I was the long-lost daughter of the wealthiest family.

On my first day back, I was handed a two-hundred-million-dollar trust fund.

But that very night, I found out our entire family was doomed to end badly. We were mere cannon fodder in someone else’s story.

My father was the overbearing tycoon who would be publicly humiliated and driven into bankruptcy by the male lead.

My mother was the harsh, spiteful mother-in-law who made the female lead’s life miserable.

My brother was the devoted second male lead who willingly played the fool and got cheated on.

My adoptive sister was the tragic “first love” supporting character, destined for a miserable end.

Me: “Wow. Just great.”

When I was in the middle of the street, loudly cursing my idiot boss, a woman in sky-high heels suddenly rushed out from the side.

She threw her arms around me and burst into tears so hard she even blew a snot bubble.

“My baby… you’ve suffered so much…”

I stared at her in confusion. Before I could react, two men and another woman rushed over as well.

Amid the noise, loud enough to rival a flock of squawking ducks, I picked out the key information:

Apparently, I was their long-lost daughter and sister.

I raised a hand in a “pause” gesture. Everyone instantly fell silent, staring at me expectantly.

“You want to take me back with you?”

“Yes, sweetheart. Come home with your mother.”

The woman who claimed to be my mother tugged at my sleeve.

I looked at her with a hint of scrutiny.

These days, scams and human trafficking were everywhere. A girl on her own had to be more cautious.

“The fortune-teller was right. The moment Celeste Tower was completed, we found you.

“Once we transfer the building into your name, nothing will ever happen to you again.”

Celeste Tower was the newly built skyscraper in the city center, worth at least two hundred million dollars.

Looking closer, weren’t these four people the wealthiest family in the city?!

“What did you just say?”

“The fortune-teller said…”

“The line before that.”

“Come home with your mother.”

“Let’s go!”

I grabbed her hand tightly.

I couldn’t help it. They were offering far too much.

…

On my first night back at the Shaw family home, my right hand cramped up.

I got it from signing the asset transfer agreement.

On the second morning after returning to the Shaw family, my whole body was cramping.

Because I had nightmares all night.

In the dream, the world I’d lived in for over twenty years was actually a novel.

The sister I had just been reunited with yesterday was the sweet, untouchable “first love” type of girl.

She was dragged into a dramatic love triangle, her hands ruined despite being a pianist, her reputation destroyed before she was forced onto a plane and dumped in some remote, impoverished foreign town.

My brother was the unlucky second male lead, who married the female lead while she was already pregnant with the male lead’s child, only to be resented by the male lead and crippled in a staged car accident.

My mother was the harsh, overbearing mother-in-law.

Because she refused to let the female lead divorce and forced her to take care of my brother, she was hated by the female lead’s son and pushed down the stairs, becoming a vegetable.

My father took back control of the company after my brother fell seriously ill, only to be humiliated when the company was acquired by the male lead, sending him into the ICU from sheer rage.

And me, I wasn’t even important enough to be cannon fodder, just background decoration, with an utterly bleak ending:

As a useless nobody who had just returned to a wealthy family and knew nothing, after the Shaw family went bankrupt, I went out to work, ran into my idiot boss again, and after pulling an all-nighter, dropped dead on the way to take his kid to school.

I woke up out of pure anger.

Fine, the world being a novel was one thing, but why did my entire family have to make way for the male and female leads, becoming stepping stones for their rise?

Staring at the diamond-studded vanity in front of me, I made up my mind:

For the money, and for my life, I was going to protect the Shaw family and deal with the male and female leads.

The moment I walked into the living room, I was nearly blinded.

Four oversized “light bulbs” seemed to glow in unison, flashing red and green.

When they saw me, the only green “light bulb” walked over.

“Did we wake you?”

I squinted, and only then did I make out the figure behind the glare.

It was my unlucky brother.

He didn’t seem to realize just how green he looked.

“Are you all heading out?”

I hesitated as I looked at the large suitcases in the living room.

The “light bulbs” exchanged glances.

After a long pause, they finally answered:

“Sharon Shaw is moving out.”

“She can’t move!”

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

In the dream, after Sharon moved out of the Shaw family, her relationship with the male lead grew closer.

They fell into a relationship, but his mother interfered, forcing Sharon to go abroad.

That was what led to the whole “stand-in lover” storyline later.

Cutting off the story at its root was the best way to avoid the Shaw family’s tragic ending.

“I just got back, and my sister is already moving out. Do you not like me?”

“That’s not it.”

Sharon hurried to explain.

“After you went missing, Mom and Dad adopted me. I’ve always felt like I took your place. Now that you’re back, I don’t want to make things difficult for everyone.”

“It wasn’t your fault that I went missing.”

“Even if you don’t blame me, the only way to truly affirm your place is for me to leave. I’ll be fine.”

She was just like that: sweet, self-sacrificing to a fault.

I fell silent for a moment, then decided to step out of my depth and simply looped my arm through hers.

“I don’t care. I don’t know anyone here. You’re staying with me.”

Sharon refused several times, but in the end, my father made the final call:

“Sharon stays. Take your sister out more. Let her meet some friends.”

As soon as he said that, I noticed the glow around the three red “light bulbs” dim slightly enough for me to finally see their faces clearly.

Could it be that the brightness of the light reflected how much of a disposable side character they were?

…

“Celeste, what’s wrong?”

I stood frozen in place, staring at the sign in front of me, unable to move.

La Maison—a Western restaurant, both its food and prices equally exquisite.

But that wasn’t the point. The point was, the female lead worked here part-time as a pianist.

This was also where she first met the male lead and my brother.

“Can we go somewhere else? I don’t feel like eating here.”

Maybe crossing paths with the female lead was inevitable, but if I could delay it, even by a day, I would.

“Then how about the place across the street? Their grilled sea bass is really good.”

“Sounds good.”

I let out a quiet breath of relief and turned to walk into the restaurant across the street.

But it turned out I let my guard down too soon.

Justin Griffin passed right by us and walked into a private room next door.

After managing to avoid the female lead, I ran straight into the male lead instead. Just my luck.

“Sis, do you know Justin Griffin?”

Thinking about how, in the dream, Sharon quickly fell in love with him after moving out of the Shaw family, I couldn’t help but ask.

She paused for a moment.

“Why do you ask?”

“I just heard someone say he’s impressive and he took over his family at such a young age. Is that true?”

“He’s the most outstanding one among our generation.”

When she said that, Sharon’s eyes curved into a soft smile. Even through the red glow, I could tell her face had flushed slightly.

My heart skipped a beat.

Damn it, Sharon already seemed to have feelings for him.