Chapter 10
On my daughter’s eighteenth birthday, I happened to come across her classmate’s parent’s post on social media.
[Thanks to my daughter, I got to attend her best friend’s birthday party!]
I smiled warmly. It was nice to know my daughter was making more friends.
However, when I looked closely at the photo, a strange sense of unease began to creep in.”
The party was clearly being held inside our own villa–a lavish celebration with dazzling lights and elegant decor. Yet the girl at the center of it all, surrounded by admiration and applause… was a complete stranger.
And the dress she was wearing–it looked exactly like the custom–designed gown I had commissioned for my daughter. The very one that had cost over two million dollars.
The more I looked, the more something felt off. I decided to check the security footage from our home.
On screen, the unfamiliar girl was smiling graciously as she helped a woman onto the stage. She proudly introduced her to the guests. “This is my mother, the chairwoman of Wilson Holdings.”
In the background, I spotted my own daughter–on her knees.
A group of people were holding her down, forcing her to lick the spilled cream off the floor like a dog.
Rage made my hands tremble. She was claiming to be the chairwoman of Wilson Holdings?”
Then who was I?”
十一口
The head of the wellness center came in with a bouquet of flowers, smiling as she spoke. “Congratulations, Ms. Wilson. Your recovery is going well. You’ll be discharged in a few days!“}
I smiled faintly and picked up my phone, ready to share the good news with my daughter.}
But the moment I opened my feed, I saw another post–this time from Fiona’s mom, one of the other parents in my daughter’s class.
I had deliberately kept my identity private so my daughter could better fit in at school.
Today was her birthday.”
But in the video posted by Fiona’s mom, both the location and the birthday girl’s dress looked uncannily familiar.
Wait a minute–wasn’t that my home?
And that dress… wasn’t that the one i’d spent a fortune on? The one I’d helped design myself as a gift for my daughter’s coming–of–age?% The embroidery in gold thread, the pearls on the neckline–they alone were worth millions!}
My eyes darkened, and I immediately called Emma, our housekeeper.
“Young Miss is hosting a birthday party with her classmates!” she answered cheerfully.
“She said she loved the gifts you sent back!”
“She’s eating cake right now with everyone–she’ll call you later.“}
But something still didn’t feel right.”
Was I overthinking this? Unable to hold back, I sent a private message to Fiona’s mom. She took a long time to reply.
“We don’t really get involved in the kids‘ business,” she said vaguely, dodging the question.
“We’re just parents–we don’t understand much of what goes on.”
Moments later, I checked her profile again, but she blocked me from viewing her posts.
That’s when I decided to call my daughter’s homeroom teacher.”
“Hello, is this Mr. Smith? I’m Frances’s mother. I’d like to ask about how my daughter has been doing lately-“0
“Oh, you’re her mom?” The voice on the other end snapped impatiently. “Took you long enough to call ”
“I’m her new teacher. Mr. Smith already left the school.”
Guilt washed over me. I’d been abroad for health reasons these past two years and hadn’t even known her teacher had changed. But then, the next words made me jump to my feet.!
“Ms. Rachel, I hope you don’t mind me being blunt.”
“Your daughter is just the child of a housekeeper. The fact that Wilson Holdings let her enroll here at all is already a huge favor.“8
“But she clearly doesn’t appreciate it–always asking for leave, never taking school seriously.”
“And this semester’s tuition still hasn’t been paid! You better take care of that soon.“%
“I really don’t understand why she can’t be more like Miss Demi, the real heiress.“%
With that, she hung up without another word.
10:30 AM
