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Chapter 1 — The Biological Daughter

Amelia Snyder.
The scorching July sun blazed down over the village and all the crops.
I was outdoors trying to withstand the heat and plant watermelon seedlings.
"Amelia, there's someone here to see you!" Suddenly, I heard somebody calling me. I looked up and saw that it was our neighbor, Mr. Warren. When he caught sight of me, I saw a trace of surprise and admiration flicker across his face even though I was no stranger to him. I guessed he was probably startled once again by how fair I was. Even though I was constantly at work in the village fields, I still retained my fair skin and unblemished complexion, unlike the rest of the ordinary village folks.
"She's at your house now. She looks really wealthy; she even drove here," Mr. Warren added.
I nodded and followed him back to our neighborhood.
There were several people present when I got back to the house I'd lived in for more than a decade. One of them was an unfamiliar woman, so I figured she was probably the one who had come to call on me.
She glanced at me, not bothering to hide the disdain in her eyes.
Her reaction was understandable. I was currently wearing a coarsely-woven linen top and black slacks, both of which were liberally mud-splattered and dirt-stained. I was pretty sure I didn't smell bad, but my appearance was rather embarrassing.
The visitor finally spoke, her tone dripping with disdain. "You're Amelia?"
I nodded expressionlessly.
The woman continued, "I'm May Channing, the Snyder family's majordomo. I look after all their miscellaneous affairs."
At this point, my mother, Flora, gave a cold sniff. To be perfectly accurate, though, Flora Golding was actually my adoptive mother.
Ms. Channing gave a short, derisive laugh and took out a pre-paid credit card from her handbag. She placed it on the table with great deliberation and said, "There are 50 thousand dollars loaded onto this card. You wouldn't be able to earn a quarter of this even if you worked all your lives in the fields."
My middle-aged, ordinary, village-born adoptive parents both leaned forward in their seats, staring at the card on the table.
Flora, however, tried to hold out for more. "Do you really think 50 thousand dollars can buy us off, Ms. Channing? We've raised her as our own for eighteen years!"
"Flora, just take the money. Don't be greedy," I piped up indolently.
Flora shot me a glare. "This is none of your business, you little brat! Go clean yourself up, and don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong." She had never displayed any affection for me in the entire time I had lived with her, from childhood until now. In her eyes, my grades were abysmal, my personality was eccentric, and I was a loner by nature. As far as she was concerned, I had no redeeming features to love.
I was aware that she was planning to marry me off as soon as possible in the hopes that my future husband's family would pay a handsome dowry for me.
However, I had left the village right after I finished junior high. That had been three years ago.
I'd heard that after I departed, some gossipy busybodies had spread it around that some man from another town had run off with me. As a result, Flora had been the laughingstock of our village for the entire three years. That was why she wasn't satisfied with a mere 50 thousand; she probably felt that I was responsible for the ridicule and humiliation she had suffered at the hands of the villagers and wanted more by way of compensation.
The day was scorching hot, and Flora's house had no air-conditioning installed. Ms. Channing already looked irritated; out of patience entirely, she shoved the card across the table at Flora. "Take it or leave it, that's your call. The girl comes with me, regardless."
After that, she turned to me and snapped, "Go change. You're filthy!"
I merely rolled my eyes and gave her a bored, indifferent look before going to get myself cleaned up.
It didn't take me long to wash up and get changed into a set of clean clothes. I shrugged on a backpack and slouched over to Ms. Channing's car. "Get in!" She ordered quietly.
I said nothing but got in anyway. There was nothing to keep me here, after all. Even though I had lived in this place for eighteen years, I had already known that the village was not my home.
Flora and her husband were both ordinary people, mere villagers.
When I was thirteen, my wolf emerged. Her name was Venus, and she told me that she could not sense any auras from my adoptive parents that would indicate they were of the same race as me. I didn't tell Flora and her husband that I was a Wolf Host, but I secretly had a paternity test done. The results established without a doubt that I was not biologically related to them at all.
That was when I knew for certain that I didn't belong here. Since then, I had wondered what it would be like to have an actual family.
Now, Ms. Channing was driving me to my real home. On one hand, I felt some measure of anticipation, but on the other, I felt slightly bored. Slumping back against the car seat, I began idly drumming my fingers on the window.
Suddenly, my phone rang insistently. Lazily, I retrieved it from my bag and answered the call.
An urgent-sounding voice came over the phone.
"What's up?" I asked nonchalantly.
