He Cheats with the Fake Heiress
Because Mary Scott has returned—she, the adopted daughter who claimed my place as the eldest daughter of the Scott Family for twenty years; the one who, upon my recognition at eighteen, wept, saying, "She stole my everything."
She held a jewelry exhibition titled 'The Journey Home'; the promotional leaflet featured her dressed in white, accompanied by the phrase, 'Dedicated to the irreplaceable ones in life.'
When Yale Gabriel took my hand and led me into the exhibition hall, I caught the faint scent of her habitual lily of the valley perfume—delicate as a veil, yet tightly wrapping the heaviness in my chest.
At the center of the exhibition hall, inside a glass case, a diamond necklace sparkled so brilliantly it was almost blinding; the label read, 'Inspired by First Love.'
The media swarmed around Mary Scott.
She lifted her champagne glass, her smile tender and strikingly reminiscent of when she used to coquettishly nestle in our parents' arms all those years ago: "This time I have returned to leave my finest designs on my homeland."
Suddenly, her gaze swept through the crowd and fixed unwaveringly upon me.
"Older Sister," she spoke softly, yet her voice was enough to silence the camera shutters around us, "long time no see. You still dislike the bustling crowd as much as ever."
Before I could reply, she turned to Yale Gabriel, her eyes immediately welling with tears: "Yale, there is something I have hidden from you for five years."
The spotlight suddenly swung sharply, and I could feel Yale Gabriel's hand stiffen.
Mary Scott took a deep breath, as if summoning all her strength: "Our son, Simon, will turn five years old next week."
Those words exploded like a thunderclap throughout the showroom.
"So Mary Scott went abroad to have a child?"
"Blair Scott is truly ruthless—stealing someone's fiance and then driving her away!"
The murmurs pricked me like needles; I clenched Yale Gabriel's hand tightly but noticed his fingertips were cold.
"Mary Scott, what game are you playing this time?" Yale Gabriel's voice was as cold as ice as he shielded me behind him.
Mary Scott was stunned, tears streaming down her face: "Yale Gabriel, how could you say that? Simon is your child. Look into his eyes—they are exactly like yours when you were young!"
Some began accusing Yale Gabriel of being "irresponsible," while others pointed fingers at me.