Chapter 99

Lewis Family's old mansion.

Amelia sat on the velvet couch in the living room clinging to Stella' arm with a sweet, careful smile."Mom, the trip must've worn you out, right? Let me give you a quick back rub."

"You've gotten prettier, Amelia," Stella commented.

It sounded kind, but Amelia could feel an invisible distance behind those words.

Stella had never been particularly warm to her, even when she was little-probably because they weren't really related by blood. And ever since it was revealed that Amelia wasn't the biological daughter of the Lewis family, the coldness only got worse.

The Lewis family was still actively searching for her biological parents. That terrified her.

Deep down, she knew her real parents-whoever they were-could never match the wealth, status, or power of the Lewis family. As harsh as it might sound, part of her hoped they were already dead. That way, the Lewises wouldn't have a reason to cut her off.

If they're still alive... then she'd likely be sent back to them. After living years of privilege, dressing in designer clothes, and being treated like royalty, the thought of losing all that made her panic.

Thankfully, they hadn't found her real parents yet.And the Lewises hadn't breathed a word to the public about the truth either.

So,she was still the Lewis family's elegant heiress-the social butterfly the other rich girls envied and tried to befriend.

She poured tea for Zachary and Stella. "Dad, Mom,please have some tea."

Zachary took a small sip, then said, "I saw the competition. Amelia, switching things behind the scenes like that-it's unacceptable. It reflects badly on this family."

He glanced at her, voice stern. "And your ties to Molly?She's dead now, and the whole thing looks shady.From now on, think before you act."

Stella gently set her cup on the table. "Dear, don't be so harsh. You'll scare her. The matter's done, let's move on."

Then she turned to Amelia. "But Amelia, don't go picking fights with that Shaw girl, She's Mrs. Reid now.The Reids and Lewises get along well-we can't ruin that over something petty."

Amelia looked down quietly, her hands nervously twisting together like a child caught doing something wrong. "I understand, Dad, Mom. I won't make the same mistake again."

Across from her, Jason and Samuel sat down on the other couch, looking distinctly unimpressed with Amelia's demure act.

They hadn't forgotten how she disguised herself as a nurse to swap Megan's hair sample. And who knew how many underhanded tricks she'd pulled off over the years?

This girl played weak, but her mind ran deep.

Samuel casually bit into a shiny red apple. "Mom,that designer girl? That's Lila Moore. Didn't you say you love her designs? If you want, I'll take you to her-maybe have her draw up something just for you."

Stella's eyes lit up. "She's famous, though! You think you can just walk up and find her?"

Jason chuckled. "He paid her 27 million. Pretty sure she'll take his call."

Stella froze mid-reach. "Twenty-seven million?"

Samuel's face twitched hard. First time he met Megan,she'd used some shady app and hacked his account-turning thirty million into three million before he even blinked.

And Jason just had to bring that mess up again.

Wasn't it enough that he still hadn't caught that damn hacker,Blackwing?

He jabbed a few more aggressive bites into the apple,cheeks stuffed. "I found out she was Lila Moore after you mentioned liking her stuff, Mom. So I dropped a bit of cash her way. Just wanna see you smile."Stella shot a suspicious look at Samuel. "Since when did our youngest get so smooth? He actually knows how to sweet-talk now?"

"Well, I'm just being a good son and showing some love!"

Jason gave him a firm smack on the back, grinning. "If he were really that good at sweet-talking,he wouldn't still be single."

Samuel choked and started coughing like crazy.He smacked Jason's hand away and glared at him hard.

After finally catching his breath, he muttered, "You're already thirty, and you've got the nerve to tease me?"

Jason chuckled softly, totally unfazed. "So what?Even big bro's still flying solo. No rush."

Zachary's face darkened. "Alright, enough. None of you are making life easier."

He turned toward Stella, the severity in his eyes gone,replaced by tenderness. "Stella, let's go rest upstairs.""Okay."

Amelia got up to help her mother up the stairs, but Zachary gently brushed her hand away. "I've got it."

Jason and Samuel also stood and headed toward the stairs.

Amelia's gaze turned colder as she watched their backs disappear. This was clearly their way of giving Megan a chance to talk to Stella in private.

Seriously? Are they still clinging to hope?

Didn't they already see the paternity test results?

Am I overthinking it?

No way. Everything was flawless. They didn't notice a thing when she swapped the hair samples.

She was just being paranoid.

Then her phone buzzed with a new call.

It was an unknown number. She hit decline without hesitation.

But the caller wouldn't give up and kept calling back.

She hurried upstairs to her room and finally picked up the call.

"Do you ever quit?"

"Does it sting, knowing you're not the real Lewis daughter?"

Amelia covered her mouth, her voice low and shaky."Who are you?"

The man chuckled darkly. "That doesn't matter. What matters is-we're on the same team. If you want to stay in the Lewis family, you better work with me.Or you'll lose everything."

"Why should I believe you?"

"Because I've got your real parents."

That sent a chill down her spine. Eyes wide, lashes trembling, she whispered, "You're lying." "Tsk tsk." The man sneered, "You'll see once I make their identities public. Then you'll know if I'm lying or not."

"No!" Amelia nearly shouted, then quickly softened,"I mean. how can you prove they're my real parents?"

"The butler just came back from shopping. Inside one of the bags is a small envelope. Two strands of hair.Go get them tested-then you'll know I'm telling the truth," his voice was smooth, deliberate. "You can call this number anytime. I'll be waiting."

As the call ended, Amelia collapsed to her knees on the carpet.

Her heart was thudding like crazy.What now?

Why-why is this happening?

He said the envelope was in the grocery bags Mr.Exton brought home. She had to find it, and fast.

She jumped up, flung open the door, and rushed downstairs.

She spotted Mr. Exton, hauling two big shopping bags into the house and heading straight for the kitchen.

Taking a deep breath,she followed him in.

"What'd you get today, Mr. Exton?" she asked with a bright smile.

"Sir and Madam are back, so I bought some fresh fish and meat. Anything in particular you'd like, Miss?"

She nodded. "Could you go ask Mom if she's craving anything? She didn't seem to have much appetite earlier."

Mr.Exton agreed and went off to find Stella.

As soon as the kitchen was empty, Amelia crouched down and started rummaging through the bags.

When she finally found the little envelope, a cold voice cut through the quiet behind her. "What are you doing?"