Won the Company, Lost the World

On our daughter’s one-month celebration, I caught my best friend on my husband’s lap.
Ryan, she purred, you sure your wife hasn’t guessed I swapped our babies?
Not a chance, he scoffed. That stupid bitch dotes on ‘our daughter’ nonstop. What about her brat? Why isn’t she with you?
I tormented her for a month—got boring. Held her head underwater in the tub till she stopped moving. You’re her dad too… don’t get soft, right?
My husband looked disgusted. "Like I care if that brat lives or dies. I only married Eleanor for her family’s money. Once our daughter inherits everything, I’ll kick her out."
I wiped a tear and pretended to overhear nothing. I poured my all into raising their daughter.
Twenty years later, she came back from studying abroad. I transferred all my company shares and assets to her name.
At the press conference, my best friend Chloe walked up with Ryan, waving a DNA report. "Hospital mix-up years ago," she announced. "Ava’s our biological daughter. You’ve had her long enough—time to give her back."
Ryan slid a divorce agreement and debit card across the table. "Sign this so we can be a family. Five grand on the card—payment for your ‘services.’"
A cold smile tugged at my lips. "Fine."

1
"Honey, I noticed you had a little cough yesterday, so I woke up early to make you some warm pear soup. Here, drink it while it's hot."
Ryan, my ever-thoughtful husband, gently placed a bowl in front of me, his eyes overflowing with what looked like pure adoration.
"Dad, you're so good to Mom," our daughter, Ava, chirped from across the breakfast table.
Yes. He was.
Everyone could see how well Ryan treated me. He always sensed my moods, comforting me with sweet words and thoughtful surprises. When I was sick, he was by my side, catering to my every need. In our most intimate moments, he would hold me tight and whisper that marrying me was the best thing that had ever happened to him.
If I hadn't overheard that conversation twenty years ago, I never would have believed that this tender, devoted man was a soulless monster.
I took the soup and drank it in silence.
A moment later, the doorbell rang.
"It must be Auntie Chloe!" Ava squealed, jumping up from her chair and running to the door.
There stood my best friend, her arms laden with shopping bags.
"Ava, sweetie!" she beamed. "It's getting colder, so your godmother bought you some new winter clothes. And I know how much you loved those pastries I made last time, so I brought you some more."
Ava's eyes curved into happy crescents. "Thank you, Auntie Chloe! You're the best!"
Chloe set the bags down and pulled Ava into a tight hug. "Of course, I am, darling. You're my precious angel! I wish I could give you everything good in this world."
She led Ava to the table and then looked at me. "Eleanor, Ava told me there's a parent-teacher conference today. Do you think… maybe I could go?"
Her face fell into a practiced mask of sorrow. "You know how it is. I wasn't as lucky as you. I married a good man and have a perfect daughter. My ex-husband ruined my life, and that poor thing I gave birth to… she was so fragile, she drowned in the bathtub. I never even got the chance to go to a parent-teacher conference."
Her eyes darted between Ryan and Ava, a picture of tragic longing. For years, she had used her daughter's early death as an excuse to overstep every boundary. It wasn't just the daily visits. She planned Ava's birthday parties every year. She took her on special outings for holidays. On Mother's Day, she would take Ava out alone, posting dozens of selfies of their "special day" online.
Whenever I questioned it, her excuse was always the same.
"My poor baby is gone, and I don't think I can ever have another. We're best friends, Eleanor. I just want to love Ava as if she were my own."
Before I could answer, my husband chimed in. "Eleanor, Chloe’s been through so much. It would mean the world to her. Just let her go and experience it."
The three of them stared at me, their eyes filled with eager anticipation. I forced a small smile.
"Of course. I'm busy today anyway."
Chloe’s face lit up. Ava clapped her hands in delight.
After breakfast, Chloe whisked Ava off to school, with Ryan insisting on driving them. I watched the three of them leave, a happy little family, and said nothing at all.

