
Blurb:
Zadie Weatherby, daughter of billionaire Jacob Weatherby, returns after three years of secret bone marrow donation for her grandmother Marissa Notley. But her family has been stolen by adopted sister Sally Weatherby, who now claims to be the true Weatherby heiress. In this second chance life, Zadie crashes Sally’s wedding to Aidan Yorke, determined to reclaim her trillion-dollar heirloom necklace from maternal grandmother Janice Brown and expose the conspiracy. Watch as Zadie confronts her brother Luca Weatherby, grandmother Marissa, and the treacherous housekeeper Paula Reed in this gripping tale of family betrayal and revenge.
Content:
I, Zadie Weatherby, am the daughter of Jacob Weatherby, the richest man in the country.
Three years ago, I donated my bone marrow to my paternal grandmother, Marissa Notley. After that, I stayed in a nursing home so that she wouldn’t worry about me.
But when I return to Jirvia, I find that my brother, Luca Weatherby, who once spoiled me rotten, is telling everyone that Sally Weatherby is his sister and the true Weatherby heiress. But in reality, Sally is just an adopted child.
The grandmother I risked my life to save holds Sally’s hand and says, “Sally is my one and only precious granddaughter.”
They then claim that I was the adopted child the driver had found near a heap of trash. And so, Sally takes my place as the Weatherby heiress and even marries my fiance, Aidan Yorke.
In my last life, I let them take my wedding dress and the trillion-dollar heirloom necklace my maternal grandmother left me. All I wanted was for them to acknowledge me as family, but they cruelly drove me to my death.
Now, I have a second chance at life after going back in time.
I rush to the venue where the wedding is being held. Once there, I tear the necklace from Sally’s neck and strip off her wedding dress.
“How dare you steal from me, you tramp!”
Chapter 1
Everyone was shocked beyond words.
My brother, Luca Weatherby, rushed over and shoved me to the ground.
He shielded our adopted sister, Sally Weatherby, protectively and shouted at me, “Have you gone insane, Zadie? How dare you lay a hand on Sally!”
My fiance, Aidan Yorke, also stepped forward to protect Sally.
He ordered his bodyguards, “You pauper! The Weatherby family fed and clothed you all these years. How dare you hurt the true heiress? Teach her a lesson!”
Several grown men grabbed at me. They stripped off my coat and draped it over Sally.
My paternal grandmother, Marissa Notley, shook with rage upon seeing this scene. She grabbed her cane and struck my waist.
The pain from the blow caught me off guard, and I collapsed to my knees.
In order to save Grandma a few years ago, I had secretly donated my bone marrow to her. I hid it from her so that she wouldn’t worry about me. For the past three years, I had been recuperating in a nursing home before my health was somewhat back to what it used to be.
Grandma had hit the very spot where my bone marrow had been taken from. That particular spot ached terribly whenever it was about to rain.
The grandmother whose life I had risked my own to save, ironically, wanted to beat me up for the sake of an adopted granddaughter.
Grandma fumed, “You filthy pauper! How dare you try to replace Sally as the Weatherby heiress!”
Sally held Grandma’s hand to support her and said pretentiously, “Good heavens, Zadie. You’re going to make Grandma faint from anger.”
Luca stepped forward and berated, “How could you do this, you ingrate? Have we ever mistreated you in any way for you to turn against us? How bold of you to claim you’re the heiress when the real one is right here!”
I argued, “I am the true heiress of the Weatherby family”
Before I could finish, Luca cut me off with a forceful slap.
Sally said tearfully, “Grandma, Luca, don’t get angry with Zadie. She has lived in the countryside all this time. She just came back and still needs time to adjust. It’s understandable for her to feel like I’ve taken her place.
“But Zadie, the Weatherby family has raised you all these years. How could you upset Grandma?”
The guests gossiped among themselves.
“My goodness. I can’t believe she tried to pass herself off as the Weatherby heiress.”
“Look at her shabby appearance. Who does she think she is to cause trouble at the wedding? Is she crazy?”
“Maybe she’s deluded herself into thinking that she’s the true heiress.”
Luca reached out to grab my necklace impatiently. “This is a keepsake from Grammie. Sally’s getting married today. She should have it.”
