Chapter 1 She Was Released from Prison

Vera Garcia stood at the gate of the State Penitentiary, squinting against the harsh sunlight.

"Keep your chin up, there's still hope," the prison guard said with a hint of sympathy.

Vera nodded, her face a blank slate.

"Get over here, now!" a man's sharp voice cut through the air.

Vera looked up to see a man in a long black trench coat, looking as handsome and dashing as ever.

It was Bert Pierce, her ex-fiancé, from the state's most famous, wealthiest, and powerful family.

Vera looked away and limped around the fancy Rolls-Royce.

She had spent six long years in prison.

Six years ago, Bert had personally sent Vera to prison to cover for his non-blood-related sister.

"What are you trying to pull now? You dare disobey me?" Bert snarled, grabbing Vera's arm and yanking her.

Vera winced, her body weak from six years of torment, leaving her with no strength to resist.

"Let go of me! We have nothing to do with each other anymore!" Vera finally snapped.

Bert shouted, "You have to come with me to the hospital to give Shirley a blood transfusion!"

"Why should I? I went to prison six years ago, I've already paid my debt to her! Let go of me!" Vera said, fighting back tears.

She had given Shirley her blood for so many years—hadn't she done enough? Going to jail for Shirley didn't satisfy them either! And now, they still wanted to squeeze every last drop of value from her.

"You owe her this! Take her away!" Bert's eyes were full of disgust and disdain as he ordered the bodyguards.

The bodyguards immediately restrained Vera and shoved her into the car.

To prevent her from attempting to escape, they gagged her and tied her hands.

Vera struggled for a while before finally giving up and leaning against the car window.

Bert finally showed a satisfied smile, tidying his hair. He said, "That's more like it. Only if you behave this way will your parents take you back home."

He added, "After all, you are still a family."

A family?

What a fucking joke!

Vera's eyes were filled with disgust.

The "kindness" that Bert and her parents talked about was nothing but a farce orchestrated by Shirley.

Vera was Ms. Garcia of the Garcia family, though that title was nothing but a joke.

A servant in the family, seeking revenge on Mrs. Garcia, abandoned Vera on a farm when she was just a baby.

The servant's daughter was sent to live with Mr. and Mrs. Garcia.

Vera endured endless torment at the farm, even though she did a lot of work, she could only eat a bowl of chickpeas boiled in water that tasted like swill.

She was always hungry, cold, and couldn't sleep well until she was eight years old when Mr. and Mrs. Garcia found her.

Vera thought she finally had parents who would love her.

Little did she know, it was a blood test record that led Mr. and Mrs. Garcia to find her.

Because the servant's daughter they adopted, Shirley, had a severe blood disorder. Her blood production and clotting functions were problematic.

And Vera became the blood donor.

Vera carefully tried to please everyone in the Garcia family, even having to watch the servant's mood.

But all she received for her efforts was the Garcia family repeatedly drawing her blood to save Shirley.

Soon the car arrived at a private clinic, and Vera was brought in tied up.

She was strapped to a chair, and the female doctor standing nearby looked troubled. "I can't go against the blood donor's will, can I?"

Bert interrupted her harshly, "Who pays your salary?"

Vera snorted, closing her eyes as if resigning to her fate.

Seeing that, Bert felt extremely uncomfortable. He hated Vera's cold demeanor the most. Couldn't she understand her own situation?

Vera's sleeve was rolled up, and even the doctor was taken aback by the bruises and needle marks on her arm.

It wasn't from drugs; it was all from blood draws.

The frequency of the blood draws was painfully obvious.

Bert frowned when he saw the needle marks. He remembered the blood draws weren't this frequent.

Then he seemed to think of something, saying, "Are you on drugs? You're really hopeless."

Vera couldn't be bothered to explain. She had been misunderstood countless times over the years.

"If you don't draw blood, then let me go!" Vera said.

"Draw her blood," Bert commanded the doctor, "If it can't be used, we'll deal with it later."

After drawing a full pint of blood, Vera felt increasingly dizzy, but this was a daily occurrence in prison.

Every few days, someone would come to draw her blood, and the prison food couldn't provide enough nutrition, making her look as pale as a ghost, her body weak.

She barely managed to stand up, but her dizziness made her stumble and almost fall.

Bert looked at her with disgust. "Drop the act. One pint doesn't affect a person. You're really despicable! Always pretending like this! You deserve an Oscar!"

"Bert, let it go," a soft, weak female voice interjected. She had long golden-brown hair that was clearly well-maintained, looking extremely beautiful, with a face that exuded a sense of fragility that made people want to protect her, her big blue eyes blinking as if about to shed tears.

It was her "sister" Shirley Garcia.

Vera's heart sank.

Shirley continued, "I know Vera doesn't want to give me blood, you don't have to make things difficult for her, after all, she's my sister, and she hates me for taking away her life."

Shirley lowered her eyes, looking extremely pitiful.

The doctor stood nearby, observing both sides, the sick Shirley actually looked better than the blood-drawn Vera, making it hard to tell who needed the blood transfusion.

"How dare she! Vera is only fit to give you blood for the rest of her life. She owes you this!" Bert immediately replied.

Vera remained expressionless, such things had happened countless times. Her gaze fell on Shirley's face before saying, "Whether I owe you or not, you know it yourself. Tell Mr. Garcia to prepare what he promised me."

Vera didn't refer to Mr. Garcia as her father.

Panic flashed in Shirley's eyes, and she immediately hid behind Bert. "I don't understand what you're saying. I know you hate me, but if you do something wrong, you should be punished. Mom and Dad are still waiting for you to come home."

"Bitch!" Vera cursed and raised her hand to grab Shirley's hair.

Bert slapped her hard, looking down at the dirty woman on the ground. "Don't bully Shirley, or I'll make your life a living hell."

Vera said with a sneer, "Haven't you already?"

She was beaten up in prison every few days, wasn't that arranged by Bert?

Bert looked at Vera's mocking expression, a strange feeling rising in his heart, he grabbed Shirley's hand. "Let's go."

Vera got up from the ground, stumbling towards the door.

Just then, it started to rain heavily.

Vera's leg pain flared up again, and she fell into a muddy puddle, eventually passing out from exhaustion.

Moments later, a Tesla stopped next to Vera.

A tall man stepped out of the car, and someone immediately held an umbrella over his head.

The man's gaze fell on Vera lying in the rain. "Is she the biological daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Garcia, Ms. Garcia?"

The assistant next to him immediately replied, "Yes, it seems she has been released from prison."

"Take her to the hospital," the man ordered.