The True Heiress Returns: His Bitter Regret

"Ariel? Sweetie, can you hear me?"

The voice was too sweet. It scraped against Ariel's eardrums like sandpaper.

She forced her heavy eyelids open. The harsh glare of the surgical lights sliced through her retinas. She blinked, her throat burning like swallowed glass.

The blurry shapes around her bed sharpened. Five figures stood over her.

Three men in bespoke suits. An older man leaning on a custom mahogany cane. A woman dripping in diamonds.

The Washington family.

Ariel's stomach dropped. Bile rose in the back of her throat. She was inside the book. The Wall Street corporate warfare novel she had finished reading at 2 AM last night.

Cherilyn threw herself at the edge of the mattress. She grabbed Ariel's hand.

"Oh, thank God," Cherilyn sobbed. Her Upper East Side accent was flawless. "I was so worried about you, sister."

Ariel coughed. Her lungs felt tight.

Look at this fake bitch, Ariel thought. She's probably going to spike my IV bag with potassium next.

The thought didn't stay in her head.

It rang out. Sharp, clear, and metallic. It echoed directly inside the minds of the five Washington family members in the room.

Conrad's hand clamped down on the gold head of his cane. The wood groaned. His knuckles turned bone-white. His sharp eyes darted to the ceiling, hunting for a hidden speaker.

Eleanor stumbled back. Her stiletto heel caught on the linoleum floor. She slammed into the metal IV pole. The saline bags swayed violently.

Jonas's hand shot to his waistband. His fingers brushed the cold fabric of his suit jacket, right where he kept his concealed Glock. His jaw locked.

Greggory ripped his Tom Ford sunglasses off his face, his hand flying to his temple as if struck by a sudden migraine. He squeezed his eyes shut, his face twisting in pain as the sound bypassed his eardrums entirely and echoed directly in the very center of his consciousness.

Devontae yanked his encrypted phone from his pocket. His thumbs flew across the screen, scanning for rogue Bluetooth frequencies.

Ariel watched them. Her heart hammered against her ribs.

What is wrong with these Wall Street wolves? Ariel thought. They look like they just got struck by lightning. No wonder they all end up jumping off a building after the hostile takeover.

The words jumping off a building exploded in their skulls.

Jonas froze. His hand dropped from his waist. He stared at the girl on the bed. His chest stopped moving.

Conrad swallowed hard. The muscle in his jaw ticked. He forced his hand to relax on the cane.

"Ariel," Conrad said. His voice was thick. "How are you feeling?"

Ariel put on a weak, obedient smile. "A little dizzy, Father."

Keep acting like a loving dad, you old fox, Ariel thought. You're all going to be sleeping on the streets in a year anyway.

This time, they saw it. Ariel's lips didn't move. But the voice came directly from her.

Eleanor slapped a hand over her mouth. Her eyes turned bloodshot. Her chest he heave as panic seized her lungs. Sleeping on the streets. The words paralyzed her.

Cherilyn didn't flinch. She couldn't hear it.

"Here, drink some water," Cherilyn said softly. She picked up a glass from the nightstand and brought it to Ariel's lips.

Don't touch me! Ariel screamed in her mind. You sociopath! You faked a pregnancy to steal the shares and killed a man!

Greggory's head snapped toward Cherilyn. The protective warmth in his eyes vanished. Pure, unfiltered disgust replaced it.

Devontae moved faster than anyone.

He lunged forward and smacked the glass out of Cherilyn's hand.

"It's too cold," Devontae barked. "Bad for her stomach."

The glass hit the floor. It shattered into a hundred pieces. Water splashed onto Cherilyn's designer heels.

Cherilyn gasped. She stepped back, her perfect mask cracking for a fraction of a second.

Ariel flinched at the loud crash.

This third brother has severe anger issues, Ariel thought. No wonder he gets stabbed to death in federal prison.

Devontae's face lost all its color. He looked like a corpse. His hands shook so violently he almost dropped his phone.

Conrad stepped forward. His presence sucked the air out of the room.

"Cherilyn," Conrad ordered. His tone left no room for argument. "Go find the doctor. Now."

Cherilyn bit her lower lip. Her eyes pooled with real tears of frustration. She turned and walked out of the room, her heels clicking angrily against the floor.

The heavy door clicked shut.

Silence suffocated the room.

Five pairs of eyes locked onto Ariel. They stared at her like she was a ticking bomb.

Ariel's skin crawled. Cold sweat slicked her palms.

Why are they staring at me like that? Ariel thought. Did they figure out I'm an imposter? Are they going to tie me to a cinder block and throw me into the Hudson River?

Eleanor gasped. She forced the corners of her mouth up. It was a grotesque, trembling smile.

"We are just glad you are awake, sweetie," Eleanor choked out.

Ariel stared at her mother's twisted face.

They are completely insane, Ariel thought. I need to play dead.

She squeezed her eyes shut and pulled the white hospital blanket over her nose.

The five titans of Wall Street stood frozen around the bed. Cold sweat dripped down their spines.