2
Perhaps they thought I was so easy to fool that I'd never notice a thing. Chloe's audacity grew with each passing year. At first, she only met Ryan in secret when I was at the office. Now, she'd find any excuse to come over, even when I was home.
"Eleanor, I've been teaching myself to cook! I thought I'd come practice on you guys."
"Eleanor, I just got back from the countryside and brought you some fresh produce!"
"Eleanor, my pipes burst! Can I please stay with you for a few days?"
I knew perfectly well that she was only there to see Ryan and Ava, but I never turned her away. I welcomed her politely every time, agreed to every request.
Ryan was more than happy with this arrangement. His lips would curl into an unconscious smile whenever she appeared. Sometimes, he and Chloe would exchange flirtatious glances right in front of me.
Even Ava grew closer to her "godmother," buying her a special pair of house slippers to keep at our home for her frequent visits.
This charade continued until Ava's final year of high school.
The day her SAT scores were released, Chloe arrived first thing in the morning to wait with us. When the abysmal results came in, Ryan feigned outrage.
"How could you score this low?" he demanded.
Ava just shrugged. "We're rich. Why would I kill myself studying? Mom can just buy me a degree from somewhere, can't she?"
Ryan shot a quick glance in my direction. Seeing no reaction from me, he pressed on. "Your mother loves you, but even she can't let you throw your life away like this! She works so hard managing the company. You need to step up! How are you going to help her? How can she trust you with her legacy?"
Chloe immediately jumped in. "Ryan, relax. Eleanor is Ava's mother. Of course, she's going to take care of her."
"Exactly," Ava added. "I'm her only daughter. She owns all those companies. It's not like she's going to let me starve."
Chloe gave Ava a look of approval, then turned to me. "Eleanor, Ava is a good kid. You can't let her go to some third-rate college. What if she gets bullied? Why don't you just make her a general manager at your company? Let her start learning the ropes."
Over the years, coddled by Chloe and Ryan, Ava had become arrogant, lazy, and utterly incompetent. She didn't even qualify for an unpaid internship at my company.
But I didn't say that. Instead, I put on a serious face.
"A general manager? That's not nearly enough. She's my only daughter. She deserves everything I have. I've already made a plan. First, I'll send her abroad to get a proper education. When she returns, I will hand over the entire company to her."
At my words, Chloe's eyes lit up. She burst out laughing. "Yes! Exactly! A brilliant girl like Ava was born to be a CEO!" She clapped her hands. "I've always said it. Ava was destined for greatness. So much better than that worthless, short-lived brat of mine."
Ryan and Ava nodded enthusiastically, their faces beaming.
Watching the three of them dissolve into triumphant laughter, I smiled too.
They were laughing at my foolishness.
I was laughing at their naivety.

3
While handling the university applications, I brought Ava to the office with me every day, teaching her the ins and outs of the business without holding anything back.
The day she left for her flight, Chloe made a special trip to see her off, bringing a mountain of gifts, as if terrified Ava wouldn't survive on her own. She fussed over her endlessly, a perfect picture of a mother's loving concern.
After Ava boarded, Chloe stood watching the plane until it was just a tiny speck in the sky. Only then did she turn away, her eyes glistening with tears.
With Ava gone, Chloe's visits became less frequent. Ryan, however, started going out more and more. He would come home looking completely drained. When I asked, he'd say he was out with friends, or that he'd joined a gym to stay in shape.
When he ran out of excuses, he'd sigh dramatically. "I raised Ava myself, you know. She's never been away from me before. I just miss her so much. If I don't keep busy, I think I'll go crazy."
I ignored the cloying scent of Chloe's perfume on his collar and offered my fake comfort. "She'll be back before you know it. Then our family can be together again."
Ryan gave me a strange, knowing smile. "Yes. Soon, our family of three will finally be reunited."
Three years later, Ava returned. Chloe, who I hadn't seen in ages, was at our house at the crack of dawn, ready to go to the airport with us.
The moment she saw Ava, Chloe burst into tears and ran to embrace her, holding her in a fierce, possessive hug. After they'd had their emotional reunion, Ava walked straight up to me.
"Mom, I'm back," she said, wasting no time. "When are you giving me the company?"
I looked at her eager, impatient face and smiled faintly. "Let's go. I've already called a press conference. I'm going to give you everything, right now, in front of the whole world."

