The moment I was about to be swapped at birth and doomed to a life of poverty, I was jolted awake by a stream of live comments flooding my vision. 「Wow, the male lead is so clever. He’s going to secretly switch his sick sister with the billionaire’s daughter. Now his sister’s heart condition can be cured!」 「My heart breaks for him. He has to send his own sister away and then go home to a drunk mom and a gambling-addicted dad. He’s carrying the weight of the world on his tiny shoulders.」 「Don’t feel too bad for him! He’s got our girl Lucy. She’ll wash his clothes and cook his meals when they’re kids, and after the big reveal, she’ll give up her fortune to marry him and be his devoted housewife. He’s totally winning.」 A lifetime of misery flashed before my eyes. A piercing wail escaped my lips, waking everyone in the room. 1 The quiet hospital nursery erupted into chaos. A young boy, Jordi, frantically clamped a hand over my mouth, his childish face etched with panic. Beads of cold sweat trickled down his pale forehead. My father, who had been in an office next door, burst into the room. His eyes locked on me, nestled in Jordi’s arms, and his expression darkened instantly. “Kid, what do you think you’re doing with my daughter?” My dad stood at a towering six-foot-three, built like a linebacker. His presence alone was enough to make most people tremble. But Jordi, after a brief moment of shock, quickly composed himself, his composure unnerving for a five-year-old. “Sir, I’m a patient here. I saw that her sleeping position looked like it would hurt her neck. I was just trying to adjust her.” The comments went wild with praise. 「I stan a genius king! Jordi is so smart to come up with that on the fly. Who would ever suspect a five-year-old?」 「LOL, our boy is a certified genius. If it weren’t for his trash family holding him back, he’d be famous by now.」 「Ugh, Lucy’s crying is so annoying. What’s the big deal? That’s her future husband. Soon enough, she’ll be dying to be in his arms 24/7.」 「She needs to get used to his embrace. He didn’t succeed today, but he’ll find another way. It would be a shame if she ruined his hard work again.」 My dad stared at Jordi, his expression a mixture of suspicion and confusion. The more I read the comments, the more terrified I became of this little psycho. I wailed louder, spitting and gurgling, trying desperately to roll my eyes toward my dad. Finally, he got the message. He slapped his thigh, pointing a finger at Jordi. “Wait a minute. Something’s not right here.” He immediately ordered a full investigation. Jordi was just a child, and his methods were clumsy. The trail of evidence was obvious. In less than half an hour, his plan was exposed: he had intended to kidnap me and replace me with his sister, Lily, so she could receive treatment for her congenital heart disease. The entire hospital was in an uproar. My father was incandescent with rage. I just sucked on my pacifier, watching the blood drain from Jordi’s face as I took long, satisfying gulps of milk. Dad called security to have him removed. As they dragged him away, Jordi’s eyes were fixed on me, a look of bitter resentment and longing in them. Just before he left, a call came through on his cheap smartwatch. The doctor’s voice was grim. “Your sister is dying. It’s time to come take her home.” Through the speaker, I could hear the faint, heartbreaking cries of a baby girl. Jordi’s eyes welled with tears. He turned to my father, his voice cracking. “Please, sir, please save my sister, Lily.” I took a deep breath. The absolute nerve of this kid. My dad just scoffed and told him to get lost. Jordi’s small fists clenched. Suddenly, his fear was replaced by a strange, unnerving determination. “Sir,” he said, his voice steady, “I wasn’t just taking Lucy to save my sister.” “Everything I’m about to tell you is the absolute truth.” 2 Jordi’s gaze softened as he looked at me, his small face filled with an unsettling tenderness. “Sir, I can see the future,” he declared. “And in that future, I’m Lucy’s husband.” “She will fall completely in love with me, so much that she’ll give up her life as an heiress just to be my wife.” “And I love her more than anything. I was only taking her because I miss her so much.” He lowered his long, dark lashes, a picture of manufactured vulnerability. To prove his point, he began reciting a string of deeply personal secrets about my family, things no outsider could possibly know. My father’s eyes grew wider with each revelation, his face a mask of disbelief. What he didn’t know was that I could see Jordi’s cheat sheet. The comments were scrolling frantically. 「Go, Jordi, go! He’s using our chat history to trick his future father-in-law! So smart!」 「Keep going, scare the old man straight! LMAO, I’ve got a whole folder of the Vance family’s dirty laundry right here.」 「My turn! My turn! Tell him his wife is a total softie behind closed doors!」 「Delete that, you idiot! He’ll get him killed! Jordi, Jordi, the password to the Vance family’s Swiss bank account is 123456. It’s all part of Lucy’s dowry.」 