Adoption Day Done: I’m the New Wealthy Heiress

1
It was adoption day at the orphanage.
I shoved Leo, the boy Id grown up with, into the fountain and stepped forward to present myself to the couple instead. Just like that, I became the daughter of a wealthy family, and Leo Holt remained an orphan.
Eight years later, I was thrown out of the Hawthorne household for my wild and unruly behavior.
Leo, on the other hand, had clawed his way up to become the formidable CEO of Holt Industries.
We met again at his adoptive fathers funeral.
Only this time, my role was that of a posthumous bride, a symbolic wife for the deceased.
Leos eyes locked onto me, his gaze lingering for a long, heavy moment. Then, he did something I never expected. He knelt beside me, grabbed the back of my neck, and forced my head to the ground.
His voice, as cold and distant as it was all those years ago, cut through the silence.
Stella have you ever regretted it?
What regrets could a dying woman have? All I wanted was a gravestone to call my own.
A bitter laugh escaped my lips. Pay me enough, and Ill tell you whatever you want to hear.
In my dreams, Id imagined our reunion a thousand times. But never, not once, did I picture this.
The moment I stepped into the memorial hall, I saw him standing in the distance, his eyes fixed on me. Eight years. Leo had grown tall and lean, a man who carried himself with a quiet, solid confidence that clung to him like an expensive suit.
Our gazes met across the crowded room for a fleeting second before I broke away, my own eyes darting elsewhere. I, who had always prided myself on my thick skin, could feel a hot blush creeping up my neck.
Leo acted as if he didn't even know me, turning his attention to the funeral director to discuss the arrangements.
Is that the woman they hired for old Mr. Holt? Shes so young.
These days, theres nothing a woman wont do for money. Fifty grand to play bride to a corpse? Of course, shed jump at the chance.
She doesnt even think its bad luck? She looks even younger than Mr. Holt himself.
Standing before the casket, I picked at my fingernails, their whispers buzzing around me like flies.
Bad luck? My days among the living were already a nightmare. I didn't have the energy to worry about the afterlife.
Two weeks ago, my doctor told me I didnt have much time left and urged me to check into a hospital. I glanced at my bank account balance and refused. A proper burial plot costs fifty thousand dollars. Id been a stray for too long; I refused to be a wandering ghost after death.
I had no choice.
I had to take the odd job Mrs. Gable had found for me: becoming the symbolic bride for an old man who had never married.
The number of guests who came to pay their respects told me Leo had done well for himself. After I stole his chance at adoption, Id kept tabs on him. Hed aged out of the system on his eighteenth birthday and was thrown into the world to fend for himself.
He fought hard. He had to, or he never would have met the man whose funeral this was. The late Mr. Holt, a multimillionaire, had remained a bachelor his entire life, heartbroken after the love of his life married another. He had no children of his own.
Eventually, I stopped seeking news of Leo. All I knew was that Mr. Holt had adopted him as his son and heir, leaving him his entire fortune.
The funeral directors voice pulled me from my thoughts, instructing me to kneel by the coffin for the ceremony. I was just about to bow my head when Leos sharp voice cut in.
Im not satisfied with this woman.
My father loved one person his entire life. This woman is not worthy of him.
I knew he might try to sabotage this. But to wait until all the guests were assembled, until the ceremony was seconds from beginning he was doing this purely to humiliate me.
But I was out of time.
I clutched at the hem of his tailored suit jacket. You arent your father. How do you know he wouldn't have liked someone like me? Im already here. You have to pay me for today!
His eyes shot down to my hand on his clothes, and he flinched back as if burned, shoving me away. He seized my chin, his fingers digging into my skin. His lips trembled with rage.
Youre just as disgusting as youve always been. Is money really that important to you? His voice was a low growl. In all these eight years, was there ever a single moment you regretted leaving me?
The past might not matter to him, but the money mattered to me. Right now.
Pay me enough, and Ill tell you whatever you want to hear.
A crack appeared in his stoic facade. Suddenly, he dropped to his knees in front of me, grabbed the back of my head, and slammed it toward the polished floor.
He used all his strength.
The heat that had been confined to my face now felt like it was engulfing my entire body. As my forehead hit the ground with a sickening thud, my vision swam with black spots, a high-pitched ringing screaming in my ears.
The fever was back.
I struggled instinctively, but he held me fast, pulling me up only to force my head down again, completing the three traditional bows.
When it was over, he tossed me aside like a ragdoll.
The illness washed over me in a dizzying wave, leaving me too weak to stand. The letter I had tucked inside my jacket slipped out and fell to the floor.
He couldn't see that. Not yet.
But it was too late.
Leo picked up the envelope. I didn't have much of an education, so I'd simply copied the melodramatic TV shows I'd watched, scrawling "LAST WORDS" across the front in big, clumsy letters.