4
The press conference was a circus. The room was packed with reporters, business leaders, and the city's elite, all gathered to witness the transfer of power at the colossal Sedgwick Corporation.
Under the glare of a hundred cameras, I announced that my daughter, Ava, would be succeeding me as CEO. Then, with lawyers and journalists as my witnesses, I signed the transfer agreement, handing over every asset, every share, and every company I owned to her name.
The room erupted in thunderous applause. People marveled at our deep mother-daughter bond, their eyes fixed on Ava with unconcealed envy.
It was at that precise moment that Chloe and Ryan made their grand entrance, arm in arm.
As a confused murmur rippled through the crowd, Chloe held up a DNA report and addressed me in a loud, clear voice.
"Eleanor, I won't lie to you anymore. Ryan and I have been in love for years. We had our daughter at the same time as you. But there was a mix-up at the hospital. Ava is our biological child. You've been squatting on her for twenty years. It's time to give her back to us."
The room exploded.
"Isn't that Chloe, Eleanor's best friend? She was sleeping with her husband and had a baby with him?"
"But wait, Chloe's baby died after a month! If they were swapped, does that mean… it was Eleanor's biological daughter who died?"
"That's monstrous! She steals her husband, and then gets her daughter killed? And now she shows up right after Eleanor signed over her entire fortune? Is she even human?"
Amid the uproar, Ryan spoke, his voice filled with self-righteous indignation. "For years, I was trapped in a loveless marriage. As a man, I tried to do the responsible thing. But night after night, I asked myself, is this the life I truly want? Eleanor provided a good life for me and Ava, but my heart has always belonged to Chloe. I'm just a man trying to follow his heart. Is that so wrong? Marriage should be about happiness, and so should divorce. I hope you can all wish us well!"
He sounded like a tragic hero, a victim of circumstance finally breaking free to pursue his one true love.
I ignored him, my gaze fixed on Ava. "What do you have to say about this?"
Ava glanced down at the signed transfer agreement in her hands, then looked up, her expression cool. "Mom… this will be the last time I call you that. You raised me, and I appreciate that. But you're not my real mother. Blood is thicker than water. I hope you won't stand in the way of our family's reunion."
Chloe smirked triumphantly. "Have some dignity, Eleanor. Just because your own defective daughter died, it doesn't give you the right to cling to someone else's."
Ryan tossed the divorce papers and a debit card onto the table in front of me. "Let's get this over with while everyone is watching. There's five thousand dollars on the card. For your troubles."
A wave of fury swept through the room.
"Like father, like daughter. A whole family of vultures."
"We all know how Eleanor doted on that girl! Spoiled her rotten for twenty years, gives her a billion-dollar empire, and this is how she repays her?"
"Five thousand dollars? Is he serious? That's an insult!"
"I can't watch this. Eleanor, don't listen to these animals!"
The crowd was on my side, some even offering legal help to get my assets back. Through it all, Chloe and Ryan remained perfectly calm, as if they had prepared for any outcome.
But as the room filled with righteous anger on my behalf, a quiet, chilling smile spread across my face.
"Fine."
As the entire room watched in stunned silence, I signed the divorce papers.
Chloe and Ryan froze, clearly not expecting me to agree so readily. They snatched up the papers, scanned them to make sure they were real, and then, satisfied, broke into wide, relieved smiles.
As they basked in their victory, I spoke again.
"Since you've given me such a wonderful surprise," I said, my voice smooth as silk, "it's only fair that I have a gift for you in return."

