Chapter 1

The day I won the lottery, my biological parents, who abandoned me years ago, showed up at my door with my younger brother.

They asked if I could give the lottery ticket to Leo, my brother, as a wedding gift.

I readily agreed, wishing Leo and his fiancée, Isabelle, a lifetime of happiness.

My adoptive mother, Eleanor, who was seriously ill and desperately needed that prize money for her treatment, was heartbroken.

She lay in bed, sobbing uncontrollably.

My adoptive father, Arthur, pointed at me, calling me an ungrateful wretch and threatening to throw me out.

Even so, I stubbornly insisted on handing the five-million-dollar winning ticket to Leo, a brother I'd never even met.

Leo and my biological parents happily took the ticket to cash it in.

But as I watched them leave, I couldn't help but smile, a look of pity in my eyes.

Just as I was about to hand the lottery ticket to Leo, Arthur stopped me.

"Chloe, have you forgotten how heartlessly they abandoned you at the train station all those years ago? How you almost got taken by traffickers!"

Of course, I hadn't forgotten. It was Arthur and Eleanor who, without a thought for their own safety, rescued me from the traffickers and brought me home to raise me. Now, Eleanor was gravely ill, tormented by her sickness in bed.

But I simply smiled and took my biological parents' hands. "I'm sure Mom and Dad had an extremely difficult reason back then. Even if they couldn't keep me, I know they must have thought of me."

Arthur shook his head, pleading with me earnestly, trying to talk some sense into me. "Chloe, you're being foolish. If they truly cared about you, why didn't they ever look for you all these years? And now, the moment you win the lottery, they show up? Isn't their motive obvious?"

Valerie draped an arm over my shoulder, looking at Arthur with undisguised disdain. "Chloe is my flesh and blood. Our hearts are connected, a bond that your words can't possibly break. As for you two, didn't you just raise my daughter because your own child died, hoping she'd take care of you in your old age? You're always so petty and self-serving. It's no wonder your own child couldn't wait to escape your household."

Arthur closed his eyes in pain, struggling to hold back from striking her. He was too stunned to even argue.

Years ago, Arthur and Eleanor's biological daughter was killed. They spent every penny they had on lawyers to fight the case. During their toughest times, they were so poor they could barely afford food. But even then, they never once mistreated me, their adopted daughter.

Yet here I was, watching them being vilified without a word, and ignoring their protests to give that lottery ticket to my biological brother.

What surprised me was that after taking the ticket, Leo suddenly fixated on the bracelet on my wrist.

"My fiancée, Isabelle, isn't here, but as her older sister, preparing a welcome gift for your future sister-in-law isn't too much to ask, right? I think this bracelet would be perfect."

Valerie's gaze also landed on my gold bracelet. She chimed in, supporting her precious son, "Oh, yes, it's beautiful! Perfect as a gift, very classy. Go on, take it off and give it to your brother."

This bracelet was a gift from Arthur and Eleanor for my eighteenth birthday. They had spent several years' worth of savings on it. They told me that if I ever encountered an emergency and needed money, this bracelet would be there for me. Now, with Eleanor's sudden illness, selling it would cover her surgery and follow-up treatments.

Seeing them eye the bracelet, Arthur quickly grabbed my hand, even kneeling to beg me. "Don't give it away! We have no savings left. Your mom is counting on this bracelet to save her life. It's our last resort!"

Arthur's voice trembled, but I remained expressionless. "Since the bracelet was given to me, how I choose to deal with it is my own business."

With that, I smoothly removed the bracelet and personally handed it to Leo. "We share the same blood; we are family, the closest kind. This bracelet is a small token from your older sister. I wish you and Isabelle a happy marriage and a lifetime of love."