took me in.

After I joined their family, their business exploded. Within just a few years, their hard work paid off big-time. The company reached new heights and successfully went public.

They always said I was their lucky charm, and they spoiled me rotten.

They never had any other kids after me.

Violeta always said, "Emily, your dad and I love you so much, we want to give you every bit of it.

"Remember, you'll always be our most precious daughter."

In my world, a parent's love can really be all for one.

And I got double the love.

*****

As I was about to leave, Michael quickly pulled out a bank card with 30 thousand dollars on it, trying to comfort me.

"Emily, Sophia's a star. If word gets out she's not our real daughter, her career's over. Just suck it up for a while—stay on as Miranda's daughter.

"Here's 30 thousand. Buy whatever you want—don't hold back. Money's no object for us."

As he spoke, Michael looked pretty proud of himself, like throwing money at me would definitely make me stay.

Lena quickly jumped in, saying, "You're not like Sophia. Identity doesn't matter to someone like you. Let it go, okay?"

Seeing my parents take her side, Sophia put on her sweetest voice. "Emily, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to say you were Miranda's daughter.

"I was just trying to protect you from the media. I didn't want you to get hurt."

As she spoke, tears started streaming down her face.

My parents' eyes welled up with sympathy, and they rushed over to comfort Sophia.

Michael immediately handed her another bank card. "Here's 300 thousand dollars. Go buy yourself something nice."

Sophia looked up at me, her eyes full of smugness and challenge.

After a while, my parents finally remembered I was still there.

They turned to me, looking a little awkward.

Lena said, "Emily, it's not like your dad's trying to shortchange you. You know Sophia's a celebrity—she needs all that expensive stuff. You don't really need that much, so I just gave you what you'd actually use."

I nodded and reached into my bag and pulled out a document. "Sign this. From now on, she's the real heiress.

"No more lies, no more pretending."

As soon as I said that, my parents and Sophia just stood there, totally stunned.

Breaking the silence, a clear male voice rang out from the doorway. "Emily, what's that supposed to mean?"