After my parents’ divorce, my mom had a whirlwind romance and married the richest man in the city. The court awarded custody of my sister to my mom, but my sister had a total meltdown in the courtroom. She screamed that our mom was a gold-digging whore and refused to go with her. Seeing her bloodshot eyes and stubborn defiance, I immediately rushed forward and threw my arms around my mom. "Mom! I don't want to be separated from you! Can you please take me instead?" And just like that, without a second thought, I changed my last name and became the pampered daughter of the ultra-wealthy Sterling family. From that high vantage point, I watched as the father and daughter who had caused my gruesome death in my previous life slowly plummeted from their pedestals into absolute ruin. 1 My mother was incredibly beautiful. Even compared to the actresses on TV, she didn't pale in the slightest. Because of that, I always believed it was only a matter of time before she left my father. Sure enough, she filed for divorce. She was preparing to marry into the Sterling family—the absolute apex of high society—and become Mrs. Sterling. In the courtroom, the judge initially awarded custody of my sister to my mom. But my sister had a complete meltdown right there in front of everyone. She screamed that our mom was a gold-digging whore and swore she would rather die than go with her. Seeing her bloodshot eyes and that familiar, stubborn defiance on her face, I immediately rushed forward and threw my arms around my mom. "Mom! I don't want to be separated from you! Can you please take me instead?" I cried until my face was a mess, looking absolutely pitiful. Huge teardrops smashed onto the floor. I looked so devastated that even the judge probably wanted to slap himself for trying to separate us. After that dramatic performance, my mom and the judge decisively changed the custody ruling. I forced down the overwhelming joy bubbling up inside me. With swollen eyes, I followed my mom into the black Rolls-Royce. As the car drove away, I let out a long, heavy exhale. I clenched my fists. This time, I absolutely refuse to live the miserable, tragic life I lived before. Since I was given a second chance at life, I was going to do everything in my power to shine as brightly as possible. 2 Looking back at the two figures slowly fading into the distance, an indescribable sense of satisfaction washed over me. Even if I hadn't completely rid myself of those two lunatics yet, at least I wasn't trapped in that hellish household anymore. In this life, I refused to be driven insane by those two hypocritical psychopaths, and I absolutely refused to be their stepping stone again. Just recalling my memories from my past life made me sick to my stomach. That father and daughter loved to put on a show of high-minded intellectual superiority in front of others. They loved acting like they were above worldly desires. But behind closed doors, they were rotten to the core. Especially my "good sister." She loved nothing more than playing the role of the resilient, independent martyr who defied authority. So, in my previous life, just like in this one, my sister, Mia, refused to go with my mom. She hysterically accused my mom of abandoning the family for money. After all, in her eyes, our professor father was practically a god. She wanted to fall into ruin alongside her god, but she refused to let me go. She had planned it all out from the start. "Dad, you and Mom are really over, aren't you?" "Chloe secretly told me she doesn't want to go with Mom. Dad, please don't let Chloe and me down." And just as she planned, in the courtroom, the father who had always disliked me actively asked the judge for custody of me. I wasn't surprised at all. The moment he spoke, I saw the faint smirk tugging at the corners of Mia's mouth. She hid it well, but as someone who had lived through this once before, I saw it plain as day. Then, she turned around and started her hysterical tirade against my mom. "I don't want you! You don't even want Dad anymore! Why couldn't you just give me a complete family?!" "You'll never be respected marrying into that family! I don't want a mother who abandoned her biological daughters just to be a stepmother to someone else's kid! We don't need you!" I have to admit, Mia's acting was phenomenal. Even experiencing it a second time, her explosive outburst startled me for a second. But I recovered quickly. I threw myself into my mom's arms—she was already sobbing quietly. Honestly, my heart ached a little for this woman. With a trembling voice, I delivered my lines: "Mom, I don't want to be separated from you! Can you please take me instead?" I cried until my face was a mess, looking absolutely pitiful. Huge teardrops smashed onto the floor, making even the judge look like he regretted his initial decision. After that dramatic performance, my mom and the judge decisively changed the custody ruling. In that exact moment, I clearly saw the panic flash across Mia's face. It was quickly replaced by a mask of