The young man on the phone said excitedly, "Hey Ames, tomorrow there'll be some good stuff at the UN auction. Do you want to come?" His voice was full of anticipation, yet he still chose his words with care, and his tone was respectful despite its informality as if he were talking to someone more senior in rank.
This was Gerald Hall, a good friend of mine. Whenever anything good happened anywhere in the country, I was always the first person he would tell. I loved going to auctions, and I always bid generously on items I wanted, so he would always let me know before anyone else.
Now, however, I frowned involuntarily and replied, "No, I'm not free." I hung up right after that.
"Did you get one of those scam calls, Ms. Snyder? There are a lot of highly skilled scammers in Sudbury City; I'm sure you wouldn't have encountered them in a village like yours," Ms. Channing commented.
I merely closed my eyes, not bothering to answer. I found her manner of speaking amusing, to say the least. Sudbury City had a lot of scammers, did they? Was the fact that they were highly skilled something to be proud of?
Ms. Channing seemed to find my indifference infuriating. With a touch of contempt, she stated, "The Snyders are very wealthy and powerful. If you end up being part of the family, you'll need to change your phone. Don't disgrace the family by using something like that."
My phone? I guessed she was implying my phone was out of date. She wasn't wrong either; it was a second-hand one I'd gotten several years ago. An ordinary village girl like me didn't need the latest smartphone.
Ms. Channing shot me a cold glance as she finished speaking. When she saw that I still had my eyes closed, she involuntarily raised her voice. "I hear you only finished school up until junior high, Ms. Snyder. That means you probably don't know the rules of the Snyder family."
Was she deliberately trying to find fault with me? I opened one eye and smirked at her. "Oh?"
Ms. Channing's voice was frosty as if she were teaching a primitive child who knew nothing about rules. "Oh? How dare you speak to your betters like that? Haven't you been taught any manners at all?"
I gave a tiny snort of laughter and said nothing more. She was a mere majordomo. Who was she to try and school me, a member of the Snyder family?
I was pretty sure Ms. Channing was extremely displeased, but she seemed to have realized that she had overstepped her boundaries and fell silent at last.
The Snyder residence was a two-story villa set in remarkably pleasant surroundings.
When I arrived at the villa, I saw my birth mother hugging her beloved daughter tightly. Well, no, to be strictly correct, it was Flora's daughter, the girl called Angelica. I had no idea what had happened, but Angelica was weeping, and my mother was comforting her, telling her that this would always be her home.
I communicated with my wolf and told her, "Venus, hide your aura, alright? Don’t let them find out about you."
"Why? These are our parents, and this is our home." Venus was puzzled; she had no concept of how complex and tangled human emotions could be.
"Just do as I say for now and let them think we're good for nothing, my goddess. What happens after that will be really amusing. Aren't you even the slightest bit curious about how they'll treat us?"
Venus obediently hid her aura and did so extremely well. Anyone who glanced at me would think I was a normal human being. Even if the other party were a Wolf Host, they wouldn't be able to sense Venus's presence or establish contact with her.
Quietly, I stood there and watched the scene between mother and daughter; they were so utterly reluctant to part ways. It was as if I were an intruder.

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Chapter 2 — The Imitation Bracelet

Heather Gibson.
Breakfast was in progress in the Snyder household.
Heather Snyder, nee Gibson, was well aware that from the outside, the Snyders seemed like the perfect family. Her husband Victor was the CEO of the Sandbridge Corporation, which was a family business. Over the years, he had successfully managed the company in a skillful, well-organized manner.
Heather herself was a famous model who had since retired from the fashion world. Their daughter, Angelica, was an outstanding student. The girl could play the piano and was skilled in drawing; all her teachers and even the school principal thought highly of her.
If it hadn't been for Angelica's medical checkup, Victor and Heather would never have discovered that Angelica was not their biological child.
Victor was the son of an Alpha, while Heather's father was a Beta. However, Heather's wolf had yet to emerge, which was why they did not suspect anything when Angelica's wolf did not emerge either, even though she was now eighteen years of age. It did not occur to her parents to question her bloodline; they still loved her.
However, the school that Angelica attended had recently conducted physical examinations for the mandatory military reserve training that the students were to undergo. Angelica's medical report clearly stated that she had Type O blood, while Heather and Victor both had Type AB blood. Biologically, it was impossible for them to produce any offspring with Type O blood.
After investigating the matter further, they found out that a mix-up had occurred at the hospital where Heather had delivered her child. A young trainee nurse had accidentally labeled the baby bassinet with the wrong name, so Heather had taken home the wrong baby.
Heather and Victor immediately set about trying to find their biological daughter and finally located her.
