Chapter 1 A Slap at the Funeral

"Elara West! Your grandfather doted on you when he was alive—where were you when he was dying? How did the West family end up raising an ungrateful wretch like you!"

Elara stood expressionless before Aiden West's headstone, her father Gordon West's furious tirade ringing in her ears.

She wore a simple black dress, motionless, her gaze fixed on the kind smile in the old man's photo. Her eyes were utterly lifeless.

Her mother, Wendy Smith, stepped forward, launching into her own attack: "Even though you're not our biological child, we've given you nothing but the best all these years. We never shortchanged you. You could abandon even the grandfather who loved you most—the West family wasted everything on you!"

Their voices were loud enough to draw stares from the surrounding guests, whispers rippling through the crowd:

"That's the fake heiress the West family raised for eighteen years? I heard when the real heiress showed up three years ago, she was so ashamed of her birth parents' poverty that she refused to leave. Shameless."

"The Wests treated her well enough, and then when the old man was dying, she vanished. Heartless."

"Exactly. Poor people's kids are just born selfish and cruel. No amount of the West family's refinement could wash that filth off her."

Every word burrowed into Elara's ears, leaving only exhaustion and numbness behind.

No one knew the truth.

At age five, she'd been selected for the largest X Training Facility. From that moment, all her personal information was classified.

It wasn't an ordinary facility—it was a place that devoured childhoods. The first thing she learned there was never to trust any warmth, because every act of trust could become a weakness in the next evaluation.

The X Training Facility was an elite organization secretly founded by underground intelligence networks and national governments.

There, all prodigies had to hide their identities while training in secret. Elara had chosen medicine, jewelry design, aerospace engineering, and bomb disposal as her primary skill sets.

After completing her training, she gained the authority to act first and report later, while also serving the organization by handling matters that couldn't see the light of day. Law enforcement worldwide cooperated with agent operations.

And Elara's code name was 'Ellie.'

Three years ago, when she learned of Aiden's illness, she'd returned to the West family under the guise of an ordinary person.

Now, her public identity was as the youngest researcher at Nexus Institute of Medicine, specializing in targeted anti-cancer drug development.

Just two weeks ago, the research project targeting Aiden's specific cancer cell type had reached a breakthrough phase.

She'd pulled four all-nighters in the lab and finally produced the final critical formula.

When she rushed back to the West family with the serum, she learned that Aiden had already passed away...

Seeing her silence, Wendy was about to launch into another tirade when a hand gently caught her arm. "Mom, don't get upset."

Jasmine West emerged from behind Wendy. Despite attending a funeral, she wore flawless makeup, every inch the heiress.

Wendy's attitude shifted instantly, her face breaking into a smile. "Jasmine, why did you come out? It's windy—you'll catch cold."

Gordon chimed in with concern, "You're not well. Go back inside and rest. We'll handle this."

Jasmine smiled sweetly. "Dad, Mom, I'm fine. I can help you greet the guests."

Wendy gazed at her with satisfaction. "You're so thoughtful—not like 'some people' who walk around with that sour face, as if we owe them something!"

Jasmine laughed softly, then turned to Elara, her voice gentle. "Elara, don't blame Mom and Dad for being harsh. I know you don't share our blood, so it's understandable you weren't here when Grandpa passed. We're not blaming you..."

"The real heiress has such class—unlike that impostor, just standing there putting on a show."

A guest couldn't resist muttering.

Jasmine clearly savored the comment, the corners of her mouth lifting as she shot Elara a triumphant look.

From start to finish, Elara never glanced at her. Her eyes remained fixed on the photo on the headstone.

Gordon's fury ignited at her indifferent demeanor. "What are you still doing here?! Our family doesn't want you! Get out!"

He strode up to Elara and grabbed her arm, yanking her toward the exit.

She didn't budge.

Gordon frowned, increasing his force and pulling harder.

Elara remained perfectly still.

Just as he was about to curse, Elara casually shook her arm. Gordon stumbled sideways, nearly crashing to the ground.

The surrounding guests froze, all eyes turning to Elara.

This seemingly fragile girl had that much strength?

Gordon steadied himself, humiliation and rage flooding his face. "You—"

"Don't touch me." Elara cut him off, her voice cold and sharp. "I'll leave after I finish praying for Grandpa."

Gordon's lips moved, but with so many witnesses, he couldn't refuse. He could only glare at her.

Elara withdrew her gaze, turning back to the headstone.

She raised her right hand, slowly tracing a cross over her chest, then closed her eyes, her mind drifting back three years.

When Jasmine had arrived at the West family with DNA test results, Gordon and Wendy's attitude toward her had changed overnight. Their eyes filled with disgust and disdain.

Only Aiden had continued to smile with that same kindness, unwavering in his protection of her.

Elara had wanted to leave then, to find her biological parents. But that was when Aiden was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

She couldn't abandon him, so she'd sealed her personal files.

But Jasmine had obsessively searched for information about Elara's birth parents.

Elara didn't care who her biological parents were. She'd never looked into it herself.

So she'd fabricated records claiming her birth parents were impoverished.

When Elara opened her eyes again, her voice was soft. "Grandpa, you broke your promise. You said you'd wait for me to come back and treat you. Why did you leave? Now my files are unsealed. My birth parents should be coming for me soon. Grandpa... I never cared who my biological parents were. I only cared about you."

"Are you done yet?" Wendy's impatient voice cut through. "You've finished praying. Time to leave. Stop being an eyesore."

Elara turned, her expression blank as she faced her. "I'll leave. But I'm taking Grandpa's belongings with me!"

Wendy paused, then said dismissively, "You mean that cursed old box? It was thrown in the waste disposal facility ages ago."

Jasmine stepped forward, her smile dripping with malice. "Elara, after you left, Grandpa treasured it like a precious relic. The moment he died, I had someone throw it out. After all, those cheap serums inside reeked—who'd pay if they stained the West family's carpets?"

A flash of lethal intent flickered in Elara's eyes.

That box didn't just contain her formulated serums—it held the top-secret medical monitoring device she'd left for Aiden.

And Aiden had mentioned in his letters that he'd left a purple box in an absolutely secure location, containing all the truth he wanted to tell her, with strict instructions to guard it carefully.

She stepped forward and seized Jasmine's jaw, her grip so fierce that the other woman's face instantly contorted.

"Those weren't drugs—they were Grandpa's lifeline." Elara's voice was cold. "To prevent doctors from using what I left him, you threw it away?"