Chapter 17 Beneath the Facade
Finished
Leah’s expression was full of disdain. The kindness and gentleness she showed to the Nelsons were completely absent when dealing with her biological parents. Instead, her sharp and bitter true nature was on full display.
“Only two million dollars? What’s there to be so happy bout? The diamond necklace my brother gave me is worth five million dollars.”
Ignorant fools, she thought.
With irritation, she demanded, “Weren’t you supposed to ruin Charmaine tonight, force her to agree to donate her kidney? What kind of useless trash did you hire? They couldn’t even handle one woman!”
The thought of that disgusting man grinning lewdly at her and the filthy things he had said made Leah’s blood boil.
Sophie was equally frustrated. “What kind of skills could that little tramp have? She’s just lucky!”
At this, Leah exploded with fury.
“Charmaine has all the luck, doesn’t she? Everything is handed to her on a silver platter, while I struggle and strive, only to end up with disasters like that fake antique. It’s like I’m cursed!”
Bennett frowned. “What happened? Antique… are you talking about the one you got for Zayn?”
Leah’s eyes reddened. In front of the Nelson family, she was the picture of sweet innocence, but now she was vicious, her expression twisted with rage.
“Everything’s Charmaine’s fault! If she hadn’t come back, none of this would be happening!”
Seeing their daughter so angry, Sophie worried she might do something rash.
She couldn’t help but remind her, “But if it weren’t for Charmaine, we wouldn’t have what we have today…
Leah glared at her mother, her face full of shame and frustration. “I know that!”
From the moment Leah was old enough to understand the world, she knew she was less fortunate than others.
But it didn’t matter. She was the Nelson family’s beloved daughter, their precious treasure. Whatever she wanted, she got. She didn’t have to work for it.
葬
So what if she had bad luck? She was born in luxury. Who wouldn’t envy her?
But that dream was shattered the day before Milo’s 12th birthday.
That was when Bennett and Sophie found her. They told her the unthinkable: they were her real parents. She wasn’t the Nelsons‘ daughter. The real Nelson daughter was Charmaine, who had been raised by the Read family.
They explained that Leah’s birth chart was full of misfortune, while Charmaine’s was the opposite.
Leah didn’t believe them, nor did she want to. She ignored everything they said.
But she was scared. Deep down, she knew she’d grown up spoiled, arrogant, and overbearing, always fording over her brothers. They doted on her because he was their sister, but….
If they found out she wasn’t really their sister, would they still treat her the same way?
So, for Milo’s birthday, Leah racked her brain to give.hmm’a gift he’d never forget.
She hadn’t expected that, while she stood on the beach smugly watching Milo overwhelmed with emotion, a wave would sweep her away!
When she woke up in the hospital, Leah was still groggy, but she vaguely remembered Bennett slipping something into her hand while the Nelsons weren’t looking.
“This is one of Charmaine’s baby teeth. If you want to survive, you have to keep it with you.”
Leah didn’t believe a word of it. She wanted to throw that filthy tooth away, but she was too weak, having barely survived the ordeal.
But the next day, she miraculously recovered.
From that moment on, Leah knew that her fate was tied to Charmaine’s …
Taking a deep breath, Leah said, “Charmaine has cut ties with the Nelsons. You planned all of this to get the Nelsons to bring her back Well, congratulations, it’s all been for nothing.”
“What?” Bennett and Sophie were both stunned. “That girl’s lost her mind! She’s walking away from the good life with the Nelsons? Does she really think she can come back to us?”
Leah rolled her eyes and scoffed. “She doesn’t care about the Nelsons anymore, and you think she’ll want anything to do with the Reads?”
Sophie laughed bitterly.
Leah added, “I don’t know where she met him, but some wealthy businessman came to pick her up in a Maybach.”
today
“Don’t tell me she’s hooked up with that sleazy old tycoon?” Sophie speculated, her voice full of contempt. Leah was irritated. “How would I know? All I know is that today she was acting completely different. She tore the Nelson family apart, grabbed the disownment papers, and left. Your plan is dead. I don’t want her kidney anymore. She’s cut off from the Nelsons, and no one’s going to challenge me for anything now.”
“No, that won’t work,” Bennett interrupted, his tone sharp. “Even if Charmaine is out of the picture, you’re still not the Nelsons‘ biological daughter. Now that the truth is out, do you think things will stay the same for you?”
