The Island Girl, Revenge of the Real Heiress

I was the long-lost daughter of a billionaire family, finally brought home.

On my very first day, a delivery man tried to slit the throat of the fake heiress, Seraphina.

I rushed forward and pushed her out of the way, but the blade sliced deep into my own arm.

Instead of a thank you, my biological mother accused me of staging the whole thing.

"What a performance. You've barely stepped through the door and you're already using these disgusting tricks?"

"Do you think this will make us pity you? Do you think you can replace Seraphina? Look at yourself in the mirror first!"

She laughed cruelly, cradling the fake heiress and calling her "my precious darling."

I felt a chill run through my soul. Then, my own brother shoved me to the floor.

"Get out! We don't want a wicked woman like you in this house! Leave now!"

"Seraphina is our only sister. You're nothing but an island rat from some trailer park in the middle of nowhere!"

I slowly stood up and wiped the blood from my arm. I pulled out my phone and dialed my "poor" father back home.

"Dad, I don't want to stay with these billionaires anymore. They're too poor. Send someone to bring me back to our island."

1.

The other end of the line went silent for a second. Then, a roar like a cornered lion erupted from the speaker.

"Who dares to make my daughter suffer?! Stay right there, Chiara. I'm sending the fleet for you now!"

The living room fell into a deathly silence.

Lydia Sinclair, the woman who was supposed to be my mother, clutched the trembling Seraphina. Her shock lasted only a moment.

In the next second, she burst out laughing as if she had heard the best joke in the world. She snatched the phone from my hand.

"Hello? You old fossil, you actually picked up? Who do you think you are?"

"Sending people? What, in a rusty tractor? Can you even find your way off that rock you call an island?"

"Listen to me. This girl belongs to the Sinclair family now. Whether she lives or dies has nothing to do with you!"

"If you're smart, you'll never show your face again. If you come here, I'll make sure you and your pathetic island vanish!"

She screamed into the phone and then slammed it onto the marble floor.

"Crack!"

The screen shattered into a thousand pieces.

Before I could say a word, a sharp pain shot through my scalp.

"Everyone, come look at this!"

Lydia grabbed my hair and dragged me into the center of the room. She shrieked for the maids and bodyguards to gather.

"Look at this little snake from the sticks! Look at how manipulative she is!"

"She staged a bloody scene to get sympathy, and she even found an old con artist to play along on the phone!"

She leaned down and hissed into my ear.

"Who do you think you are? You grew up picking up trash on a beach. You don't deserve to step foot in the Sinclair mansion."

The wound on my arm was still bleeding.

I never wanted to come back here in the first place.

They were the ones who sent people to the island. They used every trick to tell me I was their biological daughter lost eighteen years ago.

My dad had encouraged me to go. He said they were my blood and might treat me with love.

I looked at Lydia and felt nothing but irony.

"What's with that look in your eyes?"

A cold voice rang out.

My biological brother, Chester Sinclair, kicked me hard in the back of my knees. I collapsed onto the floor.

"Seraphina is traumatized because of you! You almost got her killed!"

"You're a curse to everyone you touch. Just thinking that we share the same blood makes me want to vomit!"

He cursed at me while grabbing my backpack. He dumped everything inside onto the floor.

A soft "thud" echoed as a simple wooden bird rolled across the polished tiles.

My heart tightened. I lunged for it.

But Seraphina's crystal-encrusted heel stepped firmly onto the carving.

"What is this garbage?"

A butler standing nearby shifted uncomfortably. He whispered, "Miss, wait. That wood looks like"

Chester spat on the floor with contempt.

"It's just a piece of scrap wood. Only a peasant would treat this like a treasure!"

"Give it back! My father carved that for me!"

I struggled to crawl toward it, but Chester pinned me down.

Seraphina leaned over and picked up the wooden bird. She weighed it in her hand.

She smiled then, a look that was both innocent and evil.

"Is this all your poor father could give you? A worthless toy? How pathetic."

She raised her hand high and threw the carving into the stone fireplace.

"Snap!"

The bird's wings broke on impact.

"There. That's where trash belongs."

She laughed as the broken wood lay in the cold ashes.

The servants nearby let out muffled giggles.

Tears blurred my vision instantly.

How could they call it worthless?

Last year, when I was very sick, my dad carved that from the rarest Starlight Wood on the island just to make me smile.

He told me the wood had a calming soul. He said as long as I kept it, I would never have nightmares again.

Now, it was broken.

I reached out with trembling hands to gather the pieces, but Lydia kicked my hand away.

She looked down at me with pure disgust.

"A stray dog from the country will always be a dog. Thinking a piece of wood is a jewel!"

