Falling For The True Heiress

"What is really happening?"

"Why would Dad bring up something like that today, of all days?" I muttered, pacing back and forth across my room, my arms crossed tightly over my chest.

~~~ Flashback ~~~~

"There’s also something important I need to tell you both," Dad said, his eyes moving from Sylvia to me.

Sylvia sat up straighter immediately. Dad cleared his throat and settled back against the sofa cushions.

"Matt, bring me the documents." He called toward his secretary.

Mr. Matt stepped in a moment later carrying a folder, which he placed directly into Dad’s hands.

"You girls already know I’m not getting any younger," Dad said, looking between the two of us. "I need someone who can start learning to manage the company."

He opened the folder and laid it flat on the table between us.

"The Winston Group needs a successor."

His gaze settled, slowly, moving from Sylvia to me and back again.

"So tell me. Which one of you should inherit it?"

The question dropped like a bullet, piercing straight through the heart. The room went so quiet I could hear my own heartbeat.

Mom’s hand, which had been resting against my hair, stilled completely. She glanced at Sylvia, then down at me, before turning to face Dad.

"I don’t think now is the right time for this." She said softly.

Sylvia looked at me. She didn’t say anything at first. Then, quietly, she turned to Dad.

"Mom’s right. This isn’t the moment."

There’s no reason to delay the question, though, is there? I’m not even really anyone’s daughter. I’m an outsider who doesn’t know the first thing about her own biological parents. Why would anyone need to think twice about who deserves an inheritance like this?

I pulled myself out of Mom’s arms and looked directly at Dad.

"You don’t need to think about it, Dad. It already belongs to Sylvia," I said and stood up before anyone could respond.

Behind me, I heard Mom smack Dad lightly on the arm.

"Why would you bring this up now? Of all the times you could have chosen."

~~~ End of Flashback ~~~

I was lying flat on my bed now, staring up at the ceiling, replaying the words I’d said downstairs like I could somehow take them back if I thought about them hard enough.

Sylvia really is the biological daughter. The Winston Group should belong to her.

So why does my chest hurt so much? Why does it feel like something is being ripped away from me?

I had grown up in this family. Learned everything from Dad, sitting beside him during meetings I barely understood as a child, listening to him talk about the company like it was a living thing. I had spent years dreaming about the day I would finally walk into Winston Group not as his daughter visiting but as the one running it.

None of that matters anymore, does it?

My phone buzzed against the surface of my desk.

Ring!

Ring!

Ring!

I pushed myself up and walked over to it. The screen lit up, showing the caller’s ID.

Camila.

I answered before the second ring finished, because I already had a feeling I knew what she wanted to talk about.

"Hey, Lia." Her voice came through the speaker, low and quiet.

"Is everything alright, Cam?" I asked.

I always knew when Camila was in a bad mood. I’d known her since childhood; there was nothing about her I couldn’t read by now.

"Yes, I’m fine, Lia." She said, trying to shift her tone.

"You don’t sound fine at all. So tell me what really happened." I said, pulling out my desk chair and sitting down.

"I met someone you would have loved to meet," Camila said.

"Someone I would have loved to meet?" I rubbed my eyebrows, thinking. "Is it Ghost?" I asked immediately.

"Oh girl, you really want to meet him that badly?" Camila asked.

"Of course. I told you hundreds of times, If there’s ever a miracle and I actually get to see him in person, I would hug him and kiss him," I said, smiling at how ridiculous my statement was.

I knew that would never actually happen. It’s impossible for me to ever meet Ghost. I was probably just exaggerating.

Camila burst into laughter on the other end, the kind that made her cough halfway through it.

"What if you saw him tomorrow?" She asked.

"Impossible," I said proudly, leaning back in my chair. "Anyways, how was the meeting with the tutor?"

"Good. He said we should contact him anytime we’re ready," Camila replied.

"Okay. I’ll talk to our teammates in the group chat to figure out when we’re starting." I said, already reaching for my laptop.

"Okay," Camila said and hung up.

I breathed in and let it out slowly before opening my laptop and clicking into the group chat. My fingers hovered over the keyboard.

I stopped immediately.

Wait... why did Camila bring up Ghost? Is she still thinking about his retirement again? I thought we agreed we’d become better than him, not keep mourning him.

