During the ten years since I was found and brought to my biological family, Sonia Baxter, the girl who took my place, and I have been as close as real sisters. Even Mom says that Sonia cares more about me than a real sister would.

I once swore I'd give my life to protect our special family of four.

When Sonia is rushed into emergency surgery with a ruptured cerebral aneurysm, I am in my office, calmly practicing a basic suturing technique on a surgical simulator. On the screen, the robotic arm threads the needle with such precision that it looks like a work of art.

A few minutes later, my boyfriend, Oliver Lyons, slams open the office door and shouts at me, "Amelia Baxter! Sonia's in critical condition. Only your micro-dissection skills can save her! Every expert in the hospital is waiting for you! We've got less than an hour before the window closes!"

He looks at me with hopeful eyes.

I'm the only person in the country capable of performing a surgery this complex. My hands are even known as the "Hands of God".

However, I simply reply with a hum and continue fiddling with the model. Suddenly, my parents rush in.

Mom grabs my arm and cries out, "Amelia! That's your sister in there! How could you just stand by and watch her die?"

I gently pull away from her and hold my right hand out in front of them. This hand, which had once created countless medical miracles, is now trembling slightly.

"Unfortunately, since yesterday, I've been showing symptoms of essential tremor. Dad, Mom… this hand is ruined."

The air seemed to freeze, and the three stared at me in complete shock, their expressions transforming instantly.

They fixed their eyes on my right hand, watching that slight but deadly tremor that, for a top surgeon, was nothing short of a career death sentence.

Mom's lips quivered as she asked in disbelief, "H-How could this happen? You were fine just yesterday! Are you just too tired?"

"The cause is unknown. Maybe it's just fate," I replied, pulling my hand back and shoving it into my white coat pocket.

"Fate?" Dad frowned deeply, his voice carrying a tone of reproach. "Amelia Baxter, don't talk nonsense! Are you… Are you still holding a grudge against us?"

I didn't answer him and just turned back to the surgical simulator.

When I was 18, I was brought back from the countryside to rejoin the Baxter family. It turned out that the beloved daughter the Baxter family had raised for 18 years, Sonia Baxter, was never their real child.

I was the real heiress of the Baxter family.

My adoptive parents had passed away early, and life was filled with hardships. When I returned to the Baxter family, I was deeply sensitive and insecure.

It was Sonia who showed me the most warmth. She taught me etiquette, bought me beautiful clothes, and protected me everywhere, saying we were sisters and I shouldn't feel constrained. My parents also said that Sonia was their daughter too, that they loved us both equally.

Since Sonia's birth family was very poor, they couldn't bear to send her away. Thus, they kept her and raised both daughters together.

I was grateful to them and to Sonia. I studied hard, desperately trying to become their pride, and swore I would protect our family of four. However, I no longer felt that way.

Mom started crying the second she saw I was silent. She yelled at me, "Amelia! Are you still holding resentment? Just because we loved Sonia a little more, you're harboring grudges and now refusing to save her life?"

She hissed, "Did you forget how much Sonia cared about you? When you stayed up late studying, who made you soup every single night?"

My heart still stung for a moment at those words.

Oliver Lyons quickly stepped up to catch Mom, trying to calm her down. "Mrs. Baxter, please don't get upset. Amelia isn't that kind of person!"

Then, he turned to me, his eyes full of pain. "Amelia, I know you feel wronged, but Sonia is innocent! You can't forget your duty as a doctor because of personal emotions!"

Dad had always been a dignified college professor. Yet, his eyes had turned teary, and his voice hoarse. "Amelia, even if your hand is injured, you could at least go in and provide guidance! Sonia is your sister, and you can't just watch her die!"

But I remained unmoved, simply adjusting my equipment.

Mom finally broke down completely and fell to her knees, wailing. "How did I raise such a cold-hearted, ruthless daughter? Sonia is so kind and always gave in to you, and now… now you want to force her to death?"

She cried her heart out as she pounded the floor with both fists. Soon, the noise drew the attention of the other staff outside.

They looked at me with confusion and disgust, but I just smiled. I said, "Well, I guess that's just her fate. Nothing I can do."

