All Chapters of An Heiress on My Dime: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

On Tammy Smyth’s first day back, she turned the family dynamics into something straight out of a spy thriller. Exercising caution, John and Catherine Smyth led her into the house and pointed at the high-end furniture and décor while rubbing their hands together nervously. “Tammy, this is our home. I know it hasn’t been easy for you.” Dressed in a faded, washed-out denim, Tammy scanned every inch of the space. Finally, her gaze fell on me. “So this is the girl you adopted?” Tammy lifted her chin, her tone reflecting no hint of courtesy. I set the financial papers down and extended my arm with a smile. “Hi, I’m Scarlett Smyth.” Not returning the handshake, Tammy simply let out a scoff and turned to John and Catherine. “Mom, Dad, now that I’m back, it’s time to establish some rules. I’m not comfortable with strangers being around.” John and Catherine gave me an awkward look. Catherine, always the people-pleaser, jumped to mediate. “Tammy, Scarlett is your sister. She’s

Chapter 2

I came home the next day to find a major overhaul of the place. Cameras were installed along the hallway, in the living room, and right outside my study.The red indicator lights blinked like countless prying eyes.Furrowing my brows, I posed a question to Tammy, who was busy bossing the workmen around. “What is this?” Tammy, her arms folded, said self-righteously, “Duh, I need to keep myself safe. You never know when someone in this house is going to harm me since I’m standing in their way.” I sank my head against my palm. “Tammy, the house is equipped with the best security system in all of Adriwoods. These cameras are unnecessary.” “Of course, you’d say that. You’re the one with everything to gain,” Tammy sneered. “Mom and Dad are on board with the idea. As the adopted daughter, you have no say in this.” Catherine and John stood there, their faces etched with distress. John tugged me on the sleeve and whispered, “Scarlett, Tammy talked about her traumatic experience

Chapter 3

On the day Tammy was discharged, she asked John and Catherine out of the blue, “Why didn’t I get a proper welcome into the family?” John and Catherine exchanged glances, not knowing what she was talking about. Furrowing her brows, Tammy said matter-of-factly, “The family runs a business empire, so the least you can do is throw a huge party to let the city know that you’ve found your real daughter. Why didn’t I get one? Is Scarlett stopping this? Is she scared that I’ll steal her limelight?” My eyes snapped open while I was resting in the front passenger seat. John and Catherine had been laid off ages ago. They ran a food truck to put me through school. Later, I built my own business successfully, and when the Smyth Group went public, I brought the family to the life of luxury. As we came from humble beginnings, we weren’t bound by elite social rules. Of course, her question threw us off. Come to think of it, I reckoned the 20-year-old wanted a celebration to mark the occ

Chapter 4

The diners by the pool gave us judgy looks, whispering and pointing away. I wiped the water off my face and snapped her a callous look. “Tammy, there are cameras by the pool.” Tammy froze before wailing louder. “I bet you bought off the security footage. With money and power, you can forge anything. Oh, woe is me…” John sighed. “Stop it. We’re going to the emergency room now. It’s freezing out here. The last thing we want is for you both to catch pneumonia.” The four of us found ourselves back in the hospital. John and Catherine ran around, getting us a hot drink and collecting prescriptions. With John and Catherine away, footing the medical bill, Tammy and I were left in the ward. Tammy whimpered weakly in bed a moment ago. Once John and Catherine were out of sight, she jolted up. She ripped the IV needle out of her hand and approached my bed, barefoot. Her discolored face carried a menacing grin unbefitting her age. “How does it feel, Scarlett?” Leaning against

Chapter 5

A deafening silence hung heavily in the air. The security footage was sent to my phone in less than three minutes. I tapped on the clip and turned the volume up before showing John and Catherine. The footage showed Tammy pulling her IV drip off and stomping over to my side of the room with threats. She even turned the whole thing on me the moment the door swung open. Tammy’s statement to kick me out of the house and ruin me echoed through the quiet ward, grating on everybody’s ears. John and Catherine turned ashen. They looked at me before glancing at Tammy, curled up and shaking in a corner. “Tammy…” The helplessness was evident in John’s voice when he explained to Tammy. “Scarlett isn’t trying to take anything from you.” Catherine smoothed things over in a fluster. “Yeah. I know that you feel vulnerable in those years away from family, but it’s alright. Scarlett doesn’t mean any harm…” With John and Catherina taking my side, Tammy screamed in rage. “Oh! So you are

