Chapter 4

I was confused, and Reg and Violet clearly had no idea what Evangeline was playing at either.

So all three of us picked up the DNA test and looked.

It was the paternity test between me and Reg and Violet, and it said plainly that we had no parent-child relationship. Not only that, there wasn't even the blood tie there should have been.

“If you're my aunt, my grandparents' late-born daughter, then why is there no relation between you and my parents?”

“The result is obvious. After I was lost all those years ago, Mom and Dad were heartbroken, and so were Grandma and Grandpa, so they pretended Grandma was pregnant and brought a fake like you home!”

“My parents have been so good to me, never had another child all these years. That's proof enough that they love me, so they could never accept adopting a counterfeit like you. And Grandma and Grandpa knew all of it, which is why they said you were their own child!”

“If you don't believe it, the two of you can go get tested again!”

I froze.

For a moment I didn't know what to say. Evangeline loved to talk nonsense and pin things on me, but this test result didn't look fake.

And the fact that she could so brazenly tell us to go run the test again only made it more convincing.

I wanted the truth.

So I ignored Evangeline, took out my phone, and started to call my parents to get an answer.

But Evangeline snatched the phone away.

“Calling for backup?”

“You think Grandma and Grandpa will let you stay for old times' sake? Dream on!”

“Why do you think I'm telling you all this today? Because I have to deal with you before they get back from overseas.”

“Today, I'm selling you off, you fake, so you can never come back and take what belongs to me and my parents!”

Reg glanced at me, looking like he'd gone a little soft.

“Evangeline, whether or not Amber is your aunt, we have no right to say...”

Evangeline clicked her tongue.

She looked at Reg like she wanted to shake some sense into him.

“Dad, you think I'm driving her out just to be the only real heiress of the Baxter family?”

“No, I'm doing it for you!”

“I've looked into all of it. Grandma and Grandpa dote on her. She'll be your rival when you take over the Baxter business. You show her mercy, but you think she'll show you any when she's grabbing your inheritance?”

Reg frowned, but Violet took it in.

“Evangeline's right. Mom and Dad really do adore her. If she were your real sister, splitting half the fortune would be understandable, but a counterfeit, a fake heiress taking half, that... that makes no sense!”

I looked at the three of them in front of me.

A chill went through me. I couldn't bear to think what they meant to do, so I whipped around to run.

But Evangeline had already guessed I would, and she grabbed a vase and threw it straight at me. My head throbbed once, and then something warm was running down from my scalp onto my face.

The world spun and I went down.

“You're insane. Mom and Dad won't let you get away with this....”

Evangeline crouched in front of me and patted my cheek.

“Grandma and Grandpa would have to see you to know what we did.”

“I've already arranged it. The moment you go out that door, you'll turn up overseas tomorrow. Maybe in pieces, maybe wishing you were dead. Either way, you'll never in your life get the chance to run to Grandma and Grandpa about it!”

“When they get back, we'll just say you ran away from home. No matter how much they love you, they can't put you above my dad and me.”

“I told you already. I'm selling you off, and I wasn't joking.”

My head was clear and I still had some strength to fight, but I was no match for three people. All I could do was let them tie me up and haul me out of the villa.

Just as they were about to throw me into a car headed somewhere unknown.

My parents' faces appeared in front of me.

“What do you think you're doing!”