I Begged The Real Heiress To Take My Life Away Chapter 14

I Begged The Real Heiress To Take My Life Away Chapter 14

The reporter had no answer.

I whispered from behind her.

“Sis, be civilized.”

She said, flat: “Long tongs are civilized, for people with zero manners.”

That clip ended up online.

Trending headline:

#RealHeiressChases Off Reporters With DonutTongs

The comments went feral.

“This sister does not play.”

“Diner-verse power move.”

“The fake heiress peeking out from behind her looks like a scared little quail.”

I did not appreciate that.

How do I look like a quail?

Josie read the comments and went quiet for a long moment.

Then changed my contact name to: Little Quail.

I changed hers to: Donut Tong Boss.

Even trade.

But the calm didn’t last.

Trouble hit the Sterling house.

A rival of the Sterling Group leaked a story claiming Eleanor had manipulated the paternity test to get her real daughter back, and was plotting to kick her adopted daughter out and pressure the Doyles into silence.

Public opinion flipped overnight.

Some people called the Sterlings heartless.

Some called the Doyles money-grubbing.

Some accused me of faking everything.

Some accused Josie of being calculating.

The most absurd rumor claimed Josie and I had actually been in on it together the whole time, plotting to

drain the Sterling fortune and open a nationwide biscuit chain.

Reading that one, my heart skipped a beat.

A nationwide biscuit chain.

Honestly, sounded like a solid business plan.

When Eleanor called, her voice was ice.

“Someone’s pulling strings behind the scenes.”

Sebastian traced the leak back to a familiar name.

A distant relative on the Sterling side, a man named Roland Sterling.

He’d wanted a seat on the Sterling Group board for years, and Eleanor had blocked him every time.

Now he was using the birth swap scandal to trash the family’s reputation and force Eleanor to hand over

power.

The moment Josie heard the name, her expression changed.

“He came to me.”

We all turned to look at her.

She pressed her lips together.

“The second day after I moved into the Sterling house.”

“He said if I’d back the story that Daisy Sterling had been spoiled her whole life while I got abused at the

Doyles’, he’d help me claim more Sterling shares.”

I asked, “Did you agree?”

She glared at me.

“I was a mess back then, not stupid enough to sell out my own parents.”

I let out a breath.

Josie pulled out her phone.

“I recorded it.”

I was stunned.

“You recorded the whole thing?”

She lifted her chin, proud.

“Basic survival skill for a straight-A student.”

I looked at Sebastian.

“Bro, are all you smart people just naturally this sneaky?”

Sebastian said, flat: “It’s called risk management.”

I said, “I have risk management too.”

Josie asked, “What’s yours?”

“Buying antacids before eating barbecue.”

She: “…”

We had the recording, but it wasn’t enough on its own.

Roland had paid trolls, media contacts, and a couple of bribed former hospital employees in his corner.

We needed him to expose himself.

Eleanor decided to hold a press conference.

Sebastian said we needed someone who could send public opinion spinning out of control in the right

direction.

Everyone turned to look at me.

I hugged myself defensively.

“What?”

Josie patted my shoulder.

“Your time to shine, Little Quail.”

I panicked.

“I don’t know the first thing about corporate warfare.”

Sebastian said, “You know how to talk absolute nonsense.”

Thank you so much for identifying my one true core competency.