Falling For The True Heiress

I drove out of the school parking lot, my hands tightening on the steering wheel.

I glanced at my side mirror. Camila was still standing there, watching the spot where I had pulled away.

Tuesdays at Westbrook were Sports Days. Once your activity was over, you were free to leave, which was probably the only reason no teacher stopped me from driving off in the middle of the afternoon.

I pulled into the driveway and started heading toward the garden Camila and I had found back in third grade.

~~~~~ Flashback ~~~~~

On a hot afternoon, I waited for my driver to arrive. I waited for hours but saw no sign of him.

Camila stayed with me. Her own driver had arrived three hours earlier, but she insisted on staying until my car finally came.

"Since your car is taking forever, how about we go for a walk?" She asked, her tone shifting into something lighter.

She already knew I was getting angry. She knew exactly how I reacted whenever that happened. She took my hands, pulled me up from where I sat, and bent down to dust off my skirt.

I smiled and leaned toward her. Camila patted my head and pulled me forward by the hand.

I spotted a stray cat darting across the road.

"Cam, look at that cat," I said, pointing at a stray cat running.

We followed it till we found a garden by accident while following the cat through a gap in an old stone wall.

And found something magical.

A hidden garden.

The garden was breathtaking. Lush green grass is blanketing the ground, and flowers are blooming in every direction. Bright red roses unfurled their petals, yellow sunflowers turned their faces toward the sun, elegant white lilies added quiet grace, and colorful tulips painted the space in shades of pink, purple, red, and orange.

Butterflies drifted from flower to flower. Bees buzzed gently as they worked. The sweet scent of blossoms mixed with the cool afternoon air, creating something calm and refreshing. Birds sang from the trees nearby, adding their own melody to the garden’s quiet charm.

It looked like a living painting, full of color, life, and natural beauty. The perfect place for relaxation and happiness.

"Wow..." Camila gasps, her eyes sparkling as she looks around. "This place is beautiful."

"Mmm," I agreed.

I spread my arms and closed my eyes, letting the fresh air wash over me.

When I opened them again, Camila was crouching among the flowers, brushing her fingers lightly across the petals.

She looked up to me and smiled. "Lia, from now on, whenever somebody makes you angry..."

She gestured toward the garden. "We come here."

I immediately nodded. "You’re the best, Cam," I said, smiling.

I ran over and wrapped my arms around her before planting a quick kiss on her cheek.

~~~~~ End of Flashback ~~~~~

A small smile tugged at my lips as I remembered the memories Camila and I shared. I pressed the gas pedal and zoomed off.

A while later, I arrived at the old stone wall.

Parking the car nearby, I climbed out and walked toward the narrow opening.

The moment I stepped through the gap, warm, fragrant air greeted me just like always.

I closed my eyes, spread my arms, and took a deep breath.

The familiar scent of flowers immediately calmed part of the storm inside my chest.

I made my way to the old wooden bench and sat down.

Unfortunately, the moment I did, my thoughts drifted right back to Sylvia.

A sharp pain suddenly twisted inside my chest. I pressed a hand against it.

Why?

Why was I so angry?

Why couldn’t I stop thinking about it?

Why did the image of Sylvia talking to him make me feel like somebody was squeezing my heart?

I lowered my head. Nothing about this made sense to me.

"Take this." A deep, hoarse voice spoke behind me.

"It’ll help you calm down."

I looked up immediately and froze.

A guy was standing there, holding out a small bottle of water, looking down at me.

He was tall, dressed in a plain white shirt, sleeves pushed up to the elbow, and dark trousers that looked expensive without trying too hard to show it. His hair was a soft, dark brown and a bit messy, like he had run a hand through it one too many times.

But it was his eyes that caught me off guard.

They were amber. A deep, warm amber, like honey caught directly in sunlight, flecked faintly with gold near the center. They had the kind of warmth that made it feel like they could see straight through whatever I was trying to hide.

I blinked, almost forgetting how to speak.

"Sorry." He said, lowering the bottle a bit when I didn’t take it. "I didn’t mean to startle you. You looked like you were about to explode from whatever was going on in your head."

"Who are you?" I asked, finally finding my voice, though it came out rougher than I intended.

"Just someone who also happens to like this garden too." He said, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He held the bottle out again.

"You looked like you needed this more than I did."

I stared at him for a while before slowly reaching out and taking it from his hand.

Our fingers brushed for a second, and I pulled back immediately.

"Thanks," I muttered, twisting the cap open.

He didn’t leave. He just sat down on the other end of the bench.

"You looked like you were about to cry or commit a felony." He said, leaning back and turning a little to look at me.

I let out a soft, surprised laugh.

"I’m Dominic, by the way." He said and smiled at me.

His smile was really beautiful, a small dimple appearing on one side of his cheek. His teeth were white and perfectly aligned, almost too perfect to be real.

I stared at him for a while. "Amelia. " I said finally.

He nodded and looked back at the garden. I glanced at his smile once more before turning to look at the garden too.

~~~~~ Third-person POV ~~~~~

Daniela ran into the parking lot toward Camila, who was still standing in the parking lot.

"Where’s Amelia?" She asked, breathing heavily.

Camila didn’t answer. She just turned and walked back inside.

Daniela frowned and looked around the parking lot. She realized Amelia’s car was gone.

"Looks like she went home." She muttered, running a hand through her hair before hurrying to catch up with Camila.

The moment they reached the badminton courts, Camila walked straight up to Xander.

"Get out of my team." She said, her voice sharp with anger.

"What do you mean, get out of your team?" Xander asked, frowning.

"I said get out. And don’t make me repeat myself."

Xander stared at her and left without any argument. He wasn’t stupid enough to start a fight with Camila Everton.

The Everton family wasn’t known for forgiveness and doesn’t tolerate anyone disrespecting or bullying their daughter, and crossing them could put an entire family’s fortune at risk.

Camila watched him go before shifting her gaze toward Sylvia and stared at her for a moment before walking away.

Daniela pushed herself off the badminton net and approached Sylvia. She looked her up and down. Then turned and followed after her cousin without saying a single word.

Sylvia watched both of them leave.

"Weird." Sylvia muttered, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.

The students had already stopped their warm-ups and were openly staring at the scene.

The moment Sylvia met some of their eyes, they immediately looked away and pretended to focus on their own activities.

Sylvia frowned. "What was going on?"

She continued her warm-up, but her thoughts kept drifting somewhere else.

Why was Daniela here? I thought she was with Amelia. Did something happen?

She turned and walked away, completely ignoring the coach calling after her.

She ran through the hallways, ignoring the curious stares from the students around her as she searched everywhere.

Eventually, she found Camila standing alone in the music hall, her arms crossed as she stared out the window.

"Camila!" she shouted as she rushed inside.

"Where’s Amelia?" she asked, breathing heavily.

Camila didn’t answer. She simply glanced at Sylvia, turned around, and walked away.

Sylvia froze.

For a moment, she just stood there staring at Camila’s retreating back before forcing herself to move again.

Something was clearly wrong, she thought.

She had never seen Camila act this coldly toward anyone before.

Sylvia swallowed hard and hurried back into the hallway. She searched everywhere she could think of.

The library.

The student council room.

The cafeteria.

But she still couldn’t find Amelia.

As she passed the basketball court, she stopped and peeked inside.

Daniela was sitting alone on the bleachers with one leg crossed over the other, scrolling through her phone.

Immediately, Daniela looked up; their eyes met. Daniela stared at Sylvia for a few seconds before lowering her gaze back to her phone. She didn’t say a word.

Sylvia’s heart sank.

Even Daniela was avoiding her.

She looked around one last time, hoping to catch sight of Amelia. But still couldn’t find her.

With trembling fingers, she pulled out her phone and dialed Amelia’s number.

Ring! Ring!

No answer.

She called again. But this time the call didn’t connect.

Her stomach twisted painfully.

"Amelia, please pick up." She whispered, her voice cracking as tears were already stinging at the corners of her eyes.

She tried one more time. Finally, the call started ringing. And the call connected.

"Hey, Minnie," Sylvia said immediately, relief flooding her voice.

"Hi." An unfamiliar voice answered instead.

The unfamiliar male voice that answered made her freeze.

A chill shot down Sylvia’s spine. Her grip tightened around the phone, and fear settled heavily in her chest.

"Who are you?"

Tears were now slipping down her face.

"And why do you have Amelia’s phone?"

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