The Beggar Who Stole My Crown

Everyone was shocked beyond words.

My brother, Luca Weatherby, rushed over and shoved me to the ground.

He shielded our adopted sister, Sally Weatherby, protectively and shouted at me, "Have you gone insane, Zadie? How dare you lay a hand on Sally!"

My fiance, Aidan Yorke, also stepped forward to protect Sally.

He ordered his bodyguards, "You pauper! The Weatherby family fed and clothed you all these years. How dare you hurt the true heiress? Teach her a lesson!"

Several grown men grabbed at me. They stripped off my coat and draped it over Sally.

My paternal grandmother, Marissa Notley, shook with rage upon seeing this scene. She grabbed her cane and struck my waist.

The pain from the blow caught me off guard, and I collapsed to my knees.

In order to save Grandma a few years ago, I had secretly donated my bone marrow to her. I hid it from her so that she wouldn't worry about me. For the past three years, I had been recuperating in a nursing home before my health was somewhat back to what it used to be.

Grandma had hit the very spot where my bone marrow had been taken from. That particular spot ached terribly whenever it was about to rain.

The grandmother whose life I had risked my own to save, ironically, wanted to beat me up for the sake of an adopted granddaughter.

Grandma fumed, "You filthy pauper! How dare you try to replace Sally as the Weatherby heiress!"

Sally held Grandma's hand to support her and said pretentiously, "Good heavens, Zadie. You're going to make Grandma faint from anger."

Luca stepped forward and berated, "How could you do this, you ingrate? Have we ever mistreated you in any way for you to turn against us? How bold of you to claim you're the heiress when the real one is right here!"

I argued, "I am the true heiress of the Weatherby family—"

Before I could finish, Luca cut me off with a forceful slap.

Sally said tearfully, "Grandma, Luca, don't get angry with Zadie. She has lived in the countryside all this time. She just came back and still needs time to adjust. It's understandable for her to feel like I've taken her place.

"But Zadie, the Weatherby family has raised you all these years. How could you upset Grandma?"

The guests gossiped among themselves.

"My goodness. I can't believe she tried to pass herself off as the Weatherby heiress."

"Look at her shabby appearance. Who does she think she is to cause trouble at the wedding? Is she crazy?"

"Maybe she's deluded herself into thinking that she's the true heiress."

Luca reached out to grab my necklace impatiently. "This is a keepsake from Grammie. Sally's getting married today. She should have it."

I clutched the necklace I got from my maternal grandmother, Janice Brown, tightly. The Weatherby family's housekeeper, Paula Reed, snatched it away from me brusquely. In the process, she even scratched my arm.

The pain caused me to kick at her in reflex. But before my leg so much as grazed her, she leaned sideways and fell to the floor dramatically.

"Ms. Sally has never laid a hand on us, but look at this impostor putting on lofty airs! She's treating us like we're garbage!" Paula exclaimed.

Her accusation caused the guests present to criticize me relentlessly.

I laughed in exasperation and questioned, "If Sally is the heiress, then who the hell am I?"