Part 3The Million-Dollar Fake Daughter: How I Fleeced My Biological Family

The next day at noon, to celebrate my return, the family hosted a luncheon with several extended relatives from the Vance side.

I didn't hold back. I sat down and prepared to feast.

But before my chopsticks could even reach the center of the table, Richard spun the lazy Susan, stopping a plate of premium, double-head abalone directly in front of Mia.

"Mia, your health is delicate. You need the nutrients."

The lazy Susan spun again, and what stopped in front of me was a plate of stir-fried bitter greens.

Richard cast a sideways glance at me. "Chloe, your stomach is used to cheap, coarse food. Eating rich food too suddenly will give you indigestion. Dad is doing this for your own good. Eat more vegetables. It cleanses the grease."

Mia looked deeply conflicted and said softly, "Dad, is this really appropriate? My sister just got back..."

"What's inappropriate about it?" Richard raised his voice. "A wild boar can't digest fine grain. Giving it to her is just a waste."

Seeing that I stayed silent, Richard assumed I was intimidated. His ego inflated, and he kept going.

He poured himself a glass of red wine and swirled it. "Speaking of which, our Mia really is incredibly lucky. That Sterling marriage arrangement was originally meant for you. Thank goodness your health is fragile. That Julian Sterling... tsk tsk. Everyone in our circle knows what he is. He drinks, he gambles, he sleeps around, and his temper is explosive. I heard he broke a model's leg just last month."

He took a sip of wine and patted Mia's hand, looking utterly relieved. "A fiery pit like that is only suitable for a thick-skinned, feral girl to jump into. It's the perfect match: a trash can for a trash lid. Absolute garbage paired with absolute garbage. A match made in heaven."

Mia's tears were threatening to spill again. "Dad, please don't talk about my sister like that..."

"Dad is just telling the truth!" Richard was getting more and more animated. "Those rich playboys are nothing but scumbags. If the Vance family didn't need their business, who would even bother acknowledging him? Only an ignorant country bumpkin like Chloe would treat him like a prize."

I glanced at Eleanor, who was sitting at the head of the table.

Understood.

When the boss couldn't conveniently tear someone a new one, the biological daughter had to step up and do the dirty work.

I stood up.

Richard was mid-rant, spit flying from his mouth. He was startled by my sudden movement. "What are you doing? Are you going to get more rice? You have absolutely no manners..."

I flashed him a brilliant, radiant smile.

The next second, I gripped the edge of the heavy marble table, anchored my stance, and flipped it with explosive force.

The table full of abalone, bird's nest soup, red wine, and hot broth flew through the air in a very ungraceful parabolic arc before crashing violently onto the floor.

The greasy, thick abalone sauce splashed directly onto Richard, instantly ruining his custom-tailored suit.

"Ahhhh...!"

Mia shrieked and hid in Richard's arms.

Richard was utterly stunned. His finger trembled as he pointed at me. "You... you... you absolute savage! Are you out of your mind?!"

I dusted off my hands, my face a mask of righteous indignation.

"Dad! You have crossed the line!"

I pointed at the mess on the floor, my voice booming even louder than his. "Who is Julian Sterling?! He is my future husband! He is the Vance family's future, most vital business partner! And here you are, in front of all these people, publicly slandering the heir to the Sterling Group as garbage and a scumbag! What if word gets out?! What if the Sterlings pull their investment?! What if the Vance stock crashes?! What if you destroy all of Mom's hard work?!"

I clutched my chest, looking agonizingly heartbroken. "It doesn't matter if I, Chloe Miller, suffer a little. Even if you forced me to eat scraps, I would accept it. But you cannot use the future of the Vance family as a joke just to elevate your favorite daughter! You are undermining Mom's empire! You are cutting off our family's primary source of wealth!"

Richard was suffocating under the weight of the massive accusations I had just hurled at him. "You... you're talking out of your ass! I'm your father! I can say whatever I want!"

"You are my father, but you are also a man who married into the Vance family wealth!"

I took a step forward, my aura completely dominating the room. "You eat the food the Vance family provides, yet you smash the bowl we eat from! You are biting the hand that feeds you! As a member of this family, I, Chloe Miller, will absolutely not tolerate such ungrateful, treacherous behavior!"

Richard was trembling with sheer rage. He tried to lunge forward to hit me, but slipped on the greasy soup covering the floor and fell hard, landing face-first in the mess like a dog.

"Enough."

Eleanor's voice chimed in right on cue.

She placed her napkin on the table, not even glancing at Richard groveling on the floor. She simply looked at me with a cool expression. "Since the mood is ruined, dinner is over. Chloe, Julian Sterling has requested a meeting this afternoon. Go get ready."

I nodded obediently. "Yes, Mom. I'll go get ready right now. I promise I will dress beautifully, I won't embarrass our family, and I absolutely will not let that fifty-million-dollar dowry go to waste."

With that, I stepped directly over my groaning biological father and headed upstairs without looking back.

Faintly, I heard Eleanor's icy voice behind me: "Mop the floor. And from now on, anyone who speaks out of turn at the dinner table won't be eating at all."