Chapter 2

Isha had always been something of clairvoyant as a child, and as such she sensed she was cut out for more, to be more; and this have her a heightened hunger for the finer things of life.

She hated the dim basement where she once lived with her foster mother, hated the poor and hated being wretched.

She couldn't bring herself to believe she was born out of wedlock by a disreputable mistress.

So one could imagine her joy when she found out she was akin to a fairy princess stranded in an ordinary world. An inherent royalty.

Although overjoyed when she received the news, she couldn't get past the fact that destiny had played a cruel joke on her or the misery of her past life.

She was grateful for a second chance at life after being reborn and planned to take full advantage of the opportunities her rebirth laid before her.

Her mind flashed back to her previous life when she was reunited with her biological parents at the age of twenty, turning her life to one of luxury as the only daughter of a wealthy family.

An imperceptible shudder ran through her when she remembered how she got married to her husband who turned out to be a wolf in sheep's clothing, and she had ended up being murdered by him without an intact corpse.

Taking a deep breath, she vowed her current life wasn't going to be as it was in her past.

She also carried with her the memories of her past life, as well as a gold finger system.Therefore, she was determined to become the best among the best in this life.

In addition to that, she wanted to make the Smith family the most powerful family in Yunjing Province!

Isha knew from the goldfinger system that a financial magnate powerful enough to make Yunjing Province tremble with just a stomp of his foot would be at the banquet tonight.

Despite being displeased at the large crowd, she thought herself fortunate to have a face so beautiful that the moon paled in comparison.

She was absolutely certain she could draw the attention of the financial magnate and make him fall head over heels in love with her.

She swore never to allow herself end up like her past and let Cara die so easily.

She planned to keep Cara as a stepping stone to her success, making her more miserable than she had been in her past life.

The corners of Isha's lips curled up at the thought of all she had in store for Cara.

Unbeknownst to her, two men sat in a corner of the banquet hall, observing the subtle drama.

One of the men, Dexter, wore a black hat that concealed his facial features. A cigarette dangled between his long, slim fingers as he placed it between his lips, the smoke clouding his indiscernible face, adding to his aura of mystery and power.

His other hand held a string of dark-colored prayer beads, sharply contrasting with his snow-white complexion, accentuating his fair skin.

His companion, Owen, had a handsome face and appeared more relaxed and playful.

His gaze landed on Cara.

"I find it truly incredulous that such a shameless person like Cara still exists in this world, to think she is engaged to be married to you."

Dexter, however, said nothing and enjoyed his smoke in silence.

Owen slightly tilted his head to the side as he studied Isha's side profile.

"No, scratch that. The person who is betrothed to you is the real daughter of the Smith family. This fake clown doesn't deserve to carry your shoes."

Being an influential official in Beijing, the Smiths wouldn't be able to invite a big shot like him to a party given his family's status in Yunjing Province.

However, Dexter was the fiancé of the Smiths' daughter and his best friend, so he chose to accompany him to the banquet and compare notes on both girls.

Dexter said nothing still and casually crossed his legs to make himself more comfortable, adding to his cold elegance.

Owen sighed at his friend's nonchalance and continued prattling on.

"This real daughter of the Smiths is truly pitiful. Although her identity was taken by someone else for years, she is forced to accept this fake sister as her own."

Saying that, he glanced at Dexter and sized up Isha approvingly. His eyes swiveled on their own to Cara, who stood there in sharp contrast to the exquisite Isha due to her excessive makeup, and his nose scrunched up in disgust.

Dexter, on the other hand, finally glanced up; his gaze deep and unfathomable. His complexion so light and pale like jade, as though he hadn't been in the sun for long. On his face was a red mole placed at the upper corner of his eye like priceless art. His dashing looks were a mixture of sickly, cold, and arrogant.

He sized both girls up as well, his gaze lingering on Cara a little longer.

"Your mouth won't stink if you don't speak," he said in a pleasantly hoarse voice, with a tinge of impatience, laced with a subtle order, as he glanced briefly at Owen and continued smoking.

Owen's heart almost gave way on the spot, but he managed to steel his resolve instead and turned to Dexter.

"Brother Fifth, do you have a soulmate in your heart?"

"A soulmate, what's that?" Dexter raised a well-lined brow at him in mild confusion.

Owen almost face-palmed but curbed the impulse and replied.

"It's a person you love so deeply and dearly that you won't marry anyone but her."

Owen gave a slight shake of his head.

"I don't have one now, and neither will I in the future."

Owen nodded solemnly before the meaning of those words sunk in, and he sharply glanced at Dexter in exasperation.

Despite being acquainted with this one for over a decade, he had never seen him on intimate terms with a woman.

What's worse, the man was a strict vegetarian who spent his days working on documents in the office, meditating nearby the temple, or listening to Buddhist chants. He'd be surprised if the man weren't a monk in the future.

Isha, on the other hand, continued to behave provocatively and feigned pitifulness, garnering the sympathy of the crowd.

Well aware of her current situation, Cara turned to Isha.

"I'm truly sorry for occupying your identity as the Smith's daughter for eighteen years. I can't imagine how hard it's been for you, so I'll leave immediately and not cause you further distress."

Isha's brows furrowed at that, but Cara ignored it and continued.

"The identity of the eldest Smith's daughter will be yours, and I'll be known as Cara Michaels henceforth."

Isha didn't expect this turn of events and was stunned for a moment. She never expected Cara to leave on her own initiative; this was quite different from the memories of her past life where Cara had shamelessly insisted on staying. She was rejected by everyone and was eventually murdered by a member of the Smith's family.

Isha had her ducks all lined up in a row to publicly embarrass Cara, but Cara's sudden decision to leave threw her off. She wondered what sort of trick this illiterate deadbeat girl was trying to play to gain sympathy as she lowered her eyes to hide the ruthlessness that flashed in them, her lips curling up into a mocking smile.

"Why do you sound like you're giving me something that's already mine?" Isha raised her head and asked feigning a look of confusion.

"Cara, you took a life that belonged to me all these years and enjoyed a life of luxury while I was locked up in a basement because your mother found out much earlier I wasn't her biological daughter…"

Cara cocked a brow at her, wondering what trouble this daughter of the Smith's family was trying to stir now.

"For your information, I didn't switch us at birth eighteen years ago. It's only natural you're resentful, and probably alright to find me loathsome. However, you should be mad at the negligence of the hospital, and I apologize to you on behalf of my mother. But don't try to pin anything I'm not at fault for on me; I wouldn't appreciate that."

She calmly finished.

She could smell trouble from Isha, but she wasn't ready for that drama. Although the original owner of the body had a terrible reputation, she could see from her memories that she wasn't a bad person and had never done anything wrong to Isha, which made her wonder where this hostility was coming from.

Isha sneered cynically.

"Do you think that a strict place like the hospital can cause a switched-at-birth incident?"