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The Heiress's Reckoning Left to Burn, Born to Rule

NovelMaster new Completed

Romance 现实主义-Realistic

My dad's college sweetheart returned to the country. He slammed the divorce papers into my mom’s face, sneering with pure arrogance. "Take your useless brat and get the hell out of my house." My mom signed in silence, and he strutted away, practically glowing with triumph. I honestly wanted to pop champagne and set off fireworks for my mom. "Congratulations to the newly reunited billionaire heiress—talk about double the blessings!" The moment Arthur's long-lost flame returned from abroad, he didn't hesitate for a second to divorce my mom, laying down his venomous parting words. "If your mom hadn't hidden the letters Lily left for me back then, I never would've missed out on all these years with her!" "And as for you, you little mistake, don't you ever show your face in front of me again. Just looking at you reminds me of your mother’s sickening face." Arthur threw the signed divorce papers directly into my mom’s face, turning on his heel and swaggering out the door. Watching my mom sign the last page, I cheerfully packed up all our things. We moved out of that cramped, fifty-square-meter dump in record time. I could have set off fireworks right there. After all, just this morning, my mom was officially confirmed as the long-lost daughter of a multi-billionaire. She was already looking for a reason to kick him to the curb and get me a proper dad anyway. Once everything was packed, I tossed every last remnant of our old life straight into the dumpster. That very night, my billionaire grandfather sent his luxury fleet to bring my mom and me to his sprawling estate. The next evening, Grandfather booked a table at the city's most exclusive five-star hotel to welcome us properly. My mom walked ahead, gently supporting Grandfather's arm, while I followed close behind. The moment I looked up, we ran right into Arthur, Lily, and Lily's daughter, Chloe. The three of them looked cozy and cheerful, playing the part of a perfect, happy family. Catching sight of my mom, Lily instantly hooked her arm through Arthur’s, pitching her voice into a soft, sickening purr. "Oh my, isn't that Eleanor? What a coincidence, running into you here." My mom frowned slightly, clearly not wanting to waste a breath on her. Lily's daughter, Chloe, had no intention of letting it go. She eyed my grandfather with dripping disdain and thinly veiled jealousy. Taking in Grandfather’s commanding presence and unmistakable aura of old money, her eyes turned green with envy. She sneered nastily, "Well, Eleanor, look at you climbing the social ladder! Found yourself an old sugar daddy who spoils you rotten, huh? Must be nice." My mom paused, quickly realizing what Chloe was implying. Hearing that made my blood boil. Just as I stepped forward to put her in her place, my mom gave my wrist a gentle pat, signaling me to stay calm. Chloe’s gaze dropped to my mom’s brand-new designer dress and the limited-edition crocodile-skin Hermes bag on her arm, fueling her malice even further. She continued with venom dripping from every word, "Still, Eleanor, you really aren't picky, are you? Settling for an old fossil on his last legs just for cash... honestly, I admire your stomach." I couldn't hold back anymore. I took a sharp step forward, glaring icily at Lily and Chloe. "Are you two just envious, or are you genuinely that pathetic? How my mom lives her life is none of your damn business." Arthur frowned, looking at my mom with a face full of self-righteous disappointment. "What are you doing, Eleanor? You literally just finalized the divorce, and you’re already whoring yourself out for a sponsor? Don’t you have a shred of self-respect?" "Lily and Chloe didn't say a single lie! What kind of daughter could a gold-digging tramp like you raise anyway? You both disgust me." "Come on, Lily. Wasting our breath on people like this only lowers our standards."Watching Arthur turn his back and walk away, acting like he was utterly heartbroken and disappointed in us, was the final straw. My mom’s blood pressure spiked instantly from pure rage. Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed backward. Terror gripped my chest. I caught her just in time and screamed toward Arthur's back, "Dad!" Arthur was a renowned chief surgeon at the top hospital in the city, celebrated for saving countless lives. He was the only medical expert in the room, so I swallowed my pride and begged him with a shaking voice. Arthur merely glanced back at my mother over his shoulder, cold as ice. "Eleanor, you’re in your forties. Pulling a pathetic fainting stunt to get my attention? Don't you feel ridiculous?" I pleaded in tears, "Dad! Please! She really passed out!" Arthur scoffed callously. "Good. The world would be better off if she died." With that, he didn't even glance back as he escorted his new lover out the double doors. A wave of suffocating despair washed over me. My grandfather leaned on his cane, standing beside us with a calm, imposing demeanor. He stared after Arthur, his gaze brimming with disgust. "That... is the pathetic excuse of a man your mother married?!" Tears streamed down my face. Within seconds, Grandfather's bodyguards rushed in from outside, lifting my mother gently and speeding her off toward the hospital. In the back of the car, I gripped my mother's cold hand tightly, memories of ten years ago flashing relentlessly through my