Falling For The True Heiress

"Did you actually—"

"Hey." Camila cut me off with a small frown. "Don’t finish that sentence."

I raised an eyebrow, still staring at her suspiciously.

She tried to keep a straight face, but the corners of her lips twitched. With a small huff, she turned around and walked back to her seat.

I kept staring at her until she sat down.

Daniela only smiled and shook her head before walking over to her own seat.

A soft laugh escaped my lips. I shook my head.

Honestly, those two were impossible.

I turned toward Sylvia. She’d been looking at me the whole time, with a faint smile resting on her lips.

The moment our eyes met, she immediately looked away and put on a serious expression, as though she had never smiled at all.

I couldn’t help chuckling again.

Did she actually smile at me?

I tilted my head from side to side before reaching into the paper bag.

I pulled out a chocolate bar, unwrapped it, and took a bite.

The rich sweetness immediately melted on my tongue. And it somehow tasted even better because she bought it for me.

Camila watched me quietly for a moment before reaching over and ruffling my hair.

"Cam..." I complained, quickly fixing my hair with both hands. "You’re messing it up."

She only laughed.

A moment later, Miss Olivia walked into the classroom.

The conversations gradually faded as everyone hurried back to their seats.

She placed her books on the desk and began the next lesson.

The rest of the afternoon classes passed by without anything unusual happening.

Before long—

Ring!

Ring!

Ring!

The dismissal bell echoed through the classroom.

Students immediately began packing their bags while conversations filled the room once again.

"Hey, Lia."

I turned toward Camila. "Hm?"

She was already on her feet, slinging her bag over one shoulder.

"You’re staying for practice today, right?"

I nodded. "Mmm."

She smiled. "How about I take you to see your dad first?" she suggested as she walked over to my desk.

"Then we can head back together for practice."

"Okay then."

The answer left my mouth before I could even think.

Then I froze.

Looks like I really forgot I have a girlfriend.

I slowly turned toward Sylvia. And then I looked back at Camila.

Before I could say anything, Daniela spoke first.

"Don’t worry," she smiled. "Sylvia can ride with me."

She looked at me and waved a hand dismissively. "You just focus on practice, Lia."

For a moment, I hesitated.

Honestly, I would’ve loved to drive with Sylvia.

But the e-sports tournament was getting closer. I couldn’t let my team fall behind because of me.

I finally nodded. "Okay."

I stood up and handed my car keys to Daniela. The moment I did, Camila reached over and picked up my school bag before I could.

I looked toward Sylvia. She finally raised her head.

I smiled warmly and gave her a small wave.

"I’ll see you later."

She didn’t say anything. She simply gave me a small nod.

That alone was enough to make me smile again. Then I turned around and left the classroom with Camila.

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

Sylvia’s eyes remained fixed on the classroom door long after Amelia disappeared down the corridor with Camila.

It felt as though something inside her chest was tightening.

It hurt more than she wanted to admit.

She wanted to be the one walking beside Amelia. She wanted to be the only one Amelia smiled at. She wanted to be the one carrying her bag.

She wanted to be the one driving home with her.

Even though she knew Amelia loved her, she still couldn’t bear watching her leave with someone else.

"...Ehem."

Daniela cleared her throat, pulling her out of her thoughts.

Sylvia slowly turned to look at her.

Daniela was still staring toward the classroom door where Amelia and Camila had disappeared.

She let out a quiet sigh. "I haven’t even started my mission yet..."

She shook her head with a helpless smile. "...and I’m already thinking of giving up."

Sylvia frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

Daniela glanced at her before shaking her head. "Nothing."

Sylvia continued staring at her. Daniela leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms across her chest before turning fully toward Sylvia.

"You know..." she began thoughtfully. "If I didn’t already know about my cousin and Amelia’s relationship..."

She rolled her eyes and paused before letting out a helpless laugh.

"...I’d honestly think they were girlfriends."

Sylvia’s fingers slowly curled into a fist beneath the desk.

Daniela didn’t seem to notice and continued.

"Honestly, everyone else thought that too."

She shrugged and rested her chin on one hand.

"Even Uncle and Auntie suspected something at one point."

"But they never jumped to conclusions. Because they knew Amelia was engaged."

"And everyone also knew she wasn’t interested in girls."

