Chapter 3

My mother went straight to the Sterling estate.

She stood at their iron gates in the rain, showing them the bruised needle marks in the crook of her arm, showing them the scars on her shoulder.

Nobody believed a word.

The security guards shoved her violently to the pavement.

"Master Sterling's savior is Miss Yates! Who the hell do you think you are, dirty beggar?"

Eventually, Brenda walked out herself.

She wore a tailored cashmere coat the Sterlings had bought for her, with pearl studs in her ears. Her eyes held not an ounce of guilt.

She squatted down in front of my bruised mother and hissed under her breath: "Evelyn, so what if you saved him?"

"You have no proof."

"The only person who saw you—Old Mrs. Sterling—died of a sudden stroke yesterday. Now, the family only recognizes me."

"If you dare make another scene, I'll make sure you can't even work as a nurse anymore."

She kept her vicious promise.

A month later, the hospital board received an anonymous tip.

It accused my mother of extorting patients' families, fabricating heroic deeds for money, and severe ethical misconduct.

She was fired on the spot.

Small towns have big mouths.

Soon, the entire town branded her a delusional opportunist who tried to trap a billionaire.

People threw dirty water onto our porch. Neighbors pointed at her in the street, calling her a shameless liar.

She never screamed back.

She just hugged me tightly in our cramped room, whispering over and over: "Vivian... Mom really didn't lie."

By the time I finished, tears were streaming down Pearl's face.

"So Julian's grandmother... is Brenda Yates?"

"Yes."

"And that jade..."

"Belonged to your grandmother."

Pearl buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking violently with sobs.

"Mom... I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

I closed the photo album gently.

"It's not your fault."

"I never brought it up because I thought the past was buried."

"But it seems when people wear stolen jewels for long enough, they truly start believing they were born royalty."

The very next day, the Sterlings sent another representative.

It wasn't Julian.

It was his mother, Patricia Sterling.

She had an even bigger air of superiority than her son.

Walking into my home, she didn't touch the tea offered to her. Instead, she dropped a manila folder onto the coffee table.

"Mrs. Foster, let's cut straight to the chase."

She wore a structured emerald-green designer suit, her hair styled in a severe, immaculate updo, speaking with her chin tilted high.

"The kids had a small misunderstanding yesterday. Julian is young and proud, but he reflected on his attitude once he got home."

I glanced at the cover of the folder.

*Sterling Healthcare Charity Foundation Partnership Agreement.*

"What is this supposed to mean?"

Patricia offered a rehearsed, dismissive smile.

"The Sterling family is willing to grant Miss Pearl Foster a fifteen percent managerial stake in our foundation as an early wedding gift."

"My mother-in-law founded this charity herself. Its social influence speaks for itself. Pearl won't lose out by joining our family."

"As for that jade pendant yesterday, since you dislike it, we can easily replace it with another diamond suite."

She paused, her sharp gaze sweeping across my face.

"However, calling our family heirloom 'stolen loot'... was entirely crossing the line, Mrs. Foster."

I ignored her completely and asked, "Why didn't Brenda Yates come herself?"