I clutched the necklace I got from my maternal grandmother, Janice Brown, tightly. The Weatherby family’s housekeeper, Paula Reed, snatched it away from me brusquely. In the process, she even scratched my arm.
The pain caused me to kick at her in reflex. But before my leg so much as grazed her, she leaned sideways and fell to the floor dramatically.
“Ms. Sally has never laid a hand on us, but look at this impostor putting on lofty airs! She’s treating us like we’re garbage!” Paula exclaimed.
Her accusation caused the guests present to criticize me relentlessly.
I laughed in exasperation and questioned, “If Sally is the heiress, then who the hell am I?”
Chapter 2
Luca looked at the streaks of blood on me and frowned.
Sally, however, looked like she had suffered a terrible grievance. “Forget it. If she likes the necklace, she can have it.”
Luca was enraged upon hearing this. “No way! You’re my real sister, Sally. Grammie’s keepsake should belong to you.”
His real sister, huh?
In the past, Luca would go to great lengths to spoil me and get me whatever I wanted. But ever since our parents adopted Sally, his attitude toward me changed completely. He believed Sally was his perfect little sister and that I was just a spoiled brat.
Just like that, they gave her my identity and the love that once belonged to me. In the end, to keep me from standing in Sally’s way, they made it so that I perished in a fire.
In this life, I refused to stand down in hopes of securing their worthless love.
“Grammie passed down that necklace to me, but you stole it. Wait till Mom and Dad arrive and find out you not only gave her the heirloom necklace but also swapped out the bride. Let’s see what they’ll say,” I challenged.
My parents had planned to make a grand entrance toward the end of the wedding to surprise me. They wanted my wedding to be perfect. However, Luca and Sally seized the chance to move the wedding earlier so that she would get married to Aidan before my parents could interfere.
With a graceful and composed smile, Sally said, “If you liked it, you could have told me. How could you claim Grammie gave it to you? She’s my Grammie, not yours.”
Sally’s friend, Tasha Smith, immediately stepped forward to defend her. “You’re twisting the truth, Zadie. You’re just a filthy tramp the Weatherbys took in upon discovering you in a heap of trash. Stop dreaming that you’re the heiress. Know your place.”
Seeing that I refused to back down, Grandma panted heavily in rage.
She tried to get the event going by urging, “Let’s not waste any more time. Time is passing as we drag it out. Let’s proceed to the next step. Bring out the wedding gifts prepared for the bride.”
The staff pushed me aside rudely.
I watched helplessly as Luca was about to transfer my shares and properties to Sally. They were out of their minds! Mom and Dad had long prepared those assets for me.
“All of that is mine. If you dare transfer it, you’d better be ready for a lawsuit,” I warned.
Luca’s hand paused for a moment over the document, but he proceeded to sign his name resolutely once he got over his hesitance.
He declared, “Mom and Dad said this is for my sister, and my sister is Sally. Stop coveting what’s not yours.”
Grandma pointed a shaking finger at me and cursed, “You jinx! Don’t even think about getting a single cent from the Weatherby family’s fortune. It all belongs to Sally.”
Sally chimed in haughtily, “As expected of a country bumpkin. She’s short-sighted and wants everything for herself. Just ignore her, Luca.”
I could have grown up cherished and adored in Jirvia. But for my family, I went far away to recuperate on my own so that they wouldn’t need to worry. But all I got in return was cold betrayal.
The guests were quick to contribute their scornful remarks.
“Look at her biting the very hand that feeds her.”
“In the end, it’s all about the Weatherby family’s money. She has lost her mind, wanting to claim it for herself.”
Luca wore a pained expression as he said, “You disrupted Sally’s wedding. But if you kneel and apologize, I’ll give you a chance.”
I sneered. “Have I done anything wrong? Why should I apologize to a fraud?”
Sally swayed delicately on her feet. Her eyes brimmed with unshed tears, making her look pitiful.
Luca’s heart went out to her. He ordered his men to force me to my knees and apologize to his beloved sister.
Aidan looked at me with a regretful expression. My assistant, Dani Boyle, thought he was finally coming to his senses.
“Mr. Yorke, please vouch for Ms. Zadie,” Dani urged.
But Aidan gently wiped Sally’s tears instead. “We’ve been too soft on her. It is because of our kindness that she repeatedly challenged Sally without a care.”
