Chapter 1

Everyone was waiting to see me, the "real heiress from the sticks," trip over myself.

At the engagement party, my fiancé shielded the fake heiress, who was sobbing uncontrollably, and tossed the ring at my feet. "You're nothing compared to her. Get out of our world."

I was about to break that jerk's bones when the doors to the hotel suddenly burst open.

The mysterious big shot, whose mere presence made everyone in the capital's elite circle quake in their boots, strode right up to me.

Under everyone's stunned gaze, this untouchable man kissed my fingers with devotion. "Aurora, your cleansing is over. I'm here to take you home."

Turned out, I wasn't some abandoned heiress from an elite clan.

I was the most noble pureblood princess of the vampire clan.

And as for that two-faced bitch who schemed to taint my blood, it was time to settle the score.

*****

A file slammed onto the table with a thud.

Charles Sterling, dressed in a tailored suit, glared at me as I sat on the sofa.

"Aurora, sign it. Our engagement is over," he spat, full of disgust.

Standing beside him was Emily Lane, dressed in a white gown.

She was the fake heiress the Lane family had raised for twenty years.

And me, Aurora Sinclair, the real heiress, was only brought back from the sticks half a year ago.

Emily's eyes were red and swollen as she gripped Charles's sleeve.

"Aurora, I'm so sorry. It's all my fault," she said timidly. "I know I shouldn't have stayed with the Lane family, and I shouldn't have let myself fall for Charles.

"If you're angry, you can take it out on me. Hit me, yell at me, whatever you want. But please, don't blame Charles."

Tears streamed down her face as she spoke. She looked like the picture of misery.

"Emmy, it's not your fault." Charles wrapped Emily in his arms, his gaze full of tenderness, then turned to glare at me.

He said, "Aurora, Emmy and I grew up together. Even if you are the real heiress of the Lane family, you will never be able to replace her.

"The engagement means nothing. My heart belongs to Emmy, and it always will. So sign the papers and end this engagement. It's better for everyone."

All around, people started whispering and gossiping.

"Poor Aurora, dumped as soon as she got back," someone murmured.

"Poor? Emmy has been raised by the Lane family for twenty years. How could some girl from the sticks ever compete? Honestly, it was her own bad luck," another guest scoffed.

People were either snickering, pitying me, or waiting for the next juicy scene.

Everyone thought I'd fall apart, cry my eyes out, or throw a tantrum.

They were all waiting for me to totally lose it, go nuts, or even beg Charles not to dump me.

But I didn't.

I didn't even bother looking at those two, who were all over each other.

This whole stupid drama made me want to roll my eyes.

I raised my hand and, with a sharp crack, slapped Emily hard across the face.

It was a vicious slap.

Emily let out a shriek and hit the floor hard, her cheek ballooning in no time.

"Aurora, are you insane?" Charles snapped, swinging his hand at me.

I shot out my hand and caught his wrist mid-air, dead on.

A sickening crack echoed as his wrist broke.

Charles screamed bloody murder.

I stared down at him, wiping my hand off in disgust.

"Yelling at me? Who do you think you are?" I sneered.

Everyone froze, stunned by the sudden twist in the story.

A wave of heat washed over me. I glanced down at my wrist.

For the past six months, I had been hit by these sudden waves of heat.

It felt like my blood was boiling, like something inside me was about to burst out.

I needed to end this quickly.

I walked over to the table, picked up the engagement termination papers, and flipped through a couple of pages.

"So, not only do you want to break off the engagement, but you also expect me to hand over the ten percent shares Grandpa left me?" I looked up, my gaze icy.

"This is what you owe Emmy," Charles gasped, wincing in pain. "Ever since you came back to the Lanes', Emmy has been through so much. Those shares are supposed to make up for all the pain she suffered."

I smirked. "Enjoy the show."

I pulled a USB drive from my bag. "Plug this into the projector. Right now."

The security guard instinctively followed my instructions.

Three seconds later, the screen lit up.

In a dimly lit hotel room, the camera captured two bodies tangled together on the bed.

The man was Charles.

The woman was Emily, the very same Emily who had been sobbing like a damsel in distress.

"Charles, Grandpa left Aurora those shares. What are we going to do about it?" Emily asked in the video.

"Relax, Emmy. I'll handle it with my family. At the engagement party, I'll make her sign the breakup papers and snatch those shares back. She's a clueless girl who won't stand a chance. With everyone piling on, she'll cave and sign without a fight," Charles said.

The crowd's attitude shifted in a heartbeat.

Moments ago, everyone was pitying Emily.

But now, the dirty little scheme of this innocent actress and her spoiled rich boy was exposed right in front of everyone.

"Oh my god, that is so messed up. The Lane family actually schemed against their own daughter," a guest exclaimed.

"What a snake. She took Aurora's place, stole her fiancé, and now she's trying to grab her shares too," another guest added.

Emily pointed at the screen and shrieked, "Turn it off. It's fake. It's photoshopped!"

Charles looked totally panicked.

I turned to face the Lane parents, their faces dark.

"Drama's over. Since you clearly prefer your adopted daughter over your own flesh and blood, I won't stick around and be an eyesore," I said.

Then I pulled the annulment agreement out of my bag and threw it on the table. Let them call off the engagement. I didn't want that dirty Charles anyway. But they had to sign my copy.

"What did Grandpa leave me? Don't even dream of getting your hands on it," I said.