Chapter 3

After hanging up, I brought a fruit platter into the VIP room.

The manager kept telling us all day that the guests in this suite were big shots—rich or powerful, here for business. Even the managers and supervisors were the ones serving the dishes; we regular waiters weren't even allowed to set foot in there.

As soon as I walked in, everyone's eyes were on me. I calmly walked over and placed the fruit platter in the middle of the table.

"Why is it you?" A man spoke up.

I realized the four who'd approached me earlier were all here.

After leaving the hospital, I went back to the village once. The village head, Neville Stone, told me that a wealthy couple had come to the village looking for me, saying they were my real parents. They asked around about me and found out I'd had a rough life.

Before I left, Neville remarked with a sigh, "Looks like you're finally going to have a good life."

He knew my real parents were loaded, so he figured I wouldn't have to struggle anymore.

I replied, "They came looking for me, but they never recognized me as their own, and they never made up for anything they've missed."

Neville went quiet.

There were two families in the VIP room, here to discuss an engagement. The Ferguson family—my so-called real family—was one of them. Theo Ferguson, my biological brother, was supposed to be discussing his engagement with an heiress today, but things weren't going smoothly. The other family looked pretty unhappy.

The other family's grandfather noticed how familiar Theo seemed with me and gave a faint smile. "Do you two know each other?"

I shook my head right away. "No, I don't know him."

My birth mother, Gina, had red and teary eyes. "I'm your mother. How could you say that?"

With everyone watching, I smiled and said, "I grew up living off handouts from the neighbors. When I was a kid, my grandma tried to maim me—she wanted to blow up my hand just to get a disability certificate and have a grandson.

"In elementary school, they bought me life insurance, hoping to cash in on me for some easy money. I've survived three fires, almost drowned, got electrocuted... Just last month, someone nearly sold my kidney. You know all this, right? How do you even have the nerve to call yourself my mother? Do you really think you deserve that title?"

At the hospital, I didn't call them out because I thought maybe they had no idea how much I'd suffered.

But after I went back to the village and learned they'd investigated my life, I realized they knew I'd grown up in a place where boys mattered more and I was constantly facing death. Yet they still couldn't let go of their adopted daughter for me. That's when I knew—I was the one they abandoned.

I kept smiling, but my eyes were cold, filled with nothing but hatred.

The old gentleman immediately caught on to what had happened. Instead of questioning the Ferguson couple, he turned to me and said, "Do you need any support? I can pay for all your college expenses."

I shook my head. "Thank you, sir, but that's not necessary. My homeroom teacher just let me know the school is awarding me a scholarship, and it's enough to cover my entire college tuition."

He gave me an approving nod. "You're a promising kid. I hope your future is bright."

My birth father, Johnny, looked like he wanted to say something to me, but I pretended not to notice and carried the dish out of the room.

Not long after, Theo stormed out and found me. He snapped, "Did you do that on purpose? You knew today was my engagement, and you still said all that in front of their family. You kept saying all you cared about was money, and we gave it to you. So why are you making us look bad now?"

I frowned. "When exactly did you ever send me any money?"

Theo paused, about to speak, when Naomi piped up from behind. "Wow, you really are greedy for cash. Isn't 300 thousand dollars enough for you?"

I only had one bank card, the one the school gave me. I opened the app and said, "Just tell me the date, I'll check right now."

Naomi instantly went silent. "You... didn't get it? Wait, did I... forget to confirm the transfer?"

I let out a cold laugh. "Are you seriously playing dumb right now?"

Theo looked annoyed. "Is money all you ever think about? Is there anything else you know how to do besides asking for cash?"

"If you don't care about money, then why bother with this engagement? You don't even like her," I shot back.

Every time he looked at her, he gave off this negative vibe—it was obvious he couldn't stand that heiress.

"This is my business. It's none of your concern, outsider," Theo snapped.

He was getting pissed off and embarrassed at the same time.

I turned around and walked off without another word.

Just as I was leaving, I spotted a shadowy figure trying to hide around the corner.

Looks like the engagement talks fell apart. The other family left with frosty expressions.

The Ferguson couple personally escorted the old gentleman downstairs. Before getting into the car, he said, "Since the two just aren't meant for each other, let's call off the engagement."

Johnny's face changed instantly. He gave Theo a meaningful look, and finally, though unwillingly, Theo turned to the heiress and said, "Let's talk another time. Maybe today was just a misunderstanding."

The heiress had been chasing him for two years. Theo didn't like her—her looks were pretty average—but he just couldn't give up her family's money.

I was tidying up the VIP room when I spotted a hat left behind by the guests. The manager took a look, then used the walkie-talkie to confirm the guests were still at the entrance, and told me to hurry and return it to them.

As I was heading downstairs, I caught sight of a car suddenly veering straight toward the group chatting outside.

I screamed, "Look out! A car's coming!"

The car was only a few feet away when Theo, acting purely on instinct, shoved the heiress toward the oncoming vehicle and then stumbled away to save himself.

With a bang, the car crashed into them. The heiress managed to steady herself and her first reaction was to shield her grandfather.

The Ferguson couple didn't have time to react and were knocked to the ground by the impact. Just as the car tried to ram them again, a security guard jammed a steel fork into the wheels, stopping the driver from making a second hit.

The attacker, with murder in his eyes, jumped out of the driver's seat, brandishing a knife as he charged straight at Naomi, who was standing by the entrance.

Naomi spun around and ran for her life.

The attacker screamed, "Naomi, you bitch! You tricked me! I swear, I'll wipe out your whole family!"

Naomi dashed into the hotel to hide, and for a moment, she was nowhere to be found. Frustrated, the attacker spun around and went after the Fergusons with his knife.

I always carried a knife on me for self-defense.

Seeing someone in danger, I instinctively reached for the knife in my pocket. But part of me thought, 'Why should I care if they live or die?' That feeling was at war with my sense of justice.

After hesitating for a few seconds, I still pulled out the knife. I wasn't about to go toe-to-toe with the guy—I just hurled the knife at him.

The knife hit the attacker right in the eye. While he was doubled over in pain, the security guards rushed in with shields and steel forks and quickly took him down.