5
"A gift? What gift?" Ryan asked, his brow furrowed in confusion. The rest of the room stared, curious.
With all eyes on me, I produced an ornate mahogany box I had prepared in advance. I handed it to Ryan.
"Even though Ava no longer considers me her mother," I said solemnly, "after raising her for twenty years, she will always be my only heir. This is my family's heirloom. Please, take it. I wish your family a lifetime of happiness together."
Ryan's eyes widened. He hesitated for a moment before cautiously opening the box. Inside lay an antique jade ring.
The crowd was baffled.
"It really is the family heirloom! Has she gone completely mad? Why would she give it to these monsters?"
"The shock must have broken her mind."
"Poor woman. Her husband betrayed her, her daughter isn't hers and just stole her fortune, and her real child is dead. Who could handle that?"
"Even so, she shouldn't be rewarding them! If it were me, I'd want Chloe dead."
The audience now looked at me with a mixture of pity and contempt.
Chloe began to clap slowly. "Eleanor, I always thought you were just a rich fool. But today, you've really impressed me. You're not just a fool. You're a born doormat. The most pathetic creature I have ever seen."
Ava wrinkled her nose in disgust. "I'm so glad you're not my real mother. I would die of embarrassment."
Ryan rolled his eyes. "Being married to you, Eleanor, was the greatest shame of my life. Don't ever speak to me again. I can't afford the humiliation."
With that, he wrapped his arm around Chloe, took his daughter's hand, and strode triumphantly out of the press conference.
I immediately became the top trending topic online. The entire fiasco had been live-streamed. The whole country had witnessed my downfall and my bizarre reaction.
"Is there something wrong with this woman's brain?"
"Her biological daughter was murdered, and she's giving her blessing to the killers? What kind of sick person does that?!"
"I have never been so frustrated in my life! How can any woman be this pathetic?"
"Warning: this topic may cause aneurysms. Can we please stop promoting it?"
The internet was on fire. People were either furious with me or pitied me. Some even contacted me, offering to help me capitalize on the drama with a "tell-all" livestream to recoup some of my losses.
I refused them all and went home.
When I arrived, Chloe was already moving her luggage in. Ryan and Ava were throwing my belongings out onto the curb like trash.
Seeing me, Ryan lifted his chin, his face a mask of pure loathing. "Eleanor, this house belongs to Ava now, and we're divorced. Take your junk and get out. Don't interrupt our family reunion."

6
The mask was completely off. The gentle, caring man I had known was gone, replaced by this stranger filled with a deep, simmering hatred.
Ava looked down her nose at me. "To live a life as pathetic as yours… it's truly a failure. Get out. Don't dirty my floors."
The daughter who had once looked at me with respect now viewed me as less than dirt.
I said nothing. I walked over, picked up my discarded suitcase, and left without a word.
I rented a small, dilapidated apartment in a rundown part of town and began my new, solitary life.
A few days later, Ryan, Chloe, and Ava showed up at my door.
"Is this a place for humans? A coffin is bigger than this," Chloe complained the moment she stepped inside.
Ryan wrinkled his nose. "Eleanor, you have hands and feet. Can't you find a job with room and board? You were once the richest woman in the country. Are you happy living in this rat hole? My bathroom is bigger than this place."
I ignored their taunts and continued eating my simple meal.
Seeing my composure, Chloe smirked and pulled a photograph from her purse, shoving it in my face. "You seem to be enjoying yourself, Eleanor. I wonder if your little short-lived brat is doing as well in her grave?"
The photo was of my daughter. My real daughter. She was gaunt, her tiny body covered in bruises. Tear tracks stained her hollow cheeks. She looked utterly broken.
Seeing me stare at the photo, Chloe's smirk widened. "No wonder I couldn't stand the sight of her. She was born to die young. How worthless must a child be for God himself to strike her down in her first month? So unlucky. No one ever loved her, and she didn't even get a funeral."
Her words were dripping with scorn and triumph, as if my daughter's death was a joyous and deserved occasion.
I remained silent, my face impassive.
My lack of reaction seemed to infuriate Ryan. "You really are a piece of work, Eleanor," he seethed. "The daughter you carried for nine months is dead, and you don't feel a thing? And all those idiots online feel sorry for you, spamming our inboxes with hate mail. Our company's stock has plummeted because of it. You're the one who caused all this. You're the one who deserves to die!"

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