Chapter 1

“A foster daughter should know her place. Everything the Sterlings gave you can be taken back.”

I’d heard those words for twenty-two years.

Ever since I was little, I’d known I wasn’t the Sterlings’ biological daughter. So I worked myself to the bone learning etiquette and design, doing everything I could to become the polished, presentable daughter they could proudly show off.

But they never cared about me. They only cared about how much value I could bring the family.

Then the Sterlings’ biological daughter, who had been missing for twenty-two years, suddenly came home.

On the day I was supposed to leave, the results of a second DNA test came back.

Against all expectations, I was their daughter.

I didn’t tell anyone.

I simply marked the date on my calendar and decided that once I left, I’d change my name and never come back.

For the next few days, I locked myself in my room and quietly packed everything that actually belonged to me.

Then one day, a commotion erupted downstairs.

...

My mother, Eleanor, had her arm around the girl who had just come home. She pushed an agreement across the table toward me.

“Give Chloe your competition spot and your designs.”

“Then get out of this house.”

I stared at the agreement in silence.

Eleanor frowned. “Did you not understand me?”

“I understood.”

I looked up.

“I’m not signing it.”

Chloe leaned against her, her eyes instantly turning red.

“Mom, it’s normal that Ivy doesn’t want to give it up. She worked so hard for that spot. I just got back. I shouldn’t be fighting her for it.”

She claimed she didn’t want to fight me, but her fingers tightened around Eleanor’s sleeve.

Sure enough, Eleanor’s expression softened.

“What do you mean, fighting? The Sterling family funded the academy in exchange for that opportunity. Of course it should go to a Sterling daughter.”

“I ranked first in the last professional assessment,” I said calmly.

“Without the Sterling family’s training, you wouldn’t even be qualified to compete!”

I froze.

Until yesterday, my grades might not have made the whole family proud, but at least my father’s expression would soften when he saw them. My brothers would even tell me to “keep it up.”

Now Chloe was back, and overnight, I had become a worthless fake heiress who had supposedly lived off the Sterlings for free.

My father, Richard, pushed a bank card toward me.

“There’s five million dollars on this card, plus an apartment on the West Side. Sign the agreement, and you can still leave with some dignity.”

My oldest brother, Grant, opened another document.

“If you refuse, the Sterling family has the right to recover twenty-two years of expenses spent raising you. Ivy, I suggest you think carefully.”

My second brother, Julian, glanced at a message that had just appeared on his phone.

“The academy has already agreed to reconsider the recommendation. Whether you sign or not, the result will be the same.”

My third brother, Theo, was busy with his camera, smiling at Chloe’s picture on the screen.

When I shifted slightly, he snapped impatiently, “Move. You’re blocking my shot. I’m taking pictures of Chloe.”

For the first time in twenty-two years, I learned that a family could erase a person in a single night.

I removed my jewelry piece by piece and placed it on the table.

Eleanor’s face grew colder.

“Who exactly are you throwing this tantrum for?”

“I’m not throwing a tantrum. I’m giving your things back.”

The room went still.

Chloe suddenly spoke in a soft voice.

“Then... Ivy’s assessment project, the ‘Rebirth’ collection, used the family studio and materials too, right? Shouldn’t she give that back as well?”

She paused.

“I just don’t want there to be any confusion later.”

I looked at her.

She hadn’t even been home for a full day, yet she already knew the name of my project.

“The material costs can be calculated. The designs are mine. I created them.”

Richard slammed his glass onto the table.

“You ate the Sterlings’ food, lived under the Sterlings’ roof, and drew those designs in this house. Of course they belong to the Sterling family!”

I picked up the agreement and tore it in half right in front of them.

The scraps fluttered down at Chloe’s feet, and the fragile expression on her face stiffened for a split second.

“Ivy!”

Eleanor shot to her feet.

“Without this family, what do you think you are?”

“Maybe nothing.”

I turned toward the stairs.

“But that’s still better than being something you can give away whenever you feel like it.”

Behind me, Chloe called quietly, “Ivy.”

She followed me to the staircase and lowered her voice until only I could hear.

“You really think a few sketches are enough to go against the Sterling family?”

I stopped and looked back.

The tears in her eyes were gone.

All that remained was barely concealed triumph.

“A foster daughter should know her place. You took my family for twenty-two years. Giving it back to me now is only fair, isn’t it?”

I didn’t answer.

I went upstairs and reached for my bedroom door.

The fingerprint lock flashed red.

Access denied.

The housekeeper opened the door from inside, carrying an armful of my clothes.

“Mrs. Sterling said this south-facing room is being returned to Miss Chloe. Your belongings have already been packed.”

My suitcase stood alone in the hallway.

They hadn’t even bothered to zip it shut.

My phone chimed.

“Ivy, the review of the old case has entered its final stage. The results are expected to be released in twenty-nine days.”

I stared at the message for a long time.

Then I crossed the first day off my calendar.

For years, I had tried my hardest to repay the Sterlings for raising me. I’d played the role of the obedient, polished Sterling daughter perfectly.

Now their biological daughter was home.

It was time for me to leave.