Jing City, Lawton Residence.
Margaret Lawton woke up with her head pounding like it’d been split open. She was still dazed when she suddenly felt someone yanking her legs apart.
Her eyes snapped open—cold, dark, and sharp.
A greasy, middle-aged man, fat as a pig, was panting hard as he tried to climb on top of her.
“Get lost!”
Margaret bent her knee and kicked out hard, right into his bloated belly.
The man, completely caught off guard, flew backward and landed on the floor with a loud thud.
“Oww… damn it!”
He flailed on the floor like a flipped-over turtle, moaning non-stop.
“Agh… my back!”
His oily face twisted in pain as he rolled around, sweat pouring from his forehead.
“You little b*tch…”
“You dare hit me?! I’m gonna kill you!”
Fighting through the hammering pain in her skull, Margaret flipped off the bed in one swift move.
Did this creep even know who she was?
Touch her? He must have a death wish.
“You’re not getting away from me!”
The man scrambled to his feet, face twisted in rage and lust.
“Your precious Lawton family sold you to me. Tonight, you’re mine, no matter what!”
Margaret’s eyes frosted over. She wasn’t sure exactly what was going on, but this sleaze trying to mess with her?
Not happening.
She charged forward, grabbing his neck with her right hand just as he was struggling to stand.
There was a loud “crack,” and his scream was cut short. The massive body dropped like a sack of meat.
“Seriously? This trash thought he could touch me?” Margaret shook her hand, disgusted.
All the commotion had clearly drawn attention. People were heading over.
Margaret opened the door.
“Oh, Mr. Bennett, you sure are having a good ti—”
Diana Holden, wearing way too much makeup and a fake smile, walked up. She stopped mid-sentence, confused.
“Margaret? Where’s Mr. Bennett?”
She’d obviously heard the noise and had come to check it out.
Just then, a girl ran over too. Seeing the scene inside, she smirked.
“Come on, sis. Mr. Bennett isn’t exactly hot, but he’s got serious cash. You’d be set for life with him. Loads of girls would kill for a chance like this.”
Before she could finish, Margaret flew at her like a storm.
Smack!
A sharp slap echoed through the room.
“If it’s such a great deal, why don’t you take it yourself?” Margaret’s gaze was icy. “You spiked my drink earlier, didn’t you?”
“Ahhh—!” Jessica Lawton screamed.
“Margaret! Are you out of your mind?! How dare you hit Jessica?” Diana shrieked.Diana Holden's well-maintained face twisted in anger.
Damn it! That girl Margaret, when did she grow a spine?
"Why can't I hit back?" Margaret shot back coldly.
She wasn’t the same Margaret anymore.
The original Margaret had died in that struggle, her head smashing against the wall while she fought back.
This new Margaret—descendant of a long line of legendary healers, trained since childhood in medicine, arts, and strategy—had woken up in a body that wasn’t hers, in a time completely unfamiliar.
It was on her birthday. She’d gone to sleep, and when she opened her eyes again, she was here—inside this stranger’s body, sharing the same name.
Right after the soul merge, she got all of the old Margaret’s memories.
Turned out, Margaret wasn’t even their real daughter.
Jessica was. Margaret was just a child switched at birth, a fake heiress raised in someone else’s home.
A few months ago, Margaret got sick and ended up in the hospital. That’s when a blood test revealed she didn’t match the Lawtons biologically.
It didn’t take long for them to locate their real daughter—Jessica.
And from that moment on, Margaret became nothing but a burden to them.
They started to look at her like she didn’t belong, like she’d stolen Jessica’s life. And since they’d raised her for twenty years, they figured it was time to cash in.
Jessica covered her face and started crying, eyes full of staged grief as she looked to Diana.
"Mom… Why is she treating me like this?"
Diana pulled Jessica into her arms protectively, her glare toward Margaret sharp enough to kill.
"Margaret! You better know your place! We raised you all these years—you owe us! And now you won’t do one simple thing we ask?!"
Margaret gave a dry laugh, her gaze colder than ice.
"Oh? Selling me off to some greasy pig—that’s your idea of a ‘favor’ I owe?"
Yeah. Just today, the Lawtons had drugged her and tried to feed her to Mr. Bennett just to please him, thinking he’d help their business.
Margaret had died fighting that fate.
"Don’t worry," she whispered inwardly, "since I’m in your body now, I’ll settle this score for you."
"You’ve completely crossed the line!" Diana was trembling with rage. "You think you’re still the Lawtons’ darling daughter? Dream on! You’re going to do this whether you like it or not!"
Jessica put on a sweet fake smile and added, "Sis, Mom’s just doing what’s best for you! I heard your real parents live out in some super poor village... Life there must be awful. Wouldn’t it be better to stay here and be spoiled by Mr. Bennett?"
Margaret’s eyes turned sharp.
"If it's so wonderful, why don’t you go enjoy it yourself?"Jessica Lawton shrank back behind Diana Holden, clearly spooked by the way Margaret Lawton was glaring at her. Her eyes instantly reddened, putting on a “poor me” act like she was the one getting bullied.
"You ungrateful brat! How dare you compare yourself to Jessica?" Diana snapped, her tone full of contempt. "She’s about to marry into the Whitley family and become their young madam!"
Years ago, the Lawton and Whitley families had arranged a marriage deal. Now that the real daughter was back, naturally Jessica took over that engagement.
And the timing couldn’t have been better—Jessica and Richard Whitley had hit it off right away and were getting married soon.
Jessica raised her hand, showing off the massive diamond ring on her finger, proud as a peacock.
"This is my engagement ring! Richard picked it out for me—he said next month, we’ll..."
"Jessica Lawton." Margaret cut her off, smirking coldly. "Is your family from Dunhuang or something?"
"Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?" Jessica blinked blankly.
"Because you sure know how to paint a picture—so much nonsense." Margaret scoffed. "Relax. I couldn’t care less about that spoiled rich kid. Hope you two stay glued for life."
Everyone knew Richard Whitley was a notorious flirt who probably had a pile of dirty secrets.
"You—"
The fake smile on Jessica’s face vanished instantly. Her expression turned sour, and her eyes burned with anger.
"Enough!" Thomas Lawton finally spoke up, pretending to sigh like he was deeply burdened.
"Margaret, we’re doing this for your own good. Since you won’t appreciate it, maybe it's best you go find your biological family. The Lawtons... we don’t need you anymore."
Worried about their reputation if things got out of hand, he fished out a wad of cash from his wallet and handed it to her.
"There’s five thousand here. Just think of it as... a goodbye gift for old times’ sake."
Margaret didn’t even glance at the money. Her eyes turned icy. "From this moment on, I’m done with the Lawton family."
She paused, a mocking smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
"As for that money, you should probably keep it. After all—"
"The Yoon Group’s crashing any day now. That five grand might be your lifeline."
"You little witch! How dare you!" Diana exploded, unable to hold her tongue anymore.
The nerve of her, actually cursing them with bankruptcy.
She grabbed a cup from the coffee table and hurled it toward Margaret, but Thomas lunged and stopped her in time.
"Let her leave!" he barked, face dark as soot, eyes fixed coldly on Margaret’s slim back as she walked off.
Just a nameless girl with no real family—what damage could she possibly do?
Margaret wasn’t interested in their fake sympathy anymore. She slung her bag over her shoulder and strode out the door without looking back.
Just wait.
After what they did to her, every single one of them in the Lawton family was going to get exactly what they deserved.
