The Phantom Heiress Rising From The Shadows

Chapter 3

Chapter 3 I Thought Your Design Drafts Were Trash

Brenna looked at the Barrett family with clear contempt, her expression calm as she revealed the truth to the surrounding guests. "For over a decade, this family has capitalized on my designs-transforming a modest auto parts business into a full-fledged car-manufacturing empire, even securing a public listing. But now that they've outgrown their need for me, they're framing me for theft, all to protect their real daughter. How touching," she

said with a snort.

Alec's face darkened with fury, his voice rising. "What kind of nonsense is this? You barely made it through grade school. How could you possibly understand mechanical design?"

Brenna held her designs up for the gathering guests to see. "Take a good look. This isn't a blueprint for new energy auto parts. It's an advanced cargo ship design. I have no reason to steal from anyone, least of all Isabella"

Now, the regret hit her hard. In the past, she had been too young to see through Alec's schemes. She had been too trusting to realize why he had insisted on putting his name on her designs.

It was painfully clear now-Alec had been setting this up from the very beginning.

Brenna tapped a line of component names on the blueprint. "Read this carefully. It's in Amland's language, and it translates to 'nuclear-powered cargo ship propulsion system'."

Tilting the paper slightly, she pointed to the faint watermark in the lower right corner, which shimmered under the shifting light. "This is my personal mark. You can compare it to Isabella's so-called 'designs'. Her designs

are garbage," she said.

Just as she finished speaking, Sarah Moss, one of the servants, hesitantly stepped forward, holding an identical folder. "Miss Barrett... I thought these were trash, so I threw them in the trash can. These are your design

drafts..."

Brenna let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "Did you hear that? Even Sarah recognized them as trash."

Isabella's face burned with humiliation. She shot Sarah a murderous glare before yanking the folder from her hands and flipping through it in a panic. Then, with a furious growl, she slammed it down. "These designs

aren't mine!" she exclaimed.

they were trash! I just... mistakenly thought

threw them away..."

there was no way

worse.

unwilling to let Isabella be humiliated any further, immediately shifted the attack back onto Brenna. "Oh, please! Look at yourself. Do you really expect us to believe that someone who never even finished grade school designed a nuclear- powered cargo ship propulsion system? You must have stolen this! People like

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associate yourself with the Barrett family again from now

She simply flipped open both her own design drafts and Isabella's, setting them side by side for

anger. Then, he barked, "Enough with this nonsense! Do you really think you made our family rich? The Barrett family's success is built on my and your brother's hard work you had nothing to do with it! We clothed and fed you

act like you're the victim here? Do you think the scraps

and once she walked out that door, the Barrett family's problems would no longer be hers. "Fine. We will have nothing to do with

down to grab her laptop from the

Isabella was faster. She snatched the sleek black device before Brenna could reach it, holding it tightly in her grasp. "You're so stubborn, Brenna. I was kind enough to offer you a way out earlier, but in return, you throw dirt on me and my family? You make mistakes, refuse to apologize, then try to turn it around on us?

across the face. Then she grabbed the drenched

hit me? Isabella gasped, her face twisted with fury. She raised a trembling hand to strike back -only to be slapped again by

forward, incensed. "The Barrett family raised you,

convenient target for her frustration,

Ruby falter, her raised hand hanging mid-air. "Mom, she hit me!" Isabella exclaimed, clutching her stinging cheek, her eyes burning with