The atmosphere of the entire household had changed when they decided to bring this girl into the family fold.
Currently, everyone at the breakfast table wore worried expressions. No one felt like eating, and the delicious food on the table went untouched.
Angelica fretfully played around with her fork and suddenly burst into tears. Hurriedly she stood up to leave the table.
"Where are you going, dear?" Heather immediately got up, stopping Angelica from running off.
Wrenching sobs shook Angelica as she gulped disjointedly, "M-mom, Dad, I'm not your d-daughter anymore now!"
Victor got up as well and went over to her. "Angelica, what nonsense is this? You'll always be our precious girl!"
"B-but…but my older sister's g-going to be p-part of the family now, so this won't be m-my home for much longer," Angelica sobbed.
"Silly girl, what on earth put that into your head? This will always be your home; you can't leave!" Heather pulled her into a hug. She felt extremely upset; after all, she had raised Angelica as her own for eighteen years. How could she possibly abandon the girl, just like that? Furthermore, her biological daughter, Amelia, was someone utterly unfit to be part of the Snyder family.
For a moment, she recalled the bits of information she and Victor had managed to discover about Amelia. The girl was eighteen years old and had only attended school up to junior high; her grades were passable, but she always skipped classes. After that, she had vanished for three years.
No one knew what had happened to her during that time. However, some less than pleasant rumors had circulated, saying that Amelia had run off with some older man.
Heather found it difficult to believe that a girl like this could be her biological daughter.
Right at that moment, Amelia came into the living room. Victor was the first to notice her.
"Amelia?" He asked uncertainly. As he studied her, he eased Angelica's hand away from his arm with a rather awkward expression.
Angelica's sobbing paused abruptly, and she turned her eyes toward Amelia as well.
"Amelia? Is that you? Do come in, don't stand there!"
Amelia gave a slight nod. She made her way over to the table and sat down beside Victor.
Heather studied her biological daughter. The girl had extremely fair skin; her build was delicate, and her features were exquisite, just like a porcelain doll. There was a definite resemblance to Heather in both appearance and the way she carried herself; without a doubt, the girl was her daughter.
Heather scrutinized Amelia from head to toe, weighing her up. "Amelia, this is your younger sister, Angelica." Her voice sounded a little forced and unnatural.
"Hi, Sis. I'm Angelica," Angelica said, choosing her words very carefully. This did not go unnoticed by Heather, who felt a sudden pang in her heart.
Amelia gave a faint half-smile. "Hi," she replied rather awkwardly.
"How do you feel, coming home for the first time?" Victor poured Amelia a glass of water.
"It's ok," Amelia answered, still with that faint half-smile.
Victor nodded. "Good, good. You're part of the Snyder family now, and your mother and I will take care of you. As your parents, we owe you that much, after all." There were eighteen missing years to make up for; they would do it slowly, one step at a time.
"Oh, that's right, Amelia. As I understand, you attended classes up until junior high, so you're still technically a high school student. I've arranged for you to study at Sierra High School; that's where Angelica attends as well! You'll start classes on Monday, is that alright?"
"Sierra High School is Sudbury City's most elite school. You're part of the Snyder family now, Sis, so you can't just stop at junior high," Angelica interjected. The meaning behind her words was very clear; junior high school was not good enough for a Snyder in terms of academic qualifications.
Even if Amelia were to attend Sierra High School, her academic records would still be a constant source of reproach and disgrace.
Heather felt that Angelica's unthinking comments might cause Amelia some embarrassment, but she said nothing.
Amelia's lips twitched faintly. "Thank you."
"Ahh, yes!" Victor suddenly remembered something and went into his bedroom, where he retrieved a carrier bag from the cupboard. He then placed it in front of Amelia. "This is for you. It's to celebrate the occasion of our meeting for the first time as father and daughter. Take a look and see."
Amelia studied the carrier bag for a moment, then slowly reached in and brought out a Louis Vuitton gift box. Inside was an exquisitely crafted Louis Vuitton necklace.
"What do you think?" Victor asked anxiously.
Amelia's smile was faint and rather distant. "Thank you."
"We're family; there's no need to stand on ceremony," Victor replied, his amiable face creasing in a smile. However, his attention was suddenly caught by Amelia's wrist, and he immediately fell silent.
Heather turned her eyes in that direction curiously. Her gaze fell on the ruby bracelet Amelia was wearing; it was this season's latest auction item from the country of Morania. It was a breathtaking piece of jewelry worth a king's ransom, the blood-red rubies inlaid in an exceptionally high-end, sophisticated, and elegant style.
