Part 1The Laziest Billionaire

The first time I met my biological parents, I had just crawled out of the mine shaft, covered in coal dust. Disgust flickered in their eyes—my father didn’t bother hiding it.

"Get her another car," he snapped. "I won’t have her dirtying ours."

My mother forced a smile. "Poor child. Once you’re clean, Mommy will make it up to you." Then they fled to their car.

Only their adopted son, Aiden Ashford, stayed behind. "Ride with me," he said.

I showered at the mine first, washing off the grime before slipping into his Maybach.

At the Ashford estate, my parents were absent. Instead, Naomi—the "fake" heiress—greeted me with a saccharine smile.

"Sister!" she chirped, grabbing my hand—then shoved a fruit knife into it, forcing my grip toward her own chest.

* * *

My first introduction to the Ashford family, and Naomi was trying to make me shank her with a piece of cutlery. Was this some kind of bizarre welcoming ritual?

I'm lazy by nature, but I’m also strong. She didn’t stand a chance. She tugged, strained, but my arm didn’t budge. She blinked, her wide, innocent eyes betraying a flash of confusion before she tried to pull again.

I just pointed a finger at the small camera pinned to my shirt. "Life-logging," I said, conserving my words.

The color drained from Naomi's face. She dropped my hand as if it were on fire.

Just then, Aiden walked in from parking the car. He saw the knife in my hand, Naomi’s terrified expression, and a complicated look crossed his face. I couldn't be bothered to explain, so I just placed the knife back in Naomi's hand.

"Aiden, you're back!" she chirped, her tone instantly shifting to one of cloying affection. "I had Mrs. Gable make you some of her chicken soup. I'll go get it for you right now."

"Not hungry," Aiden replied, shaking his head. His gaze shifted to me. "Claire? Are you hungry?"

"Too much effort," I said. I slumped onto the nearest sofa, letting my body go limp. I pulled a bag of chips from my backpack and began to shovel them into my mouth with a listless, apathetic air. This was me in my natural state: if I can lie down, I won't sit; if I can sit, I won't stand.

"Tired?" Aiden asked, a note of genuine concern in his voice.

"I'm fine."

I kept eating, pulling out my tablet with my other hand. My left hand danced across the screen, tapping out lines of code, while my right hand scrolled through videos on my phone, my snack-shoveling an intermittent, automatic motion.

Aiden and Naomi stared at me as if I were some kind of alien creature.

Naomi eventually drifted closer, her voice dripping with faux sympathy. "Sister, you've had it so rough all these years, you probably never learned the proper etiquette for a family like ours. If people saw you acting like this, it would be terribly embarrassing for the Ashfords. But don't you worry, I can teach you all about social graces."

"Too much effort." I yawned and offered a piece of well-intentioned advice. "The mine's a busy place. Are you sure you don't want to go back and help out?"

In my mind, a person should see their biological parents. It was the only reason I’d even agreed to come back to this place. I figured she’d feel the same.

But Naomi’s smile twitched, and her eyes instantly welled with tears. "Sister, if you don't want me in this house, I can just leave..."

"Suit yourself."

I could see it then. For all her talk about not pulling any drama, she was itching for a fight. But what was there to fight over? Money? I couldn't care less about money. I really wanted to tell her that, but I knew she wouldn't believe me. No normal person would. So, I saved myself the breath.

Aiden came and sat down beside me. "Mom and Dad said they have to go abroad for a few days," he explained softly. "They'll make it up to you properly when they get back. They hope you won't overthink things."

"Okay," I nodded, my spirit feeling like it could drift out of my skull at any moment.

Aiden looked a bit helpless. He turned to Naomi. "Is her room ready?"

"It's still being prepared. I want it to be perfect for my sister, so there's a lot to do," Naomi said, a hint of distress in her voice. "Aiden... maybe she could just stay in a guest room for tonight?"