“Isn’t that a good thing? Bing a billionaire heiress has always been your dream, hasn’t it?”


    “How could it be the same as spending my own money? My dream was for my


    brother to take over Stone Corporation while I stayed home living the easy life. But in college, he suddenly decided to study medicine. The day he graduated, he went straight into being a doctor. No matter how much my parents and I tried, we couldn’t talk him out of it.” Jane let out a frustrated sigh. “Just thinking about it annoys me!”


    Liz poured her a cup of tea. “Stop trying to make me jealous. Do you have any idea how much I envy you? You can walk straight into running your family’spany.”


    Unlike Jane, Liz had to spend every day racking her brain for new cases to take on. For the past two weeks, she hadn’tnded a single one. If things went on like this, she could be out of work before long.


    It was exhausting just thinking about it. She had wasted eight years on a rtionship, only to be cheated on. And now, even after breaking up, her ex was still making her life difficult.


    Jane suddenly grew serious. “By the way, remember I told you that Mandy Smith, that fake maniptive bitch, wasing back? I heard your parents are nning to bring her into thepany and they’re paving the way for her right now. You need to start nning for yourself too, or that two–faced schemer will end up stealing everything from you.”


    Liz lowered her gaze. The tea in her cup reflected her pale face.


    After a long moment, she gave a self–deprecating smile. “It’s not so much her taking things from me as it is that they were never mine to begin with.”


    Neither her parents‘ love nor the family’s resources had ever truly belonged to her. Looking back now, she almost wished she had never found out she was their daughter. At least then she would not have built up such pointless expectations, only to be disappointed every time.


    Jane frowned. “What do you mean they weren‘ yours? If it weren’t for Mandy poisoning their minds against you, things wouldn’t be this strained between you and your parents.”


    Just thinking about all the hardship Liz had endured made Jane’s blood boil.


    “It’s all in the past, and it doesn’t matter anymore,” Liz said quietly. “I’m not nning to go back to the Smiths. I’ll just pretend I don’tve parents and live like an orphan.”


    She no longer wanted to experience the crushing disappointment that came from hoping for something she would never get.


    Seeing the detached look on her face, Jane sighed. “Maybe that’s for the best. The Smiths can’t tell the difference between ss and diamonds. One day, they’ll regret it.”


    After dinner, Jane dropped Liz off at home and headed back.


    Over the next few days, William picked Liz up and drove her to and from work every morning and evening. The entire office noticed and gossip quickly began about who he might be.


    Naomi, who was close to Liz, asked her outright one morning, “So… are you dating someone?”


    Liz blinked, caught off guard. “Naomi, why would you ask that? Do I look like I’m in a rtionship?”


    She had been so busy chasing down casestely that she felt like her hair was on the verge of falling out. Dating was thest thing on her mind.


    As they talked, Hunter, who was nearby, could not help but listen in.


    Naomiughed. “Well, you haven’t been driving yourselftely. Instead, there’s this guy in a ck Mercedes G–Wagon dropping you off and picking you up every day. Everyone’s saying you must be seeing him.”


    Liz let out a helplessugh. “I haven’t been driving because my car got hit. It’s in the shop. The guy you see picking me up is the one who hit it. Once my car’s fixed, you probably won’t see him again.”


    Hunter let out a quiet breath of relief. At least he was not her boyfriend.