Mrs. Norton had originally assumed Carrie would cling desperately to the Norton family and refuse to leave.
She hadn't expected her to be so decisive.
Although she had no idea what Carrie had just done to make Jeremy suffer like that, it no longer mattered.
Mrs. Norton glanced at her biological daughter.
Now that she had her precious Emily back—a fourth-tier power master—what was there for the Norton family to worry about in the future?
With that thought, she stopped hesitating.
She quickly signed her name on the document.
"From this moment on, you have nothing to do with the Norton family," she said coldly. "Whether you live or die outside is entirely up to your own fate."
Carrie's expression remained indifferent.
"Don't worry," she replied calmly. "Even if I die somewhere out there, I won't mention your name."
Then she added coolly, "But if I ever make something of myself, don't come trying to claim me."
[Fortune Points +30]
Carrie's eyes lit up slightly.
Not bad.
This Merit Accumulation System was surprisingly effective.
Without another word, she turned and left.
Mrs. Norton watched Carrie's retreating figure and felt strangely unsettled.
Somehow, it felt as if she had come out on the losing side.
"Letting that useless girl leave just like that…" she muttered irritably. "She got off too easily."
Emily Norton also watched Carrie walk away.
A faint, peculiar smile curved across her lips.
"Mom, Carrie can't cause any trouble," she said gently. "She's just an E-rank mental power waste. Now she's left the Norton family and even canceled her engagement with Jeremy. And today she just turned twenty."
Emily's smile deepened slightly.
"With someone like her, the government's mandatory marriage matching system will definitely assign her another useless person."
Jeremy Milton had felt a flicker of reluctance when he saw Carrie leave so decisively.
But hearing Emily's words eased his mind immediately.
Trash like her… how could she ever deserve someone like me?
Only someone as talented and exceptional as Emily, a cultivation master, was worthy of him.
Sooner or later, Carrie would realize she was nothing but a useless nobody.
And when that happened... She would surely come crawling back, begging to become his lover.
At that point, he might not mind accepting her.
***
Carrie had just stepped out of the villa when a sleek hover vehicle suddenly stopped in front of her.
It was about three meters long and two meters high, exquisitely designed, its metallic surface gleaming under the sunlight.
The door slid open.
A tall man stepped out.
He wore a military uniform, his silver hair catching the light like frost. His figure was lean and imposing, his presence sharp and commanding.
Danger seemed to cling to him like a shadow.
He looked at her and asked, "Carrie Swann?"
Carrie instinctively stepped back a few paces, studying him carefully.
Yes—he was undeniably handsome.
But the aura of cold authority around him was far more intimidating than Jeremy's arrogance.
Carrie liked handsome men.
But she didn't like the dangerous ones.
More importantly, in the original Carrie's memories, she had never met this man before.
"Who are you?" she asked.
The man removed the black glove from his hand and extended his right hand politely.
"Carrie Swann," he said. "I'm your older brother—Marcus Carter. Yesterday, we found you through a genetic database match. You are the lost daughter of the Carter family."
His voice softened slightly. "The little princess our family lost years ago. I'm here to bring you home."
Carrie blinked. "…What?"
Could it be because she had left the Norton family voluntarily that the storyline had shifted?
She was actually a daughter of the Carter family?
"The Carter family… as in the Carter family from the Five Great Houses of the Imperial Capital?"
Marcus withdrew his hand and gently patted the top of her head, his expression unexpectedly indulgent.
"That's right. So, will you come home with me? Everyone's been waiting for you."
Carrie suddenly felt as if happiness had crashed down on her from the sky.
Was this really the villainess's script?
No.
This was clearly the protagonist's storyline.
The Carter family was one of the Five Great Aristocratic Houses.
And she was their long-lost daughter.
With a background like that... Who would dare harm her?
But then another thought surfaced.
Families like that often had adopted daughters already.
When the real daughter returned, the so-called "true heiress" usually ended up bullied and schemed against from every direction.
Returning might only lead to an even worse death.
Besides... Great families meant endless intrigue.
Now she had fifty million star credits, a pearl pendant space, and her abilities.
She could easily find a quiet place to lie low and live comfortably.
Wouldn't that be far better?
Carrie shook her head at last. "Sorry," she said frankly. "I don't know you. And I have no interest in returning to that so-called Carter family."
With that, she turned and started walking in the opposite direction.