Born Unworthy: The Real Heiress Won't Compete のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 1 - チャプター 10

The maid's cries brought half the people in the neighborhood out of their houses.I'd fallen into the ornamental pond by the front gate. The water was only knee-deep, so any normal person could've easily climbed out by themselves.However, I was born with a weak heart and lung problems. Even a chilly breeze could land me in the hospital, let alone being completely submerged in water. The moment I hit the water, I started coughing violently. Then, I choked on the water, which only made me cough harder, trapping me in a vicious cycle.Jasper Harmon, my older biological brother, came rushing out, but his first instinct wasn't to pull me out. Instead, he turned around and covered Melanie Harmon's ears."Don't be scared. I'm here. She's just trying to scare you on purpose."My mother hugged Melanie, too. "Melanie has depression. She can't be exposed to such scenes. Take her back to her room at once."Only then did my father tell the maids to fish me out.I huddled beneath a blanket,

Since all four of the grandparents were coming back, my family finally started planning the party.Dad contacted the media, Mom ordered a formal gown for me, and Jasper even had his assistant prepare a banner for the occasion.It certainly wasn't because they'd suddenly developed newfound affection for me, of course.Grandpa George held a 35% stake in Harmon Group, and Grandpa Edgar was still the one who had the final say in Mom's Steele Corporation as well.Melanie's face drained of color as she watched the maids hang up a banner that read, "Welcome Home, Wendy!"Just before the party began, she suddenly clutched her chest and ducked into the dressing room.Mom fussed over her in a panic. "What's the matter? You were completely fine just a moment ago!""I saw the banner for Wendy, and it reminded me of how I'd be kicked out of the family before long," Melanie explained between her choked sobs. "Mom, please take it down. I don't want Wendy's party to be ruined because of me."T

Grandma Naomi was the first to rush over and catch me in her arms. "Quick! Call an ambulance!"When Grandpa George saw the things I'd left on the table, his expression hardened.Grandma Polly knelt beside me, her hands shaking so badly she could barely hold her phone. "Wendy, can you hear me?"Mom finally snapped out of her daze and tried to reach for me, but Grandpa Edgar stood in her way."Don't touch her."Mom froze. "Dad, I'm her mother."Looking her in the eye, Grandpa Edgar said in a quiet but alarmingly cold voice, "Aren't you the one who said you'd prefer it if you guys never brought her back?"A silence fell over the living room.Jasper was pale as he explained, "It was just some heated words said in a moment of anger, Grandpa Edgar.""Just some heated words, you say?"Grandma Naomi whipped her head up. "Wendy has a weak heart, yet you people went on and on about how undeserving she is, each one more cruel than the last! What's the matter? You didn't want to waste th

Susan was soon brought in for questioning. The first thing she did when she entered the room wasn't to admit her guilt. Instead, she shouted at Melanie, "Everything I did was for your sake!"Melanie recoiled as if she'd been burned. "Don't talk to me!"Susan continued shouting frantically, "You were such a healthy and beautiful baby! Why should you have had to suffer with me? She was born sick. She wouldn't have survived anyway. Sending her to an orphanage was already more than good enough for her!"Grandma Naomi grabbed a water glass, ready to throw it at her, but Grandpa George stopped her. "Don't dirty your hands for the likes of her."I stared at Susan. So, I hadn't been born believing I was unworthy. Someone had taught me that on the very first day of my life.At the orphanage, I would give away the last piece of cake even though I wanted it. When I came first in class, I would say the test had been easy. When someone complimented me, I always expected them to mock me in the

The new party was held after three days. The media, company shareholders, and all the friends and relatives of both the Harmon and Steele families were all in attendance.Someone whispered, "She's only just returned to the family, and she's already forced out the adopted daughter. She's pretty ruthless.""The family elders even gave her shares in the company. I bet she'd been plotting this from the start.""Being sick was only an act. She's just a manipulative schemer."I heard them, but I didn't retreat to the staff area. I walked to the main table, pulled out the chair labeled Wendy Harmon, and sat down.Jasper stepped onto the stage and picked up the microphone. "Half of what that article online said was true."The audience erupted in an uproar.Mom's face was pale, but she followed him onto the stage. "Melanie, the daughter we raised, was indeed taken away by the police."Dad took over. "But Wendy, our biological daughter, didn't force her out. We were the ones who called t