Daniela let out another slow breath. "I guess I’ll just have to wait until after the tournament."

"Then I’ll finally get to spend more time with Amelia."

She looked back at Sylvia.

This time, her smile faded. "...Are you okay?"

Sylvia lifted her head slightly. "Why are you asking?"

Daniela smiled softly. "Because you’ve been acting strange all day."

"I’m fine," Sylvia said and looked away almost immediately.

Daniela chuckled quietly. "I hope so."

Then she leaned forward slightly. "Just don’t get jealous because of Camila."

Sylvia’s eyelashes trembled just a little.

Daniela noticed and sighed. "Those two have been together since they were little."

"Honestly, I’ve never seen anyone separate them." She paused before adding quietly,

"And the scariest part?"

"Sometimes I think they’d choose each other over everyone else."

She smiled bitterly. "Even their own families sometimes come second."

There was silence between them. Then Daniela’s voice softened as she leaned back in her seat.

"So..." she said, tilting her head.

"What do you think you can do against something like that?"

~~~~~ Amelia’s POV ~~~~~

I was actually relieved and couldn’t help smiling at myself.

At least Sylvia wasn’t angry that I was leaving with Camila.

"Hey, Lia."

Camila’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

I turned to look at her.

"Should we buy some apples on the way?"

I nodded immediately.

"Mmm."

Then I suddenly remembered the old woman I had helped yesterday.

"Let’s buy two baskets."

Camila simply nodded without asking why. She never questioned little things like that.

We made our way to the parking lot.

The afternoon sun reflected off the glossy surface of her car as we approached it.

Camila pressed the unlock button on her key fob. And the headlights flashed once.

She walked over to the passenger side and pulled the door open for me.

I smiled. "Thank you."

I slipped into the seat while she walked around to the driver’s side.

A moment later, she climbed in beside me and closed the door.

Instead of starting the car immediately, she turned and stared at me.

I frowned slightly. "...Why are you looking at me like that, little munchkin?"

She snorted. Without saying a word, she leaned closer and reached up to my hair.

Her fingers gently brushed through the messy strands as she fixed them.

"Why is your hair such a mess?" she asked, a small frown appearing on her face.

I blinked. "Weren’t you the one who messed it up?"

She paused for half a second before pretending as though she hadn’t heard me.

I couldn’t help laughing as I helped her fix the last few stubborn strands that refused to stay in place.

When she finally seemed satisfied, she leaned back, fastened her seat belt, and started the engine.

The soft hum of the engine filled the car.

She had just shifted into gear when something outside caught my attention.

I turned toward the windshield.

Sylvia...

She was walking across the parking lot with Daniela beside her.

For a second, my eyes stayed on her before I quietly looked away.

"Let’s go, Cam."

Camila nodded and gently pulled out of the parking lot.

I glanced back at the rearview mirror. My eyes searched for Sylvia among the students walking across the school grounds.

But I couldn’t see her. She was already out of sight.

A small sigh escaped my lips as I turned away from the mirror and quietly faced the road ahead.

A few minutes later, we arrived at the hospital.

Camila drove straight to the parking lot before bringing the car to a smooth stop in an empty parking space and switching off the engine.

I stared out through the windshield at the hospital building.

A slow breath escaped my lips.

Camila reached over and rested her hand lightly on top of mine.

"It’s going to be okay," she said with a small smile.

I smiled back and nodded. "Mmm."

I reached down to unbuckle my seat belt.

Click.

It didn’t open.

I frowned and tried again. It still didn’t open.

For some reason, I was suddenly reminded of that night. The night we returned from the hospital.

My seat belt had refused to open then too.

A small smile found its way onto my face as I remembered Sylvia leaning over to help me.

Without realizing it, I found myself waiting for the same thing to happen.

Camila glanced down at the stubborn seat belt before leaning across the center console.

For one ridiculously stupid second, I imagined it was Sylvia.

Camila pressed the release button.

Click.

The seat belt finally came loose.

"There." She leaned back with a satisfied smile.

"All done, little kitten."

I blinked. The fantasy vanished instantly.

I cleared my throat and quickly looked away.

Camila tilted her head. "What’s wrong?"

A teasing smile tugged at her lips.

"Did something get stuck in your throat?"

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