Not long after Lynette left, rumors began spreading through the social circle. Both the wife and mistress were pregnant, and people were speculating that the mistress might soon replace the wife.

Such blatant provocation could only have been pulled off by Lynette.

But the rumors didn't affect Tiara at all. Her marriage to Maxwell had always been nothing more than a business arrangement. There had never been any real affection between them.

I remembered it clearly. In my previous life, Stephanie had been extremely restless in Tiara's womb, forcing Tiara to hand over the company's authority to her subordinates. And that temporary loss of power during her pregnancy created a disaster for the company.

Maxwell took advantage of the opportunity, placing his own people inside the firm. That was what ultimately led to Tiara going bankrupt.

Compared to Stephanie, who had descended into the world like some demon child, I was practically an angel, ridiculously well-behaved.

Whenever Tiara was working, I never stirred. Instead, I listened quietly. When she took supplements, I never got greedy, careful not to turn myself into some gluttonous baby. When she exercised, I obediently curled myself into a little ball.

She never experienced any of the usual pregnancy symptoms. Even the doctors praised her, saying they had never seen such a well-behaved fetus.

Perhaps Tiara sensed my care for her. Before I was even born, she had already begun paving the road for my future.

Three properties each in the city centers of Belrand, Solzton, Granwich, and Staria. Two entire streets of storefronts in prime locations. Dividends from the shares of her companies were already arranged in my name, waiting to be transferred to me once I came of age.

In this life, as long as I didn't try to start my own business, the annual dividends alone would keep me comfortable for several lifetimes.

My situation couldn't have been more different from Stephanie's, who was already suffering in Lynette's womb.

Lynette was terrified that pregnancy would make her gain weight and ruin her figure, causing her to lose Maxwell's affection. So, she dieted constantly.

Not only did she follow online influencers and take all kinds of nonsense pills to control her weight, but she also wrapped her belly tightly with binding bands every day to keep it from growing.

On top of that, she woke up before dawn each morning to make Maxwell a lovingly prepared breakfast. She believed the way to a man's heart was through his stomach.

Stephanie didn't have enough to eat. She didn't get enough sleep. Even her living space kept shrinking, making her feel suffocated.

Nine months later, Tiara and Lynette went into labor at the same time. This time, I was still the older sister, but it was my choice. I didn't want the mother who had given me such immense wealth to suffer.

Sure enough, seeing how obedient I was, Tiara added another 20 pounds of gold to the already generous fortune she had prepared for me.

Stephanie's situation was very different. As if determined to announce her presence to the entire world, she stubbornly stayed inside Lynette's womb for an extra day before finally coming out. Lynette had to switch from natural labor to a C-section.

Learning that a useless, money-losing child had ruined the perfect body she'd worked so hard to maintain, Lynette was filled with nothing but resentment toward Stephanie.

Still, because of the difficult birth, Maxwell paid Lynette a little extra attention. That was the only reason she didn't lash out at Stephanie right away.

In my previous life, I had been born too quickly, before Maxwell even arrived. Lynette had nearly strangled me, saying that a useless child who couldn't help her keep a man didn't deserve to live. If a nurse hadn't discovered it in time, I would've suffocated and been left brain-damaged.

But this time, everything was different.

While Stephanie grew up as Lynette's prop, used to fake illnesses and win sympathy, I followed the path Tiara had laid out for me. I attended an international school, building relationships with the children of wealthy families and forming a network of connections.

Meanwhile, Stephanie, in order to gain Maxwell's favor, clung to him every day, begging him to teach her basic maths after his return from his fancy overseas education.

Under Tiara's guidance, I enjoyed the best educational resources, taught by the most elite teachers.

When Stephanie showed up in front of me, flaunting the jewelry Maxwell had given her, I had already entered Tiara's company to gain experience during the months after finishing my SATs.

Stephanie sneered at that. "What's the point of doing all that? In the end, the entire Cromwell family empire will belong to my dad anyway. Careers are for men. The only thing women like us need to do is stay beautiful."

When I heard that, I didn't bother responding. I simply continued focusing on my own work.