grievance and betrayal, as if the entire world had turned its back on her. My dad rushed forward to hug her, comforting her in a soft voice, just like he always did. Since their father-daughter bond was so deep, I hoped they would stay locked together for the rest of this life. 3 I wouldn't feel bad for her, because I knew Mia had always been incredibly smart and fiercely ambitious. Unfortunately, it wasn't until I died in my last life that I saw her true colors clearly. I knew she didn't actually hate money. On the contrary, she loved money more than anyone else. But she was greedy. She wanted both the money and the flawless reputation. So, just like in my previous life, she put on a show of rejecting my mom's departure, causing a scene in court. But behind the scenes, she intentionally made sure my mom saw her looking disheveled and miserable over and over again. My mom felt guilty and compensated by treating her even better, constantly trying to bring her into the Sterling family so she could live like a wealthy heiress. But Mia knew exactly how to play the game. She would reject the offers again and again, playing hard to get. Meanwhile, she continued to build her "resilient scholar" persona alongside our hypocritical father, networking with heavyweights in the academic world. Eventually, by the second semester of her junior year of college, she published three major research papers back-to-back. By her senior year, she secured a full-ride to Harvard and was hailed by everyone as a genius. And then? She swiftly and decisively kicked our dad and me to the curb, officially becoming the Eldest Miss of the Sterling family. And what about me in my past life? I was so devastated by our parents' separation that I couldn't snap out of it, foolishly following Mia back to my dad's house. As a result, I spent the rest of my life working myself to the bone to support those two hypocritical academics, eventually collapsing from exhaustion and severe illness. When I finally woke up, I discovered that they had drugged me and sent me to the bed of an absolute monster—all just so they could secure a $100,000 research grant. How laughable is that? Two people who constantly claimed to despise the "stench of money" traded me for their food, their clothes, their lifestyle, and their grants. It was nauseating beyond belief. 4 Living a second time, my goals were incredibly clear. Escape that subhuman father-daughter duo, and maybe exact a little revenge along the way. And of course, I wasn't going to let the title of "Sterling Family Heiress" slip away this time. So, after following my mom back to the Sterling estate... I immediately changed my last name. The world no longer had a Chloe Miller; there was only Chloe Sterling. When I proposed the idea, my mom was actually a bit surprised. In contrast, my stepdad, Mr. Sterling, was deeply moved. He turned around and handed me a dazzling, jet-black Amex Centurion card. "Thank you, Uncle Sterling." I accepted it sweetly. Unlike Mia, I wasn't fake. I wanted it, and I wasn't ashamed to admit it. Then, I calmly walked over to my mom and patted her arm. "Good eye this time." With that, I slowly walked upstairs to pick out my room. I have to admit, having money is fantastic. Looking at the opulent, palatial mansion, my mood soared. Even a random trash can in this house probably cost more than I made in three months of working in my past life. While I was still lost in my joy, I accidentally bumped into a chest that smelled faintly of a clean, fresh cologne. The warmth radiating from it perked me up instantly. I looked up, meeting a pair of deep, disdainful eyes. This was straight out of a cheesy romance drama. I was just getting ready to swallow hard... When the next second, a massive force shoved me away. "I—" "Hello, sister," a voice as cold as ice echoed from the bottom of the stairs. When I groggily looked back, the person only left me with an aloof, distant silhouette. I awkwardly rubbed my nose. I guessed who it was. Uncle Sterling's only son, Julian Sterling. He was the future head of the Sterling empire. A quintessential, domineering CEO. I didn't have many memories of him from my past life. So I didn't overthink it. For the next few days, nothing major happened. My mom and Uncle Sterling were gross and lovey-dovey every day, acting out a cheesy romance novel right in front of me and Julian. My fragile heart took a beating every day. In contrast, Julian was completely unfazed. I don't know if he had facial paralysis, but from the first time I saw him until now, I had never seen him make any other expression. Always freezing cold. I didn't dare provoke him, keeping as much distance between us as possible. After all, I had a lot of work to do. 5 Not long after entering the Sterling household, I basically adapted to the life of a wealthy heiress. Using the black card Uncle Sterling gave me, I went on a massive shopping spree at the mall and bought the newest iPhone. Then, I relentlessly began sending verification messages to my "good sister." For