Theater: NovelMaster | Language: English | NEW
Synopsis
The day the wealthy Vance family brought me back, my scumbag biological father tossed a fifty-million-dollar black card at my face.
"Learn from your sister. Don't go out there embarrassing us."
Evelyn clung to his arm, giggling.
"Dad, she's just a trailer-park nobody. She'll probably blow it all on tacky gold chains by tomorrow."
I picked up the card and smiled. "Sure. I'll learn."
The next day, I went on a reckless spending spree.
Abandoned construction projects, bankrupt tech startups, barren wasteland where even weeds refused to grow...
Whatever everyone else tossed in the trash, I bought.
Evelyn laughed until she doubled over. "What a brainless spendthrift. She deserves to die broke."
Yet, less than a month later, the tables turned.
The abandoned property was rezoned into a top-tier school district. The dying tech startup developed a viral hit product. And beneath that barren land, a massive deposit of rare earth minerals was uncovered.
My net worth skyrocketed overnight. Meanwhile, Richard Vance’s empire was on the verge of collapse after his capital chain snapped.
When they came crawling, begging me for a bailout, I couldn't help but laugh.
"What a brainless spendthrift. You deserve to die broke."
Richard Vance snapped back to reality first. He slammed his hand onto the table. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
The crystal chandelier in the private VIP lounge shook slightly, spilling a few drops of tea.
I picked up my napkin and wiped my fingers slowly, paying him no mind.
"Chloe!"
He gritted his teeth, barking my name.
"You think you're on top of the world now, don't you? Your father is begging you. For the sake of our own flesh and blood, save Vance Enterprises."
Flesh and blood.
I grew up in an orphanage. I started working at sixteen—washing dishes, running street stalls, sleeping under bridges in the freezing cold.
Where was our flesh and blood during those twenty-odd years?
"Mr. Vance," I took a sip of tea and met his eyes.
"Did you forget something?
I spent that fifty million. You saw exactly where it went. So in what capacity are you standing here talking to me now?"
"I'm your father!" Richard’s face flushed bright red.
I set the cup down. The ceramic clicked sharply against the table.
"Mr. Vance, the moment you dumped me at that orphanage, that relationship ended."
Evelyn couldn't take it anymore. She tugged at Richard’s sleeve, tears welling up on cue.
"Dad, don't beg her. She's doing this on purpose! She hates us. She wants nothing more than to watch our family burn."
She wept like a delicate flower in the rain. Paired with her heavily filtered, Instagram-model face, it was quite the performance.
Too bad I already knew the rot beneath that pretty face.
"Evelyn," I tilted my head, studying her. "You know, more tears are coming out of your left eye than your right. You should practice in front of a mirror next time."
Her expression froze instantly. The tears hung on her eyelashes, completely stuck.
Miranda Vance, my stepmother, finally chimed in, her voice shrill and piercing:
"Chloe, don't get cocky. Evelyn is your sister, and Richard is your biological father.
Even if you hold a grudge, you can't just stand by and watch us drown. Name your price. How much do you want?"
Name my price.
I almost laughed out loud.
Vance Enterprises was staring down a deficit of at least eight hundred million. When they tossed me fifty million to get rid of me, they felt like royalty. Now that they needed a bailout, they wanted to haggle?
I stood up and smoothed down my blazer. "We're not the same. You burn cash on designer bags, luxury watches, and fake prestige. I buy real assets. Vance Enterprises is a bottomless money pit right now. I won't throw a dime into it. But I can offer you one way out."
All three of them stared at me.
"Transfer fifty-one percent of Vance Enterprises' voting shares to me. I’ll restructure the company. You get to keep forty-nine percent. At least you won't walk away with nothing."
"Keep dreaming!" Richard roared without hesitation. "I built Vance Enterprises with my own bare hands! Why the hell would I hand it to you?"
I smiled, grabbed my bag, and walked toward the door.
"Then enjoy going bankrupt."
Outside the lounge, the night breeze was crisp and cold, but it couldn't cool the fire burning in my chest.
Ethan pulled the car up and opened the door for me, glancing at me cautiously:
"Ms. Vance, Mr. Vance’s yelling could be heard all the way out here."
"Good. Let it spread."I slid into the backseat and watched the dazzling city skyline outside. A cold smirk played on my lips.
"I want everyone in this city to see Richard Vance for what he truly is."
"Then what's our next move?" Ethan hesitated. "Vance Enterprises has run completely out of liquidity. If a cornered dog gets desperate..."
"A cornered dog will definitely snap."
I closed my eyes. Evelyn’s fake face and Richard’s arrogant sneer flashed across my mind.
"What they don't realize is that the 'trash' I bought is an actual goldmine."
As the car merged into traffic, I pulled out my phone and messaged my assistant: "Notify the heads of those three companies. Meeting tomorrow at 9 AM sharp. Also, look into Richard’s recent financial transactions. I have a feeling he’s hiding something."
An old fox like Richard would never surrender without a fight.
Sure enough, early the next morning, I woke up to my name trending all over Twitter and Instagram.
