Falling For The True Heiress

~~~~~ Amelia’s POV ~~~~~

"Hey, Cam, I—"

The call ended before I could finish. I slowly lowered my phone and stared at the dark screen.

Why did Cam sound angry?

I should’ve texted her earlier.

I hugged my phone against my chest and sighed.

...It’s my fault.

I turned toward Mrs. Chloe, who was still moving around the kitchen, gathering ingredients.

"Mrs. Chloe, are you done yet?" I asked.

She looked at me and laughed softly. "Miss Amelia," she said with an amused smile. "I haven’t even started."

She pointed toward the pot on the stove.

"I’ll bring it upstairs once everything is ready."

I nodded. "Okay."

Leaving the kitchen, I walked into the living room.

Mom was seated on the sofa with several documents spread across the coffee table. She looked up the moment she heard my footsteps.

"Honey," she called with a gentle smile. "How’s Sylvia feeling?"

"She’s a little better, Mom."

Relief flashed across her face. "I’m sorry I couldn’t go upstairs to check on her."

She glanced at the files in front of her. "Something urgent came up at the company this morning, and your father had to leave early."

I nodded. "It’s okay."

I stood up again. "I’ll head back upstairs so you can continue working."

Mom smiled warmly. "Thank you, sweetheart."

I smiled back before making my way upstairs. The moment I pushed open my bedroom door, I froze.

Sylvia was sitting comfortably against the headboard.

Wearing...

My shirt.

The oversized blue shirt hung loosely over her shoulders, making her look even smaller than usual.

...

It actually looked really good on her.

Amelia, get a grip.

I quickly shook the thought away before it could go any further.

"Why are you wearing my clothes?" I asked, trying to sound annoyed.

Normally, I hated it whenever people touched my belongings. Especially my clothes.

If someone else wore them, I’d probably throw them away afterward.

But for some strange reason, I wasn’t irritated.

Not even a little.

Instead, seeing Sylvia wearing my clothes made my heart feel oddly warm.

"I just borrowed it," Sylvia replied with an innocent smile, leaning comfortably against the headboard.

I sighed and walked over before sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Should I get you something to snack on while Mrs. Chloe finishes cooking?"

She shook her head. "I don’t really like junk food."

"I figured it out," I said while unlocking my phone.

Cam was definitely angry. And I hated it whenever she was upset with me. Whenever something bothered Camila, she rarely said it out loud.

Instead, she’d post things on her Moments.

Sometimes it was something she wanted.

Sometimes it was something she liked.

Sometimes...

It was just how she felt.

The funny thing was, she never had to wait long to get whatever caught her attention.

She was Camila Everton.

If she posted a handbag in the morning, she’d probably own it before dinner.

Even then, I’d still buy her the same one. And somehow, she always preferred using the one I gave her.

Sometimes she had even given the one she bought herself to one of the servants without a second thought.

A small smile appeared on my lips. She’d always been like that.

I tapped open her Moments, expecting to see another luxury item she had fallen in love with.

Instead...

There wasn’t a single picture. Just a short sentence.

«Disappointment has a quiet voice.»

I stared at the words on Camila’s Moments.

"...What does she mean by this?" I muttered, my eyebrows knitting together.

"Is something wrong?" Sylvia asked softly.

I looked up. Sylvia was watching me from the bed, her head tilted slightly.

I forced a small smile.

"No... it’s nothing."

She stared at me for a second before nodding. "Okay."

I looked back at my phone. Without realizing it, my fingers tightened around it.

What should I do?

My chest felt heavy.

I had already planned to buy her something as an apology, but for some reason, I didn’t think that would be enough this time.

I let out a quiet sigh before setting my phone down. My gaze drifted toward my reading desk.

An idea suddenly crossed my mind.

I walked over, pulled out the chair, and sat down before switching on my laptop. The familiar startup chime filled the quiet room.

A few seconds later, I logged into Valorant and opened the public game chat.

One message from a username, DarkVeil, immediately caught my attention.

«Looking for a duo.»

Without thinking much, I accepted the invitation.

Whenever my thoughts became too loud, I would usually call Camila.

We would spend hours playing together until neither of us remembered what had been bothering us in the first place.

But I couldn’t do that today. Not after upsetting her.

I was here to clear my head. And right now, my mind needed nothing but aggressive gaming.

The agent selection screen appeared.

Without even thinking, I hovered over Jett and click-locked.

Her portrait flashed onto the screen.

