Chapter 11
My parents publicly stood by me this time, backing me completely.
Following my suggestions, they investigated corruption within Gene, catching executives who had accepted bribes from Jack.
To shift blame, these officials confessed that Jack had instructed them to prepare to switch my upcoming London lab reports with Valerie’s.
Jack’s not–yet–executed scheme was exposed at the press conference, utterly destroying his
reputation.
In the crowd below, Camden stood in a corner.
He watched from a distance as I was surrounded by media, embraced tightly by my parents, his
expression complicated.
When he finally pushed his way to me, his voice was barely recognizable. “Riley, I…”
I looked at him calmly. “Yes?”
“I’m sorry…” His eyes were bloodshot. “I had no idea Jack was going to…”
“You didn’t know he planned to switch the test reports?” I laughed softly. “But surely you knew how you, as my supposedly best friend, helped Valerie undermine me?”
His face instantly paled as he stumbled backward. “No, that’s not–Riley, in the two weeks before Finals, after learning you were the Crawford heiress, I was jealous, yes. But one thing was true: I
wanted what was best for you.”
“I thought since you already had everything, why not let Valerie have first place just once? That’s why when Jack approached me about convincing you to go abroad, I agreed…”
Hah, no wonder they say belated remorse is worth less than dirt.
In my previous life, his crimes went far beyond this.
Just because Jack had switched my identity, Camden decided I was the “fake” heiress and devoted himself to protecting Valerie.
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Chapter 11
No matter how desperately I begged him from abroad to help me contact my parents, he remained
unmoved.
Thinking of all this, I simply said lightly: “Camden, ten years!”
“What?”
“For the next decade,” I smiled coldly, “I’ll use the Crawford resources to make your college and
professional life a living hell.”
The ten years you stole from me, I’ll return in kind.
Before he could process my words, Noah suddenly rushed over.
Far smarter than Camden, he immediately fell to his knees before me, holding up his Princeton
withdrawal papers.
“Riley, I was forced…” he pleaded tearfully. “Jack threatened me–said if I didn’t cooperate, he’d bankrupt my foster father’s company…”
“I’ll withdraw from Princeton. I’ll go abroad with you. Please?”
I responded lazily: “Oh? But I don’t want you anymore.”
Noah’s face crumbled instantly.
“By the way,” I added, “you probably don’t know that Crawford Industries began acquisition proceedings against your father’s company a month ago.”
Watching him slump to the ground, I suddenly found it all laughable.
He’d schemed against me, clung to Valerie, and in the end, trapped himself.
Valerie suffered the worst fate.
The reason her exam scores were so much higher than her practice tests was because Jack had arranged for her to cheat.
Jack needed to ensure this fake heiress would become valedictorian.
First, to make my parents trust and like her more.
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They stole My Identity I stale Their PutuER
Chapter 11
Second, to make me lose our bet and willingly leave with him for the testing in London.
Before my parents arrived in Boston, there was still time to falsify everything.
Unfortunately for them, none of their plans succeeded.
Valerie ran to my parents, hoping her intended “adoptive parents” might help her, but no one acknowledged her.
Enraged, she began cursing our entire family:
“Riley, you bitch! This is all your fault!”
“You think you’ve won? You don’t know, do you? Jack genuinely came looking for his sister at first. I’m the one who promised to help him take control of the company if he made me the Crawford daughter instead! That’s when he decided to abandon you!”
“Look at your brother, your best friend, your boyfriend–hahaha–they all preferred me! They all took my side! Hahaha! YOU’RE the real loser…”
With her future destroyed, she’d lost her mind!
Meanwhile, I entered MIT as a state valedictorian.
Jack was sentenced for business fraud and academic dishonesty.
Camden, despite his excellent grades, had to drop out of college. I told him if he didn’t want to waste ten years, he should enter the workforce early for proper “rehabilitation.” He had no choice but to comply.
Noah was forced to withdraw due to the scandal and had to repeat senior year in some obscure town.
And Valerie?
Due to academic cheating, she was publicly reported, her scores invalidated, and she was permanently banned from taking standardized tests.
As for my birth parents, they appeared punctually at my university gates every day, bringing the strawberry cake I loved as a child but could never afford.
They never pressured me to emigrate with them, instead respecting all my choices.
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They Stole My Identity. I Stule Their Future
