Chapter 1

After hanging up the phone, I went straight to my boyfriend's villa.

The moment I arrived at the gate, I saw a group of young men and women partying in the villa's small garden.

There he was—Ricardo Colson—holding a stranger in his arms, standing in the crowd and receiving their congratulations.

"Only you could pull this off, Ricardo. Once you marry Juliana, the Colson Corporation will definitely reach new heights."

"You two really kept this under wraps! Getting engaged tomorrow, huh? Don't forget to look after us in the future!"

"You don't even know—once you tie the knot, my old man is definitely going to hound me to death."

Hearing this, I pushed open the garden gate and strode in.

Plenty of people there knew me; after all, Ricardo and I had been together for three years.

The moment they saw me, their expressions froze. They exchanged uneasy glances but didn't say a word.

Ricardo's face flickered with panic. He quickly stepped forward, lowering his voice as he spoke.

"What are you doing here? Didn't I make myself clear enough on the phone?"

"Bonnie Maddison, I never realized you could be such a clingy woman."

"Get out of here right now. If you upset Juliana and ruin tomorrow's engagement, my parents will kill me!"

I stared at Ricardo as if seeing him for the first time.

When I didn't respond, he grew impatient.

"What exactly do you want? Say something. What is it you're after?"

"I can date you, but marriage is out of the question. For families like ours, marriage has to serve the family's interests—you've always known that, haven't you?"

"What's this fuss about? Are you after breakup compensation? How much do you want?"

Each word from Ricardo made my heart sink deeper.

"Ricardo, do you even hear what you're saying?"

"Your fiancée's name is Juliana, right? She's just the daughter of some nouveau riche. What could she possibly have over me?"

"I distinctly remember telling you—my father is Cyrus Maddison, and I am the sole heir of the Maddison Corporation..."

Before I could finish, Ricardo cut me off, his tone sharp and anxious.

"Enough!"

"If you're Cyrus Maddison's daughter, then I'm his grandson!"

"This isn't the place for your jokes. While I'm still being polite, get out!"

The Maddison Corporation was the leading enterprise in River City, with its businesses spanning all industries.

There was a saying in River City:

"From birth to death, no aspect of life can escape the Maddison Corporation."

Around six months into my relationship with Ricardo, I had told him about this.

But judging by his reaction now, he had never believed me.

I was about to respond when a pleasant voice sounded from behind me.

"Ricardo, is this your friend?"

"If your friend's here, why not invite her in? Why leave her standing at the door?"

"Or... is this one of your flings?"

I saw Ricardo stiffen visibly, his expression panicked.

It wasn't until Juliana Johnson hooked her arm around Ricardo's and stood in front of me that I got a clear look at her.

Her features were plain, heavily made up, but far from attractive.

If there was anything she could claim to have over me, it was probably her so-called decent family background—in Ricardo's eyes, at least.

Ricardo quickly began explaining, as if terrified of being linked to me.

"She's just someone who's been chasing me for years, a total nuisance."

"Maybe she caught wind of our engagement and came here to confront me."

"It's hilarious, really. She doesn't even have the self-awareness to look in the mirror before causing a scene here."

Most of the people present were Ricardo Colson's close friends. Hearing his words, they immediately chimed in to support him.

"Exactly, Bonnie Maddison, have you no shame, chasing him all the way here?"

"Juliana, don't get the wrong idea. We all know this woman—she's nothing but Ricardo's devoted lackey, always dreaming of becoming a phoenix overnight. It's disgusting!"

"Yeah, Juliana, don't get mad at Ricardo over someone like her!"

Looking at these sycophantic clowns, I couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

"Mr. Aidan, Mr. Lewis, Mr. Dawson," I said coldly, "if I'm not mistaken, your companies are teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, aren't they?"

"What's the plan now? Banking on Ricardo to land you a meal ticket after he marries into wealth?"

"Instead of wasting your time here, I suggest you go home and tally up your assets. See how many houses and cars you can sell to repay your bank loans."

