RISE OF THE FORGOTTEN HEIRESS

I stare at the mirror, unable to stop myself from smiling. Every girl's dream is to get married to the man she loves. To see that dream being fulfilled gives you the type of joy that is surreal. I've been dating Marcus for two years, and the day he proposed I was so over the moon. We've been planning this wedding for almost a year, and I find it hard to believe it's finally here. “Oh my God, Leina. Stop crying or you'll ruin your makeup,” Natalie tells me, as she arranges the final pin on my hair. My eyes are a little red and my face is a little flushed. I dab on the tears with a tissue and give a nervous smile. “I can't help it, Nat. I'm just so excited. You know how long I've been waiting for this.” Natalie's smile is genuine. Unlike the one Cara gave me this morning. “ I know, sweetie. But you should be happy. After today you become Marcus's wife and you get the inheritance your mother left for you.”A smile forms on my lips at the memory of my mother. She was the only perso

It’s been a week.One week of neon lights burning into my skin, of music pounding through my bones, of men’s eyes crawling over me like I’m both a feast and a weapon they’re afraid to touch.At first, it felt like drowning. Every step onto that stage was a battle against the panic clawing at my chest. But I’ve learned something in the seven days I've worked here, when the world strips you bare, you can either shrink, or sharpen your edges until no one dares touch you.I chose the latter.Today, I’m stretched out on the worn couch in my little apartment, finally enjoying the silence. The air is warm, the sun filters through the thin curtains, and for once there’s no bass thumping in my chest, no flashing lights, no watchful eyes. Just stillness.I've been working every night since I arrived in Mexico, and today V.V gave me the night off. Not like I have anything to do with it anyway. My phone buzzes across the table. I almost ignore it, until I see Sofia’s name flashing on the screen.

The uber winds through streets I’ve never dared to explore before. My fingers drum nervously on my knees, and Rosa is practically buzzing beside me, pressing her face to the glass as though she’s afraid to miss a single view.“This place,” she whispers as we approach tall iron gates. “Leina, this isn’t just money. This is old money. Untouchable money.”The gates open after a brief call on the intercom, and we’re ushered into a neighborhood that looks like it belongs in another world. Lush gardens, marble fountains, manicured driveways, it all feels suffocatingly perfect.By the time we pull up to the sprawling white estate Isabella calls home, my stomach has tied itself into knots.The uber drops us by the gates and we step in. A servant greets us, bowing her head politely. “Señorita Isabella. You've been gone for so long. You're father is so worried.” “Where is Papa,” Isabella asks, clutching her bag tighter.“He went out. I'll inform him of your return.” I should probably leave.

The words hang in the air, heavy, almost absurd in their audacity. Marry him? Be Isabella’s mother? Step fully into Damien Moretti’s world? My pulse accelerates, not from excitement, but from calculation. Every instinct in me tells me to hesitate, to analyze, to measure the risks.I might have grown up amongst riches, but Damien was a different kind of rich. The rich that involved blood. I take a step back, forcing my voice to steady. “You can’t seriously expect me to just… agree.” My fingers flex at my sides, twisting the hem of my dress. Damien doesn’t flinch. His gaze is calm, intense, like he’s reading my mind even as I try to hide it. “I’m not asking for an answer now,” he says evenly. “I want you to think about what’s at stake. For her. What you stand to gain, Leina Ashford.” The shock I feel must show on my face, because he chuckles. “It's all over the news. New York Times aired it for a week. Every soul in New York has seen the video and knows the scandal.” “And you want s

Natalie’s wedding is everything I could ever want for her. The flowers bloom in soft pastels, laughter spills through the air, and the music wraps around the room like a promise of forever. She looks radiant, glowing with the kind of happiness she once feared she’d never find. For a moment, pride swells in my chest, and I let myself smile for her.She's getting married to Louis Dublin, a huge tech giant in New York. Theirs was the kind of romance you don't see coming. It just hits like a storm. The moment I step past the grand doors of the reception hall, the atmosphere shifts. I had Damien go ahead of me, knowing that if we both alighted the same car, the NEW YORK TIMES would get a good gossip topic for a week. Heads turn, conversations freeze mid-sentence. Crystal glasses hover in the air, suspended in trembling hands.And then the whispers begin.“Is that… her?”“She came back?”“After everything?”“How could she just show up after three years like nothing happened?”Their eye