Chapter 1

"Yulia Hoffman was the heiress of the wealthiest family in Creybia. She was also known as the chairperson of Global-50 Hoffman Group and made a name for herself as Hestia's prodigy. "She joined a mercenary group ten years ago and became the world's top assassin four years later. "Four years ago, she became the top professor in world-class healthcare. Three years ago, she topped the World Hacker List. "At the young age of 17, she became a racing champion. Just a year ago, she set up the Grave Forces and beat Southease Eridonia's martial arts champion. "She became a leading figure in the country and founded the underworld. Alas, the prodigy herself died…in a terrible plane crash at 3:00 am today. She was only 19 years old." The sudden tragedy was reported at 9:19 am, and the news was so groundbreaking that the world was left reeling from it. The infamous and intimidating Yulia Hoffman had died. "Yulia!" Yulia. Yolanda. The voice that called out to her was disembodied and distant. Whose voice was it? There was a murderous intent lacing the young lady's gaze when she opened her eyes. Her bones were aching, and she couldn't help reaching up to massage her throbbing temples. The next second, Yulia's gaze fell on the chubby hands before her. She started. These weren't her hands! Her hands were slender and delicately built despite the many days she spent holding a gun. "Where am I?" she muttered to no one in particular. She hissed when a slew of information invaded her headspace: "My name is Yolanda Henderson, and I'm a rebellious young lady who was sent to the juvenile detention center after my parents caught me stealing…" Yulia blinked. She was Yolanda Henderson — the heiress of the Henderson family who hailed from Riverdale. Her twin sister, Yvonne Henderson, had grown jealous and hateful of her stunning looks and sharp wit while growing up. In hopes of stealing her parents' affection for herself, she framed Yolanda and set her up to become the child of her parents' nightmares. Yvonne had painted her as a no-good ruffian who got into fights, played hooky, fooled around with boys at school, and had kleptomaniac tendencies. In the end, because Yvonne had pushed for it, her parents finally decided to send Yolanda to a juvenile detention center. It had been three years since Yolanda was held in the center. Well played, Yvonne. Yulia vowed to avenge Yolanda. "Yolanda, your family's here to take you home," said the warden, whose voice was characteristically cold and unfeeling as it pulled Yulia out of her thoughts. She looked around and noted the basic and dilapidated cell she was kept in. A bowl of steaming oatmeal, which she presumed had been delivered not too long ago, was atop the wooden table across the room. She took a glance at the oatmeal and immediately knew it had been spiked with poison, and an imported slow-acting one at that. Constant intake of the poison would lead to it accumulating in the system, and its effects included weight gain and chronic acne. The person who ingested it would die at the three-year mark without fail. Today happened to mark the third year Yolanda had spent in the juvenile detention center. "It is 10:00 am on the 20th of August, and emergency news just came in. The private charter jet bearing the carrier number HY0921 reportedly exploded and crashed at 12:03 am yesterday morning. "The victim of the tragedy was Yulia Hoffman, who was the heiress of the wealthiest family in Creybia, and the youngest chairperson of Hoffman Group. She was only 19 at the time of her passing…" The news was playing on the television in the juvenile detention center's main lobby. Yulia turned to watch it, and her icy gaze fell upon the images of what was left of the plane that flickered across the screen. The towering silhouettes of four young men were caught rummaging through the plane ruins in desperation as they called out her old name. "Yulie! Yulie…" Her second-eldest brother, Isaac Hoffman, was muttering, "Don't worry, Yulie. I'm right here! I've come to get you… You can't be dead. You can't leave me like this…" Yulia tipped her head to the side as her dispassionate gaze flickered. Her lips curled, but her smile did not reach her eyes as she said quietly, "I'm alive, Isaac. Wait for me to come home." With that, she turned around and followed the butler who had come to check her out of the juvenile detention center. However, just as she turned, an imposing figure materialized on the screen. The figure stood a few hundred yards away from the scene of the plane crash. He surveyed the aftermath of the tragedy with dark eyes as the crowd frantically searched for Yulia's corpse among the ruins. He pressed a hand to his chest in relief while tenderness shone in his gaze. "My heart isn't bleeding, so it must mean that you're alive somewhere. That's good. I've finally found you." … At the Henderson residence, Diana Whitmore was perched on the couch and squeezing out a tight smile at Zora Xenid, who sat across from her. "Goodness, Diana. I'm surprised you're still here. Isn't your eldest daughter being released from the juvenile detention center today? Don't you want to be there for her?" Zora asked snidely, as she knew it would irk Diana. The Xenid family was more prestigious than the Hendersons. However, Yvonne, the youngest daughter of the Henderson family, was far more gifted in terms of talent and academics compared to the Xenids' heiress. All these years, Zora had been forced to live in Diana's shadow simply because her daughter was inferior to Yvonne. But after hearing Yolanda would be released today, Zora decided to drop by the Henderson residence to await Diana's return and mock her for it. "I've asked the butler to go in my stead," Diana explained. Her smile was growing stiffer by the second as she said, "Yvonne's tutoring session is starting soon. I'm afraid I must excuse myself, Mrs. Xenid. Perhaps you'd like to return some other—" "It's fine. I can wait," Zora insisted when she sensed the dismissal. She smiled wickedly and added, "Besides, it's been three years since I saw Yolanda. Remember what a terror she was? She used to get into fights and go around stealing… I wonder if the juvenile detention center has changed her." That was a blatant and unadulterated mockery. Diana couldn't be more mortified. She had been regaled in fine society because of Yvonne's accomplishments, but Yolanda was throwing her reputation down the drain. Just then, a light screech came from outside the house, which indicated that a car had pulled up. Diana caught it and hurried to the door. Contempt and disgust filled her eyes when she saw Yolanda, who stood at the doorstep. She had become fat and was covered in lesion-like acne. "Mrs. Henderson, Ms. Yolanda Henderson has come home," the butler, Otis Pierson, announced. Diana barely looked at Yolanda. It was as if Yolanda was not her child at all. She angled her head to the side and said to Otis, "We have a guest over. Don't come in through the front door, and take Yolanda through the back door instead. Do not let Mrs. Xenid see this ugly hag!"