Chapter 6

As the comments and shares continued to spike, my expression grew grim. Meanwhile, my phone started buzzing incessantly. I was bombarded with harassment calls and texts. My PR manager knocked on the door and entered my office, breaking out in a sweat. “Ms. Smyth, the shares have plummeted as soon as the market opened. We are getting calls from business associates, some even looking to pull out.” I rubbed my temples, confused by Tammy’s unfounded malice. Since the time she was reunited with the family, I hadn’t done a thing to her. Yet, she saw me as a rival. However, I understood that John and Catherine would be the ones hurting the most from the drama. I dropped everything and rushed back home. Back at the villa, the living room was shrouded in gloom. Sitting on the sofa, John and Catherine sighed. Tammy sat across from them, her legs folded. She was on her phone, bearing a victorious smile. As I stepped into the villa, Tammy put aside her phone and sneered, “Oh,

Chapter 7

Just then, things got rowdy outside the door.Tammy led a group to burst into the villa. Some were livestreamers holding up phone rigs, others were so-called independent journalists carrying cameras, along with a few rough-looking, enthusiastic followers. Going live, Tammy held up her phone and screamed, “Hey, fam. Today, we’re exposing this vile woman on air and taking back what’s mine!”The people she brought in didn’t even bother with shoe covers, trampling over the expensive Persian carpet. They shoved their cameras straight into John and Catherine’s tearful faces as they sat on the sofa. “Don’t be scared, Mr. and Mrs. Smyth. Our millions of followers got your back!” “Is the fake heiress threatening you? Just give us a nod, and we’ll get her canceled for good!” John and Catherine had never seen anything like it. Startled pale, they recoiled to the edge of the sofa in tremors. “W-What are you doing? This is trespassing!” John rose unsteadily to stop the intruders. Ta

Chapter 8

The ambulance arrived at last. John and I went with Catherine to the hospital. Tammy didn’t come along. She was too busy popping champagne to celebrate at the villa. Basking in the adoration of her followers in the live stream, Tammy was occupied with living the fantasy of the upper crust. At the hospital, Catherine finally regained consciousness after undergoing emergency care. The doctor said that the stress and high blood pressure got to Catherine. Sitting by the bed, John held Catherine’s hand without a word. I stood by the window, my eyes focusing on the moving traffic outside the building. My phone buzzed. It was a call from Adrian. “We have an issue, Ms. Smyth.” Adrian’s hushed tones were barely audible over the noisy background. “Tammy… She brought a group of people to the office. “She announced that she’s the sole heir and new CEO of the company. She’s bossing people around in your office as we speak.” I raised a brow. “Oh? What did she do?” “S-She orde

Chapter 9

Startled, Tammy pointed and snarled at the projector. “Scarlett! You have some nerve to show your face. Hand over the company shares, or I’m filing charges for misappropriation of company assets.“Dad, why are you standing with that outsider? Come back here! This is where you belong!” John looked at his aggressive daughter on the screen, his gaze reflecting his heartache. He took out a stack of papers and faced the camera, his voice raspy but clear. “Everyone, I am Tammy’s father and Scarlett’s adoptive father, John Smyth. “I want to clear the air on a few things for the public.” The bullet chat flooded the live screen. “Surely, the old man is saying this under duress.” “I bet the fake heiress told him what to do!” Ignoring the comments, John raised the first document with shaky hands. “Here’s the registration record of the Smyth Group when it was founded eight years ago. My wife and I were running a food truck at the time, with barely two grand to our name. “Scarl

Chapter 10

Tammy spent the night in a holding cell. Since the incident was relatively minor, and John felt bad enough to ask for leniency, Tammy wasn’t in police custody for long. She was released after a formal reprimand. By the time Tammy walked out a free woman, the world had changed. She’d gone from the forbearing heiress to the internet’s punchline—a delusional socialite, a new kind of beggar.John and I were there when Catherine was released from the hospital. At John’s wishes, we called the moving company. The movers shuffled back and forth at the villa entrance, packing John, Catherine, and Tammy’s things into boxes. Truth be told, they didn’t own much. The expensive furniture, décor, and appliances were paid for by me, so these items didn’t belong to them. Tammy returned, looking worn-out and grimy, only to catch the whole thing. She lunged forward to stop the movers. “What are you doing? This is my home. Who told you to move my stuff?” Standing on the second-floor b

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