Chapter 1
I squeezed the candy tightly, my nails almost piercing my palm.
She was right. In her eyes, in my past life, my only purpose was to ward off misfortune for the Reed family, to step up and take the blame whenever Tyler got into trouble.
Now that she had a second chance, she foresaw that my existence, this stain, would ruin the Reed family’s reputation.
So, this useless thing that I was, naturally had no reason to return to the Reed home.
I smiled, but my tears betrayed me, streaming down against my will.
I fiercely wiped them away, telling myself that Alex Reed was dead.
The person alive now was me.
I turned and walked back to my quiet corner of the orphanage.
Not long after, a black sedan pulled up at the entrance.
Director Thompson led a distinguished elderly woman, with elegant white hair, inside.
All the children in the orphanage erupted in excitement, like a flock of excited birds, chirping and fluttering around her, each desperate to show off.
“Hello, Grandma!”
“Grandma, I’ll sing for you!”
“Grandma, look at my drawing!”
Only I remained, quiet in an inconspicuous corner, feeling like an outsider.
The old woman noticed me.
She gently pushed through the crowd, leaning on a dark wooden cane, and walked step by step toward me.
“Little one, why are you sitting here all by yourself? Don’t they like you?”
I shook my head, looked up, and held out the candy in my hand, which had grown warm from my tight grip.
“Grandma, have some candy.”
I tried my best to appear calm and mature, far beyond my years.
She paused, clearly surprised.
She took the candy, unwrapped it, and put it in her mouth, a relaxed smile spreading across her face.
“Hmm, very sweet.”
She looked at me deeply, then asked, “What’s your name?”
“Director Thompson calls me Alex.”
“Alex…”
She repeated my name, then nodded. “Do you want to come home with me, little one? Be my grandson.”
The room instantly fell silent.
All the children’s gazes locked onto me, filled with burning envy.
I didn’t hesitate for a second, nodding forcefully.
“I do.”
She burst into hearty laughter, her voice ringing out.
“Good! Excellent! From today on, your name is Alex Vance.”
She took my hand, her palm warm and dry.
“Knowing the law and understanding speech, discerning right from wrong.”
“My child, Grandma hopes you will become a person who upholds justice and fairness.”
I understood the weight of her words, her high hopes. She was none other than the retired legal titan, a former Supreme Court Justice – Justice Eleanor Vance.
In that moment, I tightly clutched her hand.
I became the most cherished grandson of the Vance family.
Grandma Vance treasured me like precious jade, personally teaching me legal principles and logic, taking me to observe court trials, and opening up a whole new world for me.
My aunts and uncles in the Vance family, though all busy legal elites, always brought me various law books and fascinating case studies whenever they returned home, showing genuine care.
The one who doted on me the most was my older sister, Scarlett Vance, ten years my senior.
The first time she saw me, she took off her wire-rimmed glasses, a gentle smile gracing her beautiful face.
“No one touches our precious little brother, Alex.”
That was a phrase she often said.
Surrounded by such immense love, I almost forgot the pain of my past life.
I studied diligently. From law school to the bar exam, my grades were always top of the class.
Debate trophies from various mock trials filled my room.
Twenty years later, I became the youngest and most renowned star prosecutor in the country.