an entire week, I bombarded her: "Mia, the Sterling family is seriously so rich. Uncle Sterling gave me a watch yesterday that costs enough to buy the nicest house on our old street." "Mia, what should I do? Uncle Sterling is making me attend a high-society gala in Beverly Hills tomorrow. Am I going to embarrass myself? Wuwuwu~" "Mia, Uncle Sterling transferred me to the best private high school in Beverly Hills. It's called Oakridge Academy. I think that's the one you originally tested into, right?" "Mia, when are you free? Let me take you out for a fancy steak dinner." And then, she deleted me. Undeterred, every few days, I would send my "good sister" another verification request, putting my most pretentious humble-brags in the message box. And then, I was blocked. I didn't care at all, because my only goal was to make her miserable. Two weeks later, I officially transferred into Class A at Oakridge Academy. Of course, all of this was thanks to Uncle Sterling's immense wealth. "Hello everyone, my name is Chloe Sterling." I stood at the podium introducing myself, but waves of mocking whispers echoed from the students below. "So this is the new fake phoenix of the Sterling family. Her mom is shameless enough, but this daughter... tsk tsk. Changing her last name the second she moves in. Afraid people won't know she's a gold digger?" "True, but you can't deny she's actually really pretty." "Who cares if she's pretty? She's still just a fake heiress." Listening to the chatter and gossip below, my heart remained perfectly calm. I had experienced plenty of this in my past life. I had a very thick skin. Of course, I knew my "good sister" definitely had a hand in spreading these rumors. In my past life, my grades were never as good as hers. She relied on her stellar academic record to test into this elite private school, making my dad proud for a very long time. Now, watching the sister who had always lived in her shadow suddenly stand at the same height—maybe even shining brighter—of course she would be furious. I cast a brief, indifferent glance at Mia, who was sitting at her desk, pretending to focus intently on a worksheet. I didn't say hello. It was as if my harassment from the past few weeks had never happened. When I slung my limited-edition designer backpack over my shoulder and walked to the back of the room, I noticed there was only one empty seat left in the entire class. Everyone was watching, waiting for a show. I actually smiled. Well, if it isn't my "good brother." I sat down next to him, completely unfazed. Julian didn't even lift his eyes. Excellent. As freezing cold as ever. I like it. After a few minutes, seeing that Julian had no intention of kicking me out, the students who wanted to see me humiliated were shocked. In the crowd, I saw Mia turn her head and give me a long, deep look. I pretended not to see it and focused on the lesson. After all, getting a second chance at life meant I understood a lot of things better now. Like the fact that getting into a top university was crucial. So, I immersed myself in studying, unable to pull myself away. This resulted in many students who wanted to pick a fight giving up, since I just sat next to Julian, behaving perfectly and doing practice problems. Additionally, Uncle Sterling hosted a massive banquet specifically for me, officially announcing me as the Eldest Miss of the Sterling family. Many shrewd players in the business world realized that Uncle Sterling genuinely valued me. These elite private school kids all came from wealthy families and ran in the same circles, so they caught on quickly. They didn't dare provoke me anymore; some even started trying to suck up to me. But there are always people who lack basic observation skills. Mia's desk-mate, Sarah, was one of them. After I broke into the top 200 on the midterms, she stood up in front of the whole class and accused me of cheating. "I knew it! She used to go to a public school in a terrible district. If she didn't latch onto the Sterling family, there's no way she could be here. There's no way she could keep up with the curriculum." What she said wasn't entirely wrong. But she didn't know that even though my grades couldn't match Mia's in my past life, I was still ranked first in my old public school. This time around, since I planned to focus on studying, Uncle Sterling had specifically hired top-tier private tutors for me. So, I calmly walked up to Sarah and grabbed her by the collar. "I cheated? You saw it?" Perhaps feeling humiliated by being manhandled, Sarah's face turned bright red. "Let go of me! You cheated, aren't people allowed to say it?!" "Oh really? Let's go then." Her bravado faltered a bit. She tried to pull my hand away but couldn't, so she gritted her teeth. "Let go of me! Where are we going?!" "To the Dean's office to check the security footage." My tone was flat, completely unhurried. "If there's no proof, just wait for me to sue you for defamation. I'm sure you're aware of the Sterling family's legal team." Saying that, I started