But just before my 18th birthday, the Cromwell family still collapsed.

When the Cromwell family crumbled overnight, all the people who used to flatter them immediately turned on them, kicking them when they were down. Each one was eager to tear a piece of flesh from the fallen beast that was the Cromwell family.

Maxwell, who had been lying low for years, seized the opportunity and served up the divorce papers. Tiara had never loved him, but they had shared a bed for nearly 20 years. It was impossible for her to feel nothing.

While I was busy comforting her, Lynette showed up at Maxwell's front door as soon as she heard that he had filed for divorce, along with Stephanie.

This was the first time the two of us had faced each other properly since our rebirth. But she looked nothing like the proud, confident princess I remembered. Instead, her face now carried the marks of someone used to lowering her head and flattering others.

With the divorce papers in hand, Lynette was full of confidence. While she ran her mouth at Tiara, Stephanie lifted her chin and spoke with disdain. "Ever since I was little, the ones Dad loved most has always been Mom and me. That will never change!

"Madison Harvey, your good days are over! It's my turn to be the heiress of the Harvey family! Being forced by that bitch Tiara to study and learn all these years, having no freedom and living like a puppet—it must've been miserable, huh?"

I looked at her like she was an idiot. What on earth made her think that I'd been miserable?

Seriously, my life had been too comfortable! As long as there was something I wanted to do or learn, there was nothing I couldn't try. If I fell, someone was always there to catch me. I had endless chances to make mistakes.

And the greatest advantage of having a rich mother was that I didn't have siblings to fight over the resources. Tiara had poured everything she had into me. At just 18 years old, she had already prepared enough capital for me to step into the business world.

As for Maxwell's love… Hah! What use was that vague, unreliable affection when I already had money and power?

Stephanie didn't even own a single piece of real estate. She had never even seen something like equity or stock options.

What she didn't know was that Lynette had already conceived a baby boy through IVF. He was just waiting to be born so he could inherit everything from Maxwell. And he would leech off his sister.

In my previous life, when Stephanie stormed into my 18th birthday party and dragged me to die with her, I should have thanked her.

That party had never been a proper celebration. In reality, it was an auction to select a husband for me, one who would pay the highest price.

Maxwell, thinking of profits, and Lynette, eager to secure her own position, picked men who all had hidden illnesses or serious problems. Only men like that would offer the kind of money they wanted.

Besides, what made Stephanie think that someone who had already lived through this life once would simply sit back and watch the Cromwell family collapse?

Yes, our family was facing a crisis. But I had never said the crisis couldn't be solved. It looked serious now, but it was simply part of the plan Tiara and I had set up to expose the useless parasites inside the company.

Of course, Stephanie didn't need to know any of that. Right now, she was arrogant and smug. And I was very curious to see whether she would regret choosing to be born to Lynette once everything came crashing down.

Seeing that I didn't respond, Stephanie tossed me an invitation to her 18th birthday party. "Even though we're sisters, our fates will be completely different from now on. This time, I'll generously allow you to witness my shining moment firsthand. Consider it the last bit of sisterly kindness between us!"

I lowered my gaze, hiding the smile tugging at my lips.

Shining moment? More like her darkest one.

…

Stephanie's 18th birthday party arrived as scheduled. Holding the invitation, I walked straight into the venue. For a moment, the guests looked surprised to see me, but the reaction quickly faded.

People who had climbed this high in business were old foxes. Even if they secretly wanted to tear each other apart, they would still smile politely on the surface.

Stephanie wore a delicate pink princess dress, looking like a doll.

I glanced around and realized that every guest present had also attended my 18th birthday party in my previous life. Only this time, the star of the show had changed.

Maxwell led Stephanie to the center of the stage and announced her identity to the guests. Standing there with a crown on her head, she shot me a provocative look.

I raised my wine glass in response. She frowned slightly, as if unable to understand why I seemed so calm.

I set the glass down and murmured into my earpiece. "Do it."

The next second, a group of police officers stormed through the doors. "Maxwell Harvey and Stephanie Harvey, you're under arrest!"