"Claudia, today is your aunt's birthday. Come home for dinner tonight."
The voice on the phone belonged to none other than Claudia's so-called "biological father"—Ivan Walker.
"..."
On any normal day, she wouldn't have bothered answering his calls, let alone set foot in that house.
But she had something important to take care of. After a few seconds of silence, she agreed.
Claudia hated talking about her wretched family history.
When she was very young, her father had an affair—with her own aunt. The betrayal drove her mother into a depression that eventually killed her.
Her aunt climbed her way into the role of stepmother, and Claudia became the unwanted leftover in her own home.
At ten years old, Ivan shipped her off overseas. Apart from the bare minimum in child support, he'd given her nothing resembling a father's love. She was left to fend for herself.
Now that she was financially independent, there was one thing she wanted more than anything: to retrieve her page from the Walker family's household register, establish her own separate household, and sever all ties with this man who was only her father in the biological sense.
With that goal in mind, she drove to the Walker residence around four or five in the afternoon.
Half an hour later, her car pulled into an upscale neighborhood and stopped in front of a European-style villa.
Inside the living room, Ivan sat on the sofa, phone pressed to his ear.
Her stepmother, Victoria Butler, was busy giving instructions to the housekeeper. The moment she spotted Claudia, her face twisted with barely concealed disgust.
"Didn't I tell you it's your aunt's birthday? And you show up empty-handed?" Ivan's tone was sharp with reproach.
Claudia wasn't in the mood for small talk. "I'm not here for anyone's birthday. I just need the household register so I can separate my residency."
Ivan fell silent.
Victoria looked Claudia up and down, her eyes narrowing at the limited-edition Hermès bag in her hand and the designer labels covering her from head to toe.
"So that's why you suddenly want to separate your household." Victoria let out a cold laugh. "Found yourself some sugar daddy, have you?"
Claudia smirked. "That's right. I've got myself an old man—older than my father, actually. He throws hundreds of thousands at me whenever he feels like it. I'm not exactly short on cash these days."
"You shameless little—!"
Ivan shot to his feet, livid, jabbing his finger at her nose. "Running around like trash every day! Do you have no sense of decency at all? Are you trying to drag my reputation through the mud?!"
"Decency?"
Claudia's voice was flat, almost bored. "Sorry, but my parents died early. No one around to teach me. I have no idea what decency even means. If you knew anything about it, you wouldn't have done what you did all those years ago."
"You—"
Ivan was shaking with rage, his teeth grinding together. "Do you think I can't do anything about you anymore?!"
"..."
Claudia turned away, done with the old bastard. "Enough. Just hand over the register. I'll change my surname while I'm at it. When I die, you won't even have to claim the body."
"You think cutting ties with the Walker family is that simple?"
Victoria stepped forward with the commanding air of the household matriarch. "Your father and I raised you for over twenty years. You think that comes for free? Either you pay back every cent we spent on you—with interest—"
"Or you accept the marriage I've arranged for you. Once you're married off, your household registration goes with you. After that, you can cut ties however you like."
The "marriage" she was talking about was nothing more than selling Claudia off to some rich man's crippled son in exchange for business connections.
Facing that ugly, scheming face, Claudia fired back. "Victoria, you don't actually think you've got me cornered, do you?"
"Fine, don't give me the register. We can settle this in court."
Claudia stared straight at the woman who had destroyed her mother, her voice cutting as she dredged up the shame of two decades past:
"Let the whole world know that the great Victoria Butler was nothing but the adopted daughter of the Butler family. That she repaid their kindness by seducing her adoptive sister's husband. That she clawed her way to the top, drove her adoptive parents to their graves, and stole Butler Pharmaceuticals to get where she is today. I'd love to see how you show your face in high society after that—"
"Shut up!" Victoria's face went white. She'd been hit where it hurt most. Her hand flew up to slap Claudia.
But Claudia was faster. She caught Victoria's wrist mid-swing and returned the slap with one of her own.
"You... you... you..."
Victoria's eyes went wide with disbelief. This little bastard had actually dared to strike her—an elder!
"Mom!"
Victoria's daughter, Belinda Walker, had just come through the door. She witnessed the scene and rushed over in a panic. "Mom! Are you okay? Are you hurt?!"
"That little slut dared to hit me! I'm going to—" Victoria was seething, ready to tear into Claudia, but when her gaze landed on the figure now standing in the doorway, she froze.
Claudia followed her line of sight and turned around.
A man walked in—tall, composed, and radiating an almost oppressive chill. His presence seemed to drop the temperature of the entire room by several degrees.
When Claudia saw his face clearly, her heart lurched.
What is he doing here?
