Chapter 1

I clutched my head and groaned in pain. "My head is pounding… Who are you guys?"

Carl Jenkinson and Mandy Newman, my biological parents, exchanged a look of barely concealed delight.

"She's got amnesia? Perfect! That'll make her so much easier to control!"

Just then, the door to the hospital room swung open. In came a tall doctor with sharp features. His expression was ice-cold, and the name on his badge read "Dr. Ezra Thatcher".

"What's all the noise?" he said flatly. "The patient needs to rest."

Mandy immediately plastered on a flattering smile. "Thank goodness you're here, Dr. Thatcher. I think our daughter has lost her memory."

Ezra ignored her. He walked over to my bedside, glanced through my chart, then leaned over to examine the wound on my forehead. "Mild concussion. The CT scan shows no intracranial bleeding."

Straightening up, he explained flatly, "But her vital signs indicate a level of fear beyond what a mild concussion would cause. It's more consistent with symptoms of PTSD, not amnesia."

My head snapped up, and my heart nearly leaped out of my throat. Had he seen through my act?

Then, the next second, I heard Ezra's inner voice.

"Seriously? Is this family putting on yet another performance? One look, and I can tell they're all rotten. That old man even tried to bribe me into falsifying her medical report last time."

To my surprise, he calmly adjusted his glasses without the slightest change in expression and turned to Mandy.

"That said, the brain is a complex organ. We can't rule out temporary memory loss. We'll need to observe her for now and make sure she isn't subjected to any further stress."

And he was covering for me, too!

Just as I was still reeling, the hospital room door opened again. Victor walked in, his face etched with concern. "Eloise, are you okay? I heard you lost your memory. Do you… remember me?"

"You'd better not turn into an idiot. Wait. If Mia ends up with an idiot's heart, will she become an idiot, too?" he pondered.

I sneered inwardly. If this was how they wanted to do it, two could play that game!

In an instant, I slipped into character. My gaze turned soft and vulnerable as I grabbed Victor's sleeve.

My voice came out sweet and clingy. "Hey, you look pretty cute. Seeing how worried you are about me, I suppose you must love me very much, right?"

Victor was weirded out, to say the least.

"What the hell is wrong with this woman?"

Before he could respond, I turned to Carl and Mandy with teary eyes. "Mom, Dad, I can tell you both are really good to me. I may not remember anything, but I bet you two love me very much. Isn't that right?"

I emphasized how we were obviously a loving family, affectionately grabbing their arms and squeezing my sister, Mia Jenkinson, out of the way. That fragile, pitiful expression on her face cracked instantly.

She watched me laughing and chatting with our parents. Realizing how concerned Victor looked, she was so enraged that her fingers trembled.

"System, she's definitely faking it!"

Out of the blue, Mia clutched her chest, her lips pale. "My chest… It hurts…"

Carl and Mandy panicked, rushing to her side.

"Mia, what's wrong? You're scaring me!"

"Quick! Get a doctor! She needs a full examination!"

I watched the chaos unfold and scoffed secretively.

On the surface, I was an understanding, gentle daughter and anxiously advised, "Mom, Dad, please go with Mia right now. I'll be fine. Her health is what matters most."

The whole group descended into frantic panic, surrounding Mia as they hurried her out of the room. Just like that, the hospital room that had been filled with noise a moment ago became quiet.

Ezra was the only one who remained. He shot me an indifferent glance.

"A master manipulator has met her match. This is going to be entertaining."

I nearly burst out laughing.