THE RICHEST MAN’S REAL DAUGHTER RETURNS

Chapter 3: The car pulled through the gates and Mia felt her breath catch in her throat.

The mansion was enormous with perfectly manicured gardens.

Mia couldn’t help but notice that it looked like something out of a movie. It seemed like a place she had only ever dreamed of seeing.

She pinched herself, thinking perhaps she was in a dream, but she never woke up.

This was real…

Victor watched her reaction with a soft smile as the car came to a stop. "Welcome home, Mia."

She turned to him, her voice barely above a whisper. "This is... this is where you live?"

"This is where we live," he corrected gently. "This is your home now."

Mia stepped out of the car and she stood in front of the entrance, her heart pounding in her chest.

She felt overwhelmed and completely out of place.

Victor walked up beside her. "You do not have to feel like a stranger here, Mia. This is where you belong."

She swallowed hard. "Does your family know about me? I mean... do they know I am coming?"

Victor nodded. "Well, your mother Elena has been deceased for some years now, but your brother is in there right now."

Mia's stomach flipped. She never got the chance to meet her real mother… and that hurt.

But at least she has a big brother now and a dad. She was grateful for that. She took a breath and then she walked inside.

---

The sitting room was big and filled with comfortable furniture.

Ethan, Mia’s older brother, was already standing with his hands in his pockets.

He was tall and broad-shouldered, with the same dark hair and sharp jawline as Victor.

When he saw her, he smiled but then in a fraction of a second, it got weird and he looked at her like he was trying to figure out what to say.

"So," he said finally, a small smile tugging at his lips. "You are my sister."

Mia nodded, feeling just as awkward. "I guess I am."

Ethan laughed softly. "Sorry. I do not really know what to say. I just found out I have a sister I never knew existed, and now you are standing in front of me."

Mia smiled despite herself. "I just found out I have a brother I never knew existed, so... we are even."

Ethan's smile widened. "Fair enough."

They sat down and Ethan started asking questions. He asked about her life, about where she grew up and what she liked to do.

Mia told him about growing up with Margaret and how different her life had been.

Ethan's expression shifted as she spoke. His eyes darkened with anger.

"She made you clean the house?" he asked, his voice enraged. "She made you wash the cars?"

Mia nodded. "Every day. And Selena... she was treated like a princess. She never had to lift a finger."

Ethan looked at Victor, his jaw tight. "She treated my sister like a servant?"

Victor's face was calm, but Mia could see the anger simmering beneath the surface. "I know," he said quietly. "And I promise you, Mia. Nobody will ever treat you that way again."

Mia felt something warm spread through her chest.

Suddenly, Victor smiled like he had remembered something. He reached into his jacket and he pulled out an old photograph.

Then he handed it to Mia.

She looked at it and her breath caught. It was a picture of Victor with a woman she did not recognize, and in the woman's arms was a tiny baby.

"This is your mother," Victor said softly. "Elena raised both Ethan and his sister for a beautiful seven years before she passed on."

Mia stared at the photograph, her eyes burning. "I wish I could have met her.”

Victor nodded. "I wish that too, Mia. She would have been a great mum to you.”

Mia felt tears spill down her cheeks. "God, why did you not find me sooner?"

Victor's voice was rough with emotion. "I am sorry about this. It never occurred to me that this may have happened."

She looked at him and at the pain in his eyes.

If maybe they have found out, then she couldn’t have a bad experience with Selena and Margaret.

She would have had a normal childhood. It made her sad knowing she could never get the childhood she wanted.

Victor reached for her hand. "I am not expecting you to suddenly call me Dad, Mia. I am not expecting you to pretend twenty-two years have not passed. I just... I want the chance to make up for all the years we lost."

Mia could not hold it in anymore. She broke down, sobbing, and Victor pulled her into his arms.

"I am sorry," she whispered against his shoulder. "I am sorry I did not find you sooner."

"Shhh." He held her tighter. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You are here now… and that l is all that matters."

Ethan cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to lighten the mood.

"So," he said, grinning. "You are the youngest Hart heiress now. How does it feel to suddenly be one of the richest people in the country?"

Mia laughed through her tears. "Honestly? I do not feel like an heiress at all."

Ethan snorted. "You will learn quickly. Our father has a serious problem with buying people ridiculous gifts. You will probably wake up tomorrow with a new car in the driveway."

Victor shot him a look. "Ethan. Stop embarrassing me."

Mia laughed, the sound surprising her.

Afterward, Ethan offered to show her around the mansion.

He took her through the huge living room with its tall windows and then he took her through the library, which was filled with books from floor to ceiling.

He took her through the gardens, where there were thousands of flowers.

Then he took her to the rooms in the house and made jokes, teasing her about which ones she should avoid because their father would probably try to give her all of them.

Mia listened and laughed, but eventually, she told him she was overwhelmed and needed a little time alone.

Ethan nodded, understanding. "Take as much time as you need. I will find you later."

He left her alone.

---

Mia got tired of waiting for morning to rise, at one point.

So instead, she wandered downstairs because she wanted some water. Her mind was still spinning and trying to process everything that had happened in the span of a single day.

She went from being cheated on by her boyfriend and ordered around by her adoptive mother to discovering she was the biological daughter of a billionaire.

She could barely breathe.

She pushed open the kitchen door and she stopped.

A tall, handsome man was standing near the counter, shirtless with his hair slightly damp as though he had just finished working out.

His back was to her, and she could see the muscles rippling beneath his skin.

Mia froze.

"Um," she said awkwardly. “Excuse me??"

He turned around.

His eyes swept over her face in surprise, and then a slow grin spread across his lips.

He was gorgeous... like he was actually the most beautiful man she had ever seen.

"Well, well," he said, his voice low. "Who the hell is this beauty?"