Lena Hart is the heiress of the Hart family. Her father, Grant, controls every aspect of her life with twenty-one strict rules. At the freshman welcome gala, her twenty-one rules are read aloud in public by classmate Brielle to humiliate her. Her childhood sweetheart Owen not only fails to stand up for her, but pressures her on behalf of her father to sign an updated restrictive agreement. Instead of signing, Lena writes “NO” on the signature line, embarking on her journey of rebellion.
Grant freezes her bank accounts and revokes her dorm access to force her submission. Lena chooses to support herself by working at the campus breakfast café. Owen has the childhood promise card she wrote at the age of eight notarized, attempting to bind her permanently through an engagement. At this time, Jess, heir to the Mercer family, spots the laurel engraving inside the gold necklace left by her mother — a mark that does not belong to the Hart family, hinting at secrets surrounding her origins.
Jess is pressured by his father Arthur under the pretext of trust fund security. He speaks coldly to Lena on the surface, yet secretly sends all evidence (audio recordings and account-freezing drafts) to her best friend Tessa in advance. Unaware of Jess’s true intentions, Lena drives away on a rainy night and gets into a car accident. After discovering the evidence in the hospital bed, she files an application for the Hart Trust election hearing, summoning Grant, Owen and Arthur. She plays the reco
