THE RICHEST MAN’S REAL DAUGHTER RETURNS

Chapte

Mia stared at Victor Hart and she laughed... a nervous, disbelieving laugh.

"Okay," she said, shaking her head. "This is a joke, right? Someone put you up to this?"

Victor's expression did not change. He just looked at her with warm eyes. "It is not a joke, Mia."

"Twenty-two years?" Her voice cracked. "How could you possibly be sure I am your daughter after twenty-two years?"

Someone behind him which she found to be Victor's lawyer stepped forward, pulling out a folder from his briefcase.

“The hospital discovered that two baby girls were switched on the night you were born," he explained. “Victor has been searching for his missing daughter for years. The recent investigation led us to you through the DNA database."

He handed her the report. Mia stared at it, her hands trembling and her eyes scanning the words she could barely process.

She looked up and saw Margaret standing in front of her.

She expected her to be shocked or even give some kind of reaction. But Margaret was strangely quiet... her face pale and her lips pressed into a thin line.

Victor noticed too. He turned to her, his eyes narrowing. "You knew?"

Margaret's head snapped up. "What? No. I have no idea what you are talking about."

But her voice was too quick and defensive. Mia felt something cold settle in her stomach.

Everything she had ever been told about her birth... about who she was and about where she came from... it was all falling apart.

Victor turned back to Mia, his voice softening. "I did not come here to take you away by force, Mia. I just want to take my daughter home, if you would like that."

Mia hesitated. She had spent her entire life believing Margaret was her mother even though she abused her.

But now, this stranger was standing in front of her, offering her everything she had ever wanted.

"I..." She shook her head. "I do not know what to say."

"You do not have to call me Dad today," Victor said gently. "You do not even have to forgive me for not finding you sooner. Just give me the chance to get to know you."

Something in her chest cracked open.

Before she could answer, the front door swung open and Adrian and Selena stepped outside. Adrian's face went pale the moment he recognized Victor.

"What?" He stopped in his tracks. "Victor Hart? Why are you standing in our driveway?"

Victor looked at him, his expression confused. "And you are?"

Adrian straightened up, trying to compose himself. "Adrian. Mia's boyfriend."

Victor's eyes flickered to Mia's tear-stained face, to the cleaning cloth still hanging from her hand.

"Is that so?" Victor asked.

Mia looked down at herself, suddenly aware of how she must look to him. Her clothes were dirty and her hair was a mess… even her eyes were red and swollen from crying.

"He was my boyfriend," she spat. "Until I walked in on him with my sister."

Adrian's eyes widened. "Mia..."

"They have been together for months," Mia continued. "I just found out."

Adrian's expression shifted. He stepped toward her, his voice suddenly desperate. "Mia, I was angry. I did not mean what I said but we can fix this. We do not have to break up."

This two faced bastard…

Selena stepped forward, her arms crossed. "Adrian, we already decided..."

"Shut up!" He turned on her, then back to Mia. "Please, Mia, you know you fucking need me. I made a mistake. Give me another chance."

“Is this how you speak to my daughter?” Victor growled, glaring menacingly at Adrian.

“Daughter?” Selena’s eyes widened.

“Yes,” Margaret scoffed. “Apparently she was switched at birth.”

Mia looked at Adrian for a long moment. She thought about all the nights she had sacrificed everything to just see him even if it was a few minutes.

All the love she had poured into someone who had never really loved her back.

"You did not want me a few minutes ago," she hissed.

Adrian swallowed. "I was wrong."

"You were not wrong." She shook her head. "You chose her. You made your choice, Adrian."

Selena stepped forward angrily. "Do not act so superior just because some billionaire claims you are his daughter..."

Victor's voice cut through the air. "He is not claiming anything. She is my daughter."

Victor turned to Mia, his expression softening. "You do not belong in this house anymore, Mia. You do not have to clean anyone's garage or cars ever again."

Margaret stepped forward, suddenly desperate. "Wait. I raised her for twenty-two years. I deserve to be..."

"Deserve what?" Victor's eyes were cold as he turned to her. "Why was my daughter treated like a servant while your other daughter lives like a princess?"

Margaret opened her mouth but no words came out. She had no answer.

Victor turned back to Mia and he held out his hand.

"Come home with me."

---

Adrian stood outside, watching her leave. He watched as she climbed into Victor's car, watched as the convoy of expensive black vehicles pulled away from the house.

The girl he had just rejected was now the heiress to one of the largest fortunes in the world.

And he had let her go.

He wanted to throw himself over a cliff for being so darn stupid!