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Turns Out the True Heir Is Our Labrador

Turns Out the True Heir Is Our Labrador

Short Story · Emotional Realism
By:  GoodtaleCompleted
Language: English
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10Chapters
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Synopsis

Plot Twists

Feel-Good Story

Melodramatic

True and Fake Heiress

Male POV

Face Slapping

Winning Back the Husband

Bias

When I hear that our family's long-lost heir has finally been found, I fly home overnight. As soon as I step inside, a young man in a faded shirt reaches out and snatches my pendant. "Ten years ago, you stole my pendant and took my place in the Jackman family, didn't you?" he asks, his voice caught with emotion. I'm stunned. I haven't even answered when his voice rises, full of hurt and resentment. "Back then, I saw you begging by the roadside and kindly gave you money. I never thought that would give you a glimpse of the Jackman family's wealth and feed your greed. You actually arranged to have me sold to a family in the mountains and took my place. "While you were off studying at Stormford, I was sold to a family to be raised as their daughter's future husband. "Now that you know I'm back, you've flown home overnight on a private jet to fight me for my place. Elijah, don't you have a conscience?" My fiancée, Rachel Quinlan, steps in front of him and shields him from me. "Elijah, what you did was child trafficking," she says, her gaze cold. "You can expect to go to prison. As for our engagement, I should be marrying Keith instead. He's the Jackman family's real heir, after all." I fall silent. "He isn't," I say firmly. It's true that our family had lost its real heir years ago. But our real heir was the Labrador my mother had raised for three years, calling him her precious boy and doting on him until he weighed over a hundred pounds. And the supposed fake heir Keith Seinfeld was talking about was the Pomeranian at his feet, panting with its tongue out and trying to look cute.

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Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The one our family had spent ten years searching for wasn't a person. It was a dog.

Ten years earlier, someone had left the courtyard gate ajar, and Alfie, our chocolate Labrador, who weighed over a hundred pounds, had nudged his way out. He had turned the corner, slipped into a blind spot beyond the security cameras, and never came back.

Mom had spent ten whole years crying over him.

Someone said they'd seen a brown dog near a highway exit, and she drove there in the middle of the night. Someone else said a Labrador was being held at a shelter in the next city, and she made the whole trip clutching a photo and crying.

She checked the dogs one by one, but none of them was Alfie. She spent over a million dollars on the search without finding a single lead.

Dad couldn't bear to see her suffer, so he brought home a Pomeranian and named him Alfie, too. Mom carried him around every day, calling him her good boy.

I used to joke that I was the fake heir and Alfie was the real one.

It was only a joke. I never thought a real person would show up at our door and call me an impostor to my face.

I fixed my gaze on Gordon Lourd, the butler who had brought the man inside.

"Did you bring him here?"

Gordon stood ramrod straight.

"Mr. Keith came to us after seeing the Jackman family's notice seeking a long-lost family member," he said evenly. "He knew Mr. and Mrs. Jackman's names, birthdays, and preferences. He even remembered exactly which rooms at the Jackman estate faced south and which trees had things buried beneath them.

"Mr. and Mrs. Jackman were away at the time. I couldn't leave a member of the Jackman family out there, so I brought him home."

He paused.

"Ms. Quinlan came as soon as she heard. She took one look at Mr. Keith and recognized him as the boy who had always kept her company when they were children."

Rachel Quinlan looked at Keith with a tenderness I had never seen from her in all 18 years. "The moment I saw Keith, he felt familiar to me in a way I hadn't felt in years," she said.