My words were sharp and unrelenting. Ricardo's face darkened instantly.

Chapter 2

"Bonnie Maddison, what the hell are you trying to do?"

"What meal ticket? I truly love Juliana. I genuinely want to marry her."

"Just because you couldn't climb the social ladder doesn't mean everyone else thinks like you!"

At this point, I had nothing more to say.

If Ricardo had admitted it outright, I could have respected him for being honest.

But now, looking back at the past three years, I could only think of them as a mistake.

I turned to leave, but just as I was about to step out, Juliana called after me.

"I heard Ricardo say just now that your name is Bonnie Maddison, correct?"

"I'd like to invite you to our engagement party tomorrow."

"If you can find your way to Ricardo's villa, then we can consider ourselves friends."

Engagement party? I was about to refuse, but Juliana's voice rang out again.

"You just mentioned that your father is Cyrus Maddison."

"In that case, we're in the same circle. We could become friends, couldn't we?"

"Or... is Miss Maddison really just Ricardo's lackey? And that talk about Cyrus Maddison—was it all a lie?"

Her tone was mocking, her face wearing an expression of amusement, clearly wanting to see me humiliated. Like Ricardo, she didn't believe a word I said.

Ricardo's friends caught onto Juliana's insinuation and joined in.

"That's right, Bonnie, come tomorrow and hang out with us!"

"After all, we're all part of the same circle. Once we inherit our family businesses, we'll be running into each other constantly."

"Or is it that Miss Maddison looks down on us? Hahaha!"

Their laughter grew louder and more arrogant.

Look down on them? Yes, I absolutely did.

These people were, at best, a group of second-generation rich kids in River City, backed by families with moderate wealth.

Some of them even came from businesses that had fallen behind the times, barely hanging on at the edges of their industries.

Meanwhile, my father, Cyrus Maddison, was the undisputed wealthiest man in River City.

The Maddison Corporation was the city's largest capital enterprise, dominating every sector imaginable.

Our social circle consisted of elite families from Capital City and H City—far beyond the reach of these people.

Listening to their unrestrained laughter and seeing their smug faces, I sneered inwardly.

Hang out with them? They weren't worthy.

But humiliating them? Now that was something I'd gladly do.

Seeing that I hadn't responded for a long time, Juliana's patience seemed to wear thin.

"It looks like Miss Maddison was just talking nonsense earlier, thinking her surname alone makes her a socialite."

"A woman like you, daring to covet my fiancé? Truly delusional."

"If you don't want to come, that's fine. How about this—kneel down, bow to me three times, and I'll let you leave. How does that sound?"

Juliana wasn't much to look at to begin with, and her smug expression only made her even more revolting.

At that moment, I curled my lips into a faint smile.

"See you tomorrow."

"I'll bring you my most sincere blessings."

When I arrived at the engagement party, the venue was already bustling with guests.

I had to admit, though the Lee family was a newly rich household that only rose to prominence this year, their financial resources were impressive—the decorations were exceptionally lavish.

The group of second-generation rich kids from last night spotted me first and wasted no time sneering.

"Oh my, Bonnie Maddison, you actually had the nerve to show up?"

"Do you even know what kind of event this is? Everyone here today is a big shot—not someone you can afford to mess with."

"Let me guess, did Ricardo dump you, and now you're here trying to climb another social ladder? Hahaha!"

Just then, a man with a face full of acne looked me up and down.

"I'll give it to you, you're quite the looker—definitely have the assets for social climbing."

"But a woman like you will never get through the front door. You'd do fine as someone's mistress, though."

"How about I introduce you to someone? Wouldn't want you to waste a trip today."

At that moment, Juliana Johnson and Ricardo Colson noticed me and began walking over.

Ricardo's face was flushed red with anger.

Chapter 3

"Bonnie Maddison, you really had the audacity to come here?"

"What are you doing here? Didn't I make myself clear enough yesterday?"

