The Returned Heiress Who Never Fit In

Chapter 1 She Plays Dirty, I Pay the Price!

The day Stella Dawson was born, the family maid threw her away—just so her own daughter, born on the same day, could have a better life.

Eighteen years later, her family finally found her. But instead of guilt and compensation, what awaited her was something else entirely.

“You’re gorgeous!”

Stella stood in front of the mirror, dressed in a wedding gown. The fitted bodice hugged her slender waist, and the voluminous skirt made her look like a fairytale princess.

Even without makeup, her delicate features were striking.

The boutique manager helping her adjust the gown couldn’t help but praise her.

“Mr. Keene didn’t come with you? Men and women have different tastes when it comes to these things.”

Stella smiled politely. “He’s busy with work. Couldn’t get away.”

As soon as she finished speaking, her phone buzzed. She glanced at the caller ID before picking up. “Tess?”

“Stella, I just saw Lillian with Ethan!”

Stella’s expression froze.

The satisfaction on her face disappeared bit by bit, buried under the weight of Tessa Miller’s words. Her gaze turned cold.

Ethan Keene was her fiancé. Their wedding was in a week.

And just hearing Lillian Reed’s name made a flicker of disgust cross her eyes. Lillian—the maid’s daughter. The girl who stole her parents at birth and now had the nerve to come after her fiancé.

Stella shot a look at the boutique manager, who instantly understood and nodded.

With a simple hand gesture from the manager, the other employees quickly left the room.

Once they were gone, Stella glanced at her manicured nails and asked casually, “Where’d you see them?”

Tessa hesitated. “The hospital. OB-GYN department.”

raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “Well, that’s an

together in the OB-GYN department—what could they

a two-faced manipulator, and Ethan’s

angry yet, but Tessa was

the glass in front of her and smirked. Every time she pulls one of her stunts, I’m the one who pays for

the country of her own accord, claiming that since the real daughter of the Reed family was back, she had no right to stay. And yet

past two years? Or just too

“She came back right before your wedding. What do you think

darkened. “I’ll call you

alarmed. “What are you

smiled. “If someone’s selling a lie, how could

that, she ended the

turned to the mirror, looking at herself in the

fingers trailed

her hands. She tossed the

shock, but seeing Stella’s expression, none of them dared

she finished changing into her own clothes, her phone buzzed

at

Ethan.

picked up, his cold voice came through. “Once you’re done

Two years.

nothing but

This change in attitude… was it because Lillian

across Stella’s lips. She

Stella stepped

stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows,

his features were sharp yet refined. His side profile alone was enough to

had favored him, gifting him a face that was unmatched in all of

into the phone, “Eat lunch by yourself.

walked over to the

his voice from the call was gone. His expression turned cold as he looked

met his

next to him like she used to. Instead, she took a seat

the distance she put between them,