I shook the thought off and started typing.

Knock!

Knock!

Knock!

I turned toward the door. Sylvia’s voice came through immediately.

"Amelia, open the door. I want to sleep with you." She said, still knocking.

Sleep with me? What does that even mean? I muttered.

I stood up, walked to the door, and opened it just enough to glare at her.

"Where did you sleep yesterday?" I asked, looking down at her. "Didn’t you sleep in your own room?"

She scratched the back of her head and looked away. "Actually... I slept outside your door last night."

"You did WHAT?" I shouted, staring at her in disbelief.

What is really wrong with this girl? She’s the true heiress. Why isn’t she acting like one?

I shook my head, still completely stunned.

"I really can’t figure you out," I said, rubbing my forehead. I looked at Sylvia, who was already pouting.

"Please, Amelia." She said, tugging at the edge of my uniform and shaking me gently.

"Fine. But you’re sleeping on the sofa," I said, tilting my head with a small smile.

"Okay!" She said, ducking under my arm and slipping straight into the room.

She actually agreed? I said it so reluctantly, half expecting her to argue, and she just... agreed?

I smiled, closed the door, and walked back inside. Sylvia had already jumped onto my bed and stretched out across it.

I sat back down at my desk, turned to my laptop, and typed a message into the group chat.

Amelia: Hey guys, our principal hired a tutor for us.

Danny: Seriously? Is it a man or a woman?

Camila: A mysterious man. [Smiley emoji]

Sasha: Oohh, I hope he’s handsome.

Caleb: Am I not handsome enough for you girls already?

Camila: Not really.

Sasha: We’re already bored of seeing your face every day.

Caleb: Sasha, that really hurt.

Amelia: So when are we starting?

Danny: Tomorrow, please. I want to see this handsome tutor ASAP.

Amelia: Tomorrow it is then.

I closed the laptop and turned toward the bed, where Sylvia was already lounging. She’d already showered and changed into her pajamas. She was leaning back against a pillow, scrolling through her phone with a small smile on her face.

What is she smiling at?

"Do you have a boyfriend?" I blurted out before I could stop myself.

"Yeah." She said, still smiling at her screen.

I nodded and looked away. Something tightened uncomfortably in my chest. I smiled anyway, a strange, bittersweet kind of smile.

Why do I even care if she has a boyfriend? It’s none of my business.

"Do you want to see him?" Sylvia asked, still scrolling.

"No. Actually—no," I said quickly.

She shook her head, smiling, and turned her phone toward me anyway. I leaned forward despite myself.

Why am I so anxious to see her boyfriend?

"What is this?" I asked, pointing at the screen.

"My boyfriend," she said proudly.

"...A puppy?" I asked, almost laughing.

"Mmm. That’s my boyfriend." She said, looking fondly at the photo.

He was, admittedly, ridiculously cute. White fur, fluffy all over; tiny ears that stood straight up; big brown eyes; and dressed in what appeared to be a miniature red pajama set.

I burst out laughing. And somehow, underneath the laughter, I felt relief, maybe. I was happy her "boyfriend" was a puppy and not an actual man.

Why does it matter to me whether her boyfriend is real or not? Why am I relieved?

It’s probably just because I don’t want some guy out there deceiving her. That’s all this is.

Right. That’s exactly what this is.

"Isn’t he cute?" Sylvia asked, snapping me out of my own head.

"He’s cute," I agreed, smiling.

I got up and went to shower. When I came back out, I was wearing my Minnie Mouse pajamas.

Sylvia took one look and burst out laughing. She got up and walked toward me.

"You really like Minnie Mouse that much?" She asked, taking the towel from my hands and starting to dry my hair for me.

"I’m calling you Minnie from now on."

"That is not my name." I said, looking up at her.

We were close. Close enough that I could feel the warmth coming off her skin. I could see every detail of her face this close up. The soft lines of her jaw. Her grey eyes, the kind that made it difficult to look away once you started. The small, soft curve of her mouth.

My heart started racing so fast I could hear it in my ears. I blinked and stepped back immediately.

"I only agreed to let you sleep on the sofa," I said, snatching the towel back and walking quickly toward my dressing table. "Don’t push your luck."

Sylvia just shook her head, that same small smile still on her face.

"Yes, Minnie."

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