Chapter 3: Back Where I Don't Belong

"What are you wearing?" Zoe said with disdain as she turned her head to glance at Amber who was just sliding down the staircase of the living room. "That outfit is hideous."

Amber paused midway down the stairs.

Morning sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Shaw mansion, illuminating the polished marble floors and expensive furniture that filled the living room. Everything looked exactly as she remembered from childhood. 

Elegant. Luxurious. Cold.

Especially the people living inside it.

Her eyes drifted toward Zoe, who was sprawled comfortably on the couch with her mother beside her. Both women were dressed as though they were attending a fashion event instead of spending the morning at home.

Amber glanced briefly at her own clothes.

Simple jeans.

A fitted sweater.

Comfortable.

There was nothing wrong with them.

But then again, Zoe wasn't really criticizing her outfit. She was criticizing her existence.

Amber continued descending the staircase without responding.

The silence seemed to irritate Zoe.

"Oh, Zoe," Marian said as she burst into mocking laughter and her daughter Zoe joined her. "be nice."

Both of them turn to face Amber again, still laughing.

"You know that Amber grew up in the farm." Marian continued, sizing Amber mockingly from head to toe. "She has no sense of New York fashion."

They both burst into another laughter.

Amber finally reached the bottom of the staircase.

She stood quietly.

Motionless.

Her expression revealed nothing. But inside, old memories stirred violent.

Marian Asher.

The woman who became her father's mistress while her mother was still alive.

The woman who stepped into her mother's place almost immediately after the funeral.

The woman who helped push Amber out of her own home.

And beside her sat Zoe Asher.

Her stepsister.

Spoiled.

Arrogant.

Brainless.

She had verything money could buy but character couldn't.

Amber remembered being four years old and watching her father bring Marian into the mansion. She remembered how quickly everything changed afterward.

The family portraits disappeared.

Her mother's belongings vanished.

Servants who had been loyal to her mother suddenly treated Marian like royalty.

Then eventually, Amber herself disappeared from the house, like she had never existed.

Last night had been her first night back in the Shaw mansion after sixteen years.

And Marian and Zoe had wasted no time reminding her that she wasn't welcome.

Amber simply stared at them. She neither embarrassed nor angry.

She just stood there, watching.

The lack of reaction somehow annoyed Marian even more.

"Just as I thought," Marian continued as they turn their head again to Amber, laughing. "she's a complete dud. The Winchester's heir deserves my Zoe, not this street bumpkin."

She held her daughter's hair, brushing it.

Zoe smiled proudly, as if she had already won something.

Amber almost laughed.

None of them had met Oliver Winchester.

None of them knew what kind of man he was.

Yet they were already deciding who deserved him.

The irony was amusing.

For sixteen years, Marian had enjoyed everything that belonged to Amber's mother.

Now she wanted the Winchester engagement too.

Few days ago, she’d brought up this case of disengagement with her husband, Malcolm – Amber’s biological father, and insisted they do it, tagging Amber unfit to be married into a great family as the Winchesters when Zoe was there.

And just like always, Malcolm agreed. Ever since that woman stepped foot into his heart, till the day Amber’s mom died, Marian had always wanted everything for herself and her daughter.

Greed really had no limits.

Malcolm had just entered the living room when he met eyes with the women, feeling the tension in the air. 

"Everything okay here?" He asked, turning between the three ladies. 

"Yeah. Sure." Marian said, tugging a fake smile. "Everything's fine. We're just making sure Amber get ready for the cancellation of the engagement with the Winchester's heir today."

"Oh, right." Malcolm said. He then turned to Amber. "Be a good girl. Do as you're told." He bent to the table beside the television, picked his car keys and zoom off. 

"Don't let me see you in those clothes again." Zoe cut in sharply as door closed behind Malcolm, throwing a rumpled gown from the couch at Amber. "Tomorrow, we're going to the Winchester estate to cancel the engagement. Keep your mouth shut when we get there, or you'll regret it."

The gown flew through the air and landed against Amber's chest.

She looked down at it.

The dress was old, plain, and deliberately ugly.

A dress chosen specifically to humiliate her.

Zoe slowly lifted her gaze toward Amber. For a brief moment, she looked almost nervous.

Perhaps she expected resistance. Or maybe even wanted a fight.

Instead, Amber’s slips curled into a small smile.

"Understood." She said, unbothered.

The response seemed to catch both women off guard.

Amber turned around before either could say another word, holding the gown, she walked back toward her room.

Behind her, she could hear Marian and Zoe returning their attention to the television.

Within seconds, they were laughing again.

Amber kept walking. When she reached her room, she closed the door behind her quietly.

Then she walked toward the window.

The massive estate stretched before her.

Beautiful.

Expensive.

And built partly with money that should have belonged to her mother.

Her fingers tightened around the gown.

Sixteen years ago, they threw her away, now they wanted her back.

Amber looked toward the skyline beyond the estate walls.

A faint smile touched her lips.

They still had no idea who had returned.

*********************

At a luxurious mansion, Oliver – the heir to the Winchester empire, was just descending the stairs alongside his assistance - Eric Painter.

The Winchester estate was already awake. The entire estate operated like a kingdom.

And Oliver stood at its center.

Despite the gunshot wounds hidden beneath his clothes, he looked perfectly composed.

Only the coldness in his eyes hinted at the violence of the previous day.

"They jumped me at the hotel." Oliver said. "I killed a dozen of their men, but their fucking ringleader, he got away."

He turned to glance at Eric. "Find him. And make him wish he was already dead."

"Already on it, boss." Eric said respectfully, walking ahead beside him. "We have some leads."

Oliver nodded.

The attack had been carefully planned.

Someone powerful had financed it. Someone foolish enough to believe Oliver Winchester could be killed.

That mistake would cost them dearly.

"What about the woman?" Oliver asked as he stopped walking now.

"We checked with the hotel." Eric started saying, turning to his boss. "No record of a guest named Amber."

Oliver chuckled disappointedly. "A fake name and she stole my 9mm."

He started laughing, shaking his head, his hands tugged in his pockets. "Interesting."

Most people feared him. Even avoided him because of how dangerous he was and fearless.

That woman had robbed him. For some reason, the thought amused him.

He could still remember her face.

Those innocent eyes.

That fearless attitude.

The way she had started screaming fake moans without hesitation to save both their lives.

A genuine smile appeared on his face.

He turned back to Eric.

"Track her down." He ordered. "Today. I wanna thank her properly. That woman is special."

He turned, looking blankly ahead as he started reeling in smile.

"Yes, boss." Eric said.

************************

The next morning, Amber, and her step mother and stepsister walked into the Winchester mansion.

Amber wore the gown Zoe threw at her yesterday.

It was poor looking, and the top only hung down her shoulder, briefly exposing her beauty.

The dress looked cheap. Embarrassingly cheap.

Exactly what Zoe intended.

Yet somehow it only made Amber stand out more.

Her natural beauty refused to be hidden.

Marian and Zoe walked ahead confidently as if they already belonged there while Amber followed behind quietly.

The moment they stepped through the gates, she found herself taking in the breathtaking scenery.

The estate looked enormous. More like a royal palace than a private residence.

Beautiful gardens stretched across the property.

Massive fountains sparkled beneath the morning sun.

Luxury surrounded them from every direction.

"What a beautiful place!" Zoe said excitedly to her mother and Marian smiled.

Amber was walking quietly behind them, turning her head and taking in the beauty of the place that looked like palace.

As they made their way into the house, Oliver and his assistant were just leaving the house but took the opposite direction.

Just then Amber turned towards Oliver's direction and their eyes moved to meet.