dragging her toward the door. She screamed in panic, but still cursed at me. At that moment, exactly as I expected, my "Saint" of a sister, Mia, walked over. "Chloe, let go of Sarah. She was just making a joke. Why are you taking it so seriously?" "But I'm a very petty person, you know that." I tilted my head and looked at her, smiling faintly. "By the way, my last name is Sterling now. I'm not your sister." As we were arguing and pulling, our homeroom teacher, Mr. Davis, walked over. The thirty-something man looked kindly at us and asked, "What's going on here?" Sarah didn't speak. Mia, perfectly maintaining her poised demeanor, spoke up. "It's nothing, Mr. Davis. Sarah was just joking with my sister, saying she cheated on the exam. After all, her grades used to be really poor, and she just transferred here not long ago, but she already broke into the top 200. My sister has always had a bad temper, so she got upset and started arguing with Sarah." What a masterful white lotus. She seemed to be explaining the situation for me, but she was actually trying to solidify the cheating accusations while reminding everyone that I have a "bad temper." If this were my past life, I wouldn't have noticed all the underlying malice. Watching her stand there with a slight frown, while Mr. Davis's eyes remained fixed on her, fully believing her words and preparing to scold me... I shoved Sarah. "Sarah, were you just joking with me?" Without waiting for Sarah to answer, I continued, "Oh, I just remembered. Mia, I always see you coming out of Mr. Davis's office after school, and you're always bringing him breakfast. You don't have a crush on Mr. Davis, do you?" As soon as the words left my mouth, Mia's face went deathly pale. She stood there, completely panicked. Mr. Davis's expression shifted from awkwardness to visible distress. "Chloe Sterling, what are you talking about? Spread rumors like that, and I'll give you a disciplinary infraction." "Don't take it so seriously, I was just making a joke." I tossed the words back casually, nearly making Mia pass out from anger. To resolve the situation, we ended up in the Dean's office. Because Uncle Sterling had just donated a massive sum of money the previous month, the school's security cameras had been upgraded. The footage clearly showed I didn't cheat. But because I spread a rumor about a student and a teacher, both Sarah and I ended up getting a formal warning. Walking back into the classroom, I purposefully walked past Mia's desk. I leaned down and whispered in her ear, "My good sister, it looks like Mr. Davis really does like you." Mia's body violently flinched. I happily returned to my seat. After all, having memories from my past life, I knew all about Mr. Davis. Because she couldn't afford private tutors, Mia struggled to maintain her top-ten ranking. Discovering that Mr. Davis had a soft spot for her "poor but hardworking" persona, she started approaching him to ask questions. It escalated from asking questions during passing periods to him tutoring her alone after school. I have to admit, she was very smart and very charming. Because, judging by Mr. Davis's reaction today, he probably really did have feelings for her. So, I had just secured my first piece of leverage against her. However, if she stopped there, I wouldn't have been able to do much. It all depended on how she chose to play her cards moving forward. For a while after that, Mia didn't dare incite anyone to mess with me. And, to avoid suspicion, she didn't dare go to Mr. Davis for help either. Unsurprisingly, her grades dropped significantly by finals. Seeing her sitting in her usual seat, crushing her exam paper in her hands, put me in a fantastic mood. Lately, Julian's attitude toward me had improved a lot. He wasn't as freezing cold as he was at the beginning. I started calling him "Brother" constantly. I knew his connections were powerful, so clinging to him would solidify my position as the Sterling family's Miss. Under my relentless harassment, he finally, reluctantly agreed to let me ask him for help with questions I didn't understand. But he set a strict rule: "A maximum of thirty minutes a day. Do not bother me outside of that time." "You got it!" So, my final exams showed a lot of progress. I was almost catching up to Mia. 6 When summer break hit, I saw Mia in our gated community. Sure enough, the plotline from my past life was playing out. That night at dinner, I casually mentioned, "Mom, didn't you tell me the other day that you wanted to go to the Maldives for the summer? You said it was your lifelong dream. When are we going? I want to go with you." "Oh, that was just a silly dream from when I was young. You silly child, your Uncle Sterling is so busy, I need to stay here and take care of him." My mom said it with a blush on her face. I secretly glanced at my stepdad. He was listening very intently. The next morning, when I came downstairs for breakfast, I saw Julian sitting alone at the dining table. "Where are Uncle Sterling and my mom?" The housekeeper