When I was five, my parents adopted the son of their late best friends. We grew up side by side. For eighteen years, I called him "brother." He spoiled me with a decade of unconditional indulgence. He told me that under his protection, I could do whatever I wanted, forever. Until that stormy night, when a moment of impulse led to a night of reckless passion. Fighting back my shyness, I confessed the love I had hidden for years. But in his eyes, I saw nothing but undisguised mockery and disdain. "People like you, Harper... you think you can get whatever you want so easily." The very next day, he began a systematic series of blind dates, preparing for a business marriage. Later, a paternity test shattered my reality and stripped me of my identity. I returned to my biological parents and started a new life. But he threw everything away, chased after me with bloodshot eyes, and asked if we could start over. I shook my head calmly. "From the beginning to the end, our meeting was a mistake." Chapter 1 "Harper, have you really decided to leave New York?" "Yeah. I’ll be gone before the holidays." "They are your biological parents, that’s true. But I’ve raised you with such care all these years. You will always be my precious girl. If you stay with the Hayes family, your future will be brighter." "I understand, Dad. Whether my last name is Hayes or not, you will always be my dearest father." "Alright. We respect your decision. Go tell your brother." "Thanks, Dad. I’ll let him know." After hanging up, I drove straight to Hayes Corp. When I appeared outside Ethan Sterling's office, his secretary looked surprised and stood up. "Miss Hayes." "Is he in? I need to see him," I said directly. "One moment." The secretary dialed the internal line, announced me to Ethan, and then looked at me with an awkward expression after hanging up. "Ms. Vance is in there. Mr. Sterling asks you to wait outside for a while." That "while" turned into two hours. From inside the office, the faint sounds of a woman’s laughter and a man’s low voice drifted out occasionally. The secretary’s team was used to it, but I sat there stiff as a board, a sharp pain spreading from my chest to my limbs. Finally, the office door opened. Ethan walked out, holding Serena Vance’s hand. The flush on her cheeks hadn’t faded, and her hair was slightly messy. A few strands fell loosely by her ear, adding to her allure. She looked shy, nervous, but mostly... sweet. Ethan’s tie was loosened. He looked distracted as he kissed her on the eyelids. "I’ll have the driver take you home. I’ll call you tonight." Only after Serena entered the elevator did Ethan deign to look at me. Neither of us spoke. The air felt solid, suffocating. After a long silence, I surrendered first. "I came to resign." I handed him the envelope. Ethan frowned, his eyes cold. "Harper, stop playing these hard-to-get games. Even if you aren't Dad's biological daughter, I still treat you as a sister." Under his scrutiny, I kept my expression flat. I didn't look away. "Think whatever you want. I quit." "Stop being a brat. I won't approve your resignation." I laughed softly, my eyes full of irony. "I thought you'd be eager for me to get lost, so I wouldn't ruin your engagement." Ethan scoffed. "You aren't important enough to influence my decisions." I nodded, expressionless. "Then please, Mr. Sterling, be generous and let me go." We were once the closest two people in the world. Now, we stood on opposite sides, every word a thorn. Ethan stared at me in silence for a long time before finally signing the letter. "As you wish." We were siblings by bond, raised together. But now, we treated each other worse than strangers. Chapter 2 Night fell. Outside, a hurricane battered the windows, making terrifying noises. A crack of thunder, and the villa plunged into darkness. I curled up in the corner of my bed, fear clinging to me like a shadow. Forgetting everything else, I tremblingly dialed Ethan. My voice was thick with tears. "Ethan, I'm scared. The power is out." Ethan’s voice was cold and impatient. "Enough, Harper. I told you, that night was just an accident." "Even if you use the same excuse to shamelessly seduce me again, I won't indulge your tantrums anymore." The light in my eyes dimmed. I couldn't believe he thought of me that way. Before I could explain, he hung up. When I called back, it went straight to voicemail. Then, a text came from Serena: [You aren't a Hayes anymore. Know your place. Stop guilt-tripping Ethan.] She sent a photo. It was Ethan, standing in front of a floor-to-ceiling window, wearing a bathrobe. His back was broad and straight. It was the apartment Ethan had said he would never bring another woman to. My heart sank violently, falling into an endless ice cavern. Tears fell silently. The tenderness and trust of the past were gone. When I was five, a