Chapter 1

Airport waiting area.

Lucinda Wipere's adoptive father, Preston Wipere, sat across from her, his tone tinged with reluctance. "Lucinda, when you get there, behave yourself. Your biological parents may not have much, but they're still your family. You need to rein in that spoiled temper you developed living with the Wipere family all these years."

His voice carried just enough volume for several nearby passengers to hear every word.

Lucinda looked up. Her clear eyes reflected her adoptive father's tired face.

She didn't respond. She simply watched him in silence.

Preston shifted uncomfortably under her gaze and looked away. "If you need anything over there, just… just call home."

Her adoptive mother, Gemma Adams, rummaged through her purse and pulled out an old phone with a shattered screen. She set it on the coffee table in front of Lucinda.

"Take this." Impatience colored Gemma's tone. "I heard it's so poor out there that they don't even have smartphones. This one's old, but it still works. Make do with it."

Her fingertips grazed the limited-edition Cartier necklace at her throat as her gaze swept over Lucinda's cool, detached face. A complicated mix of emotions stirred in her chest.

They'd raised this girl for twenty years. Today, they could finally send her back.

But thinking about the future…

She leaned closer to Preston and dropped her voice to a mutter. "Once she's gone, who's going to cook? Can you even stand anyone else's food?"

Preston angled his body slightly toward her. "Keep your voice down."

"I'm just being honest." Gemma pursed her lips but couldn't help continuing. "That steak she makes—we've hired three chefs and none of them can get it right. I've been eating other people's cooking these past few days, and it always feels like something's missing. Tasteless…"

She frowned with annoyance.

Years ago, when her biological daughter Allegra Wipere went missing, she'd cried until she nearly went blind.

Preston had suggested adopting another child—something to fill the void.

She'd been too distraught to think straight and agreed.

But the moment Lucinda walked through their door, Gemma regretted it.

Every time she saw that face, she thought of her missing daughter.

The Wipere family had held the title of Seaside City's wealthiest for twenty years. Why should Allegra's fate remain uncertain while Lucinda, some stranger's child, lived comfortably under the Wipere name?

Thank God, Allegra had found her way home.

Even better—Lucinda's biological parents had surfaced, too.

Rumor had it they lived in the slums. No jobs, no reputation, and three good-for-nothing sons who did nothing but loaf around.

A smile tugged at Gemma's lips.

Good riddance. Clean break.

Though Lucinda's cooking… what a waste.

She touched the necklace at her throat. The instant her fingertips made contact, a sharp pain shot through her chest.

Gemma frowned and instinctively pressed her hand to her heart. The pressure brought slight relief.

Three months ago, she'd been gravely ill.

Late-stage breast cancer. The doctor said she wouldn't last a month.

Back then, Lucinda had been constantly hovering—massaging her, bringing her medicine. Gemma was always impatient.

Then Allegra came home.

The moment Gemma saw Allegra, she felt half-cured already.

And then came the real miracle. Her condition improved inexplicably. During her follow-up, the doctor's jaw nearly hit the floor—the tumor had vanished completely. A medical miracle, he'd called it.

Gemma knew better. It was divine mercy.

Her Allegra was God's gift to her. An angel sent to save her.

As for that adopted daughter, Lucinda, who kept insisting her medicine had helped—pure nonsense.

Something so ominous should have been sent away long ago.

"Lucinda, don't be sad. Those remote places can be dangerous for girls. When you get there, you have to protect yourself…"

The speaker was Allegra, the Wipere family's biological daughter who'd been lost for twenty years.

She sat beside Lucinda, holding her hand, eyes rimmed red.

But the triumph in her gaze was impossible to hide.

She'd heard that Lucinda's biological parents were so poor they could barely afford food. And they had three worthless sons at home.

Once Lucinda went back, she'd face nothing but endless hardship—endless chores, endless abuse.

The thought filled Allegra with an indescribable sense of superiority. "But don't worry, I'll send you spending money every month. Not much, but enough for little things. We're sisters, after all. I can't just watch you suffer."

Several people nearby noticed the commotion. At these words, murmurs of admiration rippled through the crowd.

"What a kind-hearted girl!"

