Chapter 1

Ten years had passed.

I thought I'd already buried that stolen part of my life.

Then, today, during the fall campus recruitment drive of the company I'd established, the HR director placed an outstanding resume on my desk.

She said, "Ms. Schmitt, this girl graduated from a top-tier university, ranked first in her major. She has an exceptional profile. It's just that..."

I picked up the resume. The familiar face in the photo, with that perfect makeup, instantly sent a jolt through me.

It was Michelle Lynch.

Back then, my foster parents sold my SAT scores and college acceptance letter for 100 thousand dollars, just so she could have them.

They told me, "Luna, you're smart enough to succeed without college. But Michelle is different. She's our own flesh and blood. She needs a good future."

Now, Michelle was using the degree that should have been mine to apply for an internship at my company.

The HR director, Linda Chapman, was still hesitating. "She came off a bit arrogant. During the interview, when she found out that you only have a high school diploma, she had this look of disdain on her face. I doubt she'll last long here."

I smiled, my fingers tracing Michelle's name. The cold hatred that had simmered in me for ten years finally found its way out.

"It's fine," I said softly, but my tone made it clear that was the end of it. "Hire her. I want to see for myself how good this top-tier university graduate really is."

"Ms. Schmitt, are you sure?" Linda asked.

Linda had been with me for five years. She was a veteran at the company and my most trusted person.

She rarely questioned my decisions, but this time, her confusion was right there on her face.

"Michelle couldn't stop talking about her school and grades during the interview. She kept hinting that our company was beneath her, that she was settling for less. She even tried to dig into your educational background."

Linda paused, watching my face closely. "When she found out you built everything from nothing with only a high school diploma, the look on her face basically screamed 'new money.'"

I leaned back in my big chair, looking out through the floor-to-ceiling windows at the heart of the city's business district.

Every one of the city's tallest towers was right there in front of me.

Ten years ago, I was standing at the bottom of those skyscrapers, holding a crumpled train ticket, with only a few hundred dollars in my pocket. I looked up at the places I thought I'd never get into.

Back then, Michelle was probably sitting in some sunny college classroom, enjoying the life that should've been mine.

"Linda," I said calmly, "I understand your concerns. But our company could use someone to shake things up and get people moving. Don't you think?"

Linda sighed, "I'm all for people who shake things up. But I don't want someone who comes in and tries to tear everything apart. She's got way too much ambition, definitely not someone who'll keep her head down."

"Ambition's great as long as she has the skills to back it up," I said.

I picked up my coffee. The warmth did nothing for the coldness inside me. "It's settled. Put her in Team One under Thomas."

Team One was the heart of our company. It had the longest hours and the heaviest workload.

I wanted to see what this girl with her fancy university degree was really made of after I stripped away that stolen shine.

Seeing that I was set on it, Linda didn't push any further. She nodded and walked out.

I was left alone in the office.

I picked up Michelle's resume again. Her ID photo looked great. She seemed young and confident, with a look in her eyes like she expected to get whatever she wanted.