Nicholas Hunt loves testing me a lot. When I just graduated from university, he tried to make me take on a five-million-dollar house mortgage.

After I turned him down, Nicholas was quick to buy Yvonne Myers, the campus belle, a villa that was worth eight million dollars. It was even paid in full.

As he held the property deed, he told me, "The truth is, I'm super rich. I've been pretending to be poor just so I can test your integrity.

"It's a shame that you never passed my test. I'm very disappointed in you, Elizabeth. Let's break up."

I just smiled at him casually. Then, I walked away without hesitation.

What a coincidence. I'm the daughter of the richest man in the country. I, too, had been pretending to be poor.

Four years later, we bump into each other at the Fortune List Summit.

At that time, Nicholas has just squeezed into the top 50 rank. He walks into the venue with Yvonne clinging to his arm.

It's then he notices me. I'm wearing plain-looking clothes without any jewelry adorning me, and I happen to be holding a child.

Thinking that I'm a nanny, Nicholas begins mocking me.

"Wow, you really went all out just to steal one more glance at me, huh? I can't believe you're able to follow me all the way here.

"You should learn to accept reality, though. I'm on the Fortune List, while you're working as someone else's nanny. The gap between us is far too wide, so you should stop dreaming already!"

I just ignore Nicholas in favor of resenting my dad for making me attend this stupid event. After all, I've just managed to block out one full day just to spend time with my son, and yet I have to waste my precious time on this dumb event.

Nicholas Hunt strode into the waiting lounge with confidence, Yvonne Myers on his arm. As he passed the side hall, his eyes immediately landed on me in the corner, holding my son, Eli Smith.

Today was supposed to be one of those rare days I'd cleared from my busy schedule to spend with Eli. However, my father had asked me to accompany him to the Fortune List Summit instead.

I had no choice but to bring Eli along. My plan was simple—wait in the side hall, show my face once the meeting started, and then leave.

Because I was carrying Eli, I wasn't wearing any jewelry. To Nicholas, I looked plain and bare-faced—like someone's nanny.

He marched over, his expression full of disdain. "If it isn't Elizabeth Storm. Is this how far you've fallen? Working as a nanny? Clearly, you're nothing without me. It's a shame you didn't pass my test back then. Otherwise, you'd be the woman standing beside me now."

He tightened his grip on Yvonne's hand and continued, "But thanks to you, I was able to find someone who truly loves me."

Yvonne smiled at him sweetly. "She must deeply regret it now. She only has herself to blame for being so blind. It serves her right to end up like this. Though being a nanny suits her pretty well."

She turned to a passing staff member and said, "Everyone attending today is a major figure. How can you just let anyone walk in? If something happens, will you take responsibility? Hurry up and throw this nanny out."

While I wasn't wearing accessories, my clothes were all custom-made by a top designer from Ivania. Over the past two years, I had taken over my father's entire company and had been so busy that I rarely appeared in public. The staff didn't recognize me, and because of Yvonne's flashy appearance, they chose to believe her.

The staff member said coldly, "Sorry, ma'am. Unauthorized personnel need to leave."

I didn't budge. I calmly explained, "I'm here to attend the summit as well. I have every right to be here."

The staff hesitated. They had encountered low-profile elites before and weren't sure if they should force me out.

But Nicholas laughed as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world. "You—someone who had to rely on scholarships to pay for university—on the Fortune List? What a joke. Since you claim you're here for the summit, is your name on the guest list?"

My name wasn't on the list yet. The Storm family entry was still under my father's name. It wouldn't be changed to mine until he fully retired later this year.

Seeing my hesitation, Nicholas turned back to the staff. "Let me tell you something. This woman missed the chance to become my wife because she failed my test. Poor people will always be poor—greedy and short-sighted. Even when a massive opportunity falls into their hands, they still can't hold on to it."

Since I had arrived early, none of the true power players had shown up yet. Most of the people present were ranked near the bottom of the Fortune List. Some who recognized Nicholas began to laugh along.

