"Claudia, today is your aunt's birthday. Come home for dinner tonight."

The voice on the phone belonged to none other than Claudia's so-called "biological father"—Ivan Walker.

"..."

On any normal day, she wouldn't have bothered answering his calls, let alone set foot in that house.

But she had something important to take care of. After a few seconds of silence, she agreed.

Claudia hated talking about her wretched family history.

When she was very young, her father had an affair—with her own aunt. The betrayal drove her mother into a depression that eventually killed her.

Her aunt climbed her way into the role of stepmother, and Claudia became the unwanted leftover in her own home.

At ten years old, Ivan shipped her off overseas. Apart from the bare minimum in child support, he'd given her nothing resembling a father's love. She was left to fend for herself.

Now that she was financially independent, there was one thing she wanted more than anything: to retrieve her page from the Walker family's household register, establish her own separate household, and sever all ties with this man who was only her father in the biological sense.

With that goal in mind, she drove to the Walker residence around four or five in the afternoon.

Half an hour later, her car pulled into an upscale neighborhood and stopped in front of a European-style villa.

Inside the living room, Ivan sat on the sofa, phone pressed to his ear.

Her stepmother, Victoria Butler, was busy giving instructions to the housekeeper. The moment she spotted Claudia, her face twisted with barely concealed disgust.

"Didn't I tell you it's your aunt's birthday? And you show up empty-handed?" Ivan's tone was sharp with reproach.

Claudia wasn't in the mood for small talk. "I'm not here for anyone's birthday. I just need the household register so I can separate my residency."

Ivan fell silent.

Victoria looked Claudia up and down, her eyes narrowing at the limited-edition Hermès bag in her hand and the designer labels covering her from head to toe.

"So that's why you suddenly want to separate your household." Victoria let out a cold laugh. "Found yourself some sugar daddy, have you?"

Claudia smirked. "That's right. I've got myself an old man—older than my father, actually. He throws hundreds of thousands at me whenever he feels like it. I'm not exactly short on cash these days."

"You shameless little—!"

Ivan shot to his feet, livid, jabbing his finger at her nose. "Running around like trash every day! Do you have no sense of decency at all? Are you trying to drag my reputation through the mud?!"

"Decency?"

Claudia's voice was flat, almost bored. "Sorry, but my parents died early. No one around to teach me. I have no idea what decency even means. If you knew anything about it, you wouldn't have done what you did all those years ago."

"You—"

Ivan was shaking with rage, his teeth grinding together. "Do you think I can't do anything about you anymore?!"

"..."

Claudia turned away, done with the old bastard. "Enough. Just hand over the register. I'll change my surname while I'm at it. When I die, you won't even have to claim the body."

"You think cutting ties with the Walker family is that simple?"

Victoria stepped forward with the commanding air of the household matriarch. "Your father and I raised you for over twenty years. You think that comes for free? Either you pay back every cent we spent on you—with interest—"

"Or you accept the marriage I've arranged for you. Once you're married off, your household registration goes with you. After that, you can cut ties however you like."

The "marriage" she was talking about was nothing more than selling Claudia off to some rich man's crippled son in exchange for business connections.

Facing that ugly, scheming face, Claudia fired back. "Victoria, you don't actually think you've got me cornered, do you?"

"Fine, don't give me the register. We can settle this in court."

Claudia stared straight at the woman who had destroyed her mother, her voice cutting as she dredged up the shame of two decades past:

"Let the whole world know that the great Victoria Butler was nothing but the adopted daughter of the Butler family. That she repaid their kindness by seducing her adoptive sister's husband. That she clawed her way to the top, drove her adoptive parents to their graves, and stole Butler Pharmaceuticals to get where she is today. I'd love to see how you show your face in high society after that—"

"Shut up!" Victoria's face went white. She'd been hit where it hurt most. Her hand flew up to slap Claudia.

But Claudia was faster. She caught Victoria's wrist mid-swing and returned the slap with one of her own.

"You... you... you..."

Victoria's eyes went wide with disbelief. This little bastard had actually dared to strike her—an elder!

"Mom!"

Victoria's daughter, Belinda Walker, had just come through the door. She witnessed the scene and rushed over in a panic. "Mom! Are you okay? Are you hurt?!"

"That little slut dared to hit me! I'm going to—" Victoria was seething, ready to tear into Claudia, but when her gaze landed on the figure now standing in the doorway, she froze.

Claudia followed her line of sight and turned around.

A man walked in—tall, composed, and radiating an almost oppressive chill. His presence seemed to drop the temperature of the entire room by several degrees.

When Claudia saw his face clearly, her heart lurched.

What is he doing here?

Claudia thought something was wrong with her eyes. Staring at the man's face just inches away, her heart beat a little faster...

The next second, he noticed her too.

The moment their eyes met, the air around them seemed to freeze.

His dark gaze locked onto her face, studying her like she was some kind of strange creature, and for a brief moment, even he seemed caught off guard.

"Dominic!" Ivan was the first to approach, his face plastered with an ingratiating smile. "Come, come, have a seat! Sorry about that—just a little family squabble. I thought you'd be arriving later. Please, sit down!"

Then he leaned in close to Claudia, his voice dropping to a cold whisper. "This is Belinda's fiancé. An honored guest. Stop making a scene and get out of here."

Fiancé?!

The word hit her like a physical blow. Claudia's body went rigid, her disbelieving gaze snapping back to the man...

At the same time, Victoria hurried over with an apologetic, fawning expression. "Dominic, I'm so sorry about all this. Your first visit to our home and you walk into such chaos. How embarrassing for us. Please forgive the mess!"

