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All Chapters of My Fiancée, My Sister, and the Pauper: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

24 Chapters

Chapter 11

Third-person POVThe private jet landed on a picturesque island blessed with perfect weather. The island belonged to Claire personally. Now, every detail of it had been arranged according to Ethan's preferences.That afternoon, Claire and Ethan went deep-sea fishing. While casually scrolling through the news on her phone, a headline from Jinton caught her eye.According to the report, a villa in the southern residential district had been destroyed by a fire. Because the fire broke out late at night, firefighters arrived to find the villa already reduced to charred ruins.The fire had been so intense, and the scene was too dangerous and complex. No body had been recovered.Police had reviewed surveillance footage from the surrounding area and found no record of anyone leaving the property. Their preliminary conclusion was that the person inside had most likely died.Claire's finger paused over the screen. For a moment, she was lost in thought."Come on, Claire. Smile."Ethan l

Chapter 12

Third-person POVA week later, after finishing their vacation and shopping spree, the group returned to Jinton.Claire wasted no time bringing Ethan back to the Lawson residence. Claire's mother, Cynthia Hobbes, sat in the elegant, vintage-style living room. Ignoring Ethan completely, she looked at Claire with disappointment."I've failed as a mother. Adrian has only been gone a few days, and you've already brought his father's bastard son into my home. You grew up with Adrian. He was your close friend for years. How can you be so heartless?"Cynthia had been a good friend of Adrian's mother, Martha Smith. After Martha passed away, Cynthia had treated Adrian as if he were her own son.Claire gave Ethan a reassuring look and replied dismissively, "Mom, you've been fooled by Adrian. He set the house on fire because he wanted attention. Someone as arrogant and overbearing as he would never willingly die."Cynthia stared at her for several seconds. Then, she shook her head and sigh

Chapter 13

Third-person POVInside the car, Claire's expression was so gloomy that there were practically storm clouds above her head."Sorry. The number you have dialed is unavailable. Please try again later."The same automated message played three times in a row.She then dialed Vanessa's number, but there was no answer.Seeing that Claire didn't spare him so much as a glance, Ethan covered one arm and softly hissed. But Claire didn't react at all.Both calls hadn't gone through, and her irritation was growing. Her eyes flashed with hostility as she barked, "Drive faster!"The driver nodded in acknowledgment and pressed harder on the accelerator.Ethan gently slipped an arm around her shoulders. His tone was soft as he said, "Claire, don't be upset."Normally, Claire would've softened immediately. But this time, instead of leaning into him, she frowned quietly and moved out of his embrace.Feeling uneasy, Ethan asked, "Claire, you don't think something actually happened to Adrian, do

Chapter 14

Third-person POVClaire stepped out of the car, disbelief written across her face.It was the same familiar neighborhood. Yet, all she saw now was a field of ruins.It was obvious that the fire had burned for a long time. Many things had been reduced completely to ash. The ashes had then been drenched by water, some of them mixing into the blackened earth.In the middle of the wreckage, Vanessa was kneeling on both knees. Her hands hung at her sides. Blood dripped from her fingertips.Suddenly, Claire remembered the news article she had seen on the yacht. So, what her friend told her had been true. And the phone call Vanessa received from the police had been real too.Claire staggered forward several steps and stared at Vanessa. Her face was pale as she whispered, "What happened? How did things become like this after only a few days? So, Adrian wasn't lying this time? The house really burned down?" Vanessa sprang to her feet, her eyes bloodshot. Without warning, she slapped Cla

Chapter 15

Third-person POVClaire and Vanessa arrived at the police station one after the other. Vanessa identified herself and asked to see the security footage.After they finished watching it, a young officer brought out Adrian's personal effects."According to the footage, Mr. Bennett never left the house after returning home. We believe he may have died in the fire. These are some of the items we recovered from the scene."Inside a clear evidence bag were two diamonds and a red bracelet that had been burned almost beyond recognition. The diamonds were exactly the same shape as those on the watch Adrian's mother had left him.The moment Vanessa recognized them, her face went deathly pale. "That's Adrian's bracelet and diamond watch. They meant more to him than anything else."Her voice was barely a whisper, so hoarse she hardly sounded like herself. A sharp pain gripped her chest, as though someone were tearing her heart apart. The regret was so overwhelming she could barely bear it.

