Chapter 3

The police station was lit up with cold, glaring lights. Richard and Grace sat across from me, each looking angrier than the other.

They probably never thought in their whole lives they'd be sitting here because they hit their own daughter.

After the medical check, they said I just had some minor injuries.

It wasn't enough for criminal charges, but it was enough to leave a mark on Richard's record and get him locked up for a few days.

When the officer announced the result, Richard swayed on his feet.

Grace shrieked, "No, you can't do this.

"He's the boss of a company. How can you detain him? This will destroy his reputation."

The officer barked, "We're acting according to the law."

Grace turned to me, shooting daggers with her eyes. "Sophia, are you happy now?

"Just for some internal recommendation, you're really going to send your own father to jail? How could you be so cold?"

I stared back at her, expressionless. "When he hit me, he didn't care about being the boss of a company.

"When you made me bow before Emily, you didn't care that we were family."

"That's enough, host," the system warned again. "If you keep pushing them, you're just making your life harder."

Harder? When have things ever been good for me these past three years?

Ever since they realized three years ago that Emily was their real daughter and I was just the adopted one, my place in this family hit rock bottom.

All their love and guilt went to Emily, while I got nothing but their neglect and resentment.

Emily had a gorgeous room and more designer clothes than she could ever wear, while I was crammed into a gloomy storage room.

They hired the priciest tutors for Emily and took her traveling around the world, but I had to earn every penny for my tuition each semester.

And now, they even wanted to snatch away the internal recommendation I'd fought tooth and nail for.

Why? Just because Emily was the girl destiny chose? I refused to accept it.

"Cold?" I said. "Compared to you, I'm nowhere near as heartless." I pulled a wrinkled contract from my pocket and slapped it onto the table.

"It's an agreement to cut ties. I've had it ready for ages. Sign it. From now on, we're finished. We have nothing to do with each other anymore," I said.

Richard and Grace were stunned. They stared at the paper as if it were a creature from their worst nightmares.

Grace's voice trembled. "What did you say?"

"I said, sign it," I replied, enunciating every word. "Haven't you always thought I was a burden?

"Haven't you always thought I was taking Emily's place? Well, now I'm stepping aside. Shouldn't you be happy?"

Richard shot to his feet, jabbing a finger at me. "No way. You think you can cut ties with the Lane family and get your hands on our fortune? Not a chance."

He actually thought I was threatening them just to get something out of it. How ridiculous.

"The Lane family's fortune?" I scoffed. "I don't want a single cent.

"All I want is my internal recommendation and my freedom. Sign the papers, and I'll drop the charges right away.

"Sign your name, and you walk out with your freedom and reputation intact. Or keep me around as your 'enemy' and risk ending up back here next time. It's your call."

Richard shot me a furious glare, like he could burn me alive. But under all that anger, I caught a hint of hesitation.

He was afraid that I really was crazy enough to wreck everything he had.

The system went silent in my head. It probably never thought I'd actually go this far.

After a long moment, Richard slumped back into his seat. He picked up the pen and signed his name on the agreement.

Grace opened her mouth to say something, but Richard shot her a look that shut her up. Tears streaming down her face, and she signed the paper too.

I picked up the agreement, folded it, and slipped it into my pocket. I stood up and told the officer, "We've resolved things."

When I stepped out of the police station, night had already fallen.

Richard and Grace didn't even look at me. They got in their car and drove away.

I stood alone by the curb, watching their car fade into the darkness.

I was flat broke. Tonight, I didn't even have anywhere to crash.

I just kept walking along the road, not knowing where I was headed.

"You've got nothing now." The system sounded almost smug. "Do you regret it?"

I answered silently, "No. At least I'm free now."

"Free? How naive," The system sneered. "Without money, you won't get far. Now the Lane family won't give you anything, and you'll be begging them for help within three days."

I stopped in front of a 24-hour convenience store.

Through the glass window, I spotted a man in a suit, pacing nervously as he spoke on the phone. "What? Mr. Campbell backed out at the last minute? We're about to run out of funds."

As I watched him, a storyline I'd forgotten suddenly resurfaced in my mind.

This guy was Alex Warren, the owner of a small gaming company.

According to the original plot, his company would go under tonight because of a cash flow crisis. A week later, buried in debt, he'd commit suicide by jumping off a building.

But three months from now, a major company would discover a game he'd created, and it would explode in popularity worldwide. That company would become an industry giant overnight, all thanks to his game.

I pushed open the convenience store door and walked straight up to him. "Hello, Mr. Warren."

Alex was taken aback. "You know me?"

I nodded. "I want to invest in your company."

Alex stared at me for a moment and then gave a wry smile. "Miss, are you messing with me? Right now, I really can't—"

"Mr. Campbell just pulled his investment, and your company is about to go bankrupt, isn't it?" I cut him off.

Alex's eyes flew wide open, pure shock on his face. "How do you know that?"

"I don't have any money," I said. "But I've got a solution that could save your company. All I want in return is a 10% stake."

Alex's expression shifted from shock to suspicion. He sized me up. "Who are you, really?"

I pulled the disassociation agreement from my pocket and set it down in front of him. "I'm the former Miss Lane who just got thrown out of the Lane family."

When his eyes landed on Richard's signature, his eyes widened in shock.