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10 Chapters
Chapter 1
The one our family had spent ten years searching for wasn't a person. It was a dog.Ten years earlier, someone had left the courtyard gate ajar, and Alfie, our chocolate Labrador, who weighed over a hundred pounds, had nudged his way out. He had turned the corner, slipped into a blind spot beyond the security cameras, and never came back.Mom had spent ten whole years crying over him. Someone said they'd seen a brown dog near a highway exit, and she drove there in the middle of the night. Someone else said a Labrador was being held at a shelter in the next city, and she made the whole trip clutching a photo and crying.She checked the dogs one by one, but none of them was Alfie. She spent over a million dollars on the search without finding a single lead.Dad couldn't bear to see her suffer, so he brought home a Pomeranian and named him Alfie, too. Mom carried him around every day, calling him her good boy.I used to joke that I was the fake heir and Alfie was the real one.It
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Chapter 2
Keith lowered his head and smiled at Rachel. "You used to insist you were going to marry me when we grew up."Rachel blushed. "You promised you'd marry me, so you'd better keep your word."Watching the two of them gaze at each other so lovingly, I frowned. Gordon stepped in front of Keith, eyeing me suspiciously."Mr. Elijah, Mr. Keith is Mr. and Mrs. Jackman's biological son. You've always been cruel and domineering. Don't tell me you're already plotting to hurt him?"With every word, Gordon lifted his chin higher."To put it bluntly, you're an impostor who stole his place. Step aside willingly before we have to force you out and make a scene."Gordon had only started working for the Jackman family three years ago, so he knew nothing about what had happened ten years earlier.I looked at him, unwilling to waste my breath arguing. "Starting tomorrow, you don't have to come."The color drained from Gordon's face."Don't you dare throw your weight around!" Rachel stepped forward
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Chapter 3
Gordon glared at me. "I was just teaching you a lesson. Why should an impostor who stole Keith's place get to throw his weight around in front of the real heir?""Mr. Keith is Mr. and Mrs. Jackman's only child and the Jackman family's sole heir! Remember this! This time it was the dog. Next time, it'll be you!"Trembling with rage, I swung my hand and slapped Gordon across the face. His head snapped to the side.Keith stepped in front of Gordon, his body trembling."Gordon only felt sorry for me, but Elijah slapped and humiliated him for it," Keith said to Rachel. "If Elijah is angry, he can hit me. He shouldn't drag other people into this.""Enough, Elijah!" Rachel hissed.She held my gaze, speaking slowly and deliberately. "If you know what's good for you, leave with some dignity. It'll be better for everyone. Watching you cling to this life makes me sick."Keith tugged at her arm and sighed. "Let it go, Rachel. Elijah is just scared of losing everything."Then he turned to
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Chapter 4
Gordon raised his hand high, ready to slap me across my face. "You bastard! How dare you lay a hand on the real heir?"My eyes turned cold as I seized his wrist.He glared at me. "Still putting on airs like you're the heir? You're an impostor. I can hit you if I want! From now on, Keith is the one I answer to!"Just then, we heard a car pull up downstairs, and Mom and Dad hurried through the door.Mom's voice trembled with emotion. "My precious boy has been found? Where is he?"Keith had been doubled over in pain moments earlier, but now he rushed downstairs, his eyes red-rimmed, and threw himself into her arms"Mom, I'm back!"Mom froze in his embrace."But Elijah can't stand having me here," Keith cried, his shoulders trembling. "He even hit Gordon, who's been with the family for years, just to drive me out. He said that even if I really was the heir, I still couldn't measure up to him."Gordon called out, his voice urgent and loud. "Mr. Jackman, Mrs. Jackman, you're final
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Chapter 5
The living room fell silent for a few seconds. Gordon was the first to break the silence. "Mr. and Mrs. Jackman, what do you mean by that?"He stepped in front of Keith and raised his voice. "What do you mean, 'a dog'? Mr. Keith is your own flesh and blood. That's a fact!"You've been fooled by this impostor for ten years and become attached to him. Now you're willing to deny your own son? How can that be right?"Rachel's expression darkened, too."Mr. and Mrs. Jackman, I know you love Elijah. But family is family, and the report is right here in black and white. I checked every detail of Keith's claim. You can't push your own son away just because you can't bear to part with Elijah."Keith stood beside Gordon, tears streaming down his face. "Mom, Dad, I don't want anything. I just want a family. If you won't accept me, I'll never belong anywhere for the rest of my life."My parents stood silently in the doorway.When everyone else had finished, Mom finally spoke. "Are you don
