Chapter 1

Mrs. Watson, the senior housekeeper, was the first to react. She rushed forward and put herself between us.

“Miss Lily, you can’t do this!

“Sir Zimmerman gave strict orders—no one is to lay a hand on Miss Charlotte. If anything happens to her, this family is going to be in serious trouble!”

I clutched Mrs. Watson’s sleeve and tried with all my strength to hold back my tears.

"Don’t cry." I told myself.

"I can’t cry." I said silently.

Grandpa had always told me I was the reincarnation of a lucky star, that I brought good fortune to everyone around me.

He said that after adopting me, he had gone from having nothing to becoming the richest man in the world.

As long as I stayed happy, the Zimmerman family would continue to thrive.

But if I get upset, something terrible would happen to the family.

The newly returned real heiress, Lily Zimmerman, clearly didn’t believe a word of it.

She let out a cold laugh and shoved her phone right in Mrs. Watson’s face.

“Say that again. Who exactly are you calling the young lady of this house?

“Open your eyes. I’m the one who actually belongs to this family.”

Then she turned to me and jabbed a finger hard against my forehead.

“She’s nothing but a fake.

“You all spent eighteen years serving the wrong girl. Do you get that?”

Mrs. Watson’s face went pale. Her lips trembled, but no words came out.

The livestream comments were flying by so fast they were almost impossible to read:

“So the fake heiress seriously has the nerve to cry?”

“She stole someone else’s life for eighteen years. One slap was going easy on her.”

"As for these house staff, they really forgot their place. Imagine defying the real heiress! Honestly, just fire the whole lot of them.”

Lily glanced at the scrolling comments.

Seeing everyone take her side, she couldn’t hide the satisfaction curling at the corners of her mouth.

Then she looked back at me, eyes full of disgust, like she was staring at a pile of trash.

“You hear that? People can see exactly what’s going on.

“You stayed in this house for eighteen years and enjoyed everything that should have been mine. Now it’s time to give it all back.”

And apparently that still wasn’t enough for her.

She reached out, grabbed a fistful of my hair, and yanked me off the princess bed.

Pain shot across my scalp, but I still forced myself to explain.

“I didn’t steal anyone’s place... I was... adopted...”

Grandpa had told me he adopted me because I brought luck to the people around me.

And Lily had gone missing because she had wandered off on her own.

It wasn’t anything like what she was saying.

“...Ow... it hurts... let go...”

I reached up and tried to pry her hand away.

“Nonsense!”

She slapped me across the face again, cutting me off.

“Adopted? Talk is cheap. God only knows what tricks you used to worm your way into my home!

“Otherwise, you're just an outsider—what right do you have to live in my house, spend my money, and be waited on by my staff?”