INTRIGUE

My stepmother wanted me to give up my father's inheritance.

Before the money even reached my hands, she kicked me out of the house and moved in her idol boyfriend, instantly becoming a wealthy woman in the entertainment industry.

But the truth was, my father didn't leave any inheritance.

The wealthiest person in the family was me.

1.

My father died of a cerebral hemorrhage.

My stepmother, Amy Snow, with her heavy makeup, cried dramatically in front of the cross, begging the lord not to take her husband away.

Anyone passing by couldn't help but sigh, "How will the family cope with this tragedy?"

But this didn't apply to my family.

Selling just one of our houses would fetch more money than an average person could earn in a lifetime.

So, to those unaware of the truth, Amy's breakdown seemed to be due to losing her beloved.

I didn't know how long I stood there, but my back was as stiff as the cold hospital wall.

Watching Amy's award-winning performance, I couldn't help but chuckle.

If she could act like this in films, she wouldn't have been mocked and boycotted online after winning the Best Actress award two years ago, only daring to reappear in the public eye now.

Today, when my father was rushed to the hospital with a cerebral hemorrhage, she seized the opportunity to stage a comeback, contacting major media outlets to camp outside the hospital, just to capture this touching scene.

The media was more than willing.

After all, everyone wanted to see which hidden tycoon in the city the former fake Best Actress had married.

"Amy, "

I called softly, ensuring my voice reached her ears before continuing.

"Relying on faith won't help.

The person you should be worried about is yourself."

Amy, kneeling on the ground, suddenly turned around.

Her expression became vicious, her bloodshot eyes glaring at me with a warning.

I met her gaze fearlessly, raising an eyebrow in challenge.

She stood up in an instant, taking two steps to reach me, grabbing my collar and pinning me against the wall.

Amy wasn't as tall as me, so she had to look up.

Her heavily powdered face squeezed into menacing creases, making her expression all the more sinister.

"Catelyn Jackson, don't you dare spread nonsense outside!" she warned me in a low voice, then immediately raised her voice to shout, "Catelyn! Your father is dead, and you're still here making sarcastic remarks!

Isn't it enough that you drove him to his death? What do we have to do to satisfy you?"

With those words, she not only pinned the blame for my father's death on me but also clearly explained the reason for her earlier outburst.

I glanced at the reporters gathered beyond the police line, my smile deepening.

But I only spoke softly in front of her.

"Of course, I know how my father died.

You were worried my father would become a vegetable, so you chose to give up on treatment.

As his daughter, I'm truly touched.

My father has a strong self-esteem; how could he bear to be bedridden until death?

So, you gave him a quick end, didn't you?"

Amy understood my insinuation that she had caused my father's death.

But she wasn't afraid.

Having lived together for two years, Amy knew my character was weak and easy to manipulate, at most just stubborn.

She threatened me, "Keep your mouth shut! You have no place in this family!"

Amy acted swiftly and decisively to warn me.

She made a big deal online, using the hospital incident to tarnish my reputation in the public eye while promoting her comeback.

In the age of the internet, information spread rapidly and densely, creating a dense network of information. I saw how the netizens in their cocoons commented—

"Disgusting, how could someone kill their own father over an inheritance?"

"This woman must have a persecution complex, probably read too many novels and thinks all stepmothers are evil, projecting onto Amy."

"What right does someone who killed their father have to inherit his estate? Why? Even the fiercest animals protect their young, yet she, as a daughter, killed her own father!"

"Poor Amy. I heard Amy was the tycoon's first love, and that woman's mother was the mistress who married up for money. As expected, the mistress's daughter is just like her mother. She should just die and pay for what she's done."

"These netizens are useless. Why hasn't anyone exposed the patricidal woman yet?"

"Here's the details. Catelyn Jackson, twenty-eight, a Stanford graduate, was appointed CEO of the enterprise after her mother's death. During her tenure, the company faced major issues, leading to her dismissal by Mr. Jackson."

"Hilarious, the mistress's daughter is utterly useless, only knows how to commit crimes!"

The comments from netizens didn't stir my emotions in the slightest.

What they saw was what Amy wanted them to see.

But I had no habit of refuting rumors online.

I wasn't a public figure, so I didn't have to play the public - opinion - manipulation game to safeguard my interests.

Even if they eventually uncover my true identity, I was not worried about any backlash.

In internet parlance, I was just a ruthless capitalist.

My target audience wasn't them.

As for Amy, she would have to face the consequences of her actions.

2.

My father's cause of death was a cerebral hemorrhage, and it was Amy who gave up on treatment.

He probably never imagined that his first love, whom he cherished for over thirty years, would be the one to kill him.

I'd always known about Amy's relationship with my father.

I found out when I was sixteen.

At that time, my mother was busy with the company's affairs and was rarely home.

My father took advantage of this, giving the servants time off and secretly bringing Amy home.

Our villa was located in the city's affluent area, worth over a hundred million.

