Chapter 4

That collapse kept me in the hospital bed for three full days.

Every cent I had nearly killed myself earning from those side gigs was completely swallowed by the medical bills.

To make matters worse, my mother texted me right on schedule, reminding me that the next household payment was due.

Instead of waiting around to be bled dry like a sheep to the slaughter, I needed to make a move.

I decided to take the risk and steal my documents back.

The last time my mother threatened me, I had carefully noted where she kept the key to her private study.

I hadn't wanted to resort to theft unless pushed to the absolute brink.

Now, I was at the edge of the cliff.

I scanned the hallway.

Once I was certain the coast was clear, my hand wrapped around the brass handle of the study door.

Just as I was about to turn it, my mother's voice drifted through the heavy wood.

"Arthur, your strategy was pure genius!"

"All we did was leak the story of finding our long-lost daughter to the press, and without spending a single dime on PR, our company's stock jumped ten percent!"

My father chuckled softly. "Of course it did. We live in an online media frenzy. Never underestimate a sensational sob story—it yields incredible returns."

"Ugh, the stock bump is great, but that Riley... I honestly wonder if she's even my biological daughter. She does nothing but cause trouble and embarrass us. She doesn't hold a candle to Gemma."

My father laughed again.

"DNA tests don't lie, Eleanor."

"Still, you don't need to stress. Even if our biological daughter is a dud, we still have Gemma."

"Gemma might be your late sister's child, but we've raised her for twenty years. She's as good as our own flesh and blood."

"Just hang in there for a few more days, darling. Once the welcome-home gala is over and we milk the press for all they're worth, you can kick Riley out or keep her around—it'll be entirely up to you."

My mother sighed heavily.

"I suppose that's the only way. If this gala didn't have the potential to drive our stock price even higher, I couldn't bear looking at her face for another second."

So that was it.

That was the real, ugly truth behind why they found me.

My dramatic return was nothing more than a profitable headline—a PR stunt engineered to inflate their company's market value and line their pockets.

I stood frozen outside the door, numb to my core.

All those years growing up alone, I had trained myself never to harbor expectations about anything or anyone.

Even when my biological parents came knocking, I had braced myself for the absolute worst-case scenario.

Yet hearing the cold, transactional reality laid bare still made my palms sweat with ice.

Inside the study, my father was comforting my mother with a gentle tone.

"Alright, don't let it ruin your mood. Use the next few days to drill proper etiquette into Riley. The last thing we need is for her to humiliate us at her own debut gala."

My mother’s voice dripped with arrogance:

"Leave it to me."

"As long as we keep her legal records locked in our hands, she won't dare pull any funny business. If she tries, I'll make sure she regrets it!"

In the end, I never pushed open that study door.

Over the next few days, I acted like nothing had happened, dutifully enduring the grueling etiquette drills my mother threw at me.

Halfway through the week, I noticed the study was empty and slipped in to search for my documents.

Unfortunately, my mother caught me red-handed.

She barged into the room, arms crossed, glaring daggers at me.

"Riley! What are you doing in my study?"

"Were you trying to steal your papers behind my back?"

She yanked open the mahogany desk drawer and snatched the file containing my legal documents.

"Starting today, these are going straight into the heavy safe. When you prove to me that you can behave like a proper daughter, maybe I'll consider giving them back."

"Until then, don't even dream about it!"

She leaned in, her eyes menacing. "What are you standing there staring at me for? Are your etiquette drills finished for today?"

My mother genuinely believed she held total control over my future with those papers.

What she didn't realize was that in the modern corporate world, you don't always need the physical paper originals to pass an HR background check.