"I didn't steal!"

In the orphanage's dormitory, a nine-year-old girl faced the suspicious glances of those around her, her eyes red and swollen from crying. She had watery, beautifully expressive eyes, but because of lack of proper nourishment, she looked very thin.

The disdainful eyes of others looked towards her, and she choked back tears as she spoke, "That gem, it belongs to me...! I-I didn't steal from anyone. It's something my mother left for me!"

"So, are you saying I stole from you?" Facing her was another girl roughly her age. She tilted her head, looking at her coldly, then innocently smiled and asked.

Comparatively, the other girl was much more beautiful, her demeanor proud, like a princess standing high above, attracting attention and adoration from everyone around.

After the other girl finished speaking, a girl sitting next to her immediately stood up and spoke.

"You're lying! It's really shameless. Why would Marry steal from you?"

"That's right! How could Marry be the thief! Clearly, you took it from Marry."

To the words of the friends, she didn't know how to respond, feeling deeply frustrated. Therefore, she burst into tears, crying out:

"But that gem truly belongs to me! Please give it back to me..."

Marry looked smugly at her, then glanced around at everyone and said, "Everyone sees it! Sonya is truly a thief, so don't come near her in the future. She's a thief, a deceitful person!"

The children around nodded in agreement, "That's right! We'll all listen to Princess Marry. From now on, we won't go near Sonya anymore. She's a thief."

"That's right, Sonya is a thief, a wicked person! Blaming Princess Marry shameful, isn't it, shameful!"

The children laughed and left, leaving her alone, leaning against the wall, trying to hold back her tears, watching the shadows of the other children, her hands clenched into fists.

***

Outside the headmaster's office, a row of men in black suits stood in a line.

A man in his fifties with a serious expression sat on the sofa, looking quite strong and healthy at first glance. He wore a leather jacket that exuded a noble air, with deep, sharp, unpredictable eyes.

Apart from his age showing a bit of aging, he looked very handsome. When he was young, he must have been quite charming.

The headmaster found a file and slowly opened it in front of the man, then respectfully said, "Mr. Anderson, last year the orphanage adopted a child, and all the records about her are here. Please look."

Mr. Anderson flipped through the papers, his brows furrowing slightly. Seeing his expression change, his assistant beside him smiled at the headmaster and said, "This child must be about eight or nine years old. May I ask how many children of this age were admitted to the orphanage last year?"

The headmaster thought for a moment and quickly said, "Please wait a moment."

Mr. Anderson glanced at the file, his eyes drifting over a family photo. He gently clenched his fist, then reached out and tapped a few times. "I want to meet this child."

The headmaster was surprised, but immediately nodded. "Of course, I'll bring her to you right away."

The female headmaster made a phone call, and then someone led the child over.

Marry stood obediently in front of the man called Mr. Anderson, her hands clasped behind her back, chest puffed out confidently as she smiled and said, "Hello, sir, I'm Marry."

He looked coldly at Marry, carefully examining her face. His eyes slowly narrowed, becoming deep and unreadable.

Marry was a little surprised, raising her eyebrows slightly. She felt this person was very scary, as if his gaze intimidated her. She took two steps back, but Mr. Anderson waved his hand and said, "Come closer, let me have a good look at you!"

"...Yes, sir." Marry hesitated and took two steps forward. He gently took her by the shoulder, carefully examining her. Her age was suitable, and there was a resemblance in the facial features.

Mr. Anderson's eyes glanced downward, stopping at the gem pendant hanging on her collarbone. He was slightly startled, touching the gem, and asked, "This gem..."

Marry, startled, chuckled nervously, "This gem was left to me by my mother."

Mr. Anderson took a sharp breath, and his assistant, sensing the urgency, quickly retrieved another half of the gem from within the document, pieced it together, and presented it before Mr. Anderson.

The two pieces of the gem fit together.

Mr. Anderson's hand trembled, and his assistant understood. He went to talk to the headmaster, then handed a check to her from within the document. The headmaster happily accepted it.

Outside the orphanage's gate, a line of luxurious black cars slowly drove away.

The little girl from earlier looked lonely as she glanced through the iron bars of the window. Her vacant eyes gazed towards Marry, who followed a group of men in black suits, getting into a Bentley.

Before the car door closed, Marry coldly looked back at the orphanage, accidentally meeting the eyes of the girl who held onto the iron bars of the window alone. Marry gave her a strange smile, and the car window closed slowly as the long line of cars departed.

Two children, two lives, were exchanged just like that.

***

In the hallway of a hospital, a secretary held her phone, holding a report in her hand.

"Sonya, 18 years old, student, father bankrupt, has been investigated and verified. All physical indicators are healthy, committed not to claim parental rights or litigate after giving birth."

It's just that her body wasn't suitable for artificial insemination, so another method had to be used.

Sonya sat motionless on the long chair, staring out the window with an eerie calmness. Deep within her eyes was an overwhelming sadness. She knew she was still young, looking at her features. She seemed even younger than her actual age, but behind that youthful face, there was an indescribable sorrow.

She was chosen from thousands of applicants, relying on her beautiful face. The person who hired her for this job offered an extremely generous reward, 500 million dollars, which was an unimaginably enormous sum for her.

Three days ago, she secretly got her father to sign the surrogacy contract. After signing, she was brought to this place. She was locked in this room every day, not allowed to speak to anyone outside, even less allowed to go out. Currently, she did not differ from a quarantined patient.

She knew that because she was forced to get pregnant, her body had to be kept healthy to serve that man.

Three meals a day were sumptuous delicacies. Smoked ham, bird's nest, bread, beef, all were extremely luxurious dishes. She knew they did this to ensure no mistakes were made. Whenever food was mentioned, even if she didn't want to, she had to swallow it all.

Sonya dared not do anything against their wishes, only obediently obeying to receive what she needed.

Until today, the secretary of the person who hired her was worried and sent a team to this private house to check her health.

The person who hired her was very mysterious. She had never even seen this person before, only knowing a few lines from the contract. She never expected this person to offer a whopping 500 million USD as a reward. Yes, it was 500 million USD. With this amount, she could help her father overcome this difficulty.