Chapter 16

Adrian's POVI settled down in a small country in the West, where life moved at a much slower pace.Every day, I slept in, went to the grocery store, and came home to cook. After meals, I worked on my designs or sketched whatever caught my interest.Whenever I had some free time, I would go for walks, clear my head, and enjoy not having anything to worry about.I still heard bits and pieces of news from back home now and then.For one thing, my death had made the headlines.I also heard that Claire and Vanessa were going after Ethan and Karen, determined to destroy them no matter what it cost.Vanessa had exposed Ethan online, revealing that his award-winning designs had been stolen from her younger brother. She'd also released plenty of evidence to prove it.Ethan had been the talk of the town after winning the award, but now everyone had turned against him.As if that weren't enough, Claire and Vanessa had taken back all the expensive gifts they'd given him.The truth about

Chapter 17

Adrian's POVLinda looked up from her computer. "You know their culture, and you speak their language. That'll make it easier to communicate with them."I tried to talk my way out of the trip. "But this is such an important assignment. I'm not sure I'm qualified for it."Claire and Vanessa were still in that country, and I had no intention of going back. Even if I was only going to Belmont, I didn't want to take any chances of running into them.Linda gave me a reassuring smile. "Your name's already on the list. Besides, I'll be going with you, so don't worry. Nothing's going to go wrong."I had no choice but to start preparing for the trip.That evening, I opened a group chat I hadn't checked in ages, hoping to find out where Claire and Vanessa were. The group had more than 20 members and was always active.I had no interest in catching up on the lavish lives of those rich kids, so I went straight to searching for their names.Over the past two years, Claire had dragged Ethan'

Chapter 18

Adrian's POVI recognized the sound of those heels clicking against the pavement. To my surprise, I felt completely calm.The footsteps stopped behind me, and Claire spoke in a shaky, hesitant voice. "Adrian, is that you?"I didn't turn around. I kept my eyes on my phone.Claire came around to face me, staring at me in disbelief as she slowly moved closer. "Adrian, I know it's you."I looked up at her, pretending to be confused. "Excuse me, are you talking to me?"Nearly two years had passed. My hairstyle and the way I dressed were completely different now, and even the way I carried myself had changed.Claire's eyes filled with tears. "Adrian, I know you're still angry with me. Ethan lied to me back then, and that's why I treated you so badly. But I've regretted it ever since. Adrian, I'm so sorry. I know I was wrong."Ethan's tricks had never been particularly clever. If anything, they were embarrassingly obvious. Yet Claire and Vanessa had believed every word without hesitat

Chapter 19

Adrian's POVI called the police.It had been a long time since I'd last seen Claire. Gone was the confident, lively woman I remembered. Now, she looked completely worn down.I'd figured that once I was out of the picture, she'd be upset for a few days before going back to enjoying her life with Ethan.Apparently, I'd meant more to her than I'd realized. Not that it mattered to me anymore.The police arrived shortly after."This woman keeps insisting I'm someone else, and she won't leave me alone," I explained.I gave them a helpless look and showed them my ID. "My name is Ryan Foster. It always has been.""No, you're Adrian! You're not Ryan or whatever you're calling yourself. We grew up together. I'd know you anywhere!" Even after looking at my ID, Claire refused to believe me."Do you have any proof?" I asked.Claire had no answer.I knew she didn't have a single photo of me. I'd even gone to her mother's house myself to get back all our childhood photos. Before I left, I

Chapter 20

Adrian's POVJust before boarding, something went wrong with my ticket, and I couldn't get on the flight.I wasn't surprised. I knew Claire well enough to know she wouldn't just let me leave without putting up a fight.I told Linda and the other two coworkers to go on without me while I stayed behind to deal with it.I wheeled my suitcase through the terminal, looked around, and spotted Claire almost immediately.There was still a chill in the early spring air. She wore a camel-colored coat, her long, wavy hair falling loosely over her shoulders. With her striking features and curvy figure, she was hard to miss in the crowd.She was watching me expectantly. I beckoned her over with a finger.Her face lit up, and she hurried toward me. "Adrian.""You had something to do with my ticket." It was a statement, not a question.Claire didn't bother denying it. "I did. I couldn't just let you leave."I stared at her coldly. "Do you know why I left? Because you and Vanessa Bennett are

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