Stella, are you trying to tell me you have some terminal illness? Some noble reason for leaving me? he sneered, his voice dripping with scorn. What kind of fatal disease waits eight years before you finally get around to writing a will?
He tossed the letter, and it fluttered down, landing on my face.
My eyes fixed on the words I had written, and a hysterical laugh bubbled in my chest. It was as pathetic as my entire life.
Fighting through the pain, I forced myself to speak. Yeah, that was the idea. Thought I could guilt you into feeling sorry for me. A bigger payout is always nice. I took a shaky breath. For old times sake, add another ten thousand.
Ten thousand. That should be enough to hire a professional mourning team. Someone to kneel at my vigil and cry for me. Someone to hold my portrait so I wouldn't feel so alone in the end.
Leos eyes widened, shocked by my brazenness. A vein throbbed in his temple.
Stella! Do you really think I could still be hung up on you after what you did?
I felt a sudden warmth on the back of my hand. A drop of blood from my nose, then another. The world tilted, and as I fell, the last thing I saw was the panic flooding Leos face.
He hadnt forgotten me after all. Of course he hadnt.
He never even changed his name.
The first time I met him, I was eight. He was eight, too. That night, I heard him crying softly in a bathroom stall at the orphanage. As the self-proclaimed leader of the orphan kids, I felt it was my duty to comfort him.
That was when I learned his parents had died in a car crash on the way to celebrate his birthday. He was the only survivor.
I wiped his tears away. Theyve turned into stars, I told him. Theyre watching you, so dont be scared.
Did your mommy and daddy turn into stars too? he asked, his small hand gripping mine, his face still streaked with tears.
But my mother was a sex worker who didnt even know who my father was. When I was five, she couldn't afford me anymore. She pressed a lollipop into my hand and left me on the steps of the orphanage.
No one loved me. I wanted so badly for one of the stars in the sky to love me, but I knew it was an empty wish.
Thats why I named myself Stella.
Leo didn't fully understand, but he squeezed my hand tighter. Then Ill be Leo, he whispered. That way, you wont be a lonely star anymore.
From that day on, he was my shadow. We were older, and the chances of anyone wanting to adopt us were slim to none. When we were fifteen, a family finally came looking for a boy. They were taken with Leo's handsome features. But in front of the prospective parents, he took my hand.
If you adopt me, please take Stella with me. We promised wed never be separated.
The result was predictable. Neither of us went. He spent a whole week apologizing and trying to cheer me up.
When we were seventeen, the Hawthornes came to the orphanage. We stood in the courtyard, lined up like merchandise on a shelf. I swallowed nervously, my palms slick with cold sweat. Leo secretly squeezed my hand.
Dont worry, he whispered. We made a promise. Whichever one of us gets picked, we wont forget the other.
Mr. Hawthorne pointed at Leo.
Just as he was about to speak, I shoved him with all my might. He stumbled backward, falling into the decorative stone fountain. His head hit the edge, and blood started to trickle from a cut on his forehead.
The Hawthornes had one non-negotiable condition: the child had to be perfectly healthy, without a single scratch.
In that instant, I became their only choice.
As I was driven away in their sleek black car, I saw Leo staring after me, his eyes filled with a pain and confusion that stabbed at my heart. I wanted to look back, to give him one last glance, but I couldn't.
Stella, I know youre awake. Stop playing dead.
I slowly opened my eyes. I was in the back of his car.
Just low blood sugar, I mumbled. After all these jobs, youd think Id learn to expect that some clients dont serve food.
His grip on my wrist tightened, his eyes blazing with a fury that seemed ready to spill over. So this is just routine for you, isnt it! You were a Hawthorne, for Gods sake. Have you no shame, no decency left?
I met his fiery gaze with a cool, steady one of my own. If you pay me, I said calmly, Ill even spend the night with you. I dont care.
A bitter, humorless laugh escaped him. He yanked me closer by the chin, his hand shaking with rage. Is that right? Youll do anything for money?
His face was inches from mine. I closed my eyes, bracing myself.
I expected a kiss. Instead, he shoved me away violently.
A woman like you God knows how many men that mouth has been on. You make me sick.
He turned and got out of the car, slamming the door behind him. I watched his retreating back, a profound sadness settling in my chest.
That mouth had only ever kissed him.
It was the last New Year's Eve we spent together. Leo and I bought a small bundle of sparklers, pooling together the twenty dollars wed managed to scrounge up. He knew how much I loved the cheesy scenes from romance movies. In the snow-covered yard, he arranged the lit sparklers in a circle around us.
We sat on the frozen ground, watching our breath fog in the air as we looked up at the stars.
I turn eighteen next year, he said softly. Lets leave this place together. Lets never be apart. Okay?
He was never good with words, not like the leading men in the dramas I watched. But his simple promise brought tears to my eyes.