"A woman as shameless as you—I've had enough!"

Juliana affectionately linked her arm through Ricardo's and pretended to chide him softly.

"Oh, Ricardo, I invited Miss Maddison here. How could you talk to her like that?"

"She may be a bit poor, a bit vain, and a bit of a liar, but isn't it all because she likes you?"

"How could you speak to a girl like that?"

As the surrounding guests curiously turned their attention toward us, Juliana smiled and raised her voice.

"Let me introduce everyone—this is Miss Bonnie Maddison."

"She's... well, one of Ricardo's admirers. She's been pursuing him for three years now. It seems our Ricardo really is irresistible."

"Oh, and Miss Maddison claims to be the sole daughter of Mr. Cyrus Maddison of Maddison Corporation. Everyone, please, get to know her."

Her words were met with uproarious laughter.

"Hahaha! What? The daughter of Mr. Maddison?"

"Isn't Mr. Maddison's daughter living abroad? How could she be here? If you're going to brag, at least do some research first!"

"Exactly! She's probably pretending to be her because the real one is abroad—no way to get caught otherwise!"

Most of the guests here were small business owners from various industries, far removed from the Maddison family's circle. It was natural that they didn't recognize me.

As for being abroad, they weren't entirely wrong.

My father had sent me overseas from a young age, and I had only returned three years ago.

Given the complexities of this circle, my parents wanted to shield me from scrutiny and gossip, so only those within our inner circle knew I was back.

I glanced around at the crowd, regarding them as one might look at clowns.

"Has anyone here actually met Miss Maddison? Or better yet, has anyone met Mr. Maddison?"

"You're all so confident in your claims. What if you're proven wrong—what then?"

"Or maybe you're all so assured of your companies' bright futures that you think offending Maddison Corporation won't affect you?"

My composed demeanor made the guests begin whispering among themselves.

"She sounds so convincing. Could she really be the Maddison heiress?"

"That's impossible, isn't it? Didn't Juliana say she's been chasing after Ricardo for three years? Would the Maddison heiress stoop to that?"

"Yeah, and Ricardo isn't stupid. Why would he pass up on the Maddison heiress?"

Seeing some doubt emerge, Juliana started to lose her composure.

"Miss Maddison, you certainly have a sharp tongue, still insisting you're Mr. Maddison's sole daughter."

"Perfect timing. The Lee family has some minor collaborations with Maddison Corporation recently. A department manager from Maddison will be here later—why don't you go say hello?"

"I just hope Miss Maddison won't sneak away before then."

Just as I was about to speak, a middle-aged couple walked up and stood beside Ricardo.

The man bore a striking resemblance to Ricardo—it was clear these were his parents.

Ricardo's mother scanned me from head to toe, then let out a disdainful snort, her gaze dripping with contempt.

"Dressed like that, and you dare claim to be the Maddison heiress?"

"And that face—looks every bit like a homewrecker. Trash like you actually dares to try and seduce my son."

"Our Juliana is so much better. One look, and you can tell she's from a good family. That's the kind of daughter-in-law the Colson family needs."

I glanced down at my outfit.

Every piece was custom-made by a top Italian designer, handcrafted with care and devoid of logos or labels. It was no surprise she didn't recognize its worth.

Ricardo's father was less blunt but no less condescending, the disdain in his eyes unmasked.

"Miss Maddison, this is Ricardo and Juliana's engagement party—it's not a place for your antics."

"Whatever might have happened between you and my son, it's over now. A young lady clinging like this isn't a good look."

"Miss Maddison, I suggest you leave. If something happens, it'll be unpleasant for everyone involved."

Looking at Ricardo's arrogant parents, I couldn't help but find it laughable.

In the three years I had been with Ricardo, I had long known that the Colson Corporation was a hollow shell. Their financial chains had been broken for some time, and they were barely surviving thanks to connections built over the years.

This was why Ricardo was so desperate to marry Juliana.