Chapter 1
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“It seems to be her… the real daughter of the Smiths.”
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“I heard that the Smiths mistook another baby for her in the hospital.”
“The Smiths have been raising a fake daughter for 18 years. What a tragedy…”
In a high-end luxury restaurant, Claire, who was wearing a solid-colored T-shirt, white-washed jeans, and flip-flops, was sitting on a chair and dangling her feet lazily.
Her charm could barely be concealed by her simple clothes.
She was gorgeous!
She tilted her head lazily, listened to the comments from the onlookers, and curled her lips in indifference.
It wasn’t until the chewing gum in her mouth turned almost tasteless, that her biological mother, Ada Taylor hurried over with the paternity test results.
She put her arms around Claire, crying. “My daughter! It’s Mom’s fault. You have suffered so much. Let me take you home now!”
Claire had lived in the countryside for eighteen years, but now she was suddenly told that she and another girl were mixed up when they were born.
She was not a poor village girl, and her mother was not her real mother. She was the daughter of the distinguished Smiths in Washington.
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For eighteen years, Ada Taylor had been raising another woman’s daughter instead of her own. This fact broke her heart, but Claire looked indifferent. She just felt that this woman was a bit noisy.
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In the car, Ada looked slightly restless. After hesitating for quite a while, she asked. “I heard… three years ago, you disappeared for a period of time. Can you tell me what happened to you back then? I don’t mean to upset you. I’m just worried about you.”
In fact, she had inquired earlier about Claire and was told that the girl grew up in a poverty-stricken village and was the kind of bad girl whom everyone shunned. Not only did she get the worst scores in the exams, she also played truant, got into fights with people, and hung out with gangsters.
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Moreover, three years ago, she disappeared for a period of time for no apparent reason. Some people said that she had committed a crime and was taken to jail, while others claimed that she was kept as a mistress by a sugar daddy.
Ada wanted to find out whether these rumors were true or not.
If any of it was true, that would be a disgrace for the Smiths!
Claire narrowed her eyes like a lazy cat. Playing with the hair around her ears with her slender fingers, she replied casually. “I don’t remember.”
She had lost the memory of that time.
Ada was speechless for a while.
What a difficult kid…
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——
When the car stopped outside the Smiths’ villa, everyone was standing at the gate, waiting. Ada introduced Claire to her husband, Allen Smith.
“Claire, this is your father.”
Allen Smith, with a dignified face, was tearful at this moment, but he was so excited that he hugged Claire. “Good girl… after so many years of suffering outside, you finally come back… It’s great you came back…”
Ada pointed to a handsome boy. “This is your brother, Sheldon Smith.”
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Sheldon was expressionless and his tone was cold. “Welcome.”
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The servants bowed their heads respectfully, with weird expressions.
Why was the Smiths’ true daughter dressed like this?
At this moment, sensing a strange stare, Claire looked up and found the source to be a girl standing behind the door.
The girl was wearing an exquisite, beautiful dress and spotlessly clean, shining leather shoes. Her soft hair was neatly pulled behind her ears. She was about the same age as Claire, and was examining her with hostile eyes.
Ada waved to the girl. “Phoebe, come here.”
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The girl came over reluctantly.
Claire needed no further introduction to know that this was the girl who was mistaken for her.
The girl’s name, the love she received, and the happiness she enjoyed originally belonged to her.
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Ada said in a deliberative tone, “Claire, although Phoebe is not my biological daughter, she has been raised by me for 18 years. If we ask Phoebe to leave, she has nowhere to go, so we decided… to let Phoebe stay at home… You don’t mind it, do you? Don’t worry, we will never play favorites.”
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