mind. Back then, Arthur made a critical error during surgery that resulted in a patient's death, slapping our family with a massive malpractice judgment. The three of us had to squeeze into a decaying, mold-infested apartment in the grungiest part of town, the peeling walls covered in dark, damp stains. The winters were brutal. My mom and I could only afford cheap, thin jackets bought from clearance bins, entirely useless against the biting wind. We froze the moment we stepped outside. The warmest coats we owned were reserved for Arthur, because he was the one working shifts to pay down his debt. One winter, his paycheck was delayed, and my mom didn't have enough change left to buy groceries. She boiled the last bundle of plain noodles in the pantry, somehow scrounging up a single egg to hide at the bottom of the bowl. I watched with wide, hungry eyes as she set the steaming bowl before us, cheering, "Finally, something better than plain rice and salt!" Arthur had sat there, smoking cheap cigarettes, coughing with red-rimmed eyes as he swore he’d give us the life we deserved the following year. Yet, after ten years of struggle, just when our lives finally turned around, his first love came back to the country. Arthur threw everything away without a second thought. He took every penny my mom and he had scraped together through sweat and blood over the last decade and blew it all on luxury boutiques for Lily. Every stitch of clothing my mom and I owned wouldn't even cover the tax on one of the dresses he bought for that woman. Three designer dresses... enough to buy thousands of warm bowls of noodles with an egg at the bottom. My eyes burned, a sharp, aching pain spreading from my chest straight to my fingertips. Remembering Arthur's parting curse, I pressed my cheek against my mother’s pale hand. "You're not going to die, Mom. You're going to live a long, beautiful life." Because the only one who deserved to rot in hell was Arthur.The day Lily arrived at the airport, Arthur forced me to drive him to pick up her and Chloe. Arthur didn't know how to drive, so he treated me like his personal chauffeur. In the rearview mirror, his fawning, sycophantic expression made me sick to my stomach. "Chloe, sweetie, now that you’re back, Uncle Arthur is going to make sure you have the time of your life." "Chloe, how do you like the ride? Uncle Arthur got it ready just for you. Let's hit the high-end mall first, then grab dinner at a five-star spot." Arthur's voice was drenched in sickening flattery, as if Chloe were his precious golden child. Chloe replied in a sweet, pampered drawl, "Uncle Arthur, you're the absolute sweetest! I'm so touched!" I bit my lip, sneering inwardly. Watching him play the doting father to someone else's kid was truly repulsive. He suddenly snapped his head toward me, his warmth vanishing into freezing contempt. "Keep your hands steady and drive properly! Don't make Chloe nauseous." None of us saw the speeding car running the red light around the blind corner until it was too late. A deafening crash shattered the world. The car spun wildly, black smoke billowed instantly, and flames erupted from the hood. My vision blurred as violent forces threw my body around, slamming me hard against the shattered glass and metal. The air filled with high-pitched screams from Lily and Chloe. Forcing my eyes open through the haze, I saw Arthur unbuckling his seatbelt. He lunged across the seats, pulled Lily into his arms, and fought his way out through the broken door. Lily clutched Arthur's lapels, her voice hysterical. "Arthur! Chloe is still trapped back there! Go save my baby!" Without a second of hesitation, Arthur dove right back into the smoke-filled wreckage, pulled Chloe out from the twisted back row, wrapped her protectively against his chest, and rushed her outside. A deep exhaustion swept through me. My limbs felt pinned and completely drained of strength; I could only watch helplessly as their silhouettes faded into the smoke. The flames roared louder, the thick smoke stealing the air from my lungs. Just then, I heard heavy footsteps running back toward the car. A faint glimmer of hope sparked in my chest. Dad was coming back for me. Suddenly, Lily’s panicked shriek cut through the crackle of fire. "Arthur, stop! Don't go back! The gas tank is on fire—it's going to blow! You can't throw your life away!" Arthur's footsteps came to an abrupt halt. His voice wavered through the smoke. "B-but... Jade is still my daughter..." "Arthur! We lost so many years apart! We just found each other again! You're my rock, my everything—how am I supposed to survive without you?!" She grabbed his arm tightly, her tone dripping with tearful desperation. "Arthur, please, I'm begging you, don't leave me! I can't live without you!" Arthur's face twisted with conflict. He looked down at Lily's tear-streaked face, then glanced back toward the burning wreck where I lay trapped. Then, he wrapped his arms tightly around Lily, turning his back on me without looking back ever again. The smoke grew suffocating, the heat searing my skin as darkness encroached on my vision. I fought to keep my eyes open, but my eyelids felt heavier than lead. "Mom... Mom..." My voice was too weak for anyone to hear. Tears traced lines down my soot-stained cheeks, instantly evaporated by the scorching blaze. Right before I slipped into the dark, I thought I heard my mother's frantic, desperate screams in the distance, but the sound drifted farther and farther away...