replied, "Mr. and Mrs. Sterling went to the Maldives for a vacation. They probably won't be back for half a month." Yes! I couldn't help but feel giddy. Julian sat across from me, his arms crossed, watching me with a knowing look. I quickly reeled in my excitement. Seeing him still staring at me, I hurriedly changed the subject. "Brother, since it's just the two of us at home now, you have to be nice to me. Otherwise, I'll tattle on you." The corners of Julian's mouth ticked up slightly. "Oh? How should I be nice to you?" He pushed a glass of milk toward me. I was instantly speechless. This guy never used to engage with me. His sudden response really caught me off guard. I quickly buried my head in my food, inhaling three large meat buns to ease the awkwardness. Across from me, Julian elegantly sipped his oatmeal, watching me the entire time. It felt like he was trying to burn a hole through me. I hastily finished my food and ran off. For the next few days, I saw Mia wandering around our gated community. Because she intentionally dressed very plainly, almost shabbily, the security guards chased her away several times. After a week of not running into my mom, Mia finally slinked away in defeat. 7 One day, I put on an elegant sundress and was just getting ready to leave the house. "Where are you going?" A familiar voice sounded behind me. I instinctively shrank my neck back and froze in place. While I was trying to come up with an excuse, Julian considerately opened the front door for me and grabbed his car keys. "Let's go. I'll give you a ride." I turned around stiffly, stammering, "I... I'm just going shopping with my girlfriends. We can just take an Uber. It's too much trouble for you." Julian's voice left no room for argument. "Didn't you say we were the only ones home and I should take care of you?" I was still trying to talk my way out of it. Julian acted like he didn't hear me. He gave me a gentle push. By the time I stepped over the threshold, the door was already closed behind me. And then, inexplicably, I found myself standing in front of Julian's red sports car. Looking at the flashy two-seater, I felt a surge of excitement, but still weakly said, "Brother, I'm meeting my friends." "Annoying." I heard him mutter impatiently. We ended up taking a Bentley. Just as I opened the back door to get in... Julian's voice rang out again: "Sit in the front." It was an absolute command. I cursed in my head, thinking this guy had definitely read too many cheesy romance novels featuring domineering CEOs. "Hurry up." He spoke again, and I quickly climbed into the passenger seat. After picking up my new best friend, Lily, we nervously headed to the mall. Julian followed us with his arms crossed, looking completely aloof. "Chloe, your brother is so hot. Can I get his Instagram?" Lily asked me, completely love-struck, constantly sneaking glances in his direction. I covertly glanced at Julian. His eyebrows were knit so tightly they could probably crush a mosquito. I pulled Lily close and whispered in her ear, "Don't even think about it. He likes guys." Lily's mouth fell open in sheer disbelief. As expected, after the initial shock, her looks toward Julian were filled with nothing but curiosity. Then, she enthusiastically dragged me through various luxury boutiques, buying everything in sight. When we were almost done shopping, I purposely led Lily past a specific coffee shop. Having memories of my past life, I knew Mia worked here part-time. Today was the day the school's bad boy, Ethan, would fall in love with her at first sight in this very shop. It all started because she accidentally spilled coffee on his shirt, and Ethan noticed this "hardworking" girl. After that, they would run into each other multiple times, and Ethan would relentlessly pursue her. I vividly remembered from my past life how desperately Ethan loved Mia. The plot was basically "handsome bad boy falls for the hardworking good girl." With Ethan's backing, Mia navigated the elite private school flawlessly. Not only did she not get bullied by the rich kids, but she eventually secured early admission to Harvard. I had originally planned to use my own charm to win Ethan over first, but after sending him harassing texts for a week straight without a single reply, I had no choice but to come here and ruin their meet-cute. So, Lily and I swaggered into the coffee shop, fully playing the part of arrogant rich girls. As I carefully orchestrated it, when Lily walked past Ethan's table, the coffee that was supposed to spill on Ethan's clothes ended up splashing all over Lily's limited-edition dress. Accompanied by Lily's shriek of "Ah!", Mia took a step back. Seeing that she was about to fall into Ethan's arms, I stepped forward, yanked her back, and then lost my own balance, falling forward. I secretly rejoiced, thinking I was going to bump into Ethan. Instead, a pair of strong hands yanked me back. A chilling aura washed over me from above. Julian glared down at me with a face as cold as ice. I shrank back, trying to