Around three in the afternoon, Serena dressed up and headed out. She was waiting in a coffee shop when, a short whileter, Vanessa arrived, elegant as always.


    Watching her, Serena was struck by how ringly artificial she seemed. Vanessa meticulously cultivated her public persona as a sessful concert pianist, a self- made woman who had achieved everything through her own hard work, without relying on anyone''s help.


    But the truth was a different story. Every drop of her blood had been sold to Serena''s brother for an exorbitant price. From the very beginning, she had set her sights on bing Mrs. Goodwin, viewing the entire Goodwin family as nothing more than a tool to unscrupulously achieve her goals.


    Vanessa glided to the table and sat down, her face fixed with her usual gentle smile. "Serena, have you been waiting long? The traffic was a bit heavy."


    She waved over a waiter like she owned the ce, clearly used to being treated as a VIP.


    Serena quietly watched her performance.


    When Vanessa looked up and saw Serena staring at her, a knot of anxiety tightened in her chest. "Serena, I have to apologize. I kept this from you for so long, but it wasn''t my intention. Your brother asked me not to say anything."


    "I know. My brother''s the type to carry every burden himself," Serena said with a dismissive purse of her lips. "Does he think it makes him look cool? It''s infuriating. He only just now told me about our mother''s illness."


    "Your brother has his reasons. Please don''t me him," Vanessa said, ying the part of the caring older sister, making it seem as if she was always looking out forn and Serena''s best interests.


    Serena used to fall for this act, believing Vanessa was the gentle, kind, idealized love of her brother''s life, someone who always put him first.


    "Vanessa, let me ask you something practical, and I want you to be honest with me." Serena folded her hands on the table, leaning forward slightly. "After you and my brother met, exactly how much money has he given you?"


    Vanessa''s hand paused, the spoon clinking against her cup. Her smile turned a little stiff. n... did provide me with some necessary support and assistance." Her eyes darted nervously as she spoke. "It was mainly to help me focus on my studies without any worries. You know how difficult the path of an artist can be. He didn''t give me cash; it was all through a foundation—and as you know, I''ve never been short on money."


    Serena scoffed internally, having expected such a sanitized answer. Outwardly, however, she smiled. "He''s so generous to you, Vanessa. What about all that jewelry you show off? Did my brother give you all of that, too?"


    A subtle change crossed Vanessa''s face. Serena had never cared about such things before.


    "Vanessa, I won''t hold it against you if you tell me the truth. But you know I hate being lied to," Serena said, leveraging her well-known straightforward personality.


    Vanessa looked at Serena, aware that she was someone who didn''t y games: Besides, the only thing she could gain from Serena now was information about theb She needed to know how far Dr Suttons research had progressed, to see if she still held any value.


    Apart from drawing her blood, all experimental results from theb were kept strictly confidential. She hadn''t even known she was the sole donor until she privately met with one of Dr. Sutton''s male assistants, who told her the doctor had. searched globally for six months before finally finding her. She was


    the only match.


    After that, she had testedn''s reactions multiple times. His anxiety and fear only confirmed her importance. She made a point of testing him every year, and the results always emboldened her to demand more. Eventually, she was certain she was the only one.n''s wealth and connections, he would have scoured every gene bank on the by now.


    Vanessa took a sip of her coffee, deciding to offer a few morsels of truth to win back Serena''s trust. She knew how easily Serena could be manipted.


    "Alright, Serena, I won''t hide it from you," Vanessa said with an air of confession. "The only piece of jewelry I ever asked your brother for was the set I wore at myst recital. The rest of the pieces I''ve posted online weren''t from him. They''re my own."


    "Then how do you exin the captions you wrote?"


    "Serena, you know I''m a public figure, right? I just wanted the world to know I was doing well. That''s all."


    "So, the jewelry wasn''t from my brother. You just posted it to make it look like it was," Serena pressed, her tone direct.


    Seeing Serena''s persistence, Vanessa nodded. "Yes. I admit, I can be a bit vain."


    "And what about your luxury car and the vi? Did my brother give you those too?" Serena''s eyes were sharp, cutting through the pretense.