In September, on one of those nonstop rainy days, a fine drizzle soaked a little mountain town. The stone-paved streets had been washed spotless, and the air was full of that fresh, earthy smell after rain.

At the town center’s only high school, an eighteen-year-old girl was on her way to the principal’s office.

She was dressed simply, nothing flashy at all, but her face was stunning in a way people couldn’t ignore. Delicate features, cool eyes, and a faint chill between her brows gave her beauty a sharp edge, like she carried an invisible “keep away” sign.

“Principal Zhao, Lydia Hartwell is here.” Her homeroom teacher, Mr. Zhou, personally led her over.

Lydia glanced at him, a little surprised. This was the same teacher who even looked at family background when picking class officers. Since when was he this warm and welcoming?

“Quick, let her in!” Even the principal sounded excited, his voice trembling a bit.

The moment Lydia stepped into the office, suspicion still in her eyes, the corner of her lips slowly lifted into a knowing smile.

So that was why.

On the guest sofa in the principal’s office sat a tall man. He was dressed in quiet luxury, the kind of person who screamed upper-class elite at a glance. And yet, his features looked somewhat like hers.

While Lydia was sizing him up, he was doing the same to her.

He had originally planned to take her straight to the hospital for a DNA test. Looking at her now, though, that seemed totally unnecessary.

She looked almost exactly like their mother. The same bright, refined features. The same pale, flawless skin. Even in plain clothes, her natural poise still stood out.

But what caught his attention most were her eyes.

She was only seventeen or eighteen, yet there was a cold, fierce glint in them, and something deep too, like an old well no one could see the bottom of.

Seeing him stare without saying anything, Lydia frowned slightly. “Who are you?”

She had always known she wasn’t Grandma’s biological granddaughter. She’d thought before that one day her real family might come looking for her.

But usually, when people came to claim family, wasn’t it supposed to be the parents? This guy looked way too young.

A trace of helplessness flickered through the man’s deep eyes, almost impossible to catch. “I’m your brother.”

Principal Zhao instantly jumped in. “Student Hartwell, honestly, what is this? Your brother is the general manager of the Whitmore Group in the capital, and you never mentioned a word to us?”

Lydia rolled her eyes inwardly. She had literally just found out too, okay?

Three years ago, after her adoptive parents died in a car accident, her grandmother finally told her the truth: she had been adopted when she was little. No wonder her adoptive parents had always been so distant with her and left her in the countryside to be raised.

After they passed away, Grandma had submitted her information to the police, hoping one day her biological family would find her and bring her home. And now that day had really come. The family looking for her turned out to be from the famous Whitmore Group in the capital.

Yeah... that was honestly pretty wild.

“You’re really my brother?” Lydia still found this whole thing ridiculously dramatic, like some over-the-top soap plot.

“Yes.” Gord Whitmore spoke gently, his manner refined and calm. “And besides me, you have four other brothers.”

“Four?” Lydia’s brows knit together. This was so far from the family life she had ever imagined that she couldn’t even picture it.

What kind of life came with four brothers?

Probably loud as hell.

Seeing Lydia drift off into thought, Grandma Hartwell quickly smiled apologetically at Gord. “Lydia’s pretty quiet. She’s having a hard time processing all this right now. Please don’t mind it.”

“Grandma, I wouldn’t mind.” Gord stood up with a polite smile, then took a gift box from his bag. “Lydia, this is for you. A little first-meeting gift.”

The second Principal Zhao saw that, he immediately put on an even more flattering smile. “Haha, Student Hartwell, what are you spacing out for? Hurry and take it. You and your brother are clearly very close. If you transfer schools later, don’t forget your teachers and classmates.”

The moment he heard that, Gord’s expression cooled a little. He turned back and swept a detached glance over the principal. “Don’t worry. Chenghui School has taken care of my sister’s education for years. When we get back, we’ll arrange a donation for campus construction.”

The Whitmore family never liked owing favors.

Principal Zhao’s eyes lit up on the spot. “That’s wonderful! Thank you so much, Mr. Whitmore!”

Lydia had to admit, her brother really moved like a big shot. Still, not wanting to embarrass him, she reached out and accepted the gift.

After another round of brown-nosing from Principal Zhao, he and the homeroom teacher finally walked them out of the school together.

At the school gate, a Rolls-Royce was parked there, surrounded by several other luxury cars. It had already drawn a ton of attention.

Audrey Chambers had just gotten out of her car when her best friend rushed over and grabbed her. “Audrey, you’re finally here!”

Audrey shot her an annoyed look, but her eyes were fixed on the Rolls-Royce. “Whose car is that?”

As the chairman’s daughter, she was usually the center of attention wherever she went. But today, that car had completely stolen her spotlight.

“I heard the general manager of the Whitmore Group from the capital came to our school.”

“The Whitmore Group?” Audrey froze for a second. That was one of the top corporations in the capital. Even her father had no way in when it came to trying to work with them. “Why would someone from the Whitmore Group come here? To invest in this dump?”

“No, apparently... he came to pick up his sister...”

“Pick up his sister?” Audrey stared at her. “Are you serious? Since when would a Whitmore heiress be studying at a run-down place like our school?”

As the two were talking, the principal and a crowd of department heads and teachers came out of the school, surrounding a tall man as if escorting royalty. Beside him walked Lydia Hartwell.

“Audrey... that tall guy, he’s the Whitmore Group’s general manager...” her friend said shakily.

Audrey turned her head and went completely still.

If that man really was the Whitmore Group’s general manager, then the girl next to him had to be his sister.

But that person... was actually Lydia Hartwell?

The same bumpkin she hated the most.

The same poor nobody she had always looked down on.

Audrey’s expression changed hard. No matter how she thought about it, she could not accept this.

Lydia Hartwell was actually a Whitmore heiress?!