When this particular bracelet sold at auction for 1.5 billion dollars, the buyer's identity was a mystery and had remained so. Rumor was that some Moranian big shot had purchased the item.
If that were so, though, how did Amelia come to be wearing it?
Heather glanced at her husband and saw the bewilderment and confusion in his eyes, which mirrored her own.
Could it be that Amelia had purchased an imitation bracelet because she had no decent jewelry? If she had been raised in the Snyder household all along, perhaps she wouldn't have become so pretentious.
As Heather watched, Victor bowed his head in self-reproach and did not say another word. As for herself, try as she might, she could not find a single topic she could converse about with Amelia.
The entire family might as well have been strangers.
Time stretched on interminably. Finally, Amelia excused herself from the table, took the box, and went upstairs.
Once Amelia had left, Heather sank onto the couch, looking relieved. Angelica sat down beside Heather and asked with concern, "Mom, why did you behave like that to Amelia?"
Heather massaged her forehead in frustration and replied, "Angelica, I don't want to be too specific, but are you aware that the bracelet Amelia's wearing is the latest auction item from Morania? It's valued at around one billion or so." She had no wish to embarrass Amelia in front of everyone; more importantly, she didn't want to embarrass herself either, so she had held her peace.
Angelica's eyes widened. "One billion?" she gasped in disbelief. "Why on earth would Amelia have a one billion dollar bracelet? Don't tell me she's somebody's mistress?"
Heather gave a long sigh and shook her head. "No, that's not possible. She'd never have been able to find a man who was that generous! My concern is that she can't afford such luxuries, but she's still vain enough to wear imitation goods. If anyone were to find out that a girl from our family was flaunting imitation jewelry around, I'd become the laughingstock of the entire city."
"Why didn't you say anything earlier, then?" Angelica asked, puzzled.
Heather sighed again and answered resignedly, "How could I? Do you think I want to embarrass myself?"
Angelica brooded for a moment, then said remorsefully, "Mom, it's all my fault. If it weren't for me, Sis wouldn't need to be so vain!"
"It's not your fault at all!" Heather put her arm around Angelica comfortingly. "You'll always be my precious daughter."

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Chapter 3 — The Auction

Amelia Snyder.
I stood by the railing of the second-floor staircase, watching Angelica and my mother comforting each other. To be honest, I found it somewhat laughable. Ever since Venus showed up in my life, my hearing had become far more acute than that of ordinary human beings. I had heard every word of their conversation.
I had spent 1.5 billion in Morania to purchase this bracelet, but they both thought it was an imitation.
They probably assumed I was absolutely penniless, which naturally meant they also assumed I was a vain, poverty-stricken girl wearing cheap knock-off jewelry.
It seemed as though Angelica had more to her than met the eye at first; she was certainly not as simple as she appeared. Perhaps the hypocritical little wench was scared right now because I had come back to the Snyder family, and she was afraid that I might usurp her parents' love.
No matter, though. As long as she didn't provoke me, I had no reason to play tricks on her.
The next morning, I was sitting on the couch with my headphones on and listening to music, when a knock sounded on the door. Angelica hurried to see who the visitor was, and I glanced over.
Apparently, it was one of my mother's friends. She had heard that Heather had finally found her long-lost biological daughter, so she had come over to see for herself.
Angelica greeted her with a warm smile. "Hello, Mrs. Larrabee!"
My mother hurried over to greet her as well. "Mrs. Larrabee! How nice of you to come and visit!"
Mrs. Larrabee chuckled and replied, "It's been a while, Angelica. My, my, you've grown taller and prettier since the last time I saw you."
Angelica blushed in embarrassment and hid her face in her hands, smiling. "Thank you."
The three of them chatted for quite a while before they finally noticed me.
"Oh my, is that young lady your biological daughter?"
I noticed my mother was gripping her hands tightly, and her expression was a trifle wooden. "Yes, she is…"
I remained seated on the couch.
Mrs. Larrabee smiled and cooed, "What a lovely girl she is! She looks just like you, Heather. What a lucky woman you are, to have two such beautiful daughters."
"You're teasing me, aren't you, Mrs. Larrabee? Sometimes, one can have too much of a good thing, you know."
When my mother said this, I looked up and turned my attention to the three women.
"We haven't seen each other for a while now, Heather. I've heard that a new restaurant just opened recently in the Grand Mall, and they use imported ingredients like air-flown sirloin steaks. Why don't we go have lunch there?"
Angelica's face lit up with a bright smile. "Really? I haven't had imported steak in ages."
