Copycat Heiress

The gardener was trimming the hedge when I plunged headfirst into the bushes.

I rolled onto the mat he had laid out for resting.

The gardener let out a piercing scream.

Thanks to the bushes and mat cushioning my fall, I ended up with only a dislocation and a fracture.

It wasn't fatal.

I lay in the hospital as my grandfather, Terry Fleet, came down hard on my parents, Carter and Tiffany.

"It clearly states in the files from the adoption center that this child mimics everything!

"Did you even read her file before bringing her home?"

My brother, Bentley, sneered.

"Is that even a real thing? She's probably just faking it."

"Faking it?"

My grandmother, Ruby, shot Bentley an angry look.

"If you hadn't taken her out when she was three, she never would have been kidnapped! She wouldn't be dealing with these issues now!"

Bentley pouted.

Tiffany smiled apologetically.

"Mom, Dad, the whole copycat condition doesn't make much sense. London, on the other hand, has been diagnosed with depression."

"Don't give me your excuses."

Terry brushed them off with a wave of his arm.

"You didn't even bother to read her paperwork. Simply put, you don't care about Kylie.

"You were both too busy with your careers when she was born, so we practically raised her.

"You don't have any real affection for Kylie, do you?"

I lay there in the hospital bed, my hands clutching the sheets without me realizing it.

Carter forced an embarrassed smile. "That's not true… Kylie is our daughter."

"I don't care whether your concern for Kylie is genuine or fake."

Ruby's tone was icy.

"Terry and I are tied up for the next few weeks, so we can't be there for her. If anything happens to her during this period, we'll leave the family fortune to Kylie."

Carter and Tiffany's expressions went stiff.

Bentley wasn't having it.

"Gramps! Nan! That whole copycat act of hers is fake! Kylie even knew to aim for the bushes when she jumped. She knew exactly what she was doing! Does that look like someone who's sick to you?"

Carter hurriedly grabbed Bentley by the shoulder to stop him.

Ruby grimaced hard.

"If any harm comes to her, forget about the inheritance. I'll cut every one of you out of this family for good."

Carter and Tiffany desperately apologized.

The door swung open.

There was London, the fake heiress who had taken my place in the family.

"Gramps and Nan said you're a copycat. Is that true?"

I looked at her curiously.

Propping her chin against her hand, she leaned over my bed.

With a smile on her face, London slipped a bottle of pesticide into my hand.

"Are you going to copy me?"

While talking, London twisted open a bottle of orange juice.

She threw her head back and chugged it down.

I started to tremble.

Out in the hallway, Terry and Ruby were going over everything with Tiffany, Carter, and Bentley.

I opened my mouth.

However, I was too weak from my injuries to make much of a sound.

London finished her drink right in front of me.

I couldn't hold back anymore.

Uncapping the pesticide bottle, I gulped the liquid down.