Chapter 3

On the day of the welcome banquet, the ballroom was packed with guests. Everyone was craning their necks, dying to see what the long-lost heir of the richest family looked like.

I threw on an oversized T-shirt and jeans before stepping into the ballroom.

Mom had actually prepared more than a dozen custom-tailored suits for me, but the moment I thought about how much energy changing and styling would take, I turned them all down without hesitation.

A few loud, undisguised snickers drifted out from the crowd.

"You can really tell that he came from the sticks—he looks so tacky. Put him next to the Ziegler family's adopted son, and it's like comparing a nobody to royalty."

Ethan was dressed to the nines that day. He puffed out his chest, basking in all the envious looks from the people around him.

I couldn't be bothered to argue.

Mom and Dad still hadn't come downstairs, and I was starting to get hungry. I found an empty corner, sat down, and got ready to grab a quick bite.

All of a sudden, someone rammed into me hard. I didn't think much of it and just kept munching on my pastry.

The next second, a guy suddenly grabbed my wrist and demanded loudly, "Why did you steal my stuff?"

Every gaze in the room snapped toward us at once.

I knew who the guy was—Corey Stone. He fished a sparkling brooch out of my jeans pocket and declared righteously, "This is a family heirloom my grandmother left me, and it's priceless. Now, I've found it in your pocket. If you didn't steal it, then who did?"

He clamped down on my hand and shouted to all the guests, "Look, everybody! The real heir of the richest family in the city is actually a petty thief!"

The place instantly erupted. People whispered and pointed at me.

Right on cue, Ethan came over and graciously tried to smooth things over. "Corey, I'm sure this is a misunderstanding. Ben isn't like that."

They'd been friends for ten years. Seeing Ethan act like he wanted to sweep things under the rug, Corey looked angry and frustrated.

"Why are you trying to stop me? Are you seriously okay with getting overshadowed by a thief?"

On the surface, Ethan tried to calm him down and explain things, but there was smug satisfaction hidden in his eyes.

I'd seen these cheap frame-ups a million times before. I was over it and turned to leave.

"You're not going anywhere!" Corey grabbed me by the arm and mocked, "What, you think you can just walk off after stealing something? Is this what the Ziegler family's upbringing is like?"

I let out a helpless sigh and said, "I didn't."

That only made him angrier. He raised his voice and shouted, "If it wasn't you, then who was it? You're the only broke loser here!"

He shoved me hard, and I hit the floor with a heavy thud.

I actually wanted to explain myself—this was a matter of basic morals, after all. But the second my back hit the carpet, I realized it was softer than my bed. So I just shut my eyes and decided to lie there.

Mom had just come downstairs when she saw this. Once again, she let out that same piercing screech that had impressed me.

"Sweetie, are you okay?" She ran to my side, then swept a sharp gaze across the entire room. She demanded, "Who did this?"

At first, the guests had taken one look at my plain clothes and assumed I wasn't favored at home. Only when they saw how worked up Mom was over me did they realize they'd been dead wrong.

Corey was stunned, too. He stammered out a weak excuse. "H-He stole my stuff, so I just gave him a little shove…"

"And what is it that he supposedly stole?" Mom snarled.

Corey rushed to pull out the brooch.

Mom didn't even spare it a glance. She snatched it from him, tossed it to the floor, and ground it under her heel until it shattered. "Not even a beggar would want this trash. As if my son would stoop to stealing it!"

Dad's face was dark with fury as he asked dangerously, "Are you implying that the Ziegler family is so poor we can't afford a brooch? Or do you believe that the Stone family is in a position to challenge us now? Don't you want that project in the east of the city anymore?"

Corey went white on the spot. He cried, "I'm sorry, Mr. Ziegler! I shouldn't have gone after your son. This is a personal grudge, so please, don't tell my dad about this. He'll kill me."

Dad snorted, clearly ready to keep going. Before he could, Ethan suddenly stepped forward, his face full of concern. "Mom, Dad, I think we should take Ben to the hospital first and get him a full workup."