"She really missed out. To lose a man as rich and handsome as Mr. Hunt… she must be kicking herself."

"I heard she dated Mr. Hunt for four years in university and still couldn't hold onto a blessing like that."

Nicholas seemed to recall something, and his expression suddenly soured.

Back in university, he had pursued me passionately. At the time, we had both hidden our family wealth, dating like an ordinary couple for four years.

I had endured 98 tests he set for me—working menial jobs, donating blood, cutting off friends, getting injured, and even giving up my research grant.

I eventually discovered he had been pretending to be poor all along, and every hardship I faced had been a deliberate setup. Meanwhile, he had been extremely generous with the campus belle, Yvonne, buying her cars and houses.

My heart had turned to stone. I refused his 99th test, broke up with him, and moved abroad.

The crowd didn't notice the shift in Nicholas' expression and continued to mock me.

Suddenly, he spoke in a frigid tone. "That's enough. Throw her out. I don't want to see her face."

The staff stopped hesitating and stepped forward to drag me out.

I shook them off and snapped, "Let go! Don't touch me. I'm here on behalf of Samuel Storm. I'm his daughter!"

The crowd erupted in laughter. Yvonne covered her mouth as she jeered, her tone dripping with mockery. "Mr. Storm's daughter graduated from Shefford University. Since returning to the country, she has practically taken over the entire Storm family business in just two years.

"The only thing you two have in common is a surname. You're just a nanny, yet you're pretending to be her? You really don't know your place. Since we're former schoolmates, I suppose Nicholas and I could hire you to look after our children someday."

I shot back, "That depends on whether you're even capable of having children. Besides, what career do you have? Stealing a man's heart?"

I had clearly struck a nerve. Yvonne's face contorted with rage.

She had been desperate to have Nicholas' child to finally secure his family's approval. But after several miscarriages, conceiving had become difficult. She had secretly tried countless supplements, but nothing had worked.

Furious, Yvonne shouted at the staff, "Are you deaf? Why are you still standing there? Throw her out!"

The staff didn't give me another chance to explain. They rushed forward, grabbed my arm, and began dragging me toward the exit.

Frightened by the commotion, Eli began to cry. Afraid they might hurt him, I wrenched myself free from their grasp. "I'll leave on my own. Don't touch my son!"

Nicholas' expression shifted instantly. He stared at me in disbelief. "Elizabeth, what did you just say? That's your son?"

"That's right. This is my son."

"You're already married to someone else? Impossible. I don't believe you could ever move on from me!"

I stared at him, baffled by his ego. "Why wouldn't I move on? We broke up ages ago."

Nicholas refused to believe me. His gaze locked onto my wrist. I looked down and realized that during the scuffle, my sleeve had been pulled up, revealing my bracelet.

Nicholas smirked with smug certainty. "Ha! Elizabeth, you still want to pretend? I knew you could never forget me. Why else would you still be wearing the butterfly bracelet I gave you? If you tell me the truth right now and beg for my forgiveness, I might consider giving you another chance."

The bracelet he gave me? He had given me a cheap silver bracelet that had rusted away years ago. This one was a platinum and diamond piece that my husband, Dixon Smith, had personally designed for me because he knew I liked butterflies.

I was speechless. "Look at the diamonds. Do you really think you could afford this? My husband gave this to me. It has nothing to do with you."

The diamonds sparkled brilliantly, clearly worth a fortune. But Yvonne snatched the bracelet off my wrist, a sinister smile spreading across her face. "Elizabeth, how could you possibly afford such an expensive bracelet? Everyone here today is wealthy. You must've stolen it.

"If you can't afford to eat, you could've just asked me. You can pack up the leftovers from the banquet later. But stealing? You're setting a terrible example for your son. Sooner or later, he'll get himself killed acting like this."

Hearing her insult Eli, I shouted, "Yvonne, shut your mouth! I won't allow you to speak about my son that way!"

