"Once you return to the Ma family, we'll have nothing more to do with each other."

After the true heiress was found, Amelia Harper was handed a bank card by her adoptive father.

Thomas Bennett paused, then said, "There's two hundred thousand in this account—consider it compensation for the past twenty years."

He sighed, his voice tinged with helplessness. "Amelia, don’t blame us. Lily has suffered so much all these years out there. You took the life that should have been hers, enjoyed everything that was rightfully hers. Now that she’s back, we can’t let you stay here and upset her any further."

A month ago, the Bennett family had finally found their long-lost biological daughter, Lily Bennett.

After confirming the blood ties, they made the decision to send Amelia away.

Though she had been their daughter for twenty years, Thomas Bennett couldn’t shake his guilt, which was why he offered the money as a parting gesture.

Amelia carried only a simple backpack, filled with nothing but her personal belongings—not a single item from the Bennett household.

Her expression was calm as she spoke softly, "Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Bennett, but I can’t accept this."

"It’s true the Bennetts raised me for twenty years, but I’ve also donated blood for Mrs. Bennett over a hundred times. We’re even." She paused briefly. "I wish your family nothing but happiness and reunion."

With that, Amelia turned and walked away, her posture straight and resolute.

Watching her retreating figure, a flicker of remorse crossed Thomas Bennett’s eyes.

Memories of the past years churned in his mind, leaving an even bitterer taste...

The truth was, Thomas had known Amelia wasn’t their biological daughter ever since her first blood donation to Sandra Lowe.

From that moment on, he and Sandra had secretly searched for their own flesh and blood—yet they kept Amelia by their side all the same.

For one thing, years of living together had fostered genuine affection; for another, Sandra Lowe's fragile health required regular blood transfusions.

Though the hospital blood supply underwent rigorous screening, Sandra always feared unforeseen complications. That's why she kept Amelia Harper around—to serve as a living blood bank, a way for the girl to repay the Bennett family's years of care.

Time flew. Year after year, Amelia dutifully provided fresh blood like a human IV drip, sustaining Sandra's life. Only when Sandra gradually recovered, no longer needing transfusions, did the Bennetts finally locate their long-lost biological daughter.

Their real daughter, Lily Bennett, had been stolen at birth by a corrupt delivery nurse who sold her for a few thousand dollars. The family that bought her resold her three years later after having a son of their own, discarding her like unwanted goods simply because she was a girl.

Thus began Lily's odyssey through a series of households, each more abusive than the last. When she learned she should have grown up pampered and adored—that some impostor had lived her privileged life while she suffered—something inside her shattered.

Hysterical, she swore she'd never share a roof with the fraud who'd stolen her identity for twenty years. "This family has room for only one daughter," she spat. "Either I stay, or that Harper girl goes."

Her voice trembled with rage. "After everything I've endured, why should I come home to see that counterfeit heiress lounging in my place every damn day?"

Faced with this ultimatum, Thomas Bennett and Sandra Lowe didn't hesitate. They chose their flesh and blood, coldly discarding the girl they'd raised for two decades. They even forced Amelia to relinquish the Bennett surname before Lily's homecoming.

Thomas had expected Amelia to put up a fight. After all, with Lily's return, Amelia's own biological parents remained missing. As a token gesture, he posted Amelia's information on a reunion website, halfheartedly hoping her real family might claim her.

To make Amelia Harper give up, Thomas Bennett even fabricated a story, claiming her biological father was surnamed Ma and belonged to the prominent Ma family in City A.

To his surprise, Amelia didn’t demand a single penny—she simply turned and walked away without a second glance.

Amelia was about to leave the Yu family villa, strolling along the garden path, when the estate’s grand gates slowly swung open. A sleek, understated Bentley glided in.

She stepped aside, waiting quietly for the car to pass. But instead of driving by, it slowed down as it approached her and came to a full stop.

The tinted window rolled down, revealing Lily Bennett’s face, twisted with resentment.

The two women locked eyes, neither speaking first.

It had to be admitted—Lily’s features weren’t bad. But years of hardship had etched a bitter sharpness into her expression.

Lily pushed the car door open and stepped out, her gaze raking over Amelia with undisguised scrutiny.

Amelia wore a simple black windbreaker paired with jeans, white sneakers, and a backpack slung casually over one shoulder. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail, and her striking, almond-shaped eyes regarded Lily with cool detachment.

Even in such ordinary attire, Amelia carried an innate elegance that made the modest outfit look effortlessly chic. Her delicate, heart-shaped face was flawlessly sculpted, breathtaking even without makeup.

Those mesmerizing, slightly aloof eyes of hers only amplified her untouchable aura.

Most enviable of all was her porcelain-like skin—flawless, luminous, and so pristine it drew attention wherever she stood.

In contrast, Lily—despite being decked out in the latest designer pieces Sandra Lowe had bought her, clutching a brand-new Chanel bag, and sporting freshly styled hair and a pampered face—still couldn’t shake off her air of pettiness.

Though both Thomas Bennett and Sandra Lowe were good-looking, their biological daughter Lily Bennett had only passable features.

Yet her eyes always held a sharpness and jealousy, a dark emotion that, paired with her sallow complexion, made her appear vicious and glaring. The stark contrast between them was like a malicious crow versus an elegant orchid in a secluded valley.

Lily Bennett burned with envy.

"Empty everything in your backpack and show me," Lily commanded haughtily. "If I find you’ve stolen anything from the Yu family, you’ll regret it."

"Trash. You’ve already stolen my life, and now you’re trying to steal more?"

Amelia Harper shot Lily a cold glance, ignored her completely, and turned to leave.

"Stop right there!"

Lily grabbed Amelia’s bag and yanked it hard. The zipper burst open instantly, scattering its contents across the floor.

When Lily spotted one particular item, she flew into a rage.

"You thief! How dare you steal the engagement ring the Hao family gave me!"

Amelia frowned. Somehow, an item that didn’t belong to her had mysteriously appeared in her bag—the engagement ring of Benjamin Cooper, the eldest son of the Hao family.

The marriage alliance between the Yu and Hao families had been arranged since childhood. So when Amelia turned eighteen, Benjamin had come to propose, presenting this very ring.

Once Amelia reached the legal marriage age of twenty, they were to officially wed.

Now, with only three months left until Amelia’s twentieth birthday, the real heiress, Lily Bennett, had returned—and the engagement was naturally to be transferred back to her.

Amelia knew perfectly well she hadn’t taken the ring when she left. Clearly, someone in the Yu family had planted it to frame her.