She said my father had gone back to New York City to deal with a contract.
Alone in the rehabilitation center, she had fallen because of severe psychosomatic weakness.
Her right hand was fractured, and a ten-centimeter gash tore across her left leg.
I had rushed to drive over.
But after days of exhaustion, I ended up in a car accident from fatigue.
Though my injuries were minor, my mother refused to let me care for her.
So I texted Daniel, asking him to visit her for me.
He promised readily.
Yet I heard nothing back.
The next day, he finally called to apologize, claiming he’d been tied up with business partners.
Contracts, business partners?
He was with Isabella and her daughter.
My phone suddenly pinged.
Daniel had sent me several voice messages.
“What are you doing back?”
“Don’t bully Sophia. Her dad was hardly around when she was growing up. Unlike you—born with a silver spoon in your mouth.”
“Are you returning to the branch soon? Want me to drive you to the airport? Don’t just pop up like this and scare us!”
I laughed in disbelief.
But to avoid alarming them, I simply replied:
“I’m already at the airport. No need.”
Then I had my assistant pay a hefty price to secure an invitation to the Lunar Group heiress’s engagement party.
If they were using my name to host this ceremony, how could I not show up?
On the engagement day, I arrived early at the venue.
On the massive central screen, a slideshow looped of Daniel and Sophia’s love story, each photo carefully labeled with time and place.
I had thought Daniel only started seeing Sophia after my overseas assignment.
But no—two years ago, he had already been sneaking off with them under the excuse of business trips.
No wonder my father had suddenly transferred me abroad.
This engagement had been orchestrated to replace me with Sophia.
On stage, Daniel knelt on one knee before Sophia.
“Sophia, I love you. Will you marry me?”
Tears streamed down her face as she extended her hand.
“I will.”
The hall erupted in cheers and blessings.
But one voice cut through the noise.
Robert Dawson, Lunar Group’s closest business partner, frowned.
“Did I walk into the wrong wedding? Wasn’t this supposed to be the engagement of Miss Evans from Lunar Group?”
He stared at Sophia in puzzlement.
“This young lady is unfamiliar to me. She’s not the Miss Evans I usually work with. And Daniel—wasn’t your fiancée always the other Miss Evans?”
Clearly, their plan had been carefully crafted.
But at Robert’s questioning, neither of them flinched.
Sophia smiled faintly, her tone calm.
“You must mean Claire Evans. She’s just our adopted daughter.”
Daniel nodded in agreement.
“The true heiress of Lunar Group has always been Sophia. She’s simply been abroad for her health, so you may not recognize her.”
The moment Daniel finished speaking, several executives who had once crossed me leaned in together, whispering.
“Just an adopted daughter, and she dared act arrogant with us?”
“I really thought she was Lunar Group’s heiress. I even gave her a massive deal. Turns out she was just a shameless pretender!”
Hearing them, Sophia immediately stepped forward, speaking as if she were the rightful heiress, apologizing on my behalf.
“She was born lowly. Her mother was just a simple country woman, limited in her thinking.”