slip away, but he held me firmly in place. While I was still struggling, a loud SMACK rang out. Mia had a bright red handprint on her face. Her eyes instantly turned red, and she looked at Lily with a mix of grievance and defiance. It was a truly pitiful sight. "What are you looking at? Let me tell you, you're finished. "Do you have any idea how much this dress cost? You're going to pay for it." I had to admit, a pampered heiress like Lily was far better at this than I was. Every gesture exuded arrogance. I almost wanted to applaud, but thinking of Julian behind me, I held back. "I didn't do it on purpose. You don't have to look down on people like that." Mia finally spoke up, still maintaining her defiant persona. Lily only demanded she pay for the dress, but Mia interpreted it as Lily looking down on her, while completely ignoring the demand for compensation. To an outsider, it looked exactly like we were bullying a poor, hardworking girl. Seeing her stoic expression, even I almost wanted to step in and help. Sure enough, many people turned to look, and someone even advised: "Miss, she's just a student working a part-time job. It was an accident. Let it go." I took my time and said, "I don't know if it was intentional or not. But I do know that the dress my friend is wearing was a birthday gift from her dad. It's a global limited edition. You might not even be able to buy it for a hundred thousand dollars. I wonder if it were you, would you just 'let it go'?" Lily's eyes were red with anger. "I don't care. If you don't pay for this today, I'm going to tear you apart." Mia, perhaps just noticing me, turned her head and saw Julian standing behind me. Her face went pale. Hearing the price tag, she looked even more unsteady, incredibly pitiful. She looked pleadingly at Ethan. I then noticed that Ethan was just sitting there with a smirk, watching the drama unfold without the slightest intention of helping. Mia's action made things a bit awkward. Finally, she turned to me with difficulty: "Sister, you know—" This was the prelude to making me the scapegoat. I quickly took a big step back. This time, Julian didn't restrain me. "Hey, don't call me that. My last name is Sterling. I barely know you." I quickly hid behind Julian again. Mia's pale face showed she hadn't expected me to be so ruthless. Seeing that none of the boys nearby intended to help her, she closed her eyes and fainted. Ethan quickly moved away, terrified of being blamed for it. In the end, it was the coffee shop owner who came over to smooth things over. He fired Mia on the spot and told us to settle the compensation privately. The owner pulled out his phone. Not long after, I saw my dad arrive, late to the scene. Seeing Mia on the floor, his face was full of heartbreak. Then he looked at me, and just like he had questioned me countless times before, he demanded, "What happened to your sister? Was it because of you?" "Your wings have grown strong now, haven't they? She's your biological sister, and you just let people bully her like this." See, my dad was always like this. Even though I was also his daughter, because my grades couldn't match Mia's, he was always cold to me. He constantly muttered that I was nothing like him, and wondered how the Miller family could produce such a stupid daughter. Even when I studied incredibly hard, falling just a few points behind Mia, he couldn't see me. He gave all his paternal love to her. To beg for his love, I was so happy when he fought for custody of me in court in my past life. But after being worn down by him and disappointed time and time again, I no longer had any expectations for him. I said coldly, "You don't have to scold me. After all, I'm not your daughter anymore. Besides, this is what your precious daughter did. What does it have to do with me?" My dad's eyes turned red. He was just about to reprimand me when the coffee shop owner tactfully explained the truth of the situation. Then I saw my dad instantly change his tune: "Chloe, she's still your biological sister. You know she's always been obedient, working hard to support herself. Do you think you could—" Sure enough, the emotional blackmail was starting. Just as I was about to speak, Julian beat me to it: "Mr. Miller, Chloe is currently a member of the Sterling family. She has absolutely nothing to do with you." With that, he pulled out his phone, ready to call the police. My dad finally panicked. "We'll pay, don't call the police! My daughter still has to go to college." Ah, the depth of a father's love! I suddenly felt a twinge of pain in my heart. Julian instinctively supported me. In the end, my dad pulled out his card to pay, looking absolutely heartbroken. After making a few phone calls, he barely managed to scrape together enough money. Then, he carried Mia on his back and left. Watching them walk away, even though I had achieved my goal, I didn't feel as happy as I thought I would.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "434854", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel