Falling For The True Heiress

"What about your car?" I asked as I got into the driver’s seat. "Who is going to drive it home?"

"Already texted the driver," Sylvia said without looking up from her phone.

"Okay," I said and started the car’s engine.

"Take me to a shopping mall." She said, still scrolling through her phone.

I turned to look at her slowly. "Am I your servant?"

"Yes." She said and still did not look up from her phone.

I stared at her for a moment. My hands tightened on the steering wheel.

What could I even say to that?

I said nothing. I put the car in drive and pulled out of the parking lot.

When we arrived at Sykes Shopping Mall, I drove into the parking lot and stopped the engine. Sylvia was already opening her door before I even unbuckled my seatbelt.

Sylvia got out and walked straight into the mall. I locked the car and followed behind her.

She bought a few clothes since she didn’t have many formal dresses. She also picked out some shoes, bags, skincare, and makeup.

She made me carry everything she bought, walking behind her like her personal servant.

I was walking three steps behind her through the mall, both arms full of shopping bags, watching her move from store to store.

I looked down at the bags hanging from both my arms. Then I looked up at Sylvia walking ahead of me, already pushing open the door to the next store.

Is she opening a boutique? Or is this genuinely her idea of torment?

Amelia. This is exactly what I warned you about. She was being nice so you would lower your guard. And look at you now. Carrying her bags.

I shifted the bags to my other arm and kept walking. I had no one to blame but myself.

We were walking past an accessories store when I heard someone laughing.

"Hey, isn’t that Amelia Winston?"

I slowed down a little, still walking.

"Yeah, that’s her. The fake one."

I stopped immediately.

The voice came from a group of girls standing near the store entrance. I recognized one of them from school.

Priya Hendricks.

She was always somewhere during school events, never important enough to be noticed but always desperate to be. And now she had finally found her moment.

"I heard her parents announced it at her own birthday party." Priya said, loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.

"Imagine finding out in front of everyone that you’re not even their real daughter."

The girls with her laughed.

"So embarrassing," one of them said.

"And to think she used to walk around like she owned everything," Priya said, shaking her head. "Turns out she owned nothing."

My hands tightened around the shopping bags. Something was burning behind my eyes that I refused to let become tears.

I was about to walk away when I felt the bags being lifted from both my arms at once.

I turned around. It was Sylvia.

Sylvia had taken every single bag from me. She was now holding everything herself, and she turned and walked directly toward Priya’s group.

"Excuse me," Sylvia said, stopping in front of them.

Priya looked up. Her eyes moved from Sylvia to me and back to Sylvia.

"I just wanted to introduce myself," Sylvia said, smiling. "I’m Sylvia Ashford. The real daughter of the Winston family."

The girls went completely quiet.

"I heard what you just said," Sylvia continued, her voice still soft. "And I want to clarify something for you."

She tilted her head a little.

"Amelia Winston is my sister. She grew up in that house, loved by our parents, and nothing about that has changed. Not the house. Not the name. Not even the love."

She smiled again.

"So whatever you think you know about our family, I would kindly suggest you keep it to yourself. Because the next time I hear someone speaking about my sister that way —"

She paused and looked at each of them.

"I won’t be this easygoing with you."

Priya opened her mouth and then closed it, not knowing what else to say.

Sylvia turned back to me like nothing had happened.

"Let’s go," she said, walking away.

I just stood there staring at this girl who had every reason in the world to let those girls say whatever they wanted about me.

Who had every reason to agree with them.

Who had every reason to walk away.

And instead, she had stepped in front of me without hesitating even for one second.

"Amelia," Sylvia said softly. "Looks like you love standing."

I took the bags from her, and we walked away. I didn’t say anything to her.

My sister.

She had called me her sister in front of everyone.

When we reached the car I loaded Sylvia’s bags into the backseat and then turned to face her.

"Why did you help me? Was it because you pitied me?" I said, tears already stinging my eyes.

"No," Sylvia said immediately, shaking her head. "Amelia, don’t think like that."

"Then don’t help me next time," I said.

I opened the driver’s door and got in before she could respond.

Sylvia walked around to the other side and got in quietly. I started the engine and pulled out.

I kept my eyes on the road the whole time.

And neither of us spoke anything throughout the drive home.

When I pulled into the gate and parked, I turned to Sylvia one last time.

"Give my car keys to the butler."

I pushed my door open and walked straight into the mansion without looking back.

I could feel her eyes on me as I walked away. But I didn’t turn around.

Inside, Mom and Dad were curled up together on the living room sofa watching something on TV.

"You’re back, honey," Mom said, looking up with a soft smile. Then her eyes moved past me. "Where’s Sylvia?"

"Mom," I said softly. "Don’t give out my extra keys to anyone."

I didn’t wait for her response. I went straight up the stairs.

A few minutes later I heard the front door open. Sylvia came in with her bags, called the butler, and handed him my keys.

Then I heard Mom’s voice from downstairs.

"What happened, Sylvia?"

"It’s a long story, Mom," Sylvia said and walked upstairs.

I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling, thinking about what happened today and what I would face tomorrow at school.

I fell asleep without even realizing it.

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