Amy couldn't stop exclaiming in awe as she stepped inside.

"Honey, your business is doing so well, why don't you help me out a bit?"

"In a couple of years, once my business turns stable, I'll help you."

Watching them flirt openly in the living room made my younger self feel nauseous.

But my grandmother always said one should take action at the first opportunity.

So, I steeled myself and switched all the house cameras to small windows, filling my computer screen.

I watched them roll from the living room to the bedroom, then to the bathroom.

Eventually, I could calmly sip coffee and remark, "Dad's health is really declining.

If he knew every corner of the house was under surveillance, maybe he'd try a bit harder."

After all, a man with traditional patriarchal views like my father

wouldn't want to lose face in front of the woman he loved.

When I was eighteen, my mother died in a car accident.

It was as if she had already discovered traces of my father's infidelity. The couple's joint assets amounted to only ten million.

All the family properties and the company were under my name.

My mother's will also stated that the inheritance was mine.

From that day on, I became the wealthiest person in the family.

After my mother passed, my father's relatives came one after another, asking him to help find jobs or lend money to buy houses.

Because my mother had strictly forbidden him from associating with his relatives while she was alive.

He wasn't foolish.

After living a prosperous life for years, with only ten million left in his account, it wasn't enough to keep his company running.

Feeling the crisis, he resolutely decided to uphold his late wife's wishes.

Later, he started asking me for money.

Initially, the excuse was that the company's cash flow was cut off and needed funds.

Seeing how readily I gave money, he eventually stopped giving reasons, just stating an amount and asking me to transfer it immediately.

How could I not know what he was using the money for?

With my mother gone, he could openly be with Amy.

Amy didn't understand the intricacies of our family.

She always thought my father had full control over the Jacksons' finances.

She pouted and got angry, forcing my father to spend five million to secure her the Best Actress award two years ago.

But when the award scandal broke, Amy was boycotted online, losing all endorsements and advertisements.

Overnight, she lost her status and reputation and married my father instead.

On their wedding day, I applauded enthusiastically, smiling even more brightly than when I got into Stanford for my master's.

"Catelyn, I'll be your mother from now on, "

Amy said with a gentle smile, showing her affection for me in front of the guests.

I was even more enthusiastic, tears in my eyes as I hugged her.

"Then I'll be counting on you from now on."

Amy saw me as a spoiled fool, her eyes brimming with calculation.

Not long after entering the house, Amy gradually revealed her true nature.

Seeing me frequently attending business elite gatherings and managing the company's affairs, she assumed my father had temporarily handed the company over to me.

She assumed control of household affairs and ordered me, "Catelyn, you shouldn't go to the company anymore.

Your father is managing the company. Why are you taking on responsibilities that aren't yours?

You're twenty-five now. Don't you think it's time to settle down and start a family?"

I adjusted my glasses, catching a glimpse of her stern face through the lenses.

She no longer had the gentle and loving demeanor she showed at my wedding.

I smiled.

"I'm my father's only daughter. Of course, I need to take these duties.

Otherwise, when he gets old and I know nothing, how will I support you both without money?"

Amy thought she had given me an out, but I was ungrateful.

She approached my father, trying to make me leave the company.

When my father talked to me, he no longer showed the kind demeanor he had when my mother was alive.

"Catelyn, prepare to hand over the company to me.

Business is traditionally a man's world.

You're a lady, mingling with men all day may affect your judgment. Besides, who knows what gossip might arise!"

I looked at him calmly.

Through his narrow eyes, I saw the timid man he once was.

My lips curled into an ambiguous smile, and the probing in my eyes deepened.

"Dad, the company is facing some issues. Can I hand it over to you after I resolve them?"

My father frowned, seemingly thinking it was an excuse.

"What issues? How long will it take?"

I pointed to several reports on the desk, giving him one last chance.

"Unsettled accounts, about two years."

But after hearing this, my father adopted a lecturing tone.

"You can't even recover a few payments. Your mother really wasted her efforts on you!

Two more years? I think in two years, you'll have run the entire company into the ground!"

The downfall of enterprise was inevitable.

It was just a matter of when I decided to let it happen.

Once it collapsed, its subsidiaries would crumble too.

During my mother's lifetime, the enterprise's annual profit reached 1.5 billion.

Knowing this, my father was eager to swallow the enterprise whole.

He repeatedly tried to enter the enterprise but was always rejected by my mother.

Now that she was gone, he straightened his back and naturally chose me, the easy target, to pressure.

I didn't refuse, looking at him with the same gentle and obedient smile as always.

"Understood. I'll step down from the enterprise and let you take over, Dad."

3.

Everyone saw me as an obedient and gentle only daughter of the Jacksons.

The strict etiquette and upbringing of the family didn't allow me to show any real emotional fluctuations.

Most of the year, I wasn't home.

During this time, I stayed with my grandparents, receiving their guidance.

I also discovered something.

My mother resembled my grandfather.