Falling For The True Heiress

Today was going to be the best and biggest day of my life.

My eighteenth birthday.

The day I would officially become an adult.

The day I would begin learning how to manage the Winston family’s affairs and prepare to inherit everything my parents had built.

Distinguished and influential guests from within and outside the country had also been invited to the celebration. Some were business tycoons, others were politicians, celebrities, and powerful figures whose names frequently appeared in the news.

"Miss Winston," a servant called as she came down the stairs.

I was standing in the living room, the late afternoon light pouring gold through the big glass windows, warming the marble floor beneath my feet. I turned around quickly when I heard her calling my name.

"The birthday party is about to start," she said. "The master asked me to help you change into your custom-made dress."

I looked at the shiny white box in her hands and nodded.

"Okay."

I set my glass of wine down on the small table beside me; the only sound was the faint clink of crystal in the quiet room, and I turned toward her.

The servant bowed, placed the box on the couch, and took out the dress.

It was a plain cream-colored long gown, not the beautiful red one I had chosen, but it was designed by the top designer in the country.

As she held it up, part of the design tore even more, and her face turned pale. She looked at me with wide and frightened eyes.

"How did this happen?" I shouted.

"Why does my dress look like this, you wretch?"

She lowered her head and stared at the floor.

"I’m talking to you!" I stepped closer, my heels clicking sharply against the floor. "Are you deaf and dumb too?"

She raised her head a little, then quickly looked down again.

"I’m sorry, Miss Winston. It wasn’t me."

I was so furious that I could feel my blood boiling. I grabbed her face and forced her to look up at me.

"If it wasn’t you, then who did it?" I shouted.

I pushed her face away, bent down, and picked up the torn piece from the floor. The fabric is still soft between my fingers.

I looked at her with disgust. Inside, I was burning with anger.

"Not talking, huh?" I said softly, then smiled at her in a cold way.

"Now get out!" My voice echoed through the big room.

The servant quickly grabbed the box and the ruined dress and stumbled out, almost tripping on the stairs in her rush.

I closed my eyes and took a slow breath, trying to calm myself.

The dress had been specially designed for my eighteenth birthday even though it wasn’t the exact one I chose.

My mom came down the stairs, glancing toward the servant rushing past her. She was wearing a beautiful silver gown that hugged her figure perfectly, her hair curled and pinned up elegantly, catching the light with every step.

"What happened, Amelia?" Mom asked, walking up to me.

"Wow, Mom, you look so beautiful," I said, forcing a smile.

She pulled me into a warm hug, the scent of her perfume, soft and floral, wrapped around me. "What just happened, honey?"

I looked up the stairs where the servant had disappeared. "She ruined my dress, Mom."

Mom smiled and patted my hair gently.

"Don’t worry. I already prepared another beautiful dress in your room. I know you will love it."

"Really? Thanks, Mom!" I hugged her tightly.

"Right now, you have to get dressed, our birthday girl," she said, smiling.

"Okay, Mom."

I turned and ran up the stairs, my excitement returning with every step, the soft carpet muffling my footsteps.

As soon as I opened the door, three servants were already waiting inside. They bowed, but I ignored them and rushed to see the dress Mom had prepared.

It was a wine-red long gown decorated with shimmering silver stones. It looked stunning under the light.

"Mom knew my favorite color." I whispered to myself, smiling as I glanced at the jewelry laid out on the table.

Right then, the door opened again. A tall, elegant lady with long, pretty legs walked in. Her curled hair bounced as she moved.

"Miss, please, can we begin?" she asked, setting her box down.

I nodded and sat in the chair in front of the mirror.

She styled my hair, curling it so it fell loosely around my shoulders, and applied a light, smooth makeup.

When I looked in the mirror, I felt happy.

Both the hair and the make-up looked lovely.

I stood up and went to change into the gown. When I came out, the lady gave me a soft smile.

"This is nice. You look stunning, Miss."

"Thank you," I said, smiling back.

The servants helped me put on the beautiful jewelry. I turned around in front of the mirror, feeling like a queen again.

The diamond necklace around my neck was beautiful, and the red gown clung perfectly to my curves and sparkled with every little movement I made.

My bad mood from the ruined dress had completely disappeared.

I made my way down the stairs toward the ballroom where my party was hosted.

