My mother gained access to an exchange system the year I turned eighteen.

She swapped my college entrance exam scores with my sister, Poppy's. She swapped my high-paying job for Poppy's, too.

She even wanted to swap my perfect boyfriend and hand him over to Poppy. However, she had no idea that I had deliberately found him at a wife-killer club.

When my boyfriend suddenly fell for Poppy and fell out of love with me, I smiled.

I had been waiting for this day for a long time.

After work, I got a call from Mom.

"Elisa, come home for dinner tonight. Poppy’s getting engaged. Come meet your future brother-in-law."

I lifted my head from the mountain of documents on my desk. Finally, the moment I had been waiting for was almost here.

My sister, Poppy Hart, immediately grabbed the phone. "Elisa, bring your boyfriend too. I saw him in your post. His side profile looked so hot! Bring him home so we can all meet him."

I agreed and asked my rich boyfriend, James Porter, to come with me.

James was good at handling social situations. Knowing we were meeting my mom, he showed up with expensive gift baskets and premium health supplements. In comparison, my future brother-in-law, Ralph Gardner, came up short. He had brought normal stuff like wine, dessert, and flowers.

At dinner, Mom and James hit it off, discussing everything from international news to social trends. The conversation flowed easily.

Ralph was quieter and could not contribute to their conversations, but he was attentive to my sister and kept putting food on her plate.

Poppy kept a stony expression the whole time. She clearly was not happy.

After dinner, James and Ralph both left. I cleaned up the kitchen and headed to my sister's room to chat with her, only to overhear her complaining to Mom.

"Mom, look at how amazing Elisa's boyfriend is. He's gorgeous, loaded, and so articulate! The gold bracelet and necklace Elisa is wearing were definitely from him.

"Unlike Ralph! He's so cheap. Look at what he brought: chicken and more meat. It's so embarrassing! I wish James were my boyfriend instead."

I stood outside the door and smiled, listening to my sister complain. Just as I expected, the second she saw my boyfriend, she wanted him for herself.

For once, Mom actually scolded her. "You should stick with Ralph and stop getting such ideas! Ralph may be frugal, but he's honest and straightforward.

"The Gardners' neighborhood is getting demolished for redevelopment. Ralph is an only child. Once you marry him and pop out a kid, all that compensation money and those new apartments will be yours!"

Poppy was still unhappy. "But Ralph isn’t as good-looking as James, and he's nowhere near as charming."

I almost laughed. Before I brought James home, Poppy had been perfectly content with Ralph. The moment I showed up with James, she immediately turned on him.

Maybe she was not even interested in James himself and just wanted whatever belonged to me. After all, taking my things had been a habit of hers since childhood.

Mom was about to continue lecturing her when I pushed the door open and cut them off. "Poppy, James and I are planning a trip overseas next week. Want to come along with Ralph?

"Don't worry about money. James knows Ralph's family is struggling financially. He said he'll cover everything."

Poppy shot Mom another look before turning to me. "Elisa, is James's family really that wealthy?"

I nodded. "Yeah. His parents work abroad, and he grew up rich. His personal assets are worth close to nine figures."

Poppy's eyes lit up immediately. "God, I'm so jealous. You landed a guy who has everything. How did you two even meet?"

My smile widened slightly. "We met through work. Poppy, you're gorgeous. I bet you could find someone even better than James."

Hearing this, Poppy brightened and shot Mom a triumphant look. "See, Mom? Even Elisa agrees Ralph isn't good enough for me!"

Mom exhaled sharply. "Elisa, out. I need to talk to your sister."

I nodded and left. Judging by the look on Poppy's face, she had taken the bait.

The women in our family had special genes. For generations, Hart women could only give birth to daughters, and those daughters had to take their mother's surname. Only then would they have a chance to inherit the exchange system.

This was just a legend passed down among the Hart women. I never imagined Mom would actually inherit the exchange system.

The first time I realized something was wrong was after my college entrance exam results came out.

I had always been an excellent student, but I only scored 700 points. Meanwhile, my sister Poppy, who had partied for three years straight, scored 1350.

Poppy became the biggest underdog story that year and was interviewed constantly by the media. While classmates and relatives showered her with praise, I became a joke.

"This is hilarious. The top student only got 700? She must have been cheating on every test before."

"She always studied so hard. How did she only get 700? Was the exam really that brutal? I got 1100."

"Damn, Poppy really hit the jackpot, though! She can go anywhere she wants now."

After listening to everyone mock me, I immediately requested a score review. However, the state examination board came back with ‘no errors found’.