I sat back in my chair and picked up the surgical simulator's control stick again. On the screen, the robotic arm began working once more, and I focused intently as if everything outside had nothing to do with me.

Upon seeing how ruthless I was, Dad swayed a little on his feet.

Oliver stared at me, completely crushed. He took a deep breath, like he was making some life-altering decision. Then, he said, "Mr. and Mrs. Baxter, don't beg her anymore."

He turned to my parents, his voice firm as he declared, "Let me do it!"

Oliver stepped forward, instantly reigniting hope in my parents.

Mom grabbed his hand excitedly and asked, "Oliver! Are you… Are you really confident you can do this?"

Oliver glanced at the two elderly people on the ground and then at me, his face showing a compassionate expression.

He said with heavy emotion, "I can understand why Amelia won't operate. After all, she carries the reputation of having the Hands of God, and she can't afford to fail. But I can't just stand by and watch Sonia die!"

His words appeared to show understanding for me on the surface. Yet, underneath, he was directly nailing me to the pillar of shame for "refusing to save a life to protect my reputation". The colleagues who had gathered nearby looked at me with even more contempt.

Oliver turned to my parents and made his plea again. "Mr. and Mrs. Baxter, please trust me! I've followed Amelia through every one of her micro-dissection procedures. I know her theories and techniques by heart. Let me combine her methods with a traditional approach and take this risk for Sonia!"

"Of course! You're amazing, Oliver!" Dad was so moved that tears streamed down his face. "Oliver, as long as you save Sonia, the Baxter family will give you half our family fortune!"

When I heard those words, I finally looked up. I watched my ecstatic parents and the righteous Oliver while silently calculating in my mind. Half of the Baxter family fortune was worth at least 100 million dollars.

However, I had other plans. I slowly stood up, met Oliver's gaze, and said mockingly, "You want to use my surgical method? Did I ever authorize that?"

Oliver was caught off guard. Then, he looked at me with anguish. "Amelia! At a time like this, you're still concerned about that? Saving lives is what matters!"

I shrugged casually, my tone firm. "A life is a life, but a patent is a patent. If you operate without my authorization, I'll sue you until you're ruined, and you'll never wear a white coat again."

"Amelia!" Oliver's face paled with anger.

Dad was trembling with rage and pointed at me, scolding me. "Amelia! You're being completely unreasonable! You're really going to let Sonia die over money and a patent?"

I looked at him coldly, as if looking at a stranger. "Make up your mind. The patient doesn't have forever."

Time passed minute by minute, and the surrounding discussions intensified. However, I showed no sign of urgency whatsoever.

Finally, Dad gritted his teeth and accepted my conditions. "Fine! I agree! As long as you give authorization, I'll immediately call a lawyer afterward and transfer half of all my shares to you!"

I smiled and pulled out a voice recorder from my pocket, pressing the record button. "Dad, please say it again… That you voluntarily give me half of your shares in Baxter Group as the licensing fee for my patent."

Dad's face turned purple with anger, but he still repeated the words through clenched teeth.

Satisfied, I put away the recorder and gave Oliver a slight nod. "Go ahead. I hope your hands are steadier than mine."

With that, I walked straight out of the office under my parents' disgusted looks and Oliver's disappointed gaze.

However, I didn't go home. Instead, I went to the coffee shop across from the hospital. There, I ordered the most bitter black coffee.

Through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, I could see the lights that had turned on in the surgical building.

They got what they wanted, and so did I.

Over the next few days, I took voluntary leave.

Hashtags like "#RealHeiressSacrificesFakeHeiress", "#EvilSisterAmeliaBaxter", and "#TheScorpionandtheFrog" took turns trending on social media.

Meanwhile, my entire background was also dug up and exposed. Internet users even crafted a cliche narrative of how an uncultured country girl returned to her wealthy family and tried to destroy her sweet sister out of jealousy.

Meanwhile, Sonia's social media accounts were uncovered. They were filled with every bit of detail of how good she was to me, complete with loving captions that made me look even more despicable.

I didn't check my phone and just locked myself in my apartment, wiping down an old picture frame over and over again. Inside was a picture of William McKenna, my mentor. He was a gentle, refined man.