The moment I appeared, everyone turned to look. Some stared with their mouths wide open, some stared without blinking, and some stared with their glasses lowered.

Music swelled faintly beneath the hum of conversation, and the scent of fresh flowers and expensive perfume drifted up from the crowd.

"Wow, she’s beautiful."

"Is she Amelia Winston?"

"She’s truly a diva."

I smiled as I descended the stairs, looking stunning and elegant.

My fiancé, Xander Vale, was standing at the bottom of the stairs.

He stretched out his hand, and I took it, letting him guide me the last few steps before we walked toward the front of the room together.

"Baby, you look hot tonight," Xander whispered in my ear.

He was tall and handsome, from the Vale family. Our parents had arranged our marriage since we were children.

"Thanks," I said, taking a sip of champagne, the bubbles light against my tongue.

"Thank you all for coming to celebrate our daughter’s eighteenth birthday," my father’s voice cut through the music as he raised his glass.

"But before we cut the cake, there’s something important we need to tell her."

The ballroom doors swung open suddenly, drawing every eye in the room.

A middle-aged couple walked in with a girl who looked about the same age as me.

She was tall and beautiful. Her hair was tied neatly in a ponytail, and she wore a simple black gown that stood out starkly against all the glittering fabric around her.

I turned to look at my mom. Her face had gone pale. My dad looked nervous, his hand tightening around his glass.

"Sweetheart, can we have a moment?" Mom said, looking at me sadly.

I was still confused about everything that was happening.

"Can someone please tell me what’s going on?" I finally asked, looking at my dad.

"Eighteen years ago, we couldn’t have a child," my father said. "We used a surrogate... but there was a big mistake at the hospital."

Dad held out a paper to me with trembling hands.

"Read it."

"This DNA test proves that you are not our biological child."

The words hit me like ice water. I stared down at the papers.

The ballroom suddenly felt too warm. The music faded into a dull buzz in my ears, and my fingers went numb around the papers. The scent of roses from the flower arrangements became strangely overwhelming, making my stomach churn.

My name was there, with "0% match" next to both my parents’ names. My hands were shaking so hard I almost dropped the papers.

I forced a laugh. "This is a joke, right? Funny birthday prank?"

But no one else was laughing. Mom reached for me, tears already streaking her cheeks.

I stepped back quickly. "No! I’m your daughter! I grew up here. Everyone knows me as the heiress."

"We chose you, we raised you, and we love you," Mom said, her voice trembling.

"But she is our real daughter." She turned and pointed at the girl who had come in with the middle-aged couple.

My heartbeat thundered in my ears as every guest in the ballroom seemed to turn toward the girl. The crystal chandelier above us sparkled brightly, but suddenly the room felt darker, smaller and suffocating.

My eyes met hers immediately. And for a moment, the entire ballroom seemed to fall silent around us.

She had soft, kind eyes that looked straight at me like she could see all my pain and anger. She didn’t look happy or proud like she was taking my place.

But I still felt like someone punched me hard in the stomach.

The red dress suddenly felt too tight. The diamond necklace hung heavy around my neck and felt like it didn’t belong to me anymore.

My perfect life, the big house, the money, the future everyone envied.

It was all fake.

"So I’m just... some random girl?" I said, looking at my parents, tears rolling down my eyes.

"You lied to me my whole life!"

I hated the way my voice was cracking. I hated the tears burning in my eyes.

"I hate both of you!" I shouted.

Mom tried to hug me, but I shoved her away and ran off.

I ran out of the side room, through the whispering guests, and ignored Xander, who was calling my name. Fragments of hushed voices followed me.

"Is it true?"

"She isn’t their daughter?"

"What will happen now?"

The words cut deeper than knives as I pushed through the crowd.

I pushed open the big front doors of the mansion and ran outside.

Rain was pouring down heavily. Cold drops slammed against my face and soaked my red gown.

My hair clung to my cheeks, and my makeup was ruined or probably everything.

My birthday.

My life.

Everything was completely ruined.

I sprinted down the long driveway, my heels splashing through puddles, thunder rolling somewhere above me.

I finally stopped near the iron gates, gasping for breath.

Rain mixed with my tears until I couldn’t tell which was which. For the first time in my entire life, I felt small and scared.

Who was I now?

Just a fake?

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