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Chapter 6
Rachel went silent for a moment."Mr. and Mrs. Jackman, even if the person you were looking for was a dog, Keith is still the one who was deceived," she finally said, her stance unyielding. "He's spent more than ten years suffering out there on his own. "I don't care whether or not he's your biological son. You have to accept him today and treat him as your son. The Quinlan family will only agree to an engagement with Keith."Keith looked up at her, tears slowly welling in his eyes. "Rachel…""Who do you think you are?" Dad said coldly. "Whether I accept someone as my son is my decision. An outsider doesn't get to decide who carries the Jackman name."Rachel's expression stiffened."And there won't be an engagement," Mom added. "Marry whoever you want. It has nothing to do with our family."Keith's face went pale. "Mom, how can you do this? I suffered in the mountains for ten years. I finally came home, and you can't even spare me a kind word. How can you be so heartless?"Mom
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Chapter 7
The house stayed quiet for a long time after the police left. Gordon remained on his knees in the living room, refusing to get up."Mrs. Jackman, I've served the Jackman family for three years. I may not have done anything extraordinary, but I've worked hard. I lost my head this time. You can hit me or curse me, but please don't fire me. My whole family depends on this job."Mom didn't look at him."Three years," she said. "I treated you like family. What did you think of me? You called my son an impostor. You brought outsiders into my home, wrecked it, and hurt my dog. "Gordon, you're dismissed. I'll pay your wages for the rest of the day. The damages will be settled in court."The housekeeper, Miriam Zane, helped Gordon outside. He kept crying and looking back as he was led out. The door closed behind him, and he never set foot in the house again.Mom stood there for a long time."I trusted the wrong person," she said softly.I helped her sit down. Some lessons came at a p
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Chapter 8
My parents and I attended the trial. Keith and Gordon sat at the defendants' table.Keith had changed into old clothes, and his hair was a mess. He looked more pitiful than anyone else in the courtroom.Anthony argued that Keith was a poor boy from the mountains who had been misled by Gordon and had acted in a moment of confusion. He said Keith hadn't been after money—he'd only wanted a family. Now Keith was saddled with debt and had nowhere to turn, so Anthony asked the judge for leniency.Gordon claimed he alone had come up with the plan and that Keith had nothing to do with it. He took all the blame upon himself.Sitting there, with half his hair gone gray and his back hunched, Gordon was asked by the judge why he'd done it. He explained that his son was getting married and needed money. After working at the Jackman estate for three years, he'd grown resentful of how easily we could afford clothes worth a year of his wages.No one in the gallery felt sorry for him. Resentme
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Chapter 9
This should have ended at the courthouse. But somehow, someone posted the trial records online."Fake heir impersonates the real one and gets sentenced to three years."The post went viral. At first, some people defended Keith, arguing that life in the mountains was hard and that our family had treated him too harshly.Then the comments began piling up. One person asked, "If they were looking for a dog, why did you get involved?" Another wrote, "You claim to be family, then immediately demand someone give up his room. You've certainly picked your moment." Someone else commented, "The Jackmans spent ten years searching, only to find an impostor—and were still expected to smile and welcome him."Within half a day, public opinion had turned against him.Someone recognized Keith as the same man who'd caused a scene during a land dispute a few years earlier. Back then, he'd also put on a pitiful face and gone around claiming he was broke.Someone dug up the listing for the apart
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Chapter 10
The days that followed were peaceful. Mom turned her attention back to the present and stopped driving to highway exits, shelters, and rescue centers. She gathered the missing-dog notices she'd posted over the years and put them in a box, keeping only the last one out."I won't post any more," she said. "I've done it for years. That's enough."The Pomeranian recovered from his injuries and followed her everywhere. She still called him Alfie, but now the name carried something more.When she went to the market in the morning, he trotted along behind her. The fishmonger asked, "Isn't that your dog?""Yes," Mom said with a smile. "We found him."She didn't say which Alfie she meant. After calling both dogs by the same name for so long, it no longer mattered which one she was calling.Rachel never came back to the Jackman estate. The Quinlan family paid a large sum on her behalf, then sent her away. Every so often, someone spotted her in a party photo, standing off to one side with
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