Part 1The Ex-Boyfriend Dilemma: My Fake Brother

I am the true heiress who was switched at birth.

On the day I was supposed to reunite with my biological family, my ex-boyfriend was actually there.

I gasped in surprise: "Liam?"

My biological mother, completely unaware of the gravity of the situation, asked with a bright smile, "Mia, you know Liam?"

I blurted out without thinking: "Of course. He's my ex-boyfriend."

Seeing the color instantly drain from my biological mother's face, it clicked.

My ex-boyfriend was now my biological older brother.

And so...

The fake heiress, who had been gearing up for an Oscar-worthy performance, froze awkwardly.

The youngest brother, who was ready to scream "I only acknowledge my old sister," lost his voice.

My biological father suffered a massive asthma attack on the spot, leaving my biological mother scrambling to feed him his inhaler.

Then there was me, completely petrified.

And my expressionless ex-boyfriend-turned-biological-brother.

* * *

"Mom, Dad, are they into some twisted sibling romance?"

The first to react was the fake heiress, Serena.

She pointed at me and Liam, her eyes wide, her lips parted in shock.

After a few seconds of silence, I raised my hand and pointed at Liam.

"He seduced me first."

Liam's eyes darkened, staring fixedly at me.

One second, two seconds...

I suddenly burst into loud laughter.

"Just a joke to lighten the mood!"

"Mom, Dad, honestly, before I walked through that door, I didn't know my 'big brother' at all, haha."

Liam smiled too.

The corners of his lips slowly curled up as he looked at the dumbfounded Serena and the little brother.

Then he looked at our parents, who had just caught their breath.

"Isn't it funny? Why aren't you laughing?"

After two seconds of silence, the youngest brother, Leo, who was still in high school, was the first to laugh out loud.

"Hahaha, that joke was hilarious! I almost believed it."

"Dad, Mom, Serena, why aren't you laughing?"

He didn't notice the look his parents and Serena were giving him—like they were looking at an idiot.

The atmosphere instantly cooled down again.

Once again, I regretted running my mouth the moment I walked in and saw a familiar face, purely out of surprise.

"Let's eat first," Mr. Sterling said, breaking the awkward silence.

Mrs. Sterling also recovered, affectionately taking my hand and leading me toward the dining room.

"Mia, we weren't sure about your tastes yet, so we had the chef prepare a little bit of everything."

She pulled me to sit between her and Mr. Sterling.

"Mia, try this."

Mrs. Sterling picked up a piece of shrimp and was about to put it in my bowl.

Liam looked over and frowned slightly.

"Mom, Mia can't eat shrimp. She's allergic to seafood."