Darkveil locked in Sage a second later. And the remaining teammates quickly picked Omen, Sova, and Cypher.

The familiar countdown echoed through my headset.

Three... Two... One...

The countdown reached zero. And the match loaded.

I adjusted my headset, rested my fingers on the keyboard, and stared at the screen for the next thirty minutes.

Match Start.

The moment the barrier dropped, I charged forward without waiting for anyone. Gunfire erupted almost immediately.

Bang!

Bang!

An enemy peeked around the corner. I flicked my crosshair toward them and fired.

Headshot.

Another appeared.

Headshot.

A third tried to flank me.

I spun around and dropped them before they could even pull the trigger.

The announcer’s voice rang through my headset.

"Triple Kill."

I barely heard it.

My fingers flew across the keyboard while my mouse glided violently across the desk.

Click.

Click.

Click.

Every burst of gunfire felt like it was burning away the frustration trapped inside my chest.

Another round.

Another push.

Another fight.

I rushed straight into the enemy team without waiting for backup.

A notification popped up in the team chat.

Darkveil: Easy... you’re overextending.

I ignored it.

An enemy grenade exploded nearby.

The screen shook. I pushed through the smoke anyway.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Another enemy fell.

Then another.

My health dropped dangerously low, but I kept moving. Another message appeared.

Darkveil: You’re playing like you’ve got something to kill.

I clenched my jaw.

Maybe I did.

Not people. Just this stupid feeling.

The next round started. Again, I sprinted ahead before anyone else.

Darkveil: Slow down.

Darkveil: Games are easier when you breathe.

I didn’t answer, and I couldn’t. Because if I stopped moving, if I stopped shooting, I would start thinking about Camila again.

So I played even harder. Every click of my mouse echoed through the quiet room.

Every elimination brought a few seconds of relief.

But only a few. Because no matter how many rounds I won, I still couldn’t stop thinking of Camila’s anger.

"Yeah."

I pushed my chair away from the desk and slowly spun around.

The moment I turned, I accidentally met Sylvia’s gaze.

I looked away almost immediately, but she was still watching me.

"...Are you going to tell me what’s bothering you now?"

A small smile tugged at my lips before fading just as quickly.

I let out a quiet sigh and rubbed the back of my neck, trying to work out the stiffness left behind from the game.

"Fine," I said, resting my elbows on the armrests. "Camila seems angry because I didn’t tell her I wasn’t coming to school today."

Sylvia listened quietly. Then she lowered her eyes for a moment.

"...Did you tell her why?" she asked softly, still not looking at me. Her fingers absentmindedly smoothed the edge of the blanket over her lap.

"I did."

I leaned back in my chair. "I told her I couldn’t leave you alone."

The room fell silent. Sylvia’s head lifted so quickly that a few strands of hair slipped across her forehead. She stared at me as though she hadn’t heard me correctly.

"...You told Camila..." she said slowly. "...that you couldn’t leave me?"

A small smile gradually spread across her face, warm enough to brighten the entire room.

I shook my head and turned back to my computer.

Before I could press another key—

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

"Come in, Mrs. Chloe."

I closed my laptop as the door opened.

Mrs. Chloe walked in carrying a tray. Steam rose gently from the bowl of chicken congee, and the comforting aroma of ginger and chicken quickly filled the room.

"The food is ready, Miss Amelia," she said warmly as she placed the tray on the small round table.

"Thank you, Mrs. Chloe."

I stood and walked toward the refrigerator.

"Is Mom still downstairs?"

Mrs. Chloe had barely opened her mouth to answer when—

Bang!

The bedroom door slammed against the wall.

I spun around.

Mom stood in the doorway, breathing so hard that her shoulders rose and fell with every breath.

Her face had lost all its color.

One hand clutched the doorframe while the other trembled at her side.

My heartbeat instantly quickened. "Mom..."

I hurried toward her. "What’s wrong?"

She looked at me, but for a moment she couldn’t speak.

Her lips parted and closed. Then parted again.

I had never seen her like this before. Fear settled heavily in my chest.

"Mom..." I whispered. "You’re scaring me."

She finally found her voice. It was barely above a whisper.

"...Your father..."

She stopped, swallowing hard as tears welled in her eyes.

"...Your father was in an accident."

Time seemed to stop. The room fell into a deafening silence.

I stood there frozen. Unable to breathe.

Unable to think.

No...

Dad...

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!