I leaned in and pressed my lips to his.
My nose started bleeding again. I fumbled frantically for the bottle of pills in my pocket, shaking a few into my palm and swallowing them dry. I rushed to the restroom, splashing cold water on my face, trying to wash away the crimson stains.
Need a tissue? Here.
I turned. A woman in a long black dress was holding one out to me.
Thanks.
She smiled, but before she could say anything, Leos voice called from outside. Chloe, are you ready? I brought you something to eat.
She linked her arm through his. Just helping a lady with a nosebleed, she said sweetly.
My eyes fell to their entwined arms, and my fingers tightened around the flimsy tissue in my hand. Leo followed her gaze to me, and his brow furrowed in annoyance.
What is wrong with you? Thats the second time in a few hours. The procession is starting soon. Youd better not cause any trouble.
Chloe studied me for a moment. Shes the one they hired for your father? Why is she so young?
For money, Leo said, his voice flat. Shed do anything.
Hearing that, the kindness in Chloes eyes vanished, replaced by a cool disdain.
As long as your money comes through, there wont be any trouble from me, I said, smoothing down my dress before walking out.
The rest of the ceremony was a blur. I stood beside Leo as he held the memorial tablet, bowing three times in unison. I somehow managed to hold myself together until it was over. Just as I was about to slip away, he grabbed my wrist.
Stay for the farewell dinner.
I almost laughed. Did he really think I was that desperate for a free meal? But when I looked up and saw the raw red in his eyes, I heard myself agreeing.
Just a little longer. Let me be greedy and stay with him just a little longer.
At the dinner, I sat in a corner, watching Leo as he was swarmed by guests and colleagues. It was for the best. He didnt need me anymore.
I tried to leave quietly, but my limbs felt heavy, my legs weak. A strange, unnatural heat flushed my face. This wasnt my illness.
Id been drugged.
A mans arms wrapped around me from behind, his greasy voice slithering into my ear like a snake. I hear youre for hire. Spend the night with me. Ill pay you well.
Thankfully, I was used to this. I grabbed a nearby wine glass and smashed it over his head, then stumbled into the hallway, running.
My vision was blurring, the walls seeming to melt around me. I shoved open the first door I could find and locked myself inside. Through the haze, I saw a figure appear in the doorway.
A bitter smile touched my lips. So he found me after all.
The figure swept me into a fierce embrace, holding me so tightly I felt like my bones would fuse with his.
Get off you cant
Youll do it for anyone, so why not for me!
Leos mouth crashed down on mine. His kiss wasn't the tender caress of our youth. It was the savage bite of a wild animal, intent on tearing me apart and devouring me whole.
Suddenly, I couldnt breathe.
It wasn't because of his kiss. It was the blood, thick and hot, surging up my windpipe.
I shoved Leo away with all my strength, my hand striking his cheek with a sharp crack. I scrambled out of the room, hailed a cab, and gasped the name of the hospital.
Blood was now pouring from my mouth and nose. I collapsed the moment I stumbled through the hospital entrance.
Dr. Evans saw me and immediately scooped me into his arms, rushing me toward the emergency room. The bright white lights overhead seared my eyes.
Im dying, aren't I?
My life flashed before my eyes.
The day before the Hawthornes came to the orphanage, I overheard the director on the phone with them.
There are only two older children with the right blood type.
I understand your sister needs a long-term blood supply. Id recommend the boy, Leo. Hes healthier.
Perhaps that was the moment I made my decision.
I would go in his place.
The director was already tired of us, two older kids no one wanted. He was determined to make this adoption happen. My only option was to push Leo into the fountain, to make myself the sole candidate.
The look of betrayal in Leos eyes had cut me deeper than any knife.
Its okay, I had told myself. In the movies, the heroine always leaves with a misunderstanding, but when she returns, she and the hero clear things up and live happily ever after. Leo was smart; he would make something of himself. Hed become a CEO, just like in the stories, and then he would understand, and we would finally have our happy ending.
And he did become a CEO.
But I forgot one crucial detail.
I wasnt the heroine.
From the day I stepped into the Hawthorne house, my life was a living hell. Clara, the true Hawthorne daughter, was critically ill. And I, her secret donor, slowly transitioned from a living blood bank to a spare parts depot.
A kidney.
Half my liver.
To the world, I was the pampered, adopted daughter. In private, I was a permanent resident of the hospital's surgical wing.
Until there was nothing left of me to take.
Then, the Hawthornes manufactured a reason and threw me out. They werent worried Id expose them.
They knew I wouldnt live long enough.
But I wouldnt go down that easily. I would show them that even a trampled ant could bite back.
The blockage in my throat grew worse until I coughed up a great gush of blood.
Dr. Evans, I choked out, Im out of time My funeral someone will handle it Ive already paid

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