Chapter 3

The next day, I met up with my best friend, Jessica, and told her I was adopted.

Jessica's father was a prominent local businessman with deep connections and a wide network.

I figured that with her father's help, tracking down my birth family wouldn't take long.

Hearing my story, Jessica agreed to help without a second thought.

Following the timeline from my past life, there were still two days left before Chloe was scheduled to meet her online boyfriend.

After turning it over in my mind, I decided not to stay at home for the next few days. That accidental death policy still gave me chills.

At the same time, I couldn't wait to see the miserable wreck Chloe would become once she went to meet him.

So that afternoon, while the house was empty, I sneaked in and installed a hidden camera in the living room.

With everything set up, I used working overtime at the office as an excuse to move into Jessica's luxury villa.

Soon enough, it was the night before Chloe's big meetup.

Chloe was curled up on the living room sofa, clutching her phone and squirming with bashful excitement.

"Joe, Margaret, Noah said we're meeting in person tomorrow."

Noah was Chloe's fake rich boyfriend.

Hearing that they were finally meeting in person, Joe and Margaret dropped their bowls and utensils and scurried over to her, grinning from ear to ear.

Then came a rapid barrage of excited questions.

"You're finally meeting? Where? Should we come along? Are we going to meet his parents?"

"Margaret, of course I'm going alone! Who brings their parents on a first real-life meetup? Don't you dare come. Don't scare away the big fish before it's even in the net!"

Joe and Margaret nodded eagerly, acknowledging her point.

"We're in Ashford and his family is in Briar Glen, so we agreed to meet halfway in Cedar Falls."

Hearing this, Margaret rolled her eyes in thought, clearly plotting something in her head.

"Chloe, listen to me. When you see him, do whatever it takes to get him drunk. Make it official and seal the deal. Best case scenario, you get pregnant with his baby. Rich heirs like him care most about their family reputation. Once that happens, you're guaranteed a spot in their household."

Chloe's face flushed bright red. "Okay, Margaret, stop talking already..."

Watching them on my phone as they schemed like delusional fools, the corners of my mouth twitched non-stop.

At ten the next morning, Chloe packed her bags and headed for Cedar Falls.

Around one or two in the afternoon, she sent Margaret a text.

Basically, it said they had successfully met up.

When Margaret saw the message, her grin practically split her face in two.

It was obvious she was already daydreaming about her future life of luxury.

The following day, Margaret went to the local market for groceries while Joe went to the neighborhood park for his morning jog.

Both of them looked radiant, their faces practically glowing with joy.

Everywhere they went, they couldn't resist bragging to anyone who crossed their path—even stray dogs, if they could—about their tall, rich, handsome future son-in-law.

In just one day, the entire neighborhood knew about it.

"You're so blessed! Your daughter landed a rich guy, so you won't have to worry about a thing for the rest of your life. You get to reap the benefits..."

"Did you hear about Mr. Brooks from Building 12? His daughter found a rich heir. I heard he casually wired their family two million just like that..."

"Have you heard? Mr. Brooks's future son-in-law is filthy rich—he wired him twenty million right off the bat..."

Rumors spread from one person to ten, and ten to a hundred, growing more outrageous by the minute.

None of this bothered Joe and Margaret in the slightest. In fact, it only fed their insatiable vanity.