I Begged The Real Heiress To Take My Life Away Chapter 17

I Begged The Real Heiress To Take My Life Away Chapter 17

After everything settled down, the two families slipped into a strange kind of harmony.

Josie split her week: five days at the Doyles’, two at the Sterlings’.

She stopped trying to prove herself at every turn.

When Eleanor scheduled her lessons, she’d just turn them down flat.

“I’m helping my mom prep biscuit dough today.”

Eleanor frowned. “Biscuit dough can wait.”

Josie said calmly: “So can the merger deal.”

Eleanor, for once, had nothing to say.

I clapped like a maniac from the sidelines.

“Sis, that was awesome!”

Eleanor looked at me.

“Don’t just stand there either.”

I dropped my hands instantly.

“Going to wipe down tables now.”

Sebastian started learning how to be a normal brother.

He stopped bringing exams to the diner.

He brought food instead.

Video games.

A pile of random junk that used to get confiscated from my room.

One time, he showed up with a whole box of comics.

“These are yours.”

I flipped through them. Every single one had been taken away from me as a kid.

Perfectly preserved.

I asked him, “Didn’t you used to say all this stuff was a waste of time?”

He said, “It still is.”

I said, “…What?”

He added, “But you like it.”

I nearly got emotional over that.

Josie chimed in from the side, deadpan:

“Sebastian, is this your redemption arc?”

Sebastian answered without missing a beat. “Correcting a past mistake.”

Josie scoffed. “Real stubborn about it.”

I nodded. “Runs in the Sterling blood.”

Eleanor overheard.

She didn’t scold me for it.

Just set a card down on the table.

“For you.”

I eyed it warily.

“What’s this for?”

“Spending money.”

I got even more suspicious.

“Strings attached?”

“None.”

“You want me to take lessons?”

“No.”

“You want me to move back to the Sterling house?”

“Move back if you want. Don’t if you don’t.”

I stared at her.

“Mrs. Sterling, have you been possessed?”

She took a deep breath.

“Daisy Sterling.”

There it was. That familiar wave of pressure.

I grabbed the card immediately.

“Thanks, Mom.”

She blinked, caught off guard.

I blinked too.

That “Mom” had come out completely on its own.

Eleanor’s eyes went a little red, but she turned away fast.

“Don’t waste it.”

I nodded.

Then immediately turned around to go buy fried chicken.

Sebastian seemed to have eyes in the back of his head.

“Go easy on it.”

I got mad. “You said you weren’t going to control me!”

He said, mild: “I said go easy. I never said no.”

Josie popped her head up from behind the counter.

“Get two buckets. I want some too.”

Sebastian was quiet for a second.

“I’ll go get it.”

The day the Sterling heir stood in line to buy fried chicken, the old regulars on the street watched for a solid

thirty minutes.

….

Newton showed up too.

That snob of a golden retriever circled Josie once, then trotted over and rubbed against my leg.

I was floored.

“Newton finally accepts me?”

Sebastian said, “He smells the jerky in your pocket.”

I looked down.

Sure enough.

Whatever.

Fake validation is still validation.

Opening day, the place was packed.