Falling For The True Heiress

~~~~~ Amelia’s POV ~~~~~

I was still sitting frozen in the driver’s seat, my fingers curled loosely around the steering wheel. The warmth of Sylvia’s lips lingered in my mind far more vividly than it should have.

The car had gone completely silent. The engine was off, leaving only the faint chirping of crickets outside and the distant rustle of leaves swaying in the evening breeze.

Why...

Why did Sylvia suddenly kiss me?

Maybe...

Maybe she only did it because Ela kissed me today.

That had to be it.

Right?

Ring!

Ring!

Ring!

The sharp sound of my phone shattered my thoughts.

I jumped slightly before twisting around to reach for my bag on the back seat. After fumbling through notebooks, chargers, and a packet of tissues, I finally found my phone. The screen lit up with a familiar name.

Camila.

I answered immediately.

"Hey, Lia. Are you okay?" Camila asked, her voice low and soft.

I leaned back against the seat and let out a slow breath. "Why are you asking?"

"Because of how you left in a hurry." She replied. "Did Sylvia provoke you again?"

My free hand shot into the air before I even realized it, like she could see me through the phone. "No," I said a little too quickly.

The memory of that kiss flashed through my mind all over again, my face flushing hot.

"Lia?" she called.

"I’m... fine."

"Okay," Camila said quietly. "Call me if you need anything." And she ended the call.

I stared at the dark screen for another second before slipping the phone back into my bag. I took a deep breath, stepped out of the car, and locked it behind me.

The soothing fragrance of lavender drifted from Mom’s garden on the cool evening breeze as I walked toward the front door.

The moment I stepped inside, Mom came rushing toward me. "Honey, what really happened today at school?" She asked, eyes full of worry.

What was I even supposed to say? That I got angry seeing Xander near Sylvia? Would that even make sense to her?

I forced a small smile. "Nothing, Mom."

Mom frowned because she knew I was lying. "You always say ’nothing’ whenever something is wrong."

She stared at my face for a second. "Then why is your face so red?"

Before I could answer, she placed the back of her hand against my forehead. "You’re not coming down with a fever, are you?"

I glanced past her and spotted Sylvia curled up on the single-seat sofa with her legs crossed. Her school bag rested beside her and a bowl of ice cream rested on her lap. She looked up the moment I walked in, smiling.

My eyes caught the tiny smear of melted ice cream clinging to the corner of her lips.

Before I could stop myself, I wondered what it would feel like to wipe it away.

My heart skipped a beat before racing fast, my face burning even hotter than before. The memory of the kiss flashed through my mind again.

"Amelia?"

I spun around and bolted up the stairs without answering Mom at all.

Behind me, I heard Sylvia let out a soft chuckle.

I didn’t dare look back. I shoved myself into my room, slamming the door hard enough that I felt the walls shudder a little, and I stood there with my back pressed against it. My heart still refused to calm down.

I stood there for a few more minutes before finally locking my door and walking over to my bed.

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

Sylvia watched Amelia disappear upstairs before another soft laugh escaped her lips. She dipped her spoon back into the bowl, scooping another bite of melting ice cream.

She shook her head, a small smile still lingering on her lips.

Mrs. Stella Winston remained standing in the middle of the living room, still staring toward the staircase. She had never seen Amelia react like that before.

"I hope she’s alright?" Stella said, turning toward Sylvia.

Sylvia just shrugged, her eyes drifting toward the staircase Amelia had disappeared up moments before.

Stella walked back and sank into the sofa, still glancing up the stairs every few seconds.

After a moment, she called for the butler.

"Bring me Amelia’s spare room key." Stella said when the butler appeared.

"Yes, ma’am." He said it, turned, and left.

The butler returned with a small key ring and placed it in her hand.

Stella turned to Sylvia, who was still scrolling through her phone between bites of melting ice cream.

"Sylvia, dear," Stella said softly. "Take this. Just in case she refused to open the door for you." She held the keys out toward her.

Sylvia looked down at them, then up at Stella, who gave a small nod, as if confirming she’d heard exactly what she said.

Sylvia stared at the keys for a moment before taking them.

"Thank you."

Sylvia placed the half-finished bowl of ice cream on the coffee table and quietly made her way upstairs.

~~~~~ Amelia POV ~~~~~

I sat on the edge of my bed, but I couldn’t stay still. My heart still wouldn’t calm down.

I began pacing from one side of the room to the other, barefoot against the cool marble floor.

Why was I reacting like this?

I didn’t understand.

Camila always kissed my cheek whenever she was happy. Daniela had kissed my cheek today too.

Both of them had caught me by surprise, but...

But neither had made my heart feel like it wanted to leap out of my chest.

This...

This was different. Sylvia had kissed me on the lips, and ever since then my heart refused to slow down.

The moment I thought about it again, my face grew hot.

"Ah..."

I covered my face with both hands.

Why did my heart keep beating so fast?

I ran a hand through my hair before walking back to my bed. I let myself fall onto it and buried my face in my pillow.

The familiar scent of fresh laundry surrounded me.

It should have been comforting. But instead...

All I could think about was Sylvia.

"Why am I like this..."

Knock!

Knock!

Knock!

A knock on my door pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Mom..." My voice came out muffled through the pillow.

"I’m about to sleep," I groaned, trying to sound as tired as possible.

The door clicked open, and I turned toward it lazily.

The words I was about to say got stuck in my throat.

Sylvia.

She stood quietly by the door, one hand still resting on the doorknob. The moment our eyes met...

Thump.

My heart gave a loud, heavy beat. Every memory of what had happened in the car came rushing back at once. Heat crept up my neck, and I quickly looked away.

I already knew Mom would give Sylvia my spare key. That’s why I didn’t even bother asking how she got into my room.

She walked over slowly. Each soft tap of her footsteps echoed across the polished marble floor until she stopped beside the bed.

Close enough that I had to tilt my head back to look at her.

Then she leaned down slightly. "Are you shy because I kissed you?" she asked, as casually as if she were asking what I’d had for dinner.

"Who’s shy?" I shot back, sitting up a little too quickly.

A small smile curved her lips. And she leaned closer until her mouth was inches from my ear. "Are you sure, Minnie?"

Her warm breath brushed against my skin, and a shiver raced down my spine. My fingers curled into the bedsheet. I could feel my ears and my face burning.

She slowly pulled back just enough for our eyes to meet. I looked at her, and without meaning to, my eyes drifted down to her lips.

The memory of how soft they had felt slipped into my mind before I could stop it. My stomach fluttered. I jerked my gaze away as if I’d been caught doing something wrong.

What am I thinking?

I quickly looked away and shook my head, trying to brush the thought away.

Sylvia let out a quiet laugh. "If you don’t like this..." she said softly, staring at my face. "Then stop letting other people kiss you."

I frowned immediately. "Why?" I asked.

The question escaped from my mouth before I could realize what I just said.

She didn’t answer. Instead, she reached out and flicked my forehead lightly.

"Go freshen up," she smiled softly. "You’ll feel better."

Then she turned around and walked out of my room, leaving me sitting there completely confused.

The room suddenly felt far too quiet.

I slowly touched my forehead. And then my lips.

I stared back at the closed door for a moment.

"...What does that even mean?"

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