: My Mom Is the Real Heiress

My mom was the true heiress. She died in a car crash when I was ten.

Thus ended the tragic life she'd led since being kidnapped.

The False Heiress took everything that belonged to my mom.

After my mom died, she took my dad, too.

She told me, "Darling, from now on, I'll be your mother."

I nodded obediently.

She fed me, clothed me, and paid for my college education.

Until I came of age and sent her and my dad to prison with my own two hands.

Outsiders said to me, "You're so heartless."

It was so absurd, I had to laugh.

Can a conscience pay for a life? Can it bring my mom back from the dead?

1

"Darling, from now on, I'll be your mother."

When Elara Sterling said this, she was pregnant, and her hand was holding that of a girl older than me.

As if oblivious to my hateful glare, she just kept smiling softly as she reached out to stroke the top of my head.

"Your mother wandered for so many years, only to pass away after just a few good days."

"Faye, you must be strong, so you can enjoy this hard-won life for your mother."

I could clearly see the mockery and triumph in her smile.

Of course. She, who should have been a butcher's daughter in the mountains, had become the beloved Young Miss of the Sterling Family.

Not only that, but she was now the rightful Mrs. Crawford.

How could Elara Sterling not be triumphant?

But what had the original Mrs. Crawford, the true Young Miss of the Sterling Family—my mom—done wrong?

Elara Sterling had stolen her place, and she'd been kidnapped and sold to the remote mountains, where she lived a wretched life for over a decade.

When my mom finally made it back to the Sterling Family, she was met with ostracism from her own relatives, who were protecting The False Heiress!

Then she met my dad. My mom thought she had finally found salvation, but she never imagined she was falling onto a blade woven from lies!

My dad was worried that if my mom returned to the Sterling Family, she would steal the affection that belonged to Elara Sterling, so he deliberately married her.

While my mom was gradually falling into this beautiful dream, my dad was cheating on her with Elara Sterling behind her back, even getting her pregnant with Helena Crawford!

And the Sterling Family knew all about it!

I clenched my fists, my whole body trembling with rage, but I didn't expect Elara Sterling to be so frightened that she took two steps back.

Helena Crawford shoved me to the ground.

"You little monster without a mom, don't you dare bully my mother!"

Elara Sterling quickly pulled Helena Crawford behind her, her eyes red as she sobbed.

"Lena, don't be like that. Faye is your younger sister. She's lost her mother, you have to be more understanding."

As soon as she said that, angry expressions appeared on the faces of everyone in the living room.

"How is that uncouth creature worthy of you treating her so well?!"

"You practically gave your heart to that mother and daughter, and what did she do?! She actually tried to kill you with a knife?!"

"She deserved to get in a car crash and be smashed to a pulp!"

My dad's heart ached for her, and he quickly helped Elara Sterling to the sofa.

"Elara, from now on, you are the mistress of the Crawford family. You don't have to be so timid."

Uncle Sterling doted on her and, by extension, gently took Helena Crawford by the hand, his eyes filled with tenderness.

"That's right. You and Thomas Crawford have finally made it through the bitter times. As your big brother, I couldn't be happier for you."

Seeing this heartwarming scene, Grandfather and Grandmother Sterling's eyes reddened with emotion.

"Elara, you can rest assured. The Sterling Family will always have your back."

I stood apart from it all, coldly watching this scene of happy family reunion, feeling how little my mother and I had mattered.

If true feelings are trampled upon, then it's better not to have them at all.

I slowly got to my feet and looked up at the delicate woman on the sofa, surrounded and fawned over by everyone.

'Then I'll just have to be the executioner.'

: The Seventh Day

2

Elara Sterling and Mr. Crawford registered their marriage, and she began to rest at home during her pregnancy.

The Sterling Family pampered her endlessly, especially Uncle Sterling, who came to visit Elara Sterling every single day.

Mr. Crawford was busy at his company, so Uncle Sterling would take Elara Sterling and Helena Crawford to amusement parks and on shopping sprees at the mall.

As for me, the child of the true but unwelcome lady of the house, I was naturally unwelcome as well.

Elara Sterling and Helena Crawford put on a show for everyone, playing good cop and bad cop to cultivate the image of a kindhearted stepmother.

Thanks entirely to their masterful performance, I didn't have to say a word for the Sterling Family and Mr. Crawford to be convinced that I despised Elara Sterling and Helena Crawford.

My bedroom was quickly moved to the maid's quarters, the room farthest away from them.

I naturally became the lowest-ranking "servant" in the Sterling Family. Even the maids could walk all over me.

I loathed the way these servants fawned over the powerful.

When my mother was still alive, she had worried this day would come. She gave them plenty of gifts and money, asking them to look after me.

But now, with my mother barely in her grave, they had turned right around and started fawning over Elara Sterling.

I knew that any smart person would choose to curry favor with Elara Sterling, but the thought still sent a chill down my spine.

Everyone had forgotten my mother.

Human nature chilled me to the bone.

I was waiting for the right moment—a moment to make everyone remember my mother.

Finally, my chance came.

That night, a thunderstorm raged. Mr. Crawford was away on business, leaving only Elara Sterling, Helena Crawford, and me in the house.

I had observed her for a long time. Every night before bed, Elara Sterling would without fail come downstairs to drink a bottle of milk.

I got everything ready and hid behind the curtains in the hallway, waiting for her to appear.

Her usual bedtime came and went. After what felt like a long time, I finally heard heavy footsteps.

Elara Sterling went to turn on the lights, only to find the power was out. She muttered under her breath.

"The power's out? What a coincidence?"