"This girl is the daughter from my husband's first marriage," Victoria continued, eager to distance herself. "She's always been wild and difficult—constantly causing trouble. But don't worry, she doesn't live with us. Ivan and I will handle this... private matter."

Dominic said nothing. He simply cast a cold glance at Claudia, then looked away.

That look of disgust and indifference made his contempt perfectly clear.

Of course. After a year of sleeping with her, he'd seen exactly who she was—shameless, selfish, materialistic to the core. And now he'd just witnessed her slap an elder. In his eyes, she was nothing but trash.

"Sis, why do you have to turn everything upside down every time you come home?"

Belinda sidled up to her, reaching out to stroke Claudia's hair with exaggerated gentleness. She adopted the posture of a wounded innocent. "If my mom said something that upset you, I'll apologize on her behalf, okay? You can take it out on me all you want. Just please... don't go after my mom anymore. Her heart is weak—"

"Get away from me." Claudia hated having her hair touched. Especially by this two-faced snake.

She shoved Belinda away.

Belinda stumbled backward, arms flailing, about to crash to the floor—until Dominic caught her just in time.

That was the last straw for him.

His eyes blazed as he glared at Claudia. "Try touching her again. I dare you."

The threat made Claudia pause.

She watched him holding Belinda in his arms, playing the devoted protector, and it finally sank in: he was going to marry this woman.

"Fine." Claudia's jaw tightened, a cold smile curling her lips. If there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was being threatened.

In one swift motion, she grabbed the glass of water from the housekeeper's tray and hurled it straight into Belinda's face.

Then she tossed the empty glass into a nearby trash bin, slung her bag over her shoulder, and headed for the door like nothing had happened.

She'd barely taken a few steps when a rough hand clamped around her arm—

She looked up and found herself staring into Dominic's eyes again. They were dark as a storm, burning with barely contained fury.

Claudia tried to wrench free, but his grip only tightened, crushing her arm like he wanted to snap the bone.

She stopped struggling. Instead, she tilted her head and asked lightly, "What's a grown man doing grabbing me like this? You want to assault me or something?"

Hearing such shameless words from her, Dominic found himself caught between letting go and holding on. He just stared at her, jaw tight, saying nothing.

Watching her fiancé get physical with Claudia to "protect" her filled Belinda with secret delight. Even with water dripping down her face, she couldn't bring herself to care.

But then she noticed where Dominic's hand was—wrapped tight around Claudia's bare arm, fingers pressing into that pale, exposed skin. The sight made her stomach turn.

"Dominic, just ignore her," Belinda cut in. "She's crazy, completely unhinged. There's no telling what she'll say or do next. Let her go—don't dirty your hands on someone like her."

"She's right, Dominic," Victoria chimed in, eager to pile on. "I know you can't stand seeing our Belinda bullied, but you don't know the half of it. Ivan's eldest daughter picked up all sorts of bad habits abroad—smoking, drinking, pills, sleeping around. Her own father can't control her. For the sake of family peace, we've all just learned to tolerate it."

Dominic seemed deaf to the mother and daughter buzzing in his ear. His eyes stayed locked on Claudia's face, his hand still gripping her slender white arm...

Claudia was losing patience. She moved to pry his fingers off, but then her gaze fell on that familiar hand—large, strong, unmistakably masculine—and she changed her mind.

Instead, she placed her own hand over his, stroking the back of it with deliberate softness while meeting his eyes with open challenge.

It worked. Her brazen flirtation in front of everyone clearly unsettled him. He released her arm like it burned, disgust flickering across his face.

"Fine, just get out already!" Belinda snapped, unable to hold back any longer after watching Claudia touch him. She dropped all pretense, latching onto Dominic's arm possessively. "If you want to throw yourself at men, go find someone else. Stop disgusting my fiancé—he's not someone trash like you gets to touch!"

Claudia let out a cold laugh.

She thought of all those heated nights with this man, then looked at the picture before her now—the doting fiancé with his bride-to-be on his arm. The irony was almost too much.

Rich people really knew how to play their games.

She had no interest in sparring with these snakes any longer. With one last glance at him, she turned and walked out without looking back, spine straight, determined not to look like a stray dog slinking away with its tail between its legs.

She climbed into her blue Porsche Panamera and slammed the door hard.

After a smooth reverse and turn, she floored the gas and tore away from the villa.

One hand on the wheel, driving on autopilot, her mind kept replaying the confrontation at the Walker house. Especially his face—it haunted her like a ghost she couldn't shake.

By the time she got home, it was already eight o'clock.

She lived alone in an ordinary residential complex, in a ninety-square-meter condo. The place had cost under five million, fully paid off and furnished.

It couldn't compare to the Walker villa's sprawling luxury, but this was her real home in this city—the only place that gave her comfort and a sense of safety.

Her German Shepherd—smart and fierce—bounded over to greet her the moment she walked in.

She played with the dog for a while, then curled up on the couch to chat with her best friend overseas for about ten minutes. When her stomach started growling, she ordered delivery on her phone.

After her shower, she pulled on her pajamas and checked her phone—the food had arrived and been left at her door as requested.

Without thinking twice, she opened the door to grab it.

The moment the door cracked open, it was shoved wide from outside. A man forced his way in.

Claudia caught that familiar, sharp scent of his before she could even speak. Then rough hands pushed her backward, and she landed on the couch.

"What the hell—"

She couldn't help cursing as she met Dominic's dark, predatory eyes. "You followed me home again? What do you want now?"