Chapter 3: The Woman Who Wanted Me Gone
The next morning, my face was everywhere.
Not because I was a thief.
Because I was the missing daughter of the Sterling family.
The headlines were impossible to avoid.
*BILLIONAIRE DANIEL STERLING FINDS LOST SISTER AFTER 24 YEARS*
*MYSTERY OF THE SILVER LOCKET*
*VICTORIA HAYES ACCUSED OF HIDING FAMILY SECRET*
I sat inside a guest room at Sterling Manor, staring at the newspaper in my hands.
A room bigger than the entire apartment where I had lived.
A bed softer than anything I had ever slept on.
A family portrait hanging above the fireplace.
But I didn’t feel like I belonged.
I felt like an intruder wearing someone else’s life.
A quiet knock came at the door.
“Come in.””
Daniel entered.
Without the suit.
Without the billionaire image.
Just a tired man carrying a cup of coffee.
“I didn’t know how you take it,” he said.
I almost smiled.
“Black.””
He looked surprised.
“That’s exactly how Lily used to drink it.””
My smile disappeared.
“Don’t do that.””
Daniel stopped.
“Do what?””
“Compare me to someone you lost.””
His expression softened.
“You are someone I lost.””
The words hurt more than I expected.
I looked away.
“I don’t remember being your sister.””
“I know.””
“I don’t remember your parents.””
“I know.””
“I don’t remember this house.””
Daniel sat across from me.
“But I remember you.””
I looked at him.
“What?””
He smiled sadly.
“You were four years old. You hated wearing shoes.””
A small laugh escaped him.
“You would hide them every morning before leaving the house.””
I shook my head.
“I still hate uncomfortable shoes.””
Daniel laughed quietly.
For a moment, we weren’t strangers.
We were family.
Then his expression changed.
“There’s something you need to know.””
The warmth disappeared.
“What?””
“My mother kept searching for you until the day she died.””
I lowered my eyes.
“She never gave up.””
“Why didn’t anyone find me?””
Daniel hesitated.
“That’s what we’re trying to discover.””
A sound interrupted us.
A phone ringing.
Daniel looked at the screen.
His face immediately changed.
“Marcus?””
He answered.
“What happened?””
I watched his expression grow darker.
“Send me everything.””
He ended the call.
“What is it?””
Daniel stood.
“Marcus found records from the night you disappeared.””
My heart started racing.
“What records?””
“Police reports.””
I stood.
“And?””
Daniel looked at me.
“The report was changed.””
The room suddenly felt too small.
“Changed by who?””
He didn’t answer.
That was the answer.
A few hours later, we sat in Daniel’s private office.
Marcus placed a folder on the desk.
“The original report disappeared from the police archive,” he explained.
“Then how did you find it?”” Daniel asked.
Marcus opened the folder.
“Your father kept copies.””
Daniel froze.
“My father?””
“Yes.””
Inside was an old handwritten note.
Daniel picked it up.
His face became pale.
“What does it say?””
He read silently.
Then whispered:
“He knew.””
I stepped closer.
“Knew what?””
Daniel handed me the paper.
The handwriting was shaky.
But the message was clear.
*They didn’t take Lily. Someone inside this family gave her away.*
I stopped breathing.
Someone inside the family.
Daniel looked destroyed.
“Our family betrayed itself.””
Before I could respond, the office doors suddenly opened.
A woman stood there.
Older.
Elegant.
Her eyes immediately locked onto me.
Daniel turned.
“Aunt Eleanor?””
The woman ignored him.
She stared at my locket.
Then whispered:
“Oh my God.””
I touched the pendant.
“What?””
She took one step forward.
“You’re alive.””
Daniel looked confused.
“You knew?””
Eleanor’s face filled with fear.
“I thought…”
She stopped.
Daniel’s voice hardened.
“You thought what?””
The woman looked at me.
Then at Daniel.
“I thought your father buried the truth forever.””
Nobody moved.
Daniel stepped closer.
“What truth?””
Eleanor’s hands trembled.
“The night Lily disappeared…”
She swallowed.
“Your father wasn’t the only person who knew.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“Who else knew?””
Eleanor looked toward the hallway.
Like she was afraid someone might hear.
Then she whispered the name that made Daniel freeze.
“Victoria’s mother.””
The silence afterward was unbearable.
Because suddenly, the woman who framed me at the gala wasn’t just trying to hide a secret.
She was protecting one.
And the next document Marcus placed on the desk proved something even worse.
May you like
Victoria hadn’t discovered me by accident.
She had been searching for me for years.
