Chapter 5
Amelia woke up on her first morning at the Clyde mansion, half–convinced she was still dreaming.
Pinching herself hard, she winced. Nope, this was real.
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She walked into the massive closet and chose a stunning outfit. Then, she adorned herself with every piece of jewelry Rosy, and her brothers had gifted her–necklaces, bracelets, rings.
For a moment, she caressed each piece as though it held a special power.
“Miss Clyde, would you like to have lunch now?” a servant asked her deferentially.
“No, I’m going out to eat,” Amelia replied curtly but stopped mid–step.
Turning back, she fixed the servant with a haughty look. “Let me ask you something. Who’s prettier―me or that fake daughter, Rhea?”
The servant hesitated before stammering, “It’s… it’s you, Miss. You’re the most beautiful lady.”
Amelia smirked, satisfied. “Exactly. That’s what I think too. A fake will always be fake. I’m the real heiress! She stole eighteen years of the life I should have had, leaving me to suffer in her place. The nerve!”
Her expression darkened as her thoughts spiraled, her teeth grinding audibly.
The servant felt a chill.
Amelia was so unlike Isabel, who had always been kind and gentle, treating the staff with warmth.
Amelia, in contrast, came across as crude and even mean.
“Alright, let Mom know I’m stepping out for a bit,” Amelia said before heading out.
The Clyde family had provided her with a private driver and a luxury car worth a fortune.
“Miss Clyde, where would you like to go?” the driver asked with respect.
A sly smile played on Amelia’s lips. “Take me to the Galvez family. I want to see how the thief is doing.”
Finally, Amelia was living the life she believed she was meant for–lavish, privileged, and enviable.
She couldn’t wait to flaunt it in front if her old neighbors.
As the car rolled along, she snapped a selfie and posted it to Instagram.
Then She shared it on X and TikTok.
The reactions were instant.
Those she had known before couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw her expensive clothes and sweet ride.
“Amelia, is that really you? You’ve hit the jackpot!”
Old classmates and former friends who had once ignored her now reached out eagerly.
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Amelia felt like she was on top of the world.
‘I’m the real heiress,’ she thought. ‘After eighteen years of struggle, I’m finally living the life I deserve.
Before long, the car pulled up in front of the Galvez family’s modest home.
The moment Amelia stepped out of the car, she became the talk of the village.
“Isn’t that Amelia?” someone whispered, stunned. “She looks so glamorous now. And she has a driver!”
Another added knowingly, “Didn’t you hear? She found her real parents. Turns out she and the Galvez daughter were switched at birth.”
A young woman sighed enviously. “Her family must be filthy rich. Just look at her outfit–it’s flawless!”
Her friend agreed, “She’s so lucky. Imagine being the lost daughter of a wealthy family.”
Under the weight of their envious stares, Amelia strode confidently to the Galvez home.
Hannah lit up when she saw her.
She thought Amelia loved them so much that she was missing them already.
“Amelia, you came back to see us!” Hannah’s eyes welled with tears of joy.
“Wrong.” Amelia’s tone was ice–cold. “I came to see how that fake heiress is doing. She stole my life for so long–now that she’s stuck here in this dump, I had to see it for myself.”
Hannah was momentarily stunned, unable to find the words.
She never imagined the girl she had raised could become so venomous.
At that moment, Isabel appeared from the pigsty, carrying a bucket of slop.
She had been helping out by feeding the pigs, a task Hannah could no longer manage because of her bad back.
Seeing Isabel with the bucket, Amelia wrinkled her nose dramatically and covered it with her hand.
“Oh my God, the stench! It’s unbearable! Filthy people like you are only fit for filthy tasks,” she exclaimed, her tone exaggerated and dripping with contempt.
“Amelia, how could you say that? Didn’t you used to feed the pigs too?” Hannah intervened quickly, trying to defend Isabel.
She couldn’t fathom how Amelia had become so cruel.
Amelia’s response was a furious shout, “Don’t call me Amelia! Call me Miss Clyde. The Galvez name is a disgrace. I’m not your daughter–this loser is!” She jabbed a finger toward Isabel.
“You… you…” Hannah stammered, her voice trembling with anger.
Before Hannah could continue, Isabel calmly reached into the bucket, and grabbed a handful of the slop.
Then she flung it straight into Amelia’s face.
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Chapter 5
“Aaah!” Amelia shrieked.
The foul mixture of kitchen scraps and leftovers smeared across her carefully pampered face, ruining the expensive skincare routine she had indulged in that morning.
Her expensive skincare and makeup products!
Her driver rushed over, frantically trying to clean her up with a handkerchief.
Amelia’s voice quivered with rage. “Isabel, you vile witch! How dare you? I’m the real heiress now–you’re just a fraud!”
Isabel’s expression remained calm and indifferent. “Then leave, or I might just toss you into the pigsty next.”
Amelia planted her hands on her hips, puffing herself up with indignation. “You wouldn’t dare! Do you know who I am?
“The Clyde family is rich and powerful. You’re nothing. Oh, and did anyone tell you? You have a fiancé now. Hahaha!”
Amelia shook dramatically out of the laughter.
At the mention of a fiancé, Isabel froze, her brow furrowing.
She turned to Hannah, seeking an explanation.
Hannah avoided her gaze, her expression heavy with guilt.
Amelia smirked, her delight evident. “Oh, she doesn’t want to tell you? Fine, I’ll do it. Your fiancé lives right here in the village.
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“Go see for yourself! This is fate, Isabel. The fiancé who was supposed to marry me is yours, and yours is mine now, and the one meant for you? Good luck with that!”
The Clyde family had arranged Amelia’s engagement years ago.
With the daughters now switched, that engagement naturally passed to Amelia.
But no one had told her that the Galvez family had also arranged a marriage for her.
“Ugh. A house full of pitiful paupers. I’m off to enjoy my luxurious life. You can stay here and rot in poverty–you’ll never escape it.” With that, Amelia strutted away, having said her piece and basked in their discomfort.
Isabel didn’t bother responding to someone so petty and toxic.
Her thoughts were already occupied with this so–called engagement.
Hannah sighed heavily. “Isabel, I’m so sorry. About the engagement… we had no choice.
“A few years ago, a powerful family, the Yates, approached us out of nowhere. They wanted to arrange a marriage for their son and chose Amelia,”
“But…” Hannah hesitated, her voice thick with regret.
“The man they wanted her to marry… he’s disabled. Paralyzed from the waist down and bedridden for years. He was abandoned here in the village.
“We didn’t want to agree, but they offered a large sum of money. At the time, your father’s condition was worsening, and we desperately needed the money to pay for his treatments. So we said yes.
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Chapter 5
“Looking back, I regret it deeply. I’m so sorry, Isabel. Don’t hate Amelia for resenting us either–we were just too poor to refuse. And the Yates family is too powerful to defy.”
Hannah sighed deeply as she finished. “Now that Amelia is gone, the engagement naturally falls to you.
“They said the wedding would take place when you turn eighteen, and that’s coming up this year. We’ve been so anxious about it…”
Hearing this, Isabel exhaled slowly.
Life in the Galvez family was proving to be more complicated and messy than she’d anticipated.
Still, she composed herself. She decided she would need to meet this so–called fiancé to assess the situation for herself.
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