Chapter 1

Ariana’s POV.

Stepping out of the car, I gaped at the massive mansion in front of me with bewilderment. I had always known that while I lived in a ghetto in the Bronx with my grandmother, my father and twin sister who knew nothing of my existence until now, lived here in Beverly Hills.

But I didn’t expect this place to look even more beautiful in reality.

“Please, follow me, miss,” a middle-aged man said.

I followed him, looking around like a lost puppy. I still couldn’t believe that I was finally here, and I couldn’t wait to meet my sister, Blair. All my life, I had watched Blair from afar on the television. She was often regarded as our father’s only child.

She was always on the news for one philanthropic activity or the other. I was so proud of her, and always wished that I could talk to her. But mama and grandma had always warned me never to let anyone know that I was the daughter of the billionaire, Thomas Sinclair.

In the school I went to, they would even laugh at me because of how ridiculous it sounded. Though we were twins, we had a resemblance that could only be noticed if it was pointed out that we were siblings. After mama’s sudden passing two days after my sixteenth birthday this year, my father had suddenly found me and demanded that I lived with him.

I didn’t believe that he coincidentally found me after mama’s death, but I would save the question for when I finally met him.

Yeah, that’s right. He didn’t even come for me himself. He had sent some men dressed in black Italian suits to “take me home.” Grandmama was angry and tried to stop them, but they had said they had a lawsuit ready because mama hid me from my father for sixteen years.

I had told the men to tell my father to give me time, and here I was now. Inside the house, I felt so out of place. The lounge was bigger than my gran’s entire house, and it made me feel so small.

The man came back to the lounge, surprise etched on his face when he saw that I was standing in the lounge.

“Please, follow me,” he said.

I followed him, feeling a bit guilty that he was carrying my luggage. He opened a pink door and looked at me with a smile.

“This is your room, Miss Ariana.”

I gasped and walked in, forgetting that he was there for a minute. If I thought the lounge was big, this room was even bigger.

“You may get dressed and come down for lunch.”

“Thank you, Mr…”

“Porter.”

“Thank you, Mr. Porter. But where is everyone?”

“Miss Blair is not back from school yet, Mr. Sinclair will be back tonight, and the housekeeper and other staff members are on a leave as per Miss Blair’s request.”

My eyes shone with excitement at the mention of Blair. She must be such a sweet soul to grant the staff a leave.

“May I ask who you are?” my brows scrunched up inquisitively.

“I’m the butler.”

Oh, that made sense. He bowed his head and left. I locked the door instantly to bask in the luxurious room. Everything was so beautiful. From the posh décor to the elegant marble floors, to the quality furniture. I just couldn’t believe that I was to live here.

I had a warm bath and came downstairs for lunch. Since the staff was on leave, I wondered who would make lunch. However, when I got there, the table was already set. I looked around, wondering who did it, and why there was so much food.

This must be how rich people dine.

I sat with a huff and stared at the empty seats in front of me wistfully. I missed my family back home. Gran would have made a wonderful meal, while mama would make sure I ate. Then they would ask how my day went, followed by a night of laughter.

A middle-aged woman appeared and opened the dish in front of me. I stared at her in surprise.

“Mr. Porter told me that Blair granted staff a leave.”

At the mention of Blair’s name, the woman’s face turned pale.

“Please, enjoy your meal,” she squeaked and ran off.

“Wait…”

But she was already gone before I could complete my statement. Now, things were getting really strange. It seemed like they were either hosting a surprise for me, or something fishy was going on; and I just hoped that it wasn’t the latter.

I looked at the food in front of me and lost my appetite immediately. I picked up the cutlery and proceeded to cut into the strange looking fish. But before I could bring the food to my mouth, I heard a voice behind me.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

I looked back to see Blair. Immediately, the fork fell from my hand as my emotions flew all over the place. I had expected this feeling of happiness when I finally saw my sister. What I didn’t expect was to get teary-eyed.

She gasped when she saw my face. We really looked alike, despite not being identical. I stood up from my seat and walked up to her. With a sob, I wrapped my hands around her and enveloped her in a hug.

Her shoulders froze, but I didn’t mind. She was probably as overwhelmed as I was, so I would give her time to adjust to meeting me. But to my surprise, she pushed me away with a shocking force.

“Ew!” she cried. “What is this?”

I smiled at her. “Blair, it’s me, Ariana. Haven’t you heard about me yet?”

She didn’t respond to me, so I reached out to hold her shoulder. But she flinched violently.

“Ew! Get your ghetto hands off me!”

I gasped and backed away from her.

Did she just call me ghetto?