She grew violent then. She slammed her elbow into my face.

Blood trickled from the corner of my mouth. My head spun.

But I kept my eyes locked on her.

"What is this noise?! Have you no shame?!"

A commanding voice boomed from behind.

It was the master of the house. My biological father and the CEO of the Sinclair Group, Barrett Sinclair.

He walked into the room with long strides.

Lydia immediately began to cry, twisting the story to make me look like a monster. His face turned as cold as ice.

"Chiara, apologize to Seraphina and your mother right now!"

2.

My hair was a mess. The taste of blood in my mouth made me sick.

I looked at him, unable to believe what I was hearing.

"Why? Seraphina broke my things. Lydia hit me first. Why should I apologize?"

Chester let out a cold laugh. He looked at Barrett with a smirk.

"Dad, you don't even know the half of it. She just called her old man in the country to complain."

"She told him our family is too poor and she wants to go back."

Barrett's expression changed instantly. He looked at me with pure mockery.

"Poor? The Sinclair family is poor? That is the funniest thing I've heard all year!"

His face darkened, and he let out a thunderous roar.

"You hurt Seraphina and you disrespect your elders. You have no shame! Apologize!"

I finally understood everything.

In this house, Seraphina was the crown jewel. I was just the dirt beneath their boots.

"You ignore the truth. You don't deserve to be a father!"

I screamed back with every bit of strength I had left.

"You brat!"

Barrett lost his temper. He grabbed a heavy crystal ashtray from the table and hurled it at my head.

"Thump!"

A sharp pain exploded in my temple. Warm liquid flowed down my face, blurring my vision.

My brain felt like it was exploding. All I could hear were their cruel voices.

"Do you know who we are? Do you know who you are? How dare you act out here?!"

"You won't apologize? Fine! From now on, you live in the servant's quarters."

"You'll do the dirtiest chores. Let's see how long your pride lasts when you're scrubbing toilets!"

He knew I had never worked a day in my life back home. He wanted to break me.

Chester clapped his hands and laughed.

"Dad, that's perfect! She needs to learn her place."

"Yeah! Make her lick our shoes clean first!" Seraphina added, her eyes gleaming with malice.

"Let's see how tough this 'princess' really is!"

Chester grabbed my backpack again and turned it inside out.

This time, an old, faded photograph fluttered out.

My heart stopped.

It was a photo of my father when he was young!

I scrambled to grab it, but Lydia yanked my hair back.

Chester picked up the photo and looked at it with a sneer.

In the photo, my dad wore a simple white shirt. He was sitting in front of a machine that looked incredibly complex.

He was smiling at the camera with focus and pride.

The butler leaned in and gasped quietly. "That machine it looks like the legendary core from"

Chester cut him off. He pointed at the photo and laughed loudly.

"Look at this loser! He looks like a factory worker from the 80s!"

"Give it back! That's my father!"

I screamed, my tears mixing with the blood on my face.

That machine was the energy heart of our island. My father designed it himself.

That photo was one of his most prized possessions. It was the proof of his genius.

Lydia snatched the photo and laughed. "A poor worker. There's nothing worth looking at here."

She pulled out a lighter. "Click."

The flame licked the edge of the paper. It swallowed my father's young face.

"No!"

I lunged forward like a madwoman, but the bodyguards held me down.

Lydia tossed the burning photo into the air.

The hot ashes landed on my face and clothes.

I cried out, trying to catch the remains, but I only caught gray dust.

"Dad"

I curled into a ball on the floor, clutching the ashes and sobbing.

Just then, a man walked in.

I recognized him. He was the family doctor and a famous psychiatrist, Dr. Quinn.

For a moment, I thought I saw a glimmer of hope.

I crawled toward him and grabbed the hem of his pants, begging for help.

3.

Before I could finish a sentence, Seraphina threw herself into Dr. Quinn's arms. She cried like a victim.

"Uncle Quinn! Look! That woman terrified me. My PTSD is coming back!"

"I'm so scared. Does she want to kill me and take my place?"

Uncle? Dr. Quinn was her uncle?

The words hit me like a lightning bolt.

Dr. Quinn hugged Seraphina gently. He comforted her before looking at me like I was a dangerous animal.

He pushed his glasses up and spoke in a cold, professional tone.

"Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair, this girl Chiara, is it? Her emotions are highly unstable."

"She shows clear signs of paranoia and violent tendencies."

"I recommend sending her to a high-security mental asylum for forced treatment immediately."

The afternoon sun streamed through the giant windows, but I felt like I was freezing to death.

I couldn't breathe. My whole body was shaking.