"#Heartless Vance Heiress Refuses to Save Dying Family#"
"#Biological Father Begs on His Knees While Real Daughter Watches Coldly#"
I clicked on the hashtag. It was a heavily edited video clip.
In the clip, Richard was crying his eyes out, Evelyn was pleading gently, and I sat there looking cold and callous, wiping my fingers before slamming my teacup down.
The caption was venomous: "Crisis hits Vance Enterprises! Biological daughter Chloe Vance sits on a five-billion-dollar fortune but refuses to lift a finger, publicly humiliating her aging father! Truly chilling!"
The comment section was filled with self-righteous keyboard warriors tearing me apart.
—"This girl is pure evil. How can anyone treat their own father like that?"
—"I heard she grew up in the slums. Zero class, zero manners. Guess it's true."
—"She has billions! Even if they had issues, she could at least spare some change!"
Reading through the comments, I didn't get mad. I actually chuckled.
Public opinion warfare? Using moral blackmail to force my hand?
Too bad Richard picked the wrong target.
"Ms. Vance, PR is asking if we should take down the trending topics," Ethan asked from the front seat.
"Take them down? Why?" I put my phone away and straightened my collar. "Get the car ready. We're going to Vance headquarters."
"You're going there in person?"
"If I don't go, how will they realize they're completely finished?"
Reporters were already swarming the entrance of the Vance Enterprises tower. Someone had clearly tipped them off.
The moment I stepped out of the car, camera flashes went off in a blinding frenzy.
"Ms. Vance, what is your take on the crisis at Vance Enterprises?"
"Ms. Vance, are you really going to abandon your biological father?"
"We heard your recent investments brought in billions. Why won't you help your family?"
Behind my sunglasses, I ignored the shoved microphones and walked straight toward the entrance.
My bodyguards pushed through the crowd. Just then, a shrill, trembling voice broke through the chaos.
"Chloe! You're finally here! Dad’s health is failing—can you please stop making a scene?"Evelyn stood at the entrance wearing an elegant white designer suit. Her eyes were red, playing the victim to perfection.
The reporters went wild. This was the drama they came for.
I stopped, slipped off my sunglasses, and looked at her calmly.
"Making a scene?" I raised an eyebrow. "How am I making a scene?"
"You..."
Evelyn bit her lip, tears swimming in her eyes.
"You're sitting on all that wealth while Dad loses sleep every night over the company. After how you treated him yesterday, his blood pressure spiked through the roof..."
"Miss Evelyn Vance," I cut her off, my voice steady and clear enough for every microphone to pick up.
"Let's get two things straight. First, every cent I have was earned through my own ability. It didn't fall from the sky, and it certainly didn't come from your family. Second, Richard's high blood pressure is the result of his own reckless greed. What does that have to do with me?"
"How can you say that?!"
Evelyn stared at me as if shocked by my bluntness, her tears spilling over.
"No matter what, he's still your father! Leaving him to die like this—doesn't your conscience bother you at all?"
"My conscience?"
I scoffed.
"Where was Richard's conscience twenty years ago when he dumped a one-year-old baby outside an orphanage in the middle of a snowstorm without even leaving a note?"
"Where were you all during those twenty years when I was eating leftovers and sleeping under highway bridges? Now that the Vance empire is crumbling, you suddenly remember I'm his daughter? Where was your family loyalty back then?"
Evelyn froze. She clearly hadn't expected me to air out the family's dirtiest secrets in broad daylight.
Her face paled, and she instinctively glanced toward the elevators.
Following her gaze, I saw Richard and Miranda storming out.
Richard looked thunderous. He had clearly heard every word.
Striding forward, he pointed a trembling finger right in my face:
"Chloe! How long are you going to keep throwing this tantrum? I already explained everything about the past—we had our reasons!"
"You carry Vance blood! Do you think dragging our family name through the mud makes you look good?!"
"Your reasons?" I laughed as if I had just heard the funniest joke in the world.
"What reasons? That you had a prettier, more obedient pet like Evelyn, which made me entirely disposable?"
"Shut your mouth!" Miranda screamed, lunging forward with her hand raised to slap me.
I moved fast, catching her wrist in an iron grip before her hand could touch my skin.
"Mrs. Vance, trying to get physical the moment you lose an argument? Is this that high-class breeding you're always bragging about?"
"You... let go of me!" Miranda thrashed against my grip, her manicured nails scratching red welts onto my arm.
I shoved her back with force. She stumbled, nearly losing her footing.
"Ah! Richard, look at her! She's attacking me!" Miranda collapsed onto the floor, throwing a full-blown tantrum.
The cameras clicked frantically. I could already see tomorrow's headlines:
"Billionaire Heiress Attacks Step-Mother Outside Corporate Headquarters!"
Pure theater.
I looked down at the pathetic spectacle with utter disgust, then stepped into the center of the lobby and cleared my throat.
"Members of the press, since you're all here, I have a few things to say."
Chapters (3)
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Watch & Promotions
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