Chapter 1

"Your dad was a Wellington. He's dead. Go claim your inheritance."

When I was seventeen, my mom finally told me the truth.

The Wellington family was one of the richest families in the country.

My mom was the mistress. I was the shameful, illegitimate daughter.

At the funeral, trembling under the cold stares of the legitimate heirs, I stammered, "I... I'm here to claim the inheritance..."

I fully expected to be dragged out by security the next second.

Instead, Charles walked over and handed me a black card. "Go on. Call me your brother, and I'll give you ten times your share."

Edward laid out a pen and paper. "How's your math? I can tutor you for the SAT."

Victoria just grabbed me in a tight hug. "Oh my god, you're so adorable! You're my baby sister from now on!"

I stood there, completely bewildered.

I came to fight for the inheritance. Instead, the entire Wellington family spoiled me like crazy.

*****

The smell of disinfectant in the hospital was suffocating, like a net tightening around me, making it hard to breathe.

My mom lay on the hospital bed, her face pale as a sheet.

The doctor held out a payment notice, his voice cold and emotionless.

"If you don't make a payment soon, we'll have to stop the medication," he said.

I clutched the last sixty dollars in my pocket, my fingernails digging into my palm, panic rising in my chest.

My name was Anna Wellington, and I was seventeen years old.

I was a high school senior, and completely broke.

When I got back to the hospital room, my mom suddenly grabbed my hand.

Her grip was way stronger than I expected.

She said softly, "Anna.

"Mom, I'm here," I said, squeezing her hand.

She was breathing hard, then reached under her pillow and pulled out a faded envelope.

"Go to this address," she whispered.

She continued, "Find someone named Richard Wellington."

I froze, staring at it in shock.

The name hit me like a thunderbolt.

I'd only ever seen that name splashed across the financial headlines.

He was the boss of Wellington Holdings, a company so rich it could buy a country.

My mom looked at me, her eyes filled with an emotion I couldn't quite read.

"He's dead," she said quietly.

"You need to go claim your share of the inheritance," Mom said, her voice trembling.

My mind went completely blank, like I'd just been hit by a truck.

"Mom, what did you just say?" I asked.

"Your dad was one of the Wellingtons," she replied.

"He's dead," she said quietly.

"You have to go," my mom said, her voice trembling.

My mom was the other woman.

I was the secret love child nobody ever wanted to acknowledge.

That truth crashed into me like a wrecking ball, smashing everything I'd believed for seventeen years.

Mom was coughing so violently that it sounded like she might tear herself apart.

"Anna," Mom whispered, her voice trembling. "I'm so sorry for everything."

She said, "But... We need money, Anna. We really do."

"A lot of money. More than you can imagine," Mom continued, her voice trembling.

I gripped the envelope, my hands shaking uncontrollably.

There was nothing on it but an address.

The address was the city's most exclusive private cemetery.

I stepped out of the hospital, squinting as the sunlight hit me like a slap.

I flagged down a taxi.

"Hey, can you take me to this address?" I asked, handing over the slip of paper.

The driver glanced at the address, then checked me out in the rearview mirror, eyeing my faded school uniform.

The driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror. There was pity in his eyes.

"Miss, are you heading there... For a funeral?" he asked, sounding a little unsure.

I nodded.

"Yeah. It's my dad's," I replied quietly.

The taxi rolled into the cemetery.

There was no grief here. It felt like a display of wealth.

Every tombstone looked like a miniature palace.

Richard's funeral had reserved the entire heart of the cemetery.

Black Bentleys and Rolls-Royces filled the parking lot.

The people walking around dressed in black custom suits and dresses that cost more than most people's yearly salary.

I was wearing a school uniform that cost barely thirty dollars, feeling like the ugly duckling crashing a billionaire's Swan Lake party.

Just as I stepped forward, a man in a black suit, definitely the butler type, blocked my way.

"Excuse me, miss, may I ask who you are?"

My hands shook as I pulled out the faded envelope.

"I... I'm here to find Richard Wellington."

The butler's eyes flickered when he saw the unique wax seal on the envelope, his expression shifting ever so slightly.

He gave me a respectful nod and gestured for me to follow.

"This way, miss," he said politely.

I followed him, weaving through the crowd.

Countless eyes landed on me, making me feel like every step was under a spotlight.

Some people looked at me with curiosity, others with disdain, and a few seemed to be sizing me up.

My eyes landed on the portrait at the very center of the chapel.

The man in the picture looked refined and commanding, with a sharp gaze.

I realized that this man was my father.

Standing before the portrait were three young heirs, all watching me closely.

There were two guys and a girl standing in front of the portrait.

Their faces had a striking resemblance to the man in the photo.

They were the true heirs of the Wellington family.

They were the ones everyone said would inherit Wellington Holdings one day.

Charles Wellington, Richard's eldest son, stood there with a frosty look and a presence so intense, I couldn't even meet his eyes.

Edward Wellington, Richard's second son, wore gold-rimmed glasses and had that refined-but-dangerous vibe, like a gentleman with a hidden edge.

Victoria Wellington, Richard's eldest daughter, was dressed in a sleek black gown, stunning, but with a hint of danger, like a rose with thorns.

They all noticed me.

Their eyes swept over me like three scalpels, and I felt like they had already cut me open from head to toe.

My heart was pounding out of my chest.

My mom told me I was here to claim the inheritance.

To put it bluntly, I was here to snatch their money.

Standing in front of them, with all those eyes locked on me, I felt like a deer caught in headlights.

The tension was so thick, I could barely breathe.

I was shaking all over, and even my voice trembled when I tried to speak.

"I... I'm here to take the inheritance..." I stammered, barely able to get the words out.

As soon as I finished, I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for what was coming.

I expected tall security guards to drag me out in the next second and throw me on the street like garbage.

The whole chapel went dead silent, the quiet so thick it was suffocating.