Three days later, the headlines flooded in.

"Devoted Boyfriend Saves the Day, Performs Miracle Brain Surgery on Girlfriend's Sister."

"A New Medical Legend: Dr. Oliver Lyons Successfully Completes High-Risk Intracranial Operation!"

In the reports, Oliver was portrayed as a hero. He faced the cameras and said emotionally, "I just did what I had to do. Amelia is my beloved, and her sister is considered my family too."

This statement made me, as the actual sister, look even more cold-blooded and heartless. The online attacks against me reached their peak.

Then, an even bigger story broke.

Domestic medical device giant Terry Medical Technology announced with great fanfare that it would enter into deep strategic cooperation with Oliver to jointly develop and promote an improved version of micro-dissection skills and related surgical instruments.

A week later, I received a call from the hospital director, Edward Porter. His tone carried an undeniable command as he said, "Amelia, there's a city-wide neurosurgery summit scheduled for 9:00 am tomorrow. The entire conference will be livestreamed. You're the patent holder for this technique, so you must attend."

I knew this wasn't an invitation. It was a summons—they wanted me to witness Oliver's success firsthand.

The next day, I arrived on time at the hospital's international conference center. The venue was packed with neurosurgery experts from across the city and reporters from major media outlets, and camera flashes constantly went off.

As soon as I walked into the conference hall, I saw an incredibly jarring scene.

Oliver stood at the center of the crowd with Sonia beside him in a wheelchair. My parents were right there too, surrounding them. They truly looked like a perfect family of four.

Suddenly, just moments before the meeting began, Sonia burst into tears in front of the cameras. "Everyone, I'm sorry for taking up your valuable time. But today, I need to reveal the truth!"

Tears streamed down her pale face, making her look pitiful and instantly capturing everyone's attention. "My aneurysm rupture this time wasn't an accident! I-It was caused by Amelia poisoning me over a long period!"

Her words caused an uproar. The entire venue erupted, and all cameras immediately turned toward me.

Sonia cried even harder, grabbing my parents' hands and sobbing, "From the day she returned to the Baxter family, she's been bullying and pushing me out!

"I stayed silent out of respect for Mom and Dad, as they had raised me, and I didn't want to break the family apart. But I never imagined that she'd go so far as to want me dead!"

Oliver gently placed a hand on her shoulder, as if giving her the strength to speak her truth. Then, he pulled out several lab reports.

He said, "I didn't want to say anything earlier because I was trying to protect Amelia's reputation. But after this surgery, I found undeniable evidence that Sonia was poisoned with chronic neurotoxins. I won't let her hurt Sonia any further!"

The live stream exploded instantly, with comments pouring in nonstop. The hashtag "#RealHeiressPoisonsFakeHeiress" shot to the top of trending topics like a rocket.

I stood at the venue's entrance, surrounded by countless disgusted stares. Reporters quickly bombarded me with questions.

One asked, "Dr. Baxter, did you really poison Sonia?"

"Why would you do such a thing? Was it out of jealousy?"

Another questioned, "Do you still deserve to be a doctor?"

I ignored everyone and walked toward my biological parents. I looked at them, my voice slightly trembling. "Dad, Mom, do you also think I'm that kind of person?"

For a moment, the room went silent.

Mom replied through tears, "Amelia, we gave you a chance… Sonia presented evidence… W-We're so disappointed in you!"

Dad also turned his head away painfully, refusing to look at me.

Someone shouted, "Look at that. Even her own parents won't stand by her."

"She's really a wolf in sheep's clothing. How could she do something like that? The Baxters never should've taken her back."

"She absolutely cannot be allowed to practice medicine anymore!"

The malicious comments reached my ears as I stood under the spotlights, alone and helpless. I felt like a criminal already condemned by the entire world.

Just then, several uniformed police officers walked into the venue from outside. Their expressions were serious, and their voices loud and clear.

"We received a report of intentional poisoning. Who made the call?"

All eyes fell on me, and even Oliver and Sonia couldn't help but smirk.

In the police officers' sharp gaze and the deathly silence of the entire venue, I calmly raised my hand and said, "Officer, I'm the one who called the police."