Chapter 4

Over the next few days, the Moon family put on a high-drama performance titled "We All Love Lila."

Because of her fever, Lila became the center of the family.

Grace was glued to her bedside, waiting on her hand and foot. Richard hired a private doctor to make house calls twice a day, and Ethan even blew off several major parties just to stay home and keep her entertained.

Meanwhile, I became the family ghost. They walked past my door without so much as a sidelong glance. At dinner, only three places were set at the table, as if I didn't exist at all.

Honestly, I actually enjoyed being invisible in this house.

*****

On Friday evening, the Moons were throwing a party. Officially, it was to welcome me home, but actually it was to keep up appearances for all the relatives and friends who'd heard the rumors.

Grace had Zoe come over to tell me, "Mrs. Moon says there's a party tonight. You're to dress up properly. Don't go making a laughingstock of the Moon family."

I opened my empty wardrobe and smirked. Dress up with what? The faded T-shirts I brought from my foster parents' house?

But I was ready for this.

*****

That afternoon, a courier from the law firm dropped off an expedited file along with an elegantly wrapped gift box. "Ms. Moon, this was sent over by Mr. Quinn."

I was surprised. I opened the box to find a sleek, sophisticated little black dress. The logo was one I didn't recognize, but it screamed "expensive."

Tucked inside was a card with bold, sweeping handwriting: [Welcome home. —Ryan]

I remembered Ryan. In my previous life, he was the Moons' heavy-hitting business partner and my fiancé. He was a man as cold as he was powerful.

Our families had arranged the marriage before I was even born. After I "went missing," the engagement naturally slid over to Lila.

However, Ryan never seemed interested in her. The engagement dragged on for years, never getting finalized.

Now that I was back, was he shifting his sights toward me? Interesting.

I slipped into the dress. It was a perfect fit, hugging me in all the right places as if it had been custom-made for my frame.

*****

At 7 PM sharp, I made my way downstairs.

The living room was already packed with guests, glasses clinking and laughter filling the air.

Richard and Grace were all smiles as they played the perfect hosts. Standing beside Ethan was Lila, looking every bit the princess in a white gown and flawless makeup.

She was all better now. She clung to Ethan's arm, soaking up all the compliments from the crowd.

"Lila, you are getting more stunning by the day."

"Absolutely. Standing next to Ethan, you make such a picture-perfect pair."

"I heard your design won another award? You are so talented."

My appearance was like a stone dropped into a still pond. Every pair of eyes in the room swung toward me with all sorts of looks of shock, curiosity, judgment, and pity.

In my simple black dress, without a single piece of jewelry or a drop of makeup, I was the odd one out among the glitz and glamour.

But I didn't give a damn. I walked straight up to Richard and Grace and gave them a curt nod. "Dad, Mom," I said.

Richard's smile faltered for a split second before he quickly composed himself. He slung an arm around my shoulder, presenting me to the crowd. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet my youngest daughter, Stella. We only recently brought her home."

He sounded like he was presenting a piece of lost property he'd finally recovered.

Grace stood by his side, forcing a smile. Her gaze flickered over my dress for a heartbeat, a flash of annoyance crossing her face.

The guests swarmed in immediately.

"Oh, so this is the real heiress you found."

"She doesn't... look much like Lila, does she?"

"Well, after 18 years of roughing it, what do you expect?"

Their voices were just loud enough to reach my ears.

Lila chose that exact moment to walk over. She looped her arm through mine with practiced affection, her face a mask of sisterly concern. "There you are, Stella. Are you feeling any better?

"I heard you came down with a fever a few days ago, too. Mom even had Zoe bring you some medicine. We were all so worried about you as you were in your room all by yourself."

She didn't miss a beat. In one breath, she managed to claim we were "both" sick, hinted at the family's "concern" to me, and firmly cast herself as the loving sister. She was a real pro.

I calmly pulled my hand back and looked at her. "Is that so? Funny, I don't recall anyone bringing me medicine.

"What I do remember is having a high fever and calling downstairs three times, only for no one to pick up."

My voice was steady, but the words were enough to make the entire room gasp.

Grace's face instantly turned a deep shade of crimson.

Lila was also stunned; she clearly hadn't expected me to call her bluff right in front of everyone.

"How... how can that be? Mom definitely..." Lila was so flustered, her eyes were already brimming with tears.

Just then, a cool, deep male voice came from behind me. "That's because the phone lines at the Moon estate were knocked out by the storm that night. As for the medicine, I had my assistant deliver it."

I turned around. A tall man stood behind me, cutting an imposing figure in a perfectly tailored charcoal suit. He was handsome in a cold, sharp way, with deep-set eyes that were currently fixed on me.

He was Ryan. What was he doing here? And how on earth did he know about my fever?