The Heiress They Exiled Chapter 01

The Heiress They Exiled Chapter 01

I am born into a powerful family, an old-money dynasty built on a criminal fortune.

In the eyes of the public, we are a respected old-money New York family. Behind closed doors, however, we are a former Mafia dynasty.

Maybe that is why I grow up with an almost ruthless sense of possession.

When I am three, my childhood friend takes another girl by the hand. I rush over and shove her straight down the stairs.

When I am ten, my brother Graham promises to spend time with someone else first. I smash that person’s birthday cake right in front of everyone and drag Graham away.

When I turn eighteen, my mother gives me the position of the family Principessa. Even Graham, the heir apparent, has to sit behind me at family gatherings.

From childhood, I am used to everyone’s favoritism and indulgence. Naturally, I believe all of it belongs to me and me alone.

Until my father brings home Lillian Danforth, the daughter of the late Capo.

He looks at me and says only one thing, “From today on, she’s your sister.”

She stands in the living room with red-rimmed eyes, looking as though she might shatter at the slightest touch.

She says she envies me. And that is when everything begins to change.

The clothes and shoes my mother buys for the family suddenly come in pairs. The necklaces and jewelry Graham brings home also come in pairs.

My father frowns at me and tells me, “You need to learn some maturity. Stop fighting Lillian for everything.”

But she isn’t my sister.

I am so accustomed to having all their love to myself that I cannot stand by and watch what belongs to me being taken away, piece by piece.

So I cut up every piece of her clothing, smash all her jewelry, then lock her outside and tell her to get out.

My entire family is furious.

To correct what they call my unhealthy possessiveness, they send me to a closed disciplinary boarding school, Stonebridge.

And that place is very good at “teaching people.”

The instructors use a cane to break three of my fingers, teaching me what it means to know my limits.

They force me to kneel on the floor and lick up spilled spaghetti, teaching me what it means not to fight for everything.

They even press a stun baton against the back of my neck, warning me to stay away from my family from then on.

They tell me that after enough pain, a person naturally learns to behave.

I stay there for three full years.

Three years later, the school presents me with an “Outstanding Graduate” trophy before finally allowing me to go home.

…

When I get home, our Fifth Avenue penthouse is glowing from floor to ceiling.

The private terrace has been transformed for Lillian’s birthday, with a towering champagne display, elaborate floral arrangements, and pale-pink ribbons tied along the railings.

“It’s Lillian’s birthday,” the driver says casually. “The Don’s expecting quite a crowd tonight.”

I simply nod and let myself inside.

The living room is already crowded with guests.

Lillian is dressed in a white gown, surrounded by people in the center of the room like a flower carefully raised in a greenhouse.

My mother personally adjusts the hem of her dress. My father stands beside her with a gentle smile. Graham shields her from the drinks, and even Weston stands at her side, lowering his eyes as he listens to her speak.

The old me would have dragged my suitcase straight into the middle of the room and arrogantly ordered them to stop crowding around her.

But now, I watch quietly for a few seconds before walking around the crowd and heading straight upstairs.

That is when my mother finally notices me. Her voice trembles.

“Harper?”

I turn around from the staircase and give her a small, obedient nod.

“Mom.”

Every pair of eyes in the living room falls on me.

After three years apart, they probably never expect me to become like this.

I have cut my long, golden-brown wavy hair short and dressed in the simplest black dress. I am calm and unhurried, even my gaze quiet and distant, as if I am standing far away from everyone.

My mother hurries toward me, her face filled with an awkward concern.

“When did you get here? Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

“Just now.” I say, “Everyone’s busy. You don’t need to worry about me.”

She looks at a loss for words. After a long moment, she finally says with reddened eyes, “But today… is your birthday too.”

I know.

It’s just that Stonebridge has taught me that I cannot take what isn’t mine, ask for what I don’t deserve, or force my way into a gathering that doesn’t belong to me.

If I forget my place, the cane will leave my skin raw and bleeding.

My father seems to want to make up for it, so he immediately tells someone to prepare another gift and order another cake.

“No need.”

I say the words I have practiced countless times in an even voice.

“Stonebridge taught me that when everyone has already made arrangements, I shouldn’t interrupt. And I shouldn’t make everyone uncomfortable because of me.”

My mother’s face turns pale.

“This is your home. How could you ever be a burden here?”