ten-year-old Ethan was brought to the Hayes estate by my parents. Later, my mother died in a car accident. My father, unable to bear the memories, lived abroad for most of the year. From the time I could remember, my world consisted only of the nanny and Ethan. Growing up together, time wove countless warm memories into our lives. The way he used to look at me was always full of gentleness and indulgence. When I smiled, the corners of his mouth would lift unconsciously. He used to say my happiness was his whole world. When I acted out, he would watch quietly, his eyes full of tolerance. When I was wronged, he would protect me at all costs. Any whimsical wish I had, he would move mountains to fulfill. Other heirs from wealthy families started dating or arranging marriages at his age. But he always said, "I can't bear to leave Harper alone at home. I'll wait until she gets a boyfriend." First love bloomed. I had never seen a man better than Ethan. My feelings for him had long surpassed those of a sister. Sadly, all that beauty came to a screeching halt on that rainy night. If I hadn't been so bold, taking advantage of his drunkenness for a night of indulgence... When I woke up the next day, I couldn't suppress my joy. I traced the outline of his face, my eyes full of attachment. The madness and blur of the previous night were still vivid. His brows, his eyes, his lips—everything made my heart race. Fighting my shyness, I confessed. But in Ethan's eyes, I saw panic and regret. He frowned. "Enough, Harper. You are just my sister. I am good to you because your last name is Hayes. The Hayes family saved me." The very next day, he started dating frequently, stepping onto the path of an arranged marriage. I watched him bring home woman after woman. Some glamorous, some elegant. I didn't believe he was heartless. I thought he cared too much about societal judgment, afraid of disappointing Dad. I thought he wanted me to give up, to bury my feelings. I even thought he was suffering alone for the sake of responsibility. Until he met Serena Vance. Only then did I realize that the looks I thought were filled with deep affection were just my own delusions. Chapter 3 After he started appearing everywhere with Serena, I refused to give up. I asked him why it couldn't be me. He looked at me with a mockery and disdain I had never seen before, his tone icy. "Harper Hayes, people like you... you think you can get whatever you want so easily." "In this world, not everyone has to revolve around you." My world collapsed in that moment. The cold words from the person I loved pierced my defenseless heart like bullets. He was the one who promised me a lifetime of peace countless times. He said that with him, I could do whatever I wanted, that he wouldn't let anyone hurt me. But in the end, he was the one who hurt me the deepest. He warned me coldly, "Harper, pretend that night never happened. I am your brother, nothing more." Yet, after saying those words, when I was struggling with a major project at the company and being blocked by senior executives due to my lack of experience... Ethan secretly assembled an elite team to strategize for my nearly failing project, providing resources and support. He specifically demanded that no one tell me about his involvement. When I accidentally found out, I rushed to his office to confront him. If he rejected me, why work silently behind my back? Why protect my dreams? But Ethan said coldly, "Harper, you are a Hayes. I’ve been in this family for eighteen years. I won't allow anyone to walk all over a Hayes. I did it for the family, not for you." "As for why I hid it? I just didn't want you to get the wrong idea again." In that moment, I understood. It was all my own wishful thinking. He was good to me simply because I carried the name Hayes. To repay my parents' kindness, he obeyed my every whim. I mistook it for love and shamelessly fell for him. I wondered if, deep down, he felt that sharing such a "secret" with me was disgusting and shameful. He pointed indifferently at the door. "Get out. Don't come into my office without official business." I looked at the sofa where my dedicated nap pillow still lay, then at the cold, completely unfamiliar man in front of me. My fantasies and expectations shattered completely. