Chapter One: Disabled Heir

Aria’s POV

“Are you out of your mind?!” My dad hollered, flinging my admission letter at me. I shut my eyes, my head hung low with his words cutting deep in my heart.

“Aside from being the unfilial child that you're, you chose to go behind our backs and apply to do a goddamn examination, huh?!” He raged, tears streaming down my cheeks and I slowly raised my head.

“Rubbish.” My mum muttered under her breath. I sniffled, wiped my tears and picked up the admission letter.

My blurred gaze stared at the first line before I turned to my parents.

“I-I thought you would be proud of me for….”

“Proud of you?” Sophia, my elder sister, cut in. Her voice was laced with venom, she looked equally pissed at my admission.

“Little sis, should I remind you how you woefully failed your exams last year with the huge amount of money Dad wasted on you?” She belittled.

“I had an accident!” I yelled frustratedly, “I nearly had an accident that day, I couldn't concentrate well on the exam. You all knew about this. And my best way to make up for that was why I took this exam. Can't you see this as my redemption?” I cried, trying to show my desperation.

“Whatever the case may be, this family isn't ready to waste anymore dime on you anymore.”

“Mum!” I called out loudly in disbelief. How can she say that to me? She looked away and crossed her arms with a deep frown, further breaking my heart.

My dad continued to curse under his breath and Sophia wasn't helping the situation. I never knew this would rile them up so bad.

All I wanted was for my parents to embrace like Sophia and Julian. Our elder brother.

It's not about money, my parents have it. My family was one of the most influential in Australia, but I had always been their unknown daughter.

Why are they making a big deal of wasting money on me?

I can't recall any sweet memories with my parents because there was none. They had always treated me indifferently, while showering love and admiration on Julian and Sophia.

It has been my dream since I was a kid to become a medical doctor. Now that I've been given admission to study medicine in Europe, they are bluntly against it.

The living room was suffocated with silence, save for my sniffle and low sobs.

I was about to open my mouth to persuade them further. I can't afford to lose this admission.

But the creak sound of the door made me whip my head in the door’s direction, interrupting me.

“You're back?”

“How was it?” They all asked in unison, while I stared at Julian as he entered. His expression was unapproachable, he didn't even cast me a glance.

Mum stood up to meet him but then, he exclaimed excitedly.

“They approved the proposal!”

“What?!” They all shot up from their seats and went to him. They continued conversing about the company happily, but it wasn't to my interest.

I dragged my feet to my room with a heavy heart, drunk in my own thoughts. My family weren't excited or cared to see me happy. I could never understand what I've done to deserve these cold treatment from them.

Julian's words made me pause involuntarily.

“Mr. Blackwell promised us 5% of their empire immediately after their marriage,” he proclaimed.

“Oops, finally. Congratulations brother!” Sophia gushed, and I turned around to see her hugging him.

‘Was she getting married?’ I wondered.

My gaze was still on them before Julian finally cast me a glance.

“Is she aware?” He asked my parents. My mum was the first to give a dramatic exhale before going to sit down.

“Not yet.” My dad responded.

“How about I break the news to her?” Sophia asked sweetly, clinging to Julian's arms before turning to me.

“You're getting married, Aria.” She stated.

It took a few seconds before her words registered in my brain. And when it finally did, my eyes widened in shock and I gasped.

“W-What do you mean by that?” I stuttered, my feet moving closer to them on their own. My heart pounded heavily in my chest.

“What part of that you don't understand?”

“Everything!” I yelled more than intended at my mum. I swallowed the lump in my throat and bowed as an apology.

“I'm sorry. But my boyfriend isn't ready to marry me now.” I responded softly.

“But dad, I expected you to have told her before now.” Julian groaned, he then walked closer to me.

He was about to speak up but my mum's voice interrupted him.

“You are not our daughter.” She dropped the bombshell, and my heart skipped a beat. I clutched my chest, gawking at her in disbelief.

“You’re our servant’s daughter. Your parents lost their lives to cancer, and we took you in out of pity because we couldn’t find any of their relatives. You were just two then, but today is the end of you living here with us.” She said it so casually, with no remorse.

“M-Mum, how can you s-say that so casually? I'm your daughter. You despise me because I don't act like you. And I'm working on myself to change for the better. You don't have to tell such a big lie.” A part of me wanted to believe otherwise but their expression remains the same.

Hot tears welled in my eyes, and I felt anger boiling in my chest.

“Tell me it's a lie, parents!” I demanded.

“Save yourself the drama,” Julian interrupted, grabbing the documents off the table and bringing them towards me.

He grabbed my hands, shoving the documents into them.

“All these years, we’ve given you a roof over your head, a name, and a chance at life,” Dad said coldly. “It’s high time you repay us.”

“Sign it,” Julian said, holding a pen out to me.

It was a marriage certificate. They've planned this out already. But what stunned me the most was the supposed person I'll be married to.

“I’m marrying the disabled heir?” I uttered in disbelief.

“He has a name!” Sophia snapped.

Jameson Blackwell—the once-celebrated prodigy whose tragic accident had made headlines months ago. He was paralyzed, confined to a wheelchair.

I looked at Julian and asked bitterly, “If I were really your sister, would you have me marry someone like this? Why are you all so selfish? This is too much for me to bear. If this is a prank, stop it, please!”

They didn’t answer. Their cold stares confirmed the harsh reality.

“My life has been nothing but a joke to you,” I whispered, tears blurring my vision. “I’ve no use for you anymore, and this is the best way for your repayment? Marrying me off to someone I’ve never met?”

“You talk as if we owe you something,” Mum said sharply. “Don’t forget, without us, you would have grown up on the streets, just like your parents. You owe us everything you have.”

“You should be grateful,” Dad added. “We gave you a chance at life when no one else would.”

I choked back a sob. Their words cut deeper than I thought possible, yet a small, desperate part of me latched onto one thought.

If I marry him, I’ll finally be free of them. But Adrian, my boyfriend.

He went to Finland to shoot a movie, he is an actor, and we hadn't spoken really much. It has always been like this, as if I'm the only one in the relationship. He was always nonchalant about attention and the need for us to communicate.

I guess this is the end of our relationship. I looked down at the marriage certificate again, my head running through different scenarios.

My hands shook as I gripped the pen. “If I marry him, will I be able to leave this house forever?”

“You’ll be his responsibility, not ours,” Dad replied, as though dismissing a burden.

Taking a deep breath, I wiped my tears and steadied myself. I would marry him—not for them, but for my own freedom. This was my chance to escape.

With a heavy heart, I signed the papers. My life as I knew it was over. Julian yanked the papers from me and all of them rushed to see it as if they just won a lottery.