I choked on my milk, coughing until my face turned beet red. So that’s what it was. I wasn’t just seeing random comments; I was seeing his comments. My dad patted my back anxiously, his brow furrowed as he studied the strange little boy. Jordi, sensing an opportunity, pressed his advantage. “So, can you treat my sister now?” he pleaded. “She’s Lucy’s sister, too. In the future, Lucy will adore Lily.” The comments eagerly agreed. 「He’s right! The FL doesn’t even resent Lily for stealing her identity. She insists that Lily stay with the family and be raised as her sister.」 「Poor little Lily. She grew up with every luxury, but she was so frail and sick. Not like our Lucy, who was strong enough to haul water barrels for work by age three.」 「But Lily is a good sister! She never looks down on Lucy for being a country bumpkin, and she even offers to share the company shares with her. She even lets Lucy have her amazing brother. Their love is a two-way street!」 I stared at the comments, wondering if I was hallucinating. How could they twist a vicious story of a cuckoo in the nest and call it a beautiful act of sisterly love? This chat was seriously disturbed. After I settled down, my dad actually began to consider Jordi’s request. I could see it on his face—father-daughter telepathy. The boy’s information was too accurate to ignore. And what was saving one life to a man like my father? He was one of the richest men in the world; money was no object. But I refused to let my dad be played for a fool. I let out a scream so piercing it could have shattered glass, startling my mother awake. 3 My dad quickly placed me in my mother’s arms and whispered the whole bizarre story to her. My mom, still recovering from childbirth, listened intently and then delivered a swift, stinging slap across my father’s face. He stared at her, dumbfounded. “Are you insane?” she hissed. “This kid tries to kidnap our daughter, and your first thought is to pay for his sister’s medical bills?” “‘Future husband’? At his age, he’s already plotting to swap out his own sister for a wife. The boy is a manipulative little monster.” “If he really loved our daughter,” she continued, her voice rising, “he wouldn’t be planning a life where she has to suffer for him!” My dad, a gentle giant built like a bear, let out a wounded whimper. Jordi knew the game was up. He glared at my mother, his voice dripping with a chilling mix of scorn and hatred. “Ma’am, I can guarantee you, one day your daughter will be madly in love with me.” “You refuse to save my sister now. But in the future,” he snarled, “I will make your daughter pay for your cruelty. I’ll make her hate you, just as much as I hate you right now.” With that, he slammed the door and was gone. My parents exchanged a worried glance. Dad ran a hand through his hair, his voice laced with anxiety. “What if she really does grow up to hate us?” Mom gently pinched my chubby cheek, her voice fierce. “If she turns into some love-obsessed idiot, then she’s no daughter of mine.” But her hands were trembling, and a deep-seated fear clouded her eyes. I wriggled in their arms, patting their hands to comfort them and blowing bubbles with my mouth. Don’t worry, Mom and Dad. I’m not going to be a fool for love. I’m not going to suffer for anyone. I had suffered enough in my last life. I was an orphan, fighting for scraps in an overcrowded orphanage. When it closed, I became a child laborer and died before I turned fifteen. I don’t know why I retained the memories of that life. But I was grateful. This time, I had been born into the life I’d always dreamed of, with a mountain of wealth and parents who adored me. I wasn’t about to throw that away for some boy. When my grandparents heard about the near-kidnapping, they nearly had heart attacks. My paternal grandfather, a titan of industry, gifted me a subsidiary of his company. The skyscraper that housed its headquarters made me the youngest billionaire CEO in the Guinness World Records. My grandmother adorned me with so many heavy gold bracelets and jade necklaces that I could barely breathe. My maternal grandfather, a political giant and a "founding father" of our modern nation, assigned me a 24/7 security detail. My grandmother, a brilliant scientist, gave me her black card, linked to the royalties from her patents. It had a string of zeros I’d only ever seen in astronomy textbooks. Surrounded by the scent of old money and the sound of my family’s laughter, I drifted off into the most peaceful sleep of my life. The next time I saw Jordi Croft was three years later. I had accidentally cut my wrist with a fruit knife and was rushed to the hospital. As we arrived, the familiar stream of comments flickered back into view. 「Our ML works so hard. He should be in school, but he’s here at the hospital, taking care of his sister day and night.」 「He’s smart enough to be in the sixth grade already, but at eight years old, he hasn’t even started first grade. My heart aches for him. He’s so thin, he’s nothing but skin and bones.」 「If only Lucy were here. She adores him. She would find a way to make money to support his education. She’d starve herself just to make sure he had enough to eat.」 「God, Lucy is so annoying. And selfish. If she hadn’t cried that day, Jordi wouldn’t be suffering like this. It’s all her fault.」 … A cold laugh escaped me. So, Jordi’s miserable life was my fault now? How had I ended up with the blame for that? As the comments grew clearer, Jordi himself came into view. He was tall for his age, lean and wiry, with sharp, monolidded eyes that held a chilling indifference. He didn’t even glance in my direction, rushing past me to a small, worn-out cot in the hallway. A pale, fragile-looking girl lay on it, her tiny hand bruised purple from countless IV needles. She looked as if a strong gust of wind could blow her away. The coldness on Jordi’s face melted into a sea of tenderness, his eyes overflowing with a fierce, protective love. The Chat was ecstatic. 「What is Lucy even staring at? Talk about unrequited love. Our boy won’t even give her the time of day.」 「Serves her right for crying back then. Now, even if she’s fallen for him at first sight, he has no time for her.」 「Don’t be so harsh, guys. She was just a baby, she didn’t know any better. We should give her a chance to make it up to him. She’s the real heiress now; she can help him a lot.」 「We’re just teasing! She’s his future wife, after all. Even if we don’t give her a chance, he’ll find a way to let her atone for her sins.」 The moment that last comment appeared, Jordi stood up from his sister's bedside. His gaze fell on my bandaged wrist, and he slowly walked towards me. His tone was far from polite. “Hi. My sister has a serious heart condition. You just have a little cut on your wrist. Can you give her your private suite?” I blinked, momentarily stunned. I tilted my head, half-wondering if robbery and extortion had suddenly become legal. Why else would someone so brazenly demand I give up the expensive VIP room my parents had paid for? But the sour, entitled tone of the comments confirmed I hadn’t misheard. 「Awww, the ML is already going easy on her! Just asking for the room and that’s it?」 「He’s the only one who truly feels for her. He knows she suffered for three years because of him, so he’s letting her off easy. Lucy, you should just drop dead and let me take your place!」 「Seriously, what is she just standing there for? He’s practically gift-wrapped an apology for her. Just move your stuff already!」 Jordi was growing impatient. He forced a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Lucy Vance,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, “you’re not going to be so selfish as to say no, are you?” He leaned in closer. “You should know, there’s nothing I hate more than selfish people.” Was he trying to guilt-trip me? Oh, I was done being polite. I looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes. “Wow,” I sighed dramatically. “I really envy your skin.” He was momentarily confused. “What do you mean?” I let out a sharp, exaggerated laugh. “It’s thicker than a castle wall.” His face instantly contorted, flushing a deep, furious red. 5 The Chat exploded with outrage before he could even speak. 「Is Lucy insane? How could she say that to him? Does she not want to be his darling wife anymore?」 「My poor, sweet boy! He was already willing to forgive her and build a future together, and she just tramples all over his heart. I think I can hear it shattering.」 「Everyone calm down. Our girl loves him more than anything. She would never hurt him on purpose. This has to be a tactic. Playing hard to get!」 「That makes sense! She missed out on three precious years with him. She must feel so guilty and unworthy. She’s probably too scared to believe he’d forgive her, so she’s taking the ‘bad girl’ route to get his attention. A forced romance is still a romance, right?」 After reading their twisted analysis, I secretly rolled my eyes. Jordi, however, seemed to have an epiphany. A wave of relief washed over his face. He stopped pressuring me for the room and returned to Lily’s bedside, his eyes fixed on me with a thoughtful, calculating expression. I had a bad feeling about this. I slammed my door shut, cutting off his probing gaze. Back in my luxurious room, I flopped onto the soft bed, kicking my feet in the air and propping my chin on my hands as I video-chatted with my parents. They were in Europe for a massive business deal and had been frantic when they heard I’d been hurt. My father was so distraught he was practically sobbing into my mother’s shoulder. My mother carefully inspected my bandaged wrist through the screen before letting out a sigh of relief, though her face remained stern. “Lucy Vance, you are forbidden from playing with knives ever again.” I nodded obediently. Ever since the incident at my birth, my parents had been hyper-vigilant about my safety, terrified that I would get hurt or, worse, be taken from them. I was their precious treasure. With parents who loved me this much, how could I ever follow the script and abandon them and this life of incredible privilege for a poor boy with a persecution complex? But even though I wanted nothing to do with Jordi, it was clear he wasn’t done with me. Just as I was drifting off to sleep, dreaming of my bright, CEO-filled future, a series of frantic knocks echoed from my door.
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