Chapter 1: A Shocking Identity

Elena had just returned to the Campbell family, only to have her engagement canceled. The other party despised her for being a country girl, assuming she was an incompetent fool. Elena didn't argue and accepted the annulment without protest. Then, she was escorted away by bodyguards sent by a top-tier PhD elite. What the fools in the Campbell family didn't know was that the "waste" they spoke of was actually a genius—one of the youngest researchers ever. Those highly respected senior academicians were all eagerly waiting for her to break off her engagement so they could introduce their grandsons to her. ------ "This engagement is over, and I’m the one ending it!" In the scorching summer heat, inside a villa in Los Angeles, Elena Campbell was lazily leaning back in her chair, chewing gum. Not far from her, Dan Hill watched her with unconcealed disgust in his eyes. Mary Cook Campbell, hearing this, panicked. She hurried forward, putting on a flattering smile. "Dan, this is all Elena's fault. She’s been reckless and caused trouble. But our families' marriage arrangement was set by your grandfather. If we cancel it, the consequences could be serious." As Mary spoke, she couldn't help but glare fiercely at Elena. "Elena, what are you doing just sitting there? Hurry up and apologize to Dan! Look at yourself—what are you doing? Get over here and promise him you'll change so you won't embarrass him anymore!" Elena continued to lazily blow her gum, completely unresponsive to Mary's scolding. Seeing this, Mary grew more anxious. Just as Mary was about to speak again, Elena burst out laughing. "Apologize? Are you joking?" Elena stood up leisurely and walked over to the two of them, sizing Dan up and down with undisguised disdain. "Breaking off an agreement so casually, the first thing you say is 'let's break up,' with no respect for me at all—shouldn't *he* be the one apologizing to me?" Mary felt like she was about to faint from anger upon hearing Elena's words. She couldn't believe how much trouble Elena was causing. "And you know what? I think breaking off this engagement is a great idea. You say I cause trouble? I wonder who the real troublemaker is." "Elena!" Mary snapped. She felt like she was going to lose her mind from Elena's defiance. "Elena, stop pretending. Do you think I don't know what kind of person you are?" "Someone like you, all looks and no substance, a total waste—I wouldn’t want you even if you begged!" Dan coldly cut off Mary's words, glaring at Elena. "Elena, I know what you're trying to do. You're just trying to get my attention!" "But even if you begged on your knees, I wouldn't marry you! I want to marry someone else!" As Dan spoke, his gaze instinctively drifted to the second floor of the villa. "I want to marry Anna!" "Dan!" Anna Campbell exclaimed as she ran down from the second floor, filled with excitement. Dan spread his arms wide, ready to embrace Anna as she threw herself into his arms. "Dan, I only want to marry you too!" Anna beamed up at Dan with a loving smile. "I'm sorry, Anna. I should have done this sooner so you wouldn't have had to wait so long." "I could never blame you, Dan!" The two of them embraced each other, completely ignoring everyone else around them. Elena looked at the scene and could only laugh. It was the first time she had ever seen such shameless scum. At that moment, her phone rang. Elena took out her phone. [Dr. Campbell, the research is at a critical stage. For your safety, we’ve dispatched an elite squad. We've arrived. When will you be coming out?] Elena quickly replied, "I'll be right there." Spitting out her gum, Elena stopped wasting time and pocketed her phone as she turned to leave. Anna, who had been watching Elena's reaction, thought Elena was leaving out of shame and anger. There was no way Anna could let Elena just walk away. She had been waiting for this day and had prepared so many things to humiliate her with! "Elena!" Anna called out without hesitation. Elena paused and turned to look at Anna with a blank expression. Anna bit her lip. "I'm sorry, Elena. I know you and Dan have an engagement, but Dan and I are truly in love. I can't control my feelings for him. If you must blame someone, blame me!" As she spoke, tears welled up in Anna's eyes, making her look genuinely apologetic. Elena found it all laughable. She didn’t want to waste any more time there, so she turned to leave again. "Elena, are you still mad at me? If it helps, you can hit me. Maybe that'll make you hate me a little less." Anna ran up to Elena, grabbing her hand and trying to force it toward her own face. "What are you doing, Elena?!" Before Elena's hand could touch Anna, Mary rushed over and slapped Elena's hand away without hesitation. The sharp sound echoed clearly throughout the courtyard. Elena looked down at her now red and swollen hand, then silently shifted her gaze to Mary. She couldn’t understand how Mary, her biological mother, could always treat Anna—who was just an adopted daughter—better than her. "Mom, don't blame Elena. It’s my fault for taking Dan away. If Elena hates me, it's only right." Anna began to cry, every word dripping with false guilt directed at Elena. "My dear sister, why would I blame you?" Elena forced a smile. "A sister like you, born to be a homewrecker—if you don't steal other people's men, you probably can't survive. You live off of snatching men; how could I possibly blame you?" Anna hadn’t expected Elena to say something like that. She opened her mouth to argue but found herself at a loss for words, her face flushing with embarrassment. "Elena! How could you say such a thing about your sister?" Mary shouted, looking at Elena with unconcealed disappointment. "What kind of cruel sister are you?" Elena stared coldly at Mary. "I don’t remember you having another daughter." Elena couldn't help but laugh at the situation. It was almost too ridiculous to believe—twenty years ago, she and Anna had been born in the same hospital and were accidentally switched at birth. It wasn’t until five years ago that the truth came to light, and she was brought back from the countryside. Mary couldn't bear the thought of Anna suffering in the countryside, so she kept both girls with her. Even though Mary was her biological mother, she never made any effort to make up for lost time. Instead, she looked down on Elena for being raised in the country and lacking sophistication. "How can you say that? Anna may not be my biological daughter, but I raised her! If you ever say something like that again, I won’t forgive you!" Mary dismissed Elena's feelings entirely and issued a cold threat. If she could, Mary would have preferred Anna to be her real daughter. Elena was sick of Mary's threats. She didn’t want to argue anymore and turned to leave. "I'm busy. I won't be coming back today." "Not coming back? Elena, are you going out to mix with those hooligans again?" Mary was furious, her breaths coming faster. Elena paused. "They aren't hooligans." "If they aren’t hooligans, then what are they? Tell me!" Mary screamed. Elena frowned and thought for a moment. "Sorry, I can't tell you." "You…!" Mary felt like she was about to lose her temper entirely, but Elena didn't care about her reaction and walked toward the door. Outside the Campbell villa, a fully armed elite squad stood guard. Each one of them was equipped with live ammunition, and the sound of helicopters echoed from above. Elena looked up to see several helicopters hovering in the sky, ready and waiting.