Seeing my despair, Chester walked over with a disgusting grin.

He knelt down and patted my cheek mockingly.

"Stop acting. You really are crazy, aren't you? You have delusions of grandeur?"

"You said we were poor? You want to go back to your island? Where is it? In a fairy tale?"

I looked up with blood-red eyes.

My father and my home were the only things I had left.

I wouldn't let this bastard insult them!

"Slap!"

I used every ounce of my remaining strength to hit Chester across the face.

The room went dead silent.

Chester held his cheek, shocked that I had dared to fight back.

Lydia was the first to react.

"You bitch! You rabid dog! How dare you hit my son?!"

She screamed and charged at me. She swung her hand, her diamond-encrusted nails aiming for my face.

"Rip!"

My cheek was sliced open. It burned like fire.

I felt the warm blood pouring down.

"Ugh! My diamond ring!"

Lydia didn't care about my face. She looked at the skin and blood under her nails with disgust.

"You got your filth on my custom ring! You could never afford to pay for this!"

I held my face and glared at her.

"I can't pay for the ring, but I can make sure you and your son end up in the ground with it."

Chester was fuming. He stood up, breathing heavily.

"Still talking back? Fine! Today I'll show you what hell feels like!"

"Tie her up! Gag her! Throw her in the basement!"

"No food. No water. Let's see how long she lasts!"

Barrett Sinclair stood there watching like a cold statue.

He didn't stop them. He just added a cold remark.

"Do it. Maybe she'll finally reflect on her behavior."

I looked at their twisted, ugly faces and spat blood at them.

"Rot in hell! None of you deserve to live!"

I pointed my finger at each of them.

"All of you! You're monsters hiding in expensive suits!"

"When my father gets here, none of you will escape!"

Chester laughed hysterically. He looked at me like I was a lunatic.

"Oh, I'm so scared! The island king is coming!"

His smile vanished. He barked at the guards. "What are you waiting for?! Tie her up! Throw her down!"

The massive guards moved in with wicked grins.

They grabbed my arms and twisted them behind my back.

"Get off me! You animals!"

I struggled and screamed.

But my voice was drowned out by the family's laughter.

"Stop! You can't do this to the young mistress!"

An elderly maid, Mrs. Higgins, suddenly ran into the room.

4.

She was trembling, but she spread her arms to shield me.

"Sir, Ma'am, she is your flesh and blood! Look at her eyes. She looks exactly like the Old Mistress when she was young!"

She was the first and only person to speak for me.

My tears finally broke. I choked out, "Mrs. Higgins"

Lydia just gave a signal. Two guards grabbed the old woman.

Lydia walked up and slapped Mrs. Higgins across the face.

"Slap!"

"You old hag! Who gave you permission to speak?"

Mrs. Higgins' lip bled, but she kept looking at Barrett.

"Sir, have you forgotten? The Old Master told you on his deathbed to find her and treat her well"

"Shut up!"

Barrett roared as if a nerve had been touched.

"Guards, throw this old trash out of my house! She's fired!"

Mrs. Higgins was dragged away. Her desperate cries faded into the distance.

"Miss this is a sin may God forgive them"

I watched the only light in the room go out.

Despair swallowed me like a tidal wave.

More kicks and punches landed on my body.

I heard Chester's curses, Lydia's laughter, and Seraphina's giggles.

But those sounds started to feel far away.

I felt like I was floating.

I saw my father. He was standing nearby in his white shirt, looking at me with a gentle smile.

I ran toward him with everything I had.

"Dad! Dad!"

I called out, but he didn't answer.

He just looked at me and said softly, "Chiara, you're grown up now. It's time to make your own choice."

But Dad, I already chose. They won't let me go.

I was so tired. I didn't want to be here anymore.

I reached out, but his image started to fade.

Just as my consciousness was slipping into the dark, a massive roar came from the sky.

"VROOOOMDVROOOOMD"

The sound got louder and louder, like a thousand engines thundering at once.

The windows of the mansion began to rattle and shake.

Everyone in the living room stopped. They looked out the window in confusion.

I forced my swollen eyes open.

Three jet-black, high-tech attack helicopters were hovering directly over the mansion.

The massive rotors kicked up a windstorm, bending the trees in the garden.

A blinding searchlight from the lead chopper locked onto the house, centering right on me.

Then, a synthesized voice boomed through a loudspeaker, shaking the very earth.

"Warning! This is Ark Security. We are here on behalf of Mr. Jaxon to retrieve Chiara Jaxon."

"Release Miss Jaxon immediately, or we will take lethal action!"

"Repeat, this is not a drill!"

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