Yvonne opened her mouth to snap back, but suddenly, she looked closer at Eli. Her eyes widened as she realized he looked familiar.

A second later, she gasped. "That's Dixon Smith's son! Elizabeth, why is he with you? Are you trying to kidnap him? How dare you!"

The moment Dixon's name was mentioned, everyone froze.

Everyone there knew exactly who he was. Dixon was the world's leading investor; any industry he touched was guaranteed to turn a profit. His assets spanned the globe, and even the wealthiest man in the country couldn't hold a candle to him.

In fact, the only reason so many people had scrambled to attend the summit was the rumor that Dixon would be making an appearance.

Eli wrapped his arms tightly around my neck and spoke up for me in a small voice. "She's my mommy. My mommy. You're the bad person."

Yvonne didn't believe a word he said. She stepped forward, trying to pry him from my arms. She clearly thought that if she could "rescue" Dixon's son, the rewards would be unimaginable. The prospect of such an opportunity made her lose all sense of reason.

Her expression twisted. "Elizabeth, hand over the boy! Not only will you not get a single cent for kidnapping him, but you'll also end up in prison!"

Suddenly, people around us began closing in, reaching out to grab Eli.

Eli started crying in fear. I held him tightly, trying to navigate through the crowd. "He's my son. Don't come any closer. We're leaving right now."

But Yvonne blocked my path, her voice rising to a screech. "He's your son? Are you trying to tell us that Dixon Smith is your husband? Take a good look at yourself! If you're going to lie, at least make it believable. Don't make me call the police!"

I wasn't afraid of that. "That's right. Dixon is my husband. Go ahead and call the police. I'd love to see who they arrest when they arrive."

As soon as I said that, everyone thought I had lost my mind.

"So, Samuel Storm is your father, and Dixon Smith is your husband. Elizabeth, you're delusional! Just wait. I'm calling the police right now. Let's see how you explain yourself then." Yvonne pulled out her phone and began dialing the police.

But Nicholas reached out and took the phone from her hand. He looked at me with a complicated expression. "Forget it, Elizabeth. For the sake of what we once had, I don't want to go that far. Just leave before things get out of hand. I'll give you money. Just tell me how much you want."

He still thought I was after his measly money.

Back in university, my father was already incredibly successful, but I had hidden my identity to live a normal life. Once I discovered Nicholas had been testing me by pretending to be poor, I stopped taking him seriously.

His family's newly made fortune couldn't even compare to my family's wealth. Yet, he had spent years terrified that I was a gold-digger. It was ridiculous.

Jealous of Nicholas' sudden protectiveness, Yvonne sneered. "Yes, Nicholas, give her some money. She only ever cared about money—that's why she ran off abroad with some foreigner. Now that she's been dumped and is broke, you're the only one kind enough to still care."

Nicholas' hand stiffened on the phone.

The implication was clear—if he gave me money now, he was the fool cleaning up another man's mess.

I hadn't realized such a ridiculous rumor had been spread about me after I left. But I wasn't afraid of gossip. I had confidence and a dependable husband who truly loved me.

I decided it was time to pull back the curtain on Yvonne. "Yvonne, do you really think no one knows you were living with a foreigner for money while stringing Nicholas along at the same time? I'll give you credit—you're a pro at handling men. You've had Nicholas completely fooled for years."

Yvonne panicked instantly. "What the hell are you talking about? I never did that! The only person I've ever loved is Nicholas. Don't think you can ruin what we have. Nicholas already knows exactly who you are!"

Nicholas jumped to her defense as well. "Elizabeth, I won't let you talk about Yvonne like that. She's nothing like you. She loves me for me. She was even willing to take out an eight-million-dollar loan for me before she knew I was wealthy."

I let out a cold laugh. "Nicholas Hunt, you really are naive. Yvonne knew exactly who you were from the start. That's why she seduced you.

"Why don't you take a look at her ex-boyfriends? Every single one is a wealthy heir. What makes you think you're the one exception she made for love? You're an idiot."