I was suddenly grateful for all the times my mother and I had waited in the dark for Mr. Crawford to come home. It was thanks to that experience that I could now clearly see Elara Sterling approaching the top of the stairs.

Just as she reached the top of the stairs, I sent a toy car speeding into her foot.

An instant later, Elara Sterling stepped on the car. And then, she tumbled down the stairs!

"AHHH!"

Elara Sterling lay on the floor, screaming and groaning. Before I could even move, her bedroom door was suddenly thrown open!

To my shock, my uncle, Lance Sterling, came rushing out from inside!

My eyes widened, and a cold smile touched my lips.

'So that's how it is! So that's how it is!'

'This so-called "brother and sister" had been carrying on a sordid affair all along!'

'This only strengthened my resolve for what I had to do tonight!'

Just as my mother had taught me, I strapped on a pair of makeshift stilts, draped myself in one of her old nightgowns, and appeared in a flash at the top of the stairs.

It was a skill my mother had learned after being abducted and sold to the mountains. The Sterling Family and Mr. Crawford were ashamed of her past and never knew she could do such a thing.

A flash of lightning illuminated the scene. I looked down at Elara Sterling, groaning in a pool of her own blood, and gave her a wicked smile.

Elara Sterling's lips trembled. She slowly raised a finger, pointing at me as she shrieked.

"You! You..."

Just as Lance Sterling turned to look, I vanished, leaving only a ghostly silhouette behind.

Elara Sterling grabbed Lance Sterling's arm, her body trembling uncontrollably.

"It's her! She's come back to get revenge!"

"She must hate me for stealing her life! She's come back for revenge!"

Lance Sterling had seen the silhouette too, and a cold dread washed over him.

Fighting to control his trembling hands, he quickly dialed 911.

I quickly disassembled the makeshift stilts into simple wooden poles, tossed them into the backyard, and disposed of all the other evidence.

As I watched the ambulance carry Elara Sterling away, I stood in the rain, tears streaming down my face.

Today was the seventh day since my mother's death. 'Mom... did you see that?'

3

The Sterling family rushed to the hospital overnight.

Elara Sterling cowered in Lance Sterling's arms, her face pale.

"Mom, Dad, I saw her last night! She came to kill me!"

"She must not have expected me to be so lucky. My baby took the blow for me... My poor child."

Elara Sterling reached out and stroked her belly. Everyone's heart ached for her, and they rushed forward to comfort her, cursing my mother for not being at peace even in death.

Only Mr. Crawford stood outside the hospital room, his expression dark as he watched Lance Sterling holding Elara.

With so many people watching over her at the hospital, Mr. Crawford stayed for a while before rushing home to investigate who had been impersonating the "mother" Elara mentioned.

The first person Mr. Crawford questioned was me.

"Faye Crawford, tell me the truth. Were you the one who caused Elara's miscarriage last night?!"

He was holding a feather duster, and I cowered back as if I were scared.

"Dad, it wasn't me. It really wasn't."

"If it wasn't you, who else could it be?! You're the only one in this house who can't stand Elara! The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Is this what your mother taught you?!"

I immediately shook my head and used my hands to gesture at my height.

"No, Dad. Uncle Sterling said he saw Mom last night. How could Mom be me?"

After hearing this, Mr. Crawford's expression became inscrutable.

He had been away on a business trip, yet Lance Sterling had snuck into the Crawford Family home behind everyone's back. How could he not be furious?

Mr. Crawford hit me directly with the feather duster.

"Even so, you're still responsible! I was on a business trip, and you didn't take good care of your mother! How could you sleep so soundly?!"

'That "mother" wasn't my mother, but I couldn't be bothered to correct him.'

Mr. Crawford scolded me with a clear conscience, but didn't blame Helena Crawford at all, who was still sound asleep.

'But it didn't matter. It would be her turn soon.'

'No one is getting away today!'

Only after he was done scolding me did Mr. Crawford order people to thoroughly search everyone's rooms.

Finally, in Mrs. Bell's room, they discovered a large amount of jewelry, as well as a silk nightgown, still dripping water, that had been shoved to the back of a cabinet.

There was no doubt; it all belonged to my mother.

Furious, Mr. Crawford kicked Mrs. Bell to the ground.

"You old hag! How dare you take her money to set Elara up! She's causing trouble for the Crawford family even in death!"

"I had no idea a dog raised by my Crawford family had gotten so bold!"

No matter how much Mrs. Bell begged, Mr. Crawford completely ignored her.

"You like being a dog, don't you? I'll let you be one for the rest of your life."

Watching Mrs. Bell get dragged away, the remaining servants were scared into silence.

They knew best. When my mother was still alive, Mrs. Bell was the best at pleasing her.

After my mother died, she immediately switched allegiances, giving Elara Sterling bad ideas on how to bully me.

Although they hadn't gone as far as Mrs. Bell, they had all, to some extent, put me down to get ahead.

'From now on, they'll have to think twice before daring to step on me.'

As for the broken, blood-stained toy the servants had placed on the coffee table, Mr. Crawford stared at it, lost in thought.

The toy belonged to Helena Crawford. She didn't allow anyone to touch it, especially me.

Then there was only one possibility: Helena Crawford had left the toy at the top of the stairs, and Elara Sterling had accidentally stepped on it.

After a long moment, Mr. Crawford shot a cold glare at everyone around him.

"Put the toy away. No one is to mention this in front of Elara or Lena."

I let the corners of my lips curl up slightly, then quickly composed my expression and looked at Mr. Crawford, fumbling with my phone.

"Dad..."

Mr. Crawford turned back impatiently, just in time to see the phone call in progress.

And the person on the other end was Elara Sterling.