"However," Logan continued, pausing to weigh his words, "I found that your mother died early, and your father's whereabouts are unknown."
He adjusted his cufflinks, avoiding my gaze. "Kate, stay at the Simmons estate for now. Use this time to hand over your duties to Peter. If our partners hear the core business is controlled by an outsider, they might terminate our agreements."
A dry laugh bubbled in my throat.
Years ago, the Simmons Group was a negligible small business in the capital. It wasn't "old money."
It was *me*.
I recruited the talent. I made the bold investments. I drank myself sick at social events to secure clients. I built this empire with my bare hands.
And they actually believed their "foundation" was the cause of their success.
I had known I was a fake heiress for a long time. The swap was my father's idea—a transaction. But according to his timeline, I wasn't supposed to leave yet. The Simmons family hadn't reached the peak from which they were destined to fall.
But if they were in such a hurry to kick me out?
Fine.
I wouldn't fight it.
I looked at the three of them fawning over Summer. It wasn't worth the ulcer.
"No need," I said, my voice steady. "Give me one week to hand over the work. Then I'll leave."
Logan blinked, stunned by my lack of resistance.
Summer seized the moment. "Sister," she sobbed, "if you don't want to see me, I can go! Even if you aren't blood-related, Mom and Dad still love you. Why do you have to say such cruel things to stab Mom in the heart?"
Katherine's face turned a mottled red. "Kate Simmons! I didn't expect you to be so ungrateful. We raised a dog for twenty years, and now it bites!"
She pointed a shaking finger at the door. "Since you're so tough, pack your things and get out! From this moment on, you are *nothing* to the Simmons family!"
At her command, the nanny began hauling my belongings out of my room.
Logan looked at his wife's hysterical state and frowned, but calculation won over sentiment. "Mrs. Snow, move Kate's things to the storage room," he ordered. "Kate, you can stay there until you find a place. We don't want neighbors gossiping that we threw you on the street."
Summer suddenly stood up, swaying theatrically. "I didn't mean to take Sister's room..."
She collapsed.
"Summer!" Peter lunged forward, catching her. He screamed for the family doctor. "What are you saying? That was *always* your room! We're just returning it to its rightful owner!"
I ignored the chaos. Walked into the storage room. Locked the door.
In the early days of my business trips, I had slept in leaking basements to save company money. A storage room was a luxury suite by comparison.
I thought Summer would be satisfied now that she had stripped me of my status and family affection.
I was wrong.
I messaged Mr. Gilbert, informing him that I was severing ties with the Simmons family and that our liaison protocols might change.
Moments later, my phone rang. Jonathan, my assistant.
"Ms. Simmons, you need to get here. Something's happened at the company—"
The line went dead.
Jonathan had been by my side for a decade. He never panicked.
Adrenaline surged through me, dulling the pain in my stomach. I grabbed my coat and sprinted for a taxi.
