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.

"I've waited 50 years for my sister. I have one foot in the grave, so I shouldn't continue hoping that she'll come back. I won't press the matter further. Go on now. Don't make this mess any worse," Daniel said.

Anna proudly lifted her head. Her voice dripped with scorn as she said, "You're just a scammer. The results won't change, no matter how many tests you take. Now get out of here!"

Suddenly, the boy from the corner of the room spoke up. "Grandpa, let her take the test again. She really is our great-aunt."

"Shut up, Skyler. No one asked for your opinion!" Anna roared.

Skyler Slater ignored her and stepped closer to Daniel. He dropped to his knees. His eyes were bloodshot as he pleaded. "Grandpa, no one but you and I has ever seen her portrait. You forgot her face because of your illness, but I remember it clearly. I broke that frame myself.

"Please, let me take the sample back to the hospital and run the test again!"

Anna clenched her fists. She stormed forward and struck Skyler hard across the face.

"I thought you were just unlucky, but now I see you for what you are. You're scheming with a fake relative so you can take everything from the Slaters," Anna said through clenched teeth. "Do you really think I'll let you succeed? Security, take him out of here and teach him a lesson!"

The guards moved in, but Skyler resisted. "Grandpa, I'm begging you! Just one more test. She's telling the truth."

Skyler never got up.

Daniel's chest heaved. His expression finally wavered. "That's enough. I'll give her one more chance. But if the result is the same, I won't show her any mercy. The same goes for you."

"Grandpa!" Anna panicked.

Daniel turned away and waved her off. "It's settled. Get it over with."

Skyler scrambled to his feet and nodded. "Thank you, Grandpa. I'll take care of it right away!"

I watched as Skyler clutched the samples and bolted from the room. My heart twisted. He truly wanted to help me. If he were the one handling the test, there could be no mistake.

All I had to do was wait. Once the results were back, the truth would finally crush them.

Comments scrolled madly across my face.

"Zoe's stupidity is giving me hives. She won't live through tonight."

"Pack up, folks. She's cooked."

Annoyed, I averted my gaze. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Michael beside me. His thoughts sounded in my ears. "Damn it. Another obstacle came out of nowhere. Zoe's way too lucky."

"Michael, how did it come to this? Are we going to fail the mission?"

"No. If she insists on fighting me, then I'll just do what the comments say. She won't live past tonight."

I turned my gaze away. I let my gaze settle back to Anna, who was furiously tapping away on her phone. When our eyes met, her glare was full of malice.

I closed my eyes, deciding that it was better than getting annoyed.

Time ticked by.

Suddenly, a video call from Skyler was connected. The screen was instantly cast onto a giant display. "Guys, the second test results are out."