Chapters (3)

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Watching Arthur turn his back and walk away, acting like he was utterly heartbroken and disappointed in us, was the final straw. My mom’s blood pressure spiked instantly from pure rage. Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed backward. Terror gripped my chest. I caught her just in time and screamed toward Arthur's back, "Dad!" Arthur was a renowned chief surgeon at the top hospital in the city, celebrated for saving countless lives. He was the only medical expert in the room, so I swallowed my pride and begged him with a shaking voice. Arthur merely glanced back at my mother over his shoulder, cold as ice. "Eleanor, you’re in your forties. Pulling a pathetic fainting stunt to get my attention? Don't you feel ridiculous?" I pleaded in tears, "Dad! Please! She really passed out!" Arthur scoffed callously. "Good. The world would be better off if she died." With that, he didn't even glance back as he escorted his new lover out the double doors. A wave of suffocating despair washed over me. My grandfather leaned on his cane, standing beside us with a calm, imposing demeanor. He stared after Arthur, his gaze brimming with disgust. "That... is the pathetic excuse of a man your mother married?!" Tears streamed down my face. Within seconds, Grandfather's bodyguards rushed in from outside, lifting my mother gently and speeding her off toward the hospital. In the back of the car, I gripped my mother's cold hand tightly, memories of ten years ago flashing relentlessly through my mind. Back then, Arthur made a critical error during surgery that resulted in a patient's death, slapping our family with a massive malpractice judgment. The three of us had to squeeze into a decaying, mold-infested apartment in the grungiest part of town, the peeling walls covered in dark, damp stains. The winters were brutal. My mom and I could only afford cheap, thin jackets bought from clearance bins, entirely useless against the biting wind. We froze the moment we stepped outside. The warmest coats we owned were reserved for Arthur, because he was the one working shifts to pay down his debt. One winter, his paycheck was delayed, and my mom didn't have enough change left to buy groceries. She boiled the last bundle of plain noodles in the pantry, somehow scrounging up a single egg to hide at the bottom of the bowl. I watched with wide, hungry eyes as she set the steaming bowl before us, cheering, "Finally, something better than plain rice and salt!" Arthur had sat there, smoking cheap cigarettes, coughing with red-rimmed eyes as he swore he’d give us the life we deserved the following year. Yet, after ten years of struggle, just when our lives finally turned around, his first love came back to the country. Arthur threw everything away without a second thought. He took every penny my mom and he had scraped together through sweat and blood over the last decade and blew it all on luxury boutiques for Lily. Every stitch of clothing my mom and I owned wouldn't even cover the tax on one of the dresses he bought for that woman. Three designer dresses... enough to buy thousands of warm bowls of noodles with an egg at the bottom. My eyes burned, a sharp, aching pain spreading from my chest straight to my fingertips. Remembering Arthur's parting curse, I pressed my cheek against my mother’s pale hand. "You're not going to die, Mom. You're going to live a long, beautiful life." Because the only one who deserved to rot in hell was Arthur.

