Chapter 1

I grew up as an orphan scavenging for scraps, and ended up marrying Charlie Sinclair, the heir of Kingsford's most powerful family, all because I owned a ton of land.

My mother-in-law, Riley Sinclair, thought I was broken, so I handed her the keys to three downtown buildings.

When my sister-in-law, Valeria Sinclair, got played by some scumbag, I bought out the man's company and put Valeria in charge as the new CEO.

I couldn't make sense of a menu in a foreign language, but everyone still called me the shining star of high society.

Everything changed when Luciana Steele, who claimed to be an heiress of her family, returned to the country.

She was draped in couture, eyeing me like I was nothing but a pile of garbage. "How could someone reeking of poverty and grime ever be worthy of marrying Charlie?"

She waved my junk license in front of Charlie's dad, Pierce Sinclair, and called me out right there. "You've tainted the Sinclair family with your filthy money, turning the hundred-year family into your own trash heap. Mr. Pierce Sinclair, please, kick her out."

I clutched my woven sack, asked unsurely, "So, should I let the lease for the land Harmony Medical Center sits on expire next month, then? Pierce is relying on that hospital to stay alive."

Luciana's eyes widened in utter disbelief. "What land? Are you insane? The Sinclair family is huge. Why would they lease land from a trash collector like you?"

Pierce coughed awkwardly and quietly pulled out the IV from his hand.

The other Sinclairs all glanced out the window. After all, the whole villa district they lived in was owned by me.

*****

"How could someone reeking of poverty and grime ever be worthy of marrying Charlie?" Luciana sneered. Her voice was sharp and piercing.

She was dressed in a white Chanel suit, clutching a yellowed piece of paper.

It was my scrap collector's license.

My name was Eliza Summers. I'd come back from the recycling center on the west side of the city, still in my work clothes.

The living room was packed with Sinclairs.

My husband, Charlie, sat beside me.

He frowned and tugged at my sleeve. "Eliza, why don't you go change your clothes first?"

Luciana snorted. "Change clothes? Like that stench of poverty isn't baked into her blood."

She marched right up to Pierce, brandishing the license in front of him. "Mr. Pierce Sinclair, take a look. This is the lady of the Sinclair family, a trash collector.

"She's polluted the Sinclair family's name with her dirty cash, turning the hundred-year family into her own trash heap. Mr. Pierce Sinclair, please kick her out."

The living room fell silent.

All the Sinclairs' eyes darted over me.

Riley muttered, her face twisted with embarrassment, "Such a disgrace."

Valeria watched me with gleeful delight, clearly enjoying my embarrassment.

I'd been married into the Sinclair family for three years, and they'd always looked down on me.

I clutched my woven sack. Inside were the limited-edition sneaker samples I'd picked up. I was planning to drop them off at my factory for testing.

I looked at Pierce, lying on a custom medical bed, his face pale.

I said quietly, "So, should I let the lease for the land the private hospital sits on expire next month, then? Pierce is relying on that hospital to stay alive, after all."

Luciana laughed mockingly. "Land? Are you dreaming or something?" Her eyes went wide. "With all the Sinclair family's wealth, why would they lease land from a trash collector like you?"

As soon as she finished talking, Pierce cleared his throat, looking embarrassed.

He reached out and, without saying a word, pulled the IV from the back of his hand. As the needle slipped out, a bead of blood appeared.

The private doctor's face went pale. "Mr. Pierce Sinclair, you can't do that!"

Luciana froze in shock. "Mr. Pierce Sinclair, what are you doing?"

Pierce didn't glance her way. His eyes turned to me.

There was a storm of emotions in his gaze.

All the other Sinclairs in the living room suddenly shifted their gaze to the window.

They were seeing the entire high-end villa district out in Kingsford's suburbs. And every single deed there was owned by me.

Charlie's face went through a whole range of emotions.

He stood up, walked over to Luciana, and lowered his voice. "Luciana, stop making a scene."

Luciana snatched her hand back. "Me? Making a scene? Charlie, are you seriously bewitched by this woman? She's totally beneath you."

I stood up and brushed the dust off my work clothes. "Well, that hospital is called Harmony Medical Center. Three years ago, I rented it out to the Sinclair Group's medical division.

"The lease is for five years, and the annual rent is one dollar. The contract spells it out. If the leaseholder disrespects me, I have the right to cancel the contract on my own."

I pulled another document out of my woven sack and set it on the table.

It was the lease contract.