Chapter 1
On my birthday, the maid's daughter, Edwina Gladwin, suddenly claimed I was the fake daughter—and that she was the real one.
Next thing I knew, I was kicked back to the slums while Edwina moved into the mansion.
After that, all I wanted was to lay low and live my life, but Edwina showed up out of nowhere, slashed her wrists, and dragged me into chaos.
I got doxxed online and was bullied at school. My so-called parents clung to Edwina, sobbing like she was their everything, then turned around and said I deserved what I got.
After college, I landed a job—only to watch Edwina parachute in as my boss, thanks to her connections, snatching the promotion that should've been mine.
She took everything from me. But in the end, she was the one on her knees, begging me to sign a letter of forgiveness.
*****
On my birthday, when Edwina Gladwin walked into the hall pushing my birthday cake, she suddenly pulled out a DNA test report and dropped to her knees in front of my parents with a thud.
"Mr. and Mrs. Sutton, I'm really sorry to ruin the mood, but I truly can't stand watching Natalie continue to lie to you. She's not your biological daughter. I have proof. I'm your real daughter," declared Edwina.
I froze in shock, staring at Edwina in utter disbelief.
My name was Natalie Sutton. Edwina was our maid's daughter, and was a gentle and graceful girl.
Her dad was a drunk and a gambler. He used to hit both her and her mom. Later, when he couldn't pay off his debts, he jumped off a building, leaving behind a bunch of violent loan sharks who kept chasing her and her mom down. Most of her mom's salary every month went toward paying off high-interest loans.
Edwina and I were super close, best friends who told each other everything. We were even born on the same day, and I always felt like that had to mean something—like fate. My dad didn't want to hire Edwina's mom at first because of her messy background, but I begged him over and over until he finally agreed to let her stay.
But now, Edwina looked at me with a mix of guilt and sadness, her voice choking up as she said, "Natalie, I'm sorry. You're amazing. The other students like you, as well as the teachers. I can't compare to you in anything. I just want to live with my real parents, to have a real family. Please, let me have them back. Please?"
My parents, Valerie and Jacob Sutton, exchanged a glance, politely ushered the guests out, and urgently called in the family doctor to conduct another paternity test.
The family doctor hesitated, then said, "Miss Gladwin's report is real."
This meant Edwina was indeed my parents' biological daughter.
That same night, without waiting for my parents—no, without waiting for Edwina's real parents—to say anything more, I packed my things and left the house. I only brought my schoolbooks. I didn't take any clothes, jewelry, or handbags.
Not a single person came to see me off—not the family elders who always sang my praises, not my once-friendly friends, not even the attentive servants who used to look after me.
There was one exception—Aiden West.
Aiden was the son of the guy who owned the internet café near our school. After school, Aiden usually hung around there helping customers log on, making food, and sometimes helping gamers to earn some side cash. His grades were always at the bottom of the cohort. His dad was the local thug around here, and Aiden picked up a lot of that same tough-guy attitude. No one dared mess with him.