Chapter 2

That woman took my name, lived in my house, enjoyed all the good things that should've been mine, and in the end, even married my fiancé.

I opened my eyes, a faint smile tugging at my lips.

Well, this was an interesting twist.

The Frederick family's mansion sat on a sprawling private estate on the outskirts of Northcrest.

The car rolled through two layers of security gates and cruised down a ginkgo-lined avenue for almost five minutes before the silhouette of the main house finally appeared.

A grand, three-story mansion with white marble walls stood ahead, its fountain out front glowing gold in the sunset.

I stepped out of the car, my feet touching the cool stone path.

The front door was wide open.

An elderly man with grey hair stood in the entryway, with a man and a woman next to him. They looked about the right age to be my real parents.

The moment he saw me, he tapped his cane hard against the floor and took two quick steps forward, his eyes filling with tears.

"Victoria..." Dominick called out.

His lips trembled as he reached out to touch my face, but then he hesitated and pulled his hand back, like he was afraid I'd shy away.

I didn't flinch.

But I didn't step forward.

I stood a few steps away, looking at him calmly. "Good evening, Mr. Frederick."

That simple greeting brought tears to his eyes.

He squeezed his eyes shut, then turned to the man behind him. "Vance, take a look. This is your daughter. Doesn't she remind you of your mother when she was young?"

Vance stepped forward. He was in his fifties, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, his hair meticulously styled—the picture of a successful businessman.

But right then, his jaw clenched, trembling slightly.

"Vic," he called me by my nickname, his voice hoarse. "I'm so sorry for everything."

I met his gaze, steady and calm. "It's alright. What's done is done."

There was a moment of silence.

My real mother rushed over and grabbed my wrist, her face wet with tears. "My daughter... I've been looking for you for twenty-three years. You must've gone through so much in that little town."

She tried to hug me.

I leaned away, letting her arms miss me.

I wasn't being cold on purpose. It was just I didn't feel anything.

Twenty-three years was a long time, so long that the people standing in front of me felt like strangers.

The living room table was piled high with food, and the butler said it was all made to suit my tastes.

I had no idea how they even figured out what I liked.

After I sat down, Dominick slid a key across the table to me. "This is the key to your room—the biggest suite on the east side of the third floor. And this..."

He pushed a black card over to me. "There's 7 million dollars on this card. Consider it compensation for all these years. Use it however you want. And later, the Group will reserve some shares for you."

I left the card where it was.

"I'm not short of money," I said.

Dominick paused, caught off guard.

"I'm a neurosurgeon. My salary and bonuses are more than enough. I've made it this far on my own," I said.

Everyone at the table went quiet for a few seconds.

My real mother lowered her head, her eyes rimmed with tears.

I wasn't trying to embarrass them. I was just stating the facts.

Just then, the living room door opened, and two young men walked in. Judging by their looks, they had to be my brothers.

Charlie was thirty, already a vice president at the Group, with a calm, composed demeanor. Jackson was twenty-seven, in charge of the family's pharmaceutical division, and with his gold-rimmed glasses, he had a more scholarly look.

Both of them stopped in their tracks when they saw me.

Charlie was the first to speak. "So, you're Victoria?"

I nodded.

He walked over and sat down across from me, his gaze lingering on my face before he said, a bit unexpectedly, "You really do take after Grandma."

Jackson sat down next to him, pushing up his glasses. "Where are you working now?"

"Greystone Hospital, neurosurgery," I said.

Jackson paused mid-motion, surprised. "Greystone Hospital? You're actually an attending physician?"

"Associate chief physician. Got promoted last year," I replied.

He frowned, trying to work it out. "Hold on, you're only twenty-three?"

"Twenty-four. I fast-tracked my bachelor's, master's, and PhD, and finished residency early too," I said.

The table went quiet again.

This time, the silence felt heavier, more complicated.

I picked up some food with my fork and just kept quiet.

Halfway through dinner, the butler came in and announced, "Mr. Frederick, the Riley family just called. They want to invite Miss Frederick to tomorrow's party."

Dominick put down his fork, his face darkening.

I looked up and asked, "What party?"

The representative leaned in and whispered, "The Riley family is hosting a grand party for Cesar Riley's eightieth birthday the day after tomorrow.

"They've invited all the major families in Northcrest. As is customary, the Frederick family is expected to attend."

I understood.

The Riley family was the one that married Shannon and the family of my 'ex-fiancé.'