Back then, he had pursued me for five years before Dad finally agreed to our engagement. Yet, he turned around and fell for Sally in no time at all. For her, he was willing to risk the longstanding goodwill between our two families by replacing the bride.
I spat at his face. “Are you truly stupid, or are you just pretending to be stupid? Do you really not know who your fiancee is?”
Chapter 3
Upon seeing how firm and unwavering I was, the crowd began to doubt themselves. Some dissenting voices could be heard.
“She doesn’t sound like she’s lying. Why would she risk being thrown out of the Weatherby family by claiming to be the heiress?”
“Yeah, look how emotional she is. Maybe what she’s saying is true. It’s unsurprising for powerful families to have unknown, dark secrets.”
“If Zadie is the true heiress, this is going to be quite a show.”
Sally’s face stiffened with embarrassment as the murmurs spread.
Luca quickly helped Grandma onto the stage.
She insisted, “I only have one granddaughter, and that is Sally. I took Zadie back after stumbling upon her in a trash heap. But this ingrate is now ruining my granddaughter’s wedding. She’s no adopted child of the Weatherby family. She’s dead to me!”
Grandma struck the floor with her cane so forcefully that I wouldn’t be surprised if it cracked.
With that, no one doubted Sally’s identity any longer. Instead, they despised me even more. Those I loved the most made the deepest cuts that hurt more deeply than anything else.
“She’s shameless. The Weatherby family wasted their time raising a heartless imbecile.”
“Maybe she’s here to steal Ms. Sally’s fiance.”
“Someone needs to deal with this disgrace if the Weatherby family won’t.”
As those words fell, someone hurled a piece of cake at my face. Soon, others followed suit. I had food smeared across my entire body in no time.
Feeling smug and triumphant, Sally shoved me into the champagne tower. “You’ve provoked me again and again. Did you take me for a pushover?”
I burst out laughing as I got to my feet. My hair was disheveled and dripping with champagne. My crazy appearance frightened the crowd.
In a frenzy, I pointed at the driver and said, “Tell them who I am!”
Then, I turned to Paula and pointed at her. “You too! Say it. Who am I, really?”
They looked away diffidently, refusing to meet my gaze.
“None of you dares to face me. Of course. Even my own brother and fiance refuse to acknowledge my true identity. The grandmother I saved wants to sever ties with me too. Of course, I shouldn’t expect anything from you guys,” I said with a scoff.
“What nonsense! She’s gone completely crazy!” Luca roared in fury.
Aidan snapped in frustration, “Shut her up immediately!”
The bodyguards were stunned for a moment before pinning me down and covering my mouth.
Sally was afraid that something unexpected might happen to derail her plans.
She clutched Aidan’s arm and urged impatiently, “Come on, Aidan. Let’s have the city hall staff come in and register our marriage now.”
Grandma nodded and agreed, “Yes. Once you register your marriage and seal the deal, she’ll give up and stop making trouble.”
Everyone watched eagerly as the staff stamped the documents and handed over two marriage certificates to Sally and Aidan.
Sally leaned close to my ear and whispered victoriously, “Who you are doesn’t matter. I’m the one who married the heir of the Yorke family. I’m the true Ms. Weatherby. Now that I’m Mrs. Yorke, Mom and Dad can’t do anything even if they’re here. How does it feel to be betrayed by your own family?”
My eyes widened with rage, and I wanted nothing more than to break free and tear her apart.
Sally pretended to be frightened and retreated into Aidan’s arms for comfort. Grandma and Luca immediately rushed to her side with concern.
Luca glared at me with disgust. “Dislocate her jaw and tie her up. Get her out of here.”
Grandma called out to the city hall staff, who were about to leave, loudly. “This lunatic is no longer a member of the Weatherby family. Since you’re still here, remove her from the city registry and have her sent to a mental institute for life.”
Someone immediately brought over a consent form for my removal from the city registry and tried to force me to stamp my fingerprint onto it.
I struggled desperately with all my might, but Sally picked up a dining knife and stabbed it into my hand without hesitation.
“Wouldn’t a bloody fingerprint be even better?” she sneered viciously.
“Don’t you dare lay a hand on her!” A furious voice thundered from outside the entrance doors.
Download the GoodNovel app, Search 【 466689 】reads the whole book.