I went home defeated and started preparing to repeat my senior year.

That summer was torture.

Poppy sprawled on the couch, watching TV and eating watermelon. She went on trips around the country with Mom and had packages delivered every single day. She was living her best life.

I locked myself in my room every day reviewing material, gearing up for round two of senior year.

Poppy loved rubbing it in. "Elisa, you're just not built for standardized tests. You crack under pressure and always bomb the big exams. Just get a job at some factory and call it a day."

Whenever Poppy went after me like this, Mom would stop her. Then, she would turn to me with encouragement. "Elisa, don't worry about repeating. You'll do great next year."

I thought it was odd that my scores had tanked so much, yet Mom did not seem surprised at all. However, hearing support from my mother, who usually ignored me, made me brush off the weird feelings I had.

The next year, I ranked third in the state and got into Whitmore University's finance program.

Finally, I could hold my head high. However, Mom insisted I come home after graduation and get a government job.

I refused.

She cried, threw fits, and threatened suicide. I had no choice but to pretend I was applying for government positions while I was actually prepping for investment banking interviews.

After my interview, the professor who referred me said I was a shoo-in. The offer would arrive in a few days.

I called Mom to share the news. "Mom, I got it! I have a job!"

She sounded thrilled. "Are you sure? Did you really get it?"

"Yes, I'm positive! The interview went so well! But it's not..."

She hung up before I could finish.

I decided to wait for the official offer before explaining everything. I wanted to tell her that investment banking paid incredibly well.

A few days later, my guaranteed offer disappeared. My professor told me they had given it to someone named Poppy Hart instead.

Furious, I rushed home to confront Poppy. However, I stopped when I heard her and Mom talking.

"I swapped your exam scores for you and got you a stable job, too. You'll coast through life now. That makes me feel so much better."

Poppy nestled against Mom, grinning. "Mom, you're amazing. I love you so much. Will the last swap be for Elisa's husband?"

Mom shook her head. "Of course not. I'll find you a good husband myself. The last swap needs to be saved for emergencies, so you'll have a backup plan when you're in labor or if something terrible happens."

Poppy looked even happier. "You're the best. Thank god Aunt Margaret dumped Elisa on you before she died. With her around, I don't have to lift a finger. I’ll just swap everything with her!"

Mom stroked Poppy's hair affectionately. Inside the room was a picture of perfect maternal love.

I stood frozen in the doorway, ice running through my veins.

Fury boiled up inside me. I dug my nails into my palms so hard that I nearly drew blood, barely keeping myself under control.

This was the ugly truth. The woman I called ‘Mom’ was actually my aunt.

She had an exchange system that she could use three times, and she had already stolen my exam scores and my job.

She still had one swap left. I could not risk tipping her off.

I did not go inside. I turned around, went back to school, and immediately started interviewing at other companies.

Along with my new investment banking offer came a furious call from Mom.

"Elisa, what's going on? Didn't you say you got a government job? What's this about an investment banking offer?"

I played dumb. "Mom, I didn't apply for government jobs. I interviewed at an investment bank, but I didn't get in. Did a bank send an offer to your email? Is it my offer?

"Mom, can you show me?"

Mom snapped, "It's not yours!" Then, she hung up.

I stared at my phone and laughed. Who cared if she swapped the offer? Poppy would probably fail horrendously before her probation period ended.

Back when Poppy used my scores to get into a top university, she could not keep up with the coursework at all. She failed multiple classes and nearly flunked out.

Mom only managed to get her a degree by bribing every professor and academic advisor she could.

After graduation, Poppy could not find work anywhere. She moved back home and mooched off Mom. After bumming around for a year, she suddenly got an offer from a top investment bank. She could not handle the fast pace of corporate life at all.

Sure enough, after three days on the job, she came home and quit. She refused to work, and Mom was perfectly happy to support her.

As for me, knowing they had one swap left felt like the sword of Damocles over my head. I constantly worried about when and how they would use it on me. It was like a ticking time bomb that could go off at any moment and destroy my life.

I needed that bomb to detonate on my terms, within my control.

From then on, I made a point of casually mentioning good things that happened to me. Things like I won $500,000 in the lottery or I bought myself a small condo with my savings. However, Mom and Poppy did not take the bait.

Then one day, I overheard Mom setting up blind dates for Poppy.

Poppy was unhappy with every single match. I knew my opportunity had come.

After careful searching, I finally found James. He was a gift I had handpicked specifically for Poppy, one she would not be able to resist.