Part 1The Stutter Girl Who Became a Heiress

When I was five years old, holding my mother's hand, I stepped through the wrought-iron gates of the Brown estate. I, a girl born with a severe stutter, was the newest member of a high-society dynasty.

Outsiders whispered that my mother had used dirty tricks to marry into the family. They were all just waiting for the day we got tossed out onto the streets.

The wedding day was a massive spectacle. The grand hall was overflowing with elite guests.

I, however, found myself backed into a corner of a small sitting room by a group of girls who had come just to watch the drama unfold. They grabbed the collar of my dress, laughing and calling me a mute little burden.

At the time, no one thought my new stepfather would care about a kid who wasn't his blood.

But the very next morning, my stepfather stood before the entire household and visiting relatives. His voice left no room for argument. "Lily Brown is my youngest daughter. She is not mute, and from this day forward, she is a rightful heir to the Brown legacy."

* * *

"Are you a mute?" Rowan asked.

I wasn't mute. I just had a stutter.

When other toddlers were stringing together full sentences, I could barely force out a single syllable. My mother realized something was wrong and took me to countless specialists. The doctors chalked it up to genetics and the fact that I was born premature.

Most kids outgrow a stutter with proper speech therapy. I didn't. It only got worse. By the time I turned five, the anxiety of speaking was so crushing that I refused to make a sound at all.

I hated opening my mouth. I hated the pitying, impatient looks people gave me when I stumbled over my words.

I wasn't trying to be rude by not greeting my new stepbrother. I knew I was supposed to say hello, but my throat locked up entirely. The harder I tried, the more panicked I became, until fat tears began rolling down my cheeks.

My mother panicked. She pulled me into her arms, pressing soft kisses to my forehead. "Don't cry, sweetie. Rowan is just joking. Our Lily isn't mute. She just gets a little anxious, that's all."

My stepfather, Paul, shot Rowan a freezing glare. "Is that how you speak to your sister? Apologize."

Rowan hadn't expected a single question to make me cry like this. He froze, his handsome, aristocratic face looking uncharacteristically foolish.

His biological sister, Abby, shot him a look of pure schadenfreude.

He opened his mouth, his voice barely a mumble. "Sorry. My bad."

Paul wasn't satisfied. "Louder."

My mother didn't want to cause a massive rift on her very first day in the house. She gently touched Paul's arm. "It's fine, really. Lily heard her brother. Right, sweetheart?"

I rubbed my watery eyes and nodded vigorously.

That evening, my parents had to entertain a flock of business partners and VIPs, so Paul asked Abby to watch over me.

She was older than me by about eight years. Dressed in a pale yellow designer gown with a small pearl tiara resting in her hair, she looked like royalty. I had never seen anyone so pretty.

She pulled out a box of imported toys and gently showed me how they worked. Knowing my struggle with words, she didn't force me into conversation.

A little while later, her phone buzzed. She walked over to the farthest window to answer it.

Ever since I was a baby, I had incredibly sharp hearing. I could pick up the faint rustle of leaves down the street. It was a secret only my mother knew.

Abby clearly didn't know, otherwise she never would have taken the call in the same room.

It was her aunt on the line. Abby and Rowan's biological mother had passed away from cancer years ago, and they had always remained incredibly close to their maternal aunt, Victoria.

"Abby, darling, how is that woman treating you? Is she giving you attitude? She has the face of a home-wrecker. I knew she was bad news the moment I saw her. She completely bewitched your father. Marrying him after only knowing him for a few months."

Victoria scoffed through the speaker. "A divorced woman dragging her brat into a billionaire's home. She's playing a dangerous game. I am so worried about you and Rowan."

"She is a snake, and that daughter of hers is no better. Don't let them butter you up."

Abby had her back to me. I couldn't see her expression. I only heard her hum in agreement before changing the subject, asking how Victoria's business trip abroad was going and when she would return.

"If I wasn't buried in paperwork in London, I would have been there today to back you two up. Did anything happen?"

Abby hesitated for a second before recounting the crying incident from that morning.

Victoria let out a cold, sharp laugh. "They are establishing dominance, Abby. Day one, and they already forced the Brown heir to bow his head and apologize. Just wait until she gives your father a son. You two will be entirely pushed out."

"A new wife means a new father. It's a tale as old as time. Keep your guard up, and warn your brother."

"Rowan and I will be careful," Abby replied quietly.