Chapter 3

The day Lily arrived at the airport, Arthur forced me to drive him to pick up her and Chloe. Arthur didn't know how to drive, so he treated me like his personal chauffeur. In the rearview mirror, his fawning, sycophantic expression made me sick to my stomach. "Chloe, sweetie, now that you’re back, Uncle Arthur is going to make sure you have the time of your life." "Chloe, how do you like the ride? Uncle Arthur got it ready just for you. Let's hit the high-end mall first, then grab dinner at a five-star spot." Arthur's voice was drenched in sickening flattery, as if Chloe were his precious golden child. Chloe replied in a sweet, pampered drawl, "Uncle Arthur, you're the absolute sweetest! I'm so touched!" I bit my lip, sneering inwardly. Watching him play the doting father to someone else's kid was truly repulsive. He suddenly snapped his head toward me, his warmth vanishing into freezing contempt. "Keep your hands steady and drive properly! Don't make Chloe nauseous." None of us saw the speeding car running the red light around the blind corner until it was too late. A deafening crash shattered the world. The car spun wildly, black smoke billowed instantly, and flames erupted from the hood. My vision blurred as violent forces threw my body around, slamming me hard against the shattered glass and metal. The air filled with high-pitched screams from Lily and Chloe. Forcing my eyes open through the haze, I saw Arthur unbuckling his seatbelt. He lunged across the seats, pulled Lily into his arms, and fought his way out through the broken door. Lily clutched Arthur's lapels, her voice hysterical. "Arthur! Chloe is still trapped back there! Go save my baby!" Without a second of hesitation, Arthur dove right back into the smoke-filled wreckage, pulled Chloe out from the twisted back row, wrapped her protectively against his chest, and rushed her outside. A deep exhaustion swept through me. My limbs felt pinned and completely drained of strength; I could only watch helplessly as their silhouettes faded into the smoke. The flames roared louder, the thick smoke stealing the air from my lungs. Just then, I heard heavy footsteps running back toward the car. A faint glimmer of hope sparked in my chest. Dad was coming back for me. Suddenly, Lily’s panicked shriek cut through the crackle of fire. "Arthur, stop! Don't go back! The gas tank is on fire—it's going to blow! You can't throw your life away!" Arthur's footsteps came to an abrupt halt. His voice wavered through the smoke. "B-but... Jade is still my daughter..." "Arthur! We lost so many years apart! We just found each other again! You're my rock, my everything—how am I supposed to survive without you?!" She grabbed his arm tightly, her tone dripping with tearful desperation. "Arthur, please, I'm begging you, don't leave me! I can't live without you!" Arthur's face twisted with conflict. He looked down at Lily's tear-streaked face, then glanced back toward the burning wreck where I lay trapped. Then, he wrapped his arms tightly around Lily, turning his back on me without looking back ever again. The smoke grew suffocating, the heat searing my skin as darkness encroached on my vision. I fought to keep my eyes open, but my eyelids felt heavier than lead. "Mom... Mom..." My voice was too weak for anyone to hear. Tears traced lines down my soot-stained cheeks, instantly evaporated by the scorching blaze. Right before I slipped into the dark, I thought I heard my mother's frantic, desperate screams in the distance, but the sound drifted farther and farther away...