Chapter 1

I was the heiress of the Northwood family. The day my cousin, Nora Lane, came to stay with us, a barrage of live comments popped up before my eyes.

[Isabelle's so miserable. Her scheming cousin is about to steal all the love from her parents and brother.]

[That's not even the worst part. Even her fiancé is going to be snatched away by Nora.]

[If only Isabelle would wake up sooner and stop holding on to all that meaningless family affection and romance.]

I turned to look at Nora, snuggling up to my mother and playing innocent. I thought those comments were just worrying for nothing.

Their affection meant nothing to me. All I wanted was to keep a tight grip on my family's farms, shops, and fortune.

Sure enough, Nora started grabbing all my stuff, like my handkerchiefs, my jewelry, even my maids.

I smiled and let her have it all. Then I quietly told the family accountants to put every cent of her monthly allowance and expenses on her own tab.

By the time she went crying to my parents to tattle on me, I was already holding the deeds to three new estates I'd just bought outside the city.

*****

That year, out of nowhere, lines of live comments started floating across my vision.

[Alert! The scheming cousin is coming.]

[Poor Isabelle. Her scheming cousin is about to steal all her family's love.]

[That's not even the worst. Her rich and handsome fiancé is about to get snatched too.]

[Isabelle, snap out of it. Stop obsessing over all that fake love.]

I set down my coffee and stared at the comments floating in front of me, lost in thought.

I was Isabelle Northwood, the heiress of the Northwood family in Copperfield. I was free from want. I had 6 estates, 8 shops, 3000 dollars in my storeroom, and a handsome fiancé, Arthur Grant, the heir of the Grant family.

My family's love? My mom was busy all the time. My dad was stationed at the border. My brother seldom saw me.

As for Arthur, we'd only seen each other six times, and every time it was just a quick glance from across a crowd.

Those comments said I was miserable, but I never had any of that stuff to begin with.

The only things I truly cared about were my estates, my shops, and my cash.

"Miss Northwood, Miss Lane has arrived," my maid Yasmin whispered softly.

I glanced toward the front hall and saw the butler guiding a girl dressed in plain clothes toward the main hall. She kept her head down, her figure so slender that one couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

The live comments were scrolling like crazy.

[Nora Lane is here. She's a scheming bitch. ]

[Here comes the classic three-step routine: play the victim for sympathy, sneakily grab Isabelle's stuff, then seduce her fiancé.]

[Isabelle, gear up!]

I took my time finishing coffee and said to Yasmin, "Go get some sugar. This is way too bitter."

"Miss Northwood, aren't you going to check it out?" Yasmin asked.

"What's the rush?" I wiped my mouth. "Let her put on her little performance for a while."

When I walked into the main hall that afternoon, Nora was nestled in my mother's arms, crying softly.

"Aunt Chloe, now I only have you." Nora's voice was gentle, her eyes red and puffy. Anyone watching would feel their heart ache for her.

My mom gently patted her back, soothing her again and again. "Good girl, from now on, this is your home."

My grandma, Greta Northwood, was wiping her own tears, too. "Poor thing, your mother passed away so early, and your father... oh, dear."

As I walked in, every pair of eyes in the room turned to me.

Greta waved me over. "Isabelle, come here. This is your cousin, Nora Lane. She's two months younger than you. From now on, you two should get along well."

Nora looked up at me, her eyes timid and uncertain.

She had a delicate face, thick brows, big eyes, smooth skin, and tears trembling on her lashes. She looked so pitiful that anyone would feel sorry for her.

She stood up and greeted me, her voice barely above a whisper. "Nice to meet you, Isabelle."