"The Wipere family is so blessed to have such a good daughter."

Lucinda lowered her gaze to the hand gripping hers. Her fingertips felt cold.

She looked up and met Allegra's tear-filled eyes. Her own remained utterly calm.

She pulled her hand free and stood. "Disgusting."

Allegra froze. The tears finally spilled down her cheeks. "Lucinda, I know you're upset. But honestly, I kind of envy you—getting to live somewhere so scenic and peaceful. Not like me, stuck here dealing with boring parties, taking over the family business, and even having to marry your fiancé for you…"

The Grayson family was old money in Seaside City, tied to the Wipere family by an engagement contract.

After Allegra returned, the marriage arrangement naturally transferred to her.

A faint smile touched Lucinda's lips—cold as winter frost. "That scumbag? If you like him, he's all yours."

Allegra's expression froze.

She hadn't expected this reaction.

Marshall Grayson—the Grayson family's only son, young and accomplished, handsome, the dream man every socialite chased.

Without the engagement, how could she ever reach someone like him?

And Lucinda called him a scumbag?

"Lucinda!" Gemma shot to her feet and stormed over. "How can you be so vicious? Allegra tried to be nice to you, and if you don't appreciate it, fine—but why be so mean? Is this what I get for raising you for twenty years? A thankless ingrate?"

Lucinda stopped walking.

She turned around, her gaze resting lightly on Gemma's face.

She gave a slight, humorless smile. "Need me to tally up exactly how much you've spent on me these twenty years?"

Gemma's face stiffened.

Lucinda didn't look at her again. She picked up her backpack and walked away.

At the security checkpoint, she placed her bag on the conveyor belt.

The next second, a red light flared.

A piercing alarm shattered the waiting area's quiet.

Two uniformed officers hurried forward. "Ma'am, please cooperate. We need to inspect your bag."

The security agent opened the backpack and pulled several sealed plastic bags from a hidden compartment.

Inside the clear bags were shriveled plant pods.

Poppy husks.

Lucinda frowned. She turned her head, her gaze traveling past the conveyor belt to Allegra, standing a few steps away.

Allegra still wore that reluctant, sorrowful expression—but the instant the red light flashed, something gleamed in her eyes.

The gleam of victory.

Lucinda saw it clearly. Understanding settled in her gaze.

So this was the trap.

Allegra stepped forward, her voice trembling just right. "Lucinda, how could you bring something like this?"

She paused, as if suddenly realizing something, her tone shifting to dawning clarity. "No wonder Mom and Dad loved your cooking so much. After eating it for years, they can't go a meal without craving it. Lucinda, have you been putting this in their food the whole time?"

Gemma had just pushed through the crowd. Hearing this, she froze in place.

She thought of how every meal these past three months had tasted bland and flavorless. She thought of how she'd just been complaining to Preston about Lucinda's cooking.

She whipped her head toward Lucinda, horror mixing with disgust in her eyes. "You've been poisoning us?"

Preston's face darkened. "Lucinda, the Wipere family raised you for twenty years. Is this how you repay us?"

Just then, Allegra stepped forward and grabbed Gemma's arm, her voice soft. "Mom, don't scold Lucinda like that. She grew up alone in our home—maybe she never felt secure. She just wanted us to like her cooking more, so she…"

She stopped mid-sentence, as if suddenly realizing something. "It's all my fault. If I hadn't come back, she wouldn't have done something so desperate…"

Gemma looked down at Allegra in her arms, then up at Lucinda standing expressionless in the distance—

One so kind she'd defend the person trying to harm her. The other so vicious she'd drug the family that raised her for twenty years.

The contrast cut like a knife into her heart.

The angrier Gemma became, the tighter she held Allegra, pulling her back. She turned to glare at Lucinda, disgust practically solidifying in her eyes. "I knew it! I knew you were trouble! Poisoning us? Getting us addicted? Are you even human?"

"This isn't over! Let me tell you, Lucinda—don't think you're dragging the Wipere family down with you! Your drug dealing is your problem. It has nothing to do with the Wipere family! We cut ties with you ages ago! Whether you live or die, it's got nothing to do with us!"