CHAPTER 3

Ellia POV

“You’re mother…Catherine Estrada…was a multi billionaire.”

My heart stopped instantly—

Catherine Estrada…

The most famous female philanthropist ever known…

The woman who single handedly made the female gender credible business owners and C.E.O, and did that before turning 25z

 That was my mother? Me?!

No… this had to be a joke. It had to be!

The room was silent now, the air so heavy and dense that you could cut it with a knife. 

I stared at her, maybe waiting or the punchline…but there wasn’t one.

“You’re joking, right? Aunt Hilda…?”

She shook her head, then dropped her eyes to the floor. “I wish I was.”

I pushed back from the table at once and stood up sharply.

“No.”

I started pacing around the room…my mind felt like it was tearing into two right now.

“No, no, no.”

This couldn’t be real.

Nothing about this made sense.

“If Mom was a billionaire, why did we live like this?”

I turned to her again. “Why did you struggle to pay bills sometimes?”

“Why did we never—”

“Because it wasn’t safe.”

I froze.

Not safe?

“What the hell does that even mean?”

She closed her eyes briefly, then spoke again. “Your mother placed everything in a legal trust before she died.”

“Why? Did she—“

“To protect you.” She cut me off again.

Protect me? This again…no!

“From who?!” I snapped out this time. I was sick and I was tired of hearing that silly excuse from her.

She didn’t reply then; instead she pulled her eyes away.

No! She was backing out of this. I stepped foward to heer then—

“Protect me from who?!” 

She was caught off briefly from my tone. Then she sighed and spoke.

“…from very bad people who wanted what she built.”

The words…the dark tone behind it…it made me pause.

I slowly sat back down again..then spoke, but my voice became smaller.

“You said there were things you should’ve told me—

—I need it all..”

She looked at me for so long I almost looked away.

Then—

“When your parents died… there was a clause in your mother’s will.”

I furrowed my brows at her. “What clause?”

“A very special kind…it meant you were not allowed access to your inheritance until you turned eighteen.”

Aunt Hilda pulled out a paper from the envelope slowly—

I didn’t know how to think. Heck, how to react to anyone of this really…

“And today…” she spoke again, then passed the paper to me.

“It unlocks.”

I looked down at it:..I knew a little of business and maths, but most of this still seemed like jargons—

Then one number caught my eye.

My breathing stopped when I saw it…

“Thirty-two percent?”

Aunt Evelyn nodded slowly. “With that percentage… you become the largest individual shareholder.”

“Largest individual what now?!” I looked up at her, my eyes snapping wide open. “What does that mean?”

“It means,” she said carefully, “you have enough voting power to influence who controls the company until you’re ready to take over full time.”

No.

No, no, no.

This couldn’t be happening.

Yesterday I was worried about school, bullies, and my stupid crush.

Today—

I owned part of a billion-dollar empire?

What the hell waa happening to my life?! Yesterday I would beg to know about my mother…but now…now it felt so overwhelming.

And dad—

Dad..? 

“What about Dad?” I asked sharply. “Where is he in all this?”

The change in her expression was instant.

“He didn’t have much in this..” she replied sharply.

Didn’t have much?! Bullshit!

“You’re doing it again.” I shot back.

“Ellia—”

“No.”

I cut her off, the anger rising up in my chest.

“You finally talk about mom in years..now you want to shut me off on dad as well..till when, another eighteen years!”

My voice was so sharp..it even stunned me.

“Who was he?”

She didn’t respond. All she did was avoid looking me right it in the eyes—

“Why do I know almost nothing about him?”

Still…nothing. Just more of the silence.

“Arghh!! Enough!!” 

I slammed my palm onto the table so hard..the entire room began to shake.

“Elia…” she spoke softly then, forcing her eyes to meet mine.

I saw the fear…the absolute terror in her eyes…

“As much as I want to tell you everything…

..I just can’t.”

Something inside me snapped.

“CAN’T?”

The tears bfan to fill up my eyes then… 

“I deserve the truth!”

Aunt Hilda stood up then and walked closer to me. “You do.”

She tried to coze me up when I snapped out again…a power force exploding outward from me.

“Then tell me!”

She paused briefly…then opened her mouth to speak—

A loud knock interrupted us.

Both of us froze.

Three hard knocks.

BANG.

BANG.

BANG.

Aunt Hilda’s face went pale in a flash.

My anger vanished instantly and it was replaced replaced it.

“Aunty?”

She whispered one word.

“No… they’re here..”

The knock came again..eveh more louder this time.

“Who? Who is here..?” I asked her sharply. “What is it?

She moved to me quickly, grabbing my wrist to hard—

“Go upstairs.”

“What?”

“NOW.”

“No—”

“ELLIA!”

I had never heard her sound like that.

Ever.

Then—

The front door exploded wide open—

Heavy foosteps marched into the room..thier presence alone filling it up.

I turned sharply, against all instincts telling me to run to my room and not look back—

Two men in black suits stepped into the house. They were dark glasses…and exuded a certain presence about them.

I didn’t know how to put it..but I was sure it wasn’t normal.

Then..one of them spoke, taking a step to me. “Miss Ellia Mayfield….”

I froze.

He knew my name. My full name…

I could feel the intensity in his eyes, then his gaze shifted to Aunt Hilda.

“You should have prepared her for this time..”

Aunt Hilda stepped in front of me, protectively.

“She’s not going anywhere. Not now!” She snapped.

The other one stepped to her and gave a cold smile.

“That is no longer your decision.”

“She’s not ready yet—“

“She is 18 and that’s all that matters!” One of them snapped.

At this point…I wasn’t entirely sure what they were talking about anymore—

My pulse was racing so high…my heart drumming in my chest. .

“What the hell is happening?”

No one answered me.

One of the men reached into his jacket and pulled out a sealed envelope.

I recognized the seal on it…Haleon Global.

He placed it on the table slowly…then he spoke.

“The board has called an emergency session.”

His gaze locked on mine. “They request your immediate presence.”

My breathing turned ragged.

Request? Me? 

No.

No… what–why? 

The questions felt stuck in my throat because no matter what I asked it wouldn’t make any of this sound less insane to me. 

Then the next words of one of the men hit me hard—

“And that is only the human side of your inheritance.”

I went cold.

Human side?

Slowly…

Very slowly…

I looked at Aunt Hilda.

She was crying uncontrollably..not even holding it back.

The man spoke once more. “Your father’s people have also found you.”

My blood ran ice-cold.

Father’s… people?

“And they are waiting to claim their Alpha heir.”