Chapter 2

I sat in the back seat of Michael's Mercedes S-Class, watching the city blur past outside the window, and I still couldn't believe any of this was real. Half an hour ago, I was worrying about next month's rent.

Now I suddenly had a luxury apartment downtown, a black card with no spending limit, and a trust fund that supposedly made money every minute of the day.

Michael said as he drove. "The apartment Mr. Lane prepared for you is at Riverstar Estate. It's a little over 3,000 square feet and fully furnished, so you can move in right away.

"Your Nanny, driver, and personal assistant have all been arranged and will be in place tomorrow. If you're not happy with any of them, they can be replaced at any time."

I stared at the thick stack of documents in my hands. Property deed, share certificates, trust agreement... every single one of them had the power to change my life. "Why did it take until now to find me?"

Michael glanced at me in the rearview mirror. "After your parents divorced, the woman who raised you moved away with you and cut off all contact. Mr. Lane never gave up looking, but we only confirmed your identity recently through some special channels."

"Special channels?"

"Three months ago, you were hospitalized with acute appendicitis. Your blood type is the very rare Rh-negative.

"Mr. Lane has the same blood type, and he set alerts through a global rare blood registry. Whenever a new person with the same blood type was added, he would be notified. That's how we found you."

I went still. Three months ago, I really had been hospitalized with appendicitis. The doctor had told me my blood type was rare and suggested I register with the rare blood database, so I filled out the form without thinking much about it.

So that was it. The turn in my fate had been hiding in a tiny detail like that.

The car stopped at the gates of Riverstar Estate, a luxury neighborhood I used to only dare look at from far away. A security guard respectfully opened the door for me, and the property manager was already waiting at the entrance.

"Miss Lane, welcome home," he said with a professional smile. "Your butler and service team are already waiting for you."

I followed the manager into the so-called luxury apartment. The moment the door opened, I forgot how to breathe.

The living room had nineteen-foot ceilings. Floor-to-ceiling windows looked straight out over the river. The decor was exactly my style, sleek and minimal, but every last detail screamed money. And on the sofa, sitting in two neat rows, were people.

"Miss Lane, I'm your butler, Sam Bennett. I previously served a royal household overseas." An elegant older man with graying hair stood first.

"I'm your personal assistant, Sophia Quinn. I graduated from Harvard Business School and speak five languages." The sharp-looking woman with short hair smiled at me.

"I'm Linda Cook, your chef. I specialize in cuisine and cooking from different countries."

"I'm your driver, David Carter. I've been behind the wheel for twenty years, with zero accidents."

"And I'm..." By then my head was already spinning. I felt less like I was moving in and more like I was being crowned queen.