Mrs. Larrabee chuckled. "Yes, really. I haven't had any for ages, either. That's right, Heather, why don't you bring your other daughter along as well? We'll all have lunch together."
My mother's expression froze briefly as if she were worried about something. However, she regained her composure very quickly. "Very well. She doesn't speak very well, and she's just a bit shy. Let me go talk to her." She came over to me and yanked off my earphones.
I merely stared at her.
In a low voice, she instructed, "Afterwards, when we go for lunch with Mrs. Larrabee, tell her that you don't like steak and you'd prefer to have pasta. Alright?"
I studied Heather for a moment, then gave her a curt smile. "I won't go with you," I informed her blandly, then added in a deliberately mocking tone, "After all, I don't speak very well, and I don't know how to appreciate steak, right?"
"I…" My mother was momentarily bereft of speech. She fell silent and said nothing more after that.
Not long after the three of them had left, I received a message on my phone. It was Gerald, who was still trying to persuade me to attend the UN auction. "Ames, are you really going to give this a miss? The main item up for auction today is a bronze bull's head. A ton of big shots from all over the country are here to bid for it; from the looks of things, there's going to be a bidding war."
I considered for a little while, then sent him a brief message. "Ok. I'll come."
By the time I arrived at the auction house, the bidding had already started.
When Gerald saw me, he gave me a huge, gleeful grin. "Ames! You showed up after all!"
"When is that bronze bull's head coming up for auction?"
"Pretty soon, actually. Probably in about half an hour or so," Gerald replied, still grinning as he rubbed his chin.
I leaned back in my chair and crossed my legs, lazily taking stock of my surroundings. As expected, auction houses in the big city were always full of hustle and bustle.
"Next will be the main highlight of today's auction; a bronze bull's head." The auctioneer's voice rang out loud and clear through the entire assembly.
I turned my attention to where a large bronze bull's head was being carried in by the auction house staff. It looked very grand indeed.
The auctioneer announced, "I believe everybody is familiar with this particular national treasure. The auction will begin now with an opening bid of 10 million."
"11 million."
"13 million."
"15 million."
The individuals who could afford to attend today's auction were all wealthy, prominent persons of note. The bronze bull's head was a national treasure, so the bidding was fierce and intense.
"20 million."
"50 million." A male voice spoke from the balcony. Most likely, it was another big shot. Nonetheless, this got everyone's attention, and all eyes went in that direction.
The item was only a bronze bull's head, but the price had already soared to five times the starting bid.
These individuals were certainly willing to go to any lengths to acquire what they wanted!
"50 million, going twice. Do I hear any other bids?" The auctioneer had already asked once. If there were no other bids when he asked the third time, the item would be considered sold.
"80 million!" Gerald raised his paddle, grinning broadly. Of course, he wasn't the one who wanted the bull's head; I had asked him to bid for me.
"80 million!" The auctioneer's voice nearly cracked; it took him a little to regain his composure. "80 million, do I hear any higher bids? 80 million going once, going twice, sold for 80 million."
Since there were no other bidders, Gerald and I acquired the bronze bull's head for 80 million in the end. To be honest, I wasn't particularly taken with this particular bronze sculpture. I couldn't bring it around with me or wear it, so I decided I would donate it to the country as a national treasure.
Satisfied, I stood up and put on my sunglasses, getting ready to leave.
"Ladies and gentlemen, if you would hold on, please? We've just received word that there's one last item behind the stage. Please wait for a moment," the auctioneer announced quickly, having only just received the news in question.
Gerald and I turned our attention in his direction. For a moment, our eyes met, and we smiled at him before both of us sat down again.
The auctioneer smiled politely. "Today, Mr. Watson, the UN person-in-charge, has specially chosen a gift for everyone to enjoy. Please do take a look before you leave."
"Eh? Mr. Watson's arranged an extra event for us? How thoughtful!" Someone from the audience commented.
Mr. Watson smiled broadly at the audience and clapped his hands twice.
The lights dimmed suddenly, leaving only a soft light shining down on the very middle of the auction stage. A large black metal cage had been placed there at some point, goodness knows when. Not only that, there was someone inside the cage.
It was a man, in fact.
He was reclining against the side of the cage, and the light caught his near-perfect profile, which was practically a work of art. His features were exquisite, touched with a flirtatious allure. In short, he was virtually irresistible.
It was something one might only see once in a lifetime, if even that!
"My god! Ames, is that a man or a woman? What a face!" Gerald nudged my shoulder.
I stared expressionlessly at the man in the cage, only to see him turn his eyes in our direction. In a voice so soft it could barely be heard, he mouthed, "Buy me!"

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