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I turned around, dazed, and walked out on shaky legs. In my panic, I bumped into his secretary. The invitations in her arms scattered all over the floor. I bent down to pick them up. When the familiar gold lettering caught my eye, my heart skipped a beat. I stared at every word on the invitation. Every stroke seemed to mock my unrequited love. Tears finally broke free, falling onto the card, blurring Ethan's name. So, he and Serena were already getting engaged... He cared for me out of duty. I was just a passerby in his life. Now that he was about to walk down the aisle with someone else, my existence was a burden. A stain. From this moment on, for the sake of the Hayes family's dignity, I had to accept reality and let go of this impossible love. Just as I was preparing to pack up my feelings and go back to being Ethan's obedient sister, a paternity test stripped me of my identity. My father, while abroad, met a female student who looked exactly like my mother did when she was young. Coincidentally, she was born on the same day as me. I don't look like my parents. But it was just a lack of resemblance; no one had ever suspected that a dramatic "switched at birth" scenario could happen to us. But Dad secretly did a DNA test. The results were a blow to the head. The parents I had called Mom and Dad for over twenty years weren't mine. My biological parents were a couple of scholars I had never met. My real last name should be Yeager. The true Hayes daughter was someone else. The person Ethan owed his gratitude to was someone else. The moment I realized this, I suddenly felt a sense of relief. Everything with Ethan, even our meeting, was based on a mistake. I decided to swap our lives back. I made up my mind to leave this city and never see Ethan again. Chapter 4 The Yeagers—my biological parents—had arranged everything for me in San Francisco. The real Hayes heiress would return to the family after finishing her studies abroad. As an executive at Hayes Corp, I had to stay for a month after my resignation was approved to hand over my work. Ethan didn't come home. I knew he was staying at the penthouse apartment Dad gave him for graduation. The view from the floor-to-ceiling windows there was beautiful, overlooking the entire city at night. When he renovated it, he kept a bedroom and walk-in closet just for me, promising he wouldn't bring anyone else up there. Back then, at eighteen, I naively thought that one day I would move into the master bedroom. But now, it welcomed its real mistress. Ethan didn't know I was leaving the family. He thought my resignation was just a tactic to force him to change his mind. Dad wanted to transfer me to the Hayes branch in San Francisco and promised that I would always have a share of his inheritance. I refused. I contacted Liam, a senior from my university days who was doing well in San Francisco, and asked him to recommend me for a job. Liam took advantage of a business trip to New York to meet me. Talking about our field, we hit it off. The atmosphere was harmonious. Liam joked that with my experience as a Hayes executive, I could get a job anywhere. Amidst our laughter, my gaze inadvertently swept toward the restaurant entrance, and I froze. It was Ethan. Serena stood beside him, her makeup exquisite, clinging affectionately to his arm. Ethan saw me at the same time. His face darkened instantly. He shook off Serena and stormed over to me. "What are you doing here?" When he saw clearly that the person sitting opposite me was Liam, his face got even uglier. Serena, not understanding the tension, smiled and took Ethan's arm again. "Harper is on a date too? What a coincidence. Is this your boyfriend?" Her smile was gentle, but her eyes were full of hostility. Liam looked slightly awkward but braced himself to greet Ethan politely. I remembered then—Liam had pursued me in college. Ethan had warned him with righteous indignation: "Don't harass my sister! I have to personally approve her future boyfriend, and you aren't even close!" Before I could speak, Ethan yanked me up, his eyes full of aggression. "Harper Hayes! Is this all you've got? Finding this kind of second-rate guy just to provoke me?" My eyes reddened with anger. I wanted to say, Insult me all you want, but show some respect to my friend. But meeting his cold, disdainful gaze, I suddenly couldn't say a word. No matter how I explained, I would only look more pathetic in his eyes. Why humiliate myself? Liam didn't take the bait. He explained gently, "You misunderstand. I'm just meeting Harper to talk about work." "Work?" Ethan scoffed coldly. "Let me remind you, you are a director and executive at Hayes Corp. If you leave, there's a non-compete clause. You can't go to a competitor anytime soon. I won't make an exception for you on this." I gritted my teeth, unwilling to tangle with him further. I nodded expressionlessly. "Understood." Ethan paused, frowning as if he wanted to say more. But Serena laughed charmingly, shook his arm, and whined. "Come on, Ethan, I'm starving. Harper is a grown woman, it's normal to have a boyfriend. Let's not disturb their date." She looked like a caring sister-in-law, but the chill in her eyes was impossible to ignore. Hearing she was hungry, Ethan let it go and led her into their reserved private room.
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