Chapter 1

Ten years after going missing, I was finally brought home by my birth parents.

They stood in a cramped basement and asked me, "The family went bankrupt a month ago. You won't look down on us for being poor, will you?"

I threw my arms around them excitedly, shaking my head hard.

Later, My dad was diagnosed with kidney failure and needed a lot of money for surgery.

To earn money, I worked three jobs a day until I collapsed from exhaustion and was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

I had no time for treatment—I had to rush out to deliver food.

But I accidentally ran into my dad, who was supposed to be at the hospital for dialysis, booking an entire mall to celebrate his adopted daughter's birthday.

My mom wore a gorgeous dress I'd never seen before, smiling as she hugged the adopted daughter, Sophia Brown. "Sophia, we'll give you everything you want." My brother, who they said had died in an accident while searching for me, was lovingly fastening a diamond necklace around Sophia's neck.

It turned out the family hadn't gone bankrupt—I just wasn't worth it.

Chapter One

A sharp pain shot through my brain. I hid in the shadows, watching their backs from a distance.

When I tried to get closer, a security guard stopped me, looked me up and down, then showed a contemptuous expression.

"Get lost."

"Our big boss booked the whole mall today."

"A beggar like you just pollutes the air by being here."

I was shoved without warning and fell to the ground, unable to steady myself.

The guard backed away in disgust. "What, trying to cause trouble on purpose?"

I forced myself through the pain, stumbled to my feet, and walked away. I could still hear the guard's commentary behind me. "We're all human—why are our fates so different?"

I paused, then finally stopped in a corner and called Dad.

At the same time, I was looking through the mall's floor-to-ceiling windows at their family's backs.

Sophia had changed into a princess dress with a skirt studded with tiny diamonds. Even through the glass, I could feel her carefree happiness.

"Thea, what's up?"

I gripped my phone tightly and asked in a hoarse voice, "Dad, are you and Mom still at the hospital? Should I come pick you up..."

Before I could finish, he cut me off urgently.

"We can take care of ourselves. Plus, we found an easy temp job that pays daily—we won't be home tonight."

"Thea, don't worry. We're doing this to lighten your burden too."

If I hadn't discovered the truth, I would have foolishly promised to take on even more jobs.

But now, I just said softly, "Goodbye then."

Dad didn't notice anything wrong and hung up quickly.

Then I watched him bend down to adjust Sophia's dress while Mom brushed stray hairs from Sophia's face.

My head throbbed again. I stumbled home in a daze.

When I came to my senses, I was already standing in the basement.

This "home" was tiny—you could see all the furniture at a glance.

A cheap secondhand double bed and a single iron cot—that's where I'd lived for three years.

Even though it was dark even during the day and poorly ventilated, I never complained.

Because I thought having family around meant happiness.

But today I realized how stupid I'd been to be fooled.

Late at night, I curled up on the iron bed. The wounds on my hands had scabbed over, and my head ached dully. I could only swallow a few painkillers.

When I woke up the next day, I felt dizzy and lightheaded. Suddenly I remembered the doctor's words.

"This tumor is already pressing on your nerves. You must be hospitalized for treatment immediately."

Half-conscious, I'd already dialed Mom's number.

"Mom, my head hurts so much. Can you give me some money to go to the hospital? All my money is with you."

"Thea, you don't need to test your father and me like this. If you think we're a burden, just say so."

Those words felt like cold water poured over my entire body.

The call was abruptly ended, and I sat there stunned for a long time before coming to my senses.

I looked at the nearly empty pill bottle and blinked hard to keep the tears from falling.

These pills were pretty expensive.

My wages were linked to Dad's bank account—that was the surgery money I'd been saving for him.

Because my headaches had lasted for months, I'd finally decided to take the few hundred dollars I'd saved from side jobs to get checked at the hospital.

Now I only had about ten dollars left.

I pulled an almost-expired bread from a cardboard box under the bed, eating while skillfully searching online for side jobs.

My eyes locked on a cleaning job for a party at a villa complex.

Daily pay, with tips.

I quickly signed up, then headed out to continue my previous work, taking several bus transfers to get to the company.

Without a college degree, I could only do low-barrier cleaning work.

While I was mopping, I suddenly heard a commotion outside. My usually quiet coworkers started whispering.

"The big boss is here!"

"Management wants us all to go greet him."

I didn't stop what I was doing. I'd heard the boss was very mysterious—I'd never seen him since starting this job.

Everyone in the office ran downstairs, and while cleaning the windows, I saw the figure stepping out of a black business car.

It was him!