I had been asleep from 1975 to 2025. I am the only successful subject to have ever survived a cryonics experiment.

Wearing the face of a 20-year-old, I set off to seek out my wealthy younger brother and reclaim my place in the family. But a barrage of comments suddenly appears.

"This female lead is stupid. Her brother took her small shop and turned it into a business empire. People change. He doesn't even remember her anymore. Why would he want to reconnect with her?"

"Exactly! The Slater family is tearing itself apart over the inheritance. If she shows up, they'll kill her!"

"Michael Shaw truly loves her. If she marries him, she'll be happy for life."

Just then, Michael drops to one knee before me.

"Zoe, the Slaters are too dangerous. Don't go back, okay? Marry me instead. I'll take care of you and protect you for the rest of my life."

His words touch me. Before I can reply, I hear his thoughts in my ear.

"System, did you post the fake comments?"

From 1975 to 2025, I was asleep. I had been the only successful subject to have ever survived a cryonics experiment.

With the appearance of a 20-year-old, I went to find my affluent younger brother and take back my place in the family. Suddenly, a barrage of comments appeared before me.

"This female lead is brainless. Her brother took her small shop and turned it into a business empire. People change. He no longer remembers her, so why would he want to reconnect with her?"

"Exactly! The Slater family is falling apart over the inheritance. They'll kill her if she shows her face before them!"

"Michael Shaw truly loves her. If she marries him, her happiness is guaranteed."

Just then, Michael gets down on one knee right in front of me.

"Zoe, the Slaters are too dangerous. Don't go back, okay? Marry me instead. I'll look after you and keep you safe for the rest of my life."

His words moved me. But before I could respond, his thoughts sounded in my ear. "System, did you post the fake comments?"

"The fake comments are up, Michael. But are you really going to marry Zoe Slater? According to the original script, once Anna Slater becomes the heiress to the Slaters, you can live a luxurious, worry-free life with her."

"I gave Zoe's heiress position to Anna. I owe her, and I'll spend my life making it up to her. As for Anna, she got what she wanted. She'll be happy even without me."

I snapped back to reality after overhearing Michael's thoughts. I thought we were in sync, but he had just been playing mind games with me.

He was wrong, though. I had always been a career-driven woman. Love was nothing more than background noise to me. It could never block my path.

Michael noticed my silence. With eyes filled with emotion, he slid a ring onto my finger. "Zoe, trust me. I'll protect you for the rest of my life."

I yanked off the ring and threw it at his face. "Save it. I'm going to meet my family."

Michael pressed his lips together. His eyes reddened as he stared at me.

Comments scrolled chaotically in front of me.

"The devoted male lead just got rejected. If Zoe shows up tonight, Anna will have her fed to the dogs!"

"Seriously, what's wrong with her? Why would she throw away a good life for death?"

I ignored them all and lifted my foot to leave.

"Zoe." Michael grabbed my arm. He sounded desperate as he said, "Don't waste your time. Even if you go, Mr. Slater won't acknowledge you as his sister, much less hand over the family fortune!"

"Why not?" I demanded.

He sighed. "Because he built his empire off your pickle shop. Once he became the city's richest man, he completely forgot about his roots. The entire Slater family wishes you'd die out there. Why would he ever hand you anything?"

His face was lined with worry, but it only amused me. I shook his hand off. "That's my business. No matter the outcome, I have to try."

More comments scrolled furiously across my view.

"Is she crazy? Is money worth more than her life? She's begging for misery."

"Michael really cares about her. Poor guy. He's being thrown away. She'll regret this one day!"

The louder they screamed, the faster I walked toward the villa.

I caught Michael's confused thoughts behind me.

"Why is she so determined to meet her family? Does she know that Mr. Slater has been waiting for her all along?"

"Michael, what do we do now?"

"Just play it by ear. I won't let her succeed," he thought.

…

Using the address, I tracked down my younger brother's house.

There were plenty of people coming and going. I was dressed well enough to blend in, so I slipped inside without trouble.

Suddenly, a gorgeously dressed woman raised her hand to block me. Her gaze swept over me. "Who are you? I don't recall you being invited to this family dinner."

The comments started appearing.

"The ruthless female rival has arrived! Zoe is doomed. Serves her right for trying to go back!"

"That's Anna Slater. She's Mr. Slater Senior's precious granddaughter and was raised by him to be the heiress. If she didn't have sharp claws, she wouldn't have gotten this far."

The woman in front of me wore an arrogant expression, but I began to calmly say, "I'm here to meet my family."

Anna folded her arms across her chest and laughed. "Another one? Fine. Tell me which illegitimate daughter of the Slaters you're supposed to be."

"I'm your great-aunt," I said firmly after straightening my back.

Anna froze. She then looked at me as if I had completely lost my mind. The hall immediately erupted in laughter.

"I've seen people show up claiming to be a lost daughter or a forgotten son, but this is the first time someone's claiming to be a great-aunt!"

"If she really is Anna's great-aunt, would she strangle Skyler when she finds out that he broke the only portrait of her?"

I followed the sound of their mockery and saw a boy sitting apart from the crowd. His delicate features were stained with spilled wine, and his clothes were a mess.

He stared at me as if he'd seen something unreal. His eyes were wide with disbelief.

"Great-aunt Zoe…" he whispered.

The crowd laughed harder and slapped him around. "Wouldn't she be 70 if she were a great-aunt? Look at her! She's younger than Anna! How could someone as gullible as you be qualified to fight her for the title of heir?"

"I know, right? Your mom died giving birth to you. Then, you smashed that portrait of your great-aunt and sent Grandpa to the hospital with a heart attack.

"You should just shut your mouth and stay locked up in your room!"

"Forget it. Just rough him up. And don't mention the portrait again. It's a sore spot for Grandpa."

They lifted their glasses, ready to pour more wine on him. My anger boiled over.

"Stop!" My shout froze them in their tracks. The wine almost slipped from their shaky hands.

Anna shot me a glare. "Why are you still here? Someone kick her out! If Grandpa sees her hanging around when he arrives, he'll be furious."

I narrowed my eyes. Just as a few men started to move toward me, the doors burst open. Daniel Slater entered the room, flanked by bodyguards.

The room fell silent as everyone watched him take his seat.

I stood frozen. 50 years had passed, and my younger brother's hair had turned grey. Time had carved its marks deep into his face. Yet, his weary but familiar eyes made my throat tighten.

Without thinking, I called out his name, "Daniel…"

He stiffened and slowly lifted his gaze to meet mine.

The comments buzzed with shock.

"Zoe called Mr. Slater Senior by his name. She's got a death wish."

"Look at their faces. They all look like they've seen a ghost. This is going to be good. She's about to get chewed up."

The crowd looked at me mockingly.

Anna's face darkened. "Outrageous! Security, throw this lunatic out immediately!"

The guards hurried forward, but before they could grab me, I yanked off the emerald pendant hanging from my neck and held it up high.

"I'm your great-aunt! I dare any of you to lay a hand on me!"

The sight of the pendant drew a sharp collective gasp.

"T-That's an heirloom from the Slater family. Is she really our great-aunt?"

"Oh, come on. What kind of great-aunt is only 20 years old?"

"Wait, didn't Grandpa once say that she vanished after joining some secret experiment? What if that experiment made her stay young forever?"

"Grandpa!" A flicker of panic crossed Anna's face. She hurried forward and clung to Daniel's arm. "Emeralds can be forged. She's just some lunatic. Don't listen to her nonsense."

The room grew thick with tension. Daniel leaned on his cane and stared at me for a long time before finally speaking. "Bring me the pendant. Let me see it for myself."

Before I could hand the pendant over, Michael stormed in. He snatched it and smashed it on the floor. "Zoe, stop being delusional. You'll never be worthy of being a part of the Slaters."

By the time I returned to my senses, the emerald pendant was already in pieces.

My head buzzed. My body took over before my brain could catch up, and I slapped Michael across the face. I snapped, "Are you crazy, Michael? Why did you destroy my pendant?"

However, he didn't fight back. Instead, he just looked at me.

"Forgive her, everyone," he apologized. "She's my girlfriend. That pendant was just a cheap knockoff she bought online for nine bucks.

"She has delusions and always imagines that she's from some wealthy family. Here are her medical records. Everything I've said is true. Please don't hold it against her."

The papers were passed around, met with sighs.

"This poor girl has gone crazy. She thinks she can strike it rich by pretending to have family ties. Honestly, she almost had me convinced for a second."

"Who in their right mind would try to scam the Slaters? Fortunately for her, Mr. Slater Senior is kind. Any other rich family would have buried her alive."

The records finally landed in Daniel's hands. His face darkened as he flipped through them, then he resignedly waved his hand and said, "Enough. Take her away. We don't trouble ourselves with the sick."

Anna sighed in relief. A smug smile tugged at her lips. "You heard him. Security, throw her out already!"

The guards inched closer, but Michael blocked their way. He reached for me and pleaded, "Zoe, this world of the wealthy isn't ours. I just want a quiet life with you. Please come with me."

Comments exploded before me.

"Oh my god, Michael loves her so much. He's risking everything to protect her. I'm sobbing."

"Girl, stop being stubborn. The only way you'll survive is if you go with him!"

Every eye in the room looked at me like I was a fool.

I understood everything.

This had been his plan all along. Michael wanted to keep a distance from the Slater family. He wanted to clear the way for Anna to secure her place as the heiress.

I slapped his hand away and faced Daniel. "If none of you believe me, then I demand a DNA test."

After I woke up, I desperately searched for my family. I had studied everything I could about proving our ties. DNA testing was the one thing no one could dispute. I refused to let myself be dismissed.

Gasps echoed across the room.

"What's going on? Could she really be that missing great-aunt?"

"You're just stalling. Why should we listen to you?" Anna retorted. Her smile had faded, and there was panic in her eyes.

"That's enough." Daniel banged his cane against the floor twice, immediately silencing the chatter. He instructed, "Anna, get the doctor. We'll do the test."

Anna bit her lip. She was reluctant, but she didn't dare disobey him. "Yes, Grandpa."

The comments blew up again.

"She's really pushing her luck. If she keeps this up, she's going to regret it."

I ignored it all and took a seat to let the doctor take my sample.

Before long, the doctor returned with the results. "The results are out. I conclude that…"

The room held its breath. I lifted my chin and braced myself for the truth.

"Ms. Zoe and Mr. Slater Senior are not related," the doctor announced.

Laughter erupted.

"Seriously? I thought we'd get a twist, but she really is just a clown."

"She's been putting on quite the show. Now let's see how she explains this one."

My face drained of color. I lunged forward and snatched the report. But there it was in black and white: "No blood relation between Zoe Slater and Daniel Slater."

My hands shook as I clutched the page. "Impossible! I'm Daniel's sister. This report is wrong! I demand a retest!"

"Enough!" Daniel's command cut through the noise. He slammed his cane against the floorboard.

Silence fell once more.

"Many know my name. Many know that I've been waiting for my sister. You're still young, yet you've chosen the wrong path. Lies and deceit never end well." Daniel sighed.

He looked at me, disappointment clouding his eyes.