Once a pauper, now an heiress

Chapter 1

Adola

“You have until the end of the night to leave this town or your younger sister will die,” Mrs Henderson threatened aggressively, her large dark eyeballs glaring daggers at me.

“Huh?”

“I won't repeat myself,” a scoff followed after her threat.

I flinched, taken aback at the severity of her hatred. It wasn’t a secret that the Henderson family didn’t give a hoot about me, nor was I accepted into their family, and Mrs Henderson remained at the forefront of this battle, one that her son wasn’t even aware of.

Zyair and I met in a bar where I worked. His black card had mistakenly slipped off his pocket and he didn't notice, but after several back and forths, I located him and gave him the card.

However, that was only the beginning of a new chapter for me. Our hands brushed against each other on our first meeting, eyes locked—jet black to olive green.

Electric currents zapped between us, a surreal connection forming while we conversed. He was my first love. It was difficult to believe that I could harbor such intense feelings for a man of his calibre.

Unfortunately, Mrs Henderson didn't relent in sowing several seeds of discord to keep us apart, but threatening to kill my sister after barging into my house when no one was in so that I could leave her son was something I never expected.

“But, I don’t have anywhere else to go to, ma’am…” my voice cracked as I struggled to keep my emotions in check. “This house belongs to my late mother and if I leave, I’m going to be stranded. Please, have mercy. I promise not to go near your son anymore,” my knees touched the ground in a desperate attempt to break through her stony heart, but an eye-roll was all I got.

Mrs Henderson pressed her lips, creased lines stretched on her forehead while she stared condescendingly at me. “If you keep staying here, he’s going to find you and I can’t take your words seriously. Sell the house if you have to. Get a loan, I don’t give a hoot, but ensure that you wouldn’t be here when the sun rises tomorrow,”

Hot tears sprinted down my cheeks, my heart beating faster than it should.

For someone who had just discovered that I was one month gone, I shouldn’t be exposed to any form of stress, but this was more than stress, this was a heartbreak.

I wouldn’t let anyone trample on me even if I had to fight for my sister’s life. All I had to do was speak to Zyair and everything would be alright.

I’d even thought of telling Mrs Henderson about it right now, but shoved the thought aside when I thought of the risk that would come with it. She wouldn’t care, and she might harm my child.

“What if I don’t want to leave?” I met her gaze, my jaw set stubbornly.

Mrs Henderson barked out a derisive laughter, covering her mouth with her usual regal carriage. “Do you think you have a choice here? Do you think my son will come to save you?”

I sniffed, wiping my face. “I’m not completely dependent on him, but I know that he wouldn’t be pleased to hear that you’re attempting to chase me away. I didn't do anything wrong but to love your son,”

Her smirk turned cynical. Mocking. “I know you’re poor but I didn’t know that you’re this much of a dunce too. Let me show you something,”

She brought out her cell from her expensive leather bag, scrolling through it while my heart trembled in anticipation. This woman was a bag of surprises. It was hard to tell what she had in store for me.

“I’m going to show you two things, sweetheart, after that it will be left for you to change your mind,”

I raised my head squarely. “I want to see it,” however, my voice trembled, warring against the brave front I'd put up.

“Very well, then,” She shoved the phone at me, and instantly, my stomach took a dip.

I gazed at the picture in front of me carefully, trying hard to imagine that Zyair wasn’t the one kissing that woman. Even after blinking twice, the face didn’t change.

It was the same handsome straight nose that I’d always admired from the first time I saw it. That curly brown hair gave him away.

How could it not be him? I couldn’t think of anyone else that shared his unique features, except the pregnancy hormones were joking with my vision, but that wasn’t a valid reason because it was still too early.

My vision blurred with fresh hot tears, my gaze tilted toward the woman who had nothing but mockery perching on her face.

“Oh, God,” I muttered under my breath, my fist clenching clutching onto the fabric of my cheap chiffon dress as I stared at the picture again.

He was indeed curled up in the arms of another woman while I was being forced to make a hard decision.

Why did I think that a wealthy billionaire like him would choose a poor woman like me with nothing to her name? He’d promised me a lifetime of love, peace and happiness with him, but instead, he inflicted me with pain and despondence.

How was I to take care of this child on my own?

“Do you see now that you aren’t worth anything to him? You are just a beautiful whore whom he used to destress himself. You were never meant to be in the picture, Adola. Never!” her sharp words coupled with the picture I’d just seen merged together to shatter my heart into splinters.

My temperature was rising, and it felt like the rug was being pulled from under my feet while I did nothing but watch.

“Please, leave now, Mrs Henderson. You’ve done enough,” I croaked.

She chuckled heartily. “You’re the one who should leave if you want to ever see your sister again,”

I flashed a furious glare at her. Hadn't she done enough? “What have you done to my sister, Mrs Henderson?”

She nudged at the phone that was still in my hands so I scrolled onto the next video. My knees buckled and I crashed onto the floor.

Jeanette's mouth was gagged, her body tied to a chair. Red marks probably from the assault decorated her body. Bile rose to my throat, my hands shaking terribly. The little confidence I’d confronted her with was being destroyed layer by layer with fear taking its place.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked, almost choking on my tears.

“To protect my son from your kind. Zyair thinks that people like you are innocent and can never hurt a fly. If only he knew how wrong he is,” she sneered.

I wiped my face, folding myself into a kneeling position. “I’ll leave, ma’am. Just let my sister go,”

She grabbed my chin roughly, her long nails digging into my skin. “Nice decision, darling. I’ll see to it that you’re escorted out of town tonight. If I ever set my eyes on you again, I’ll end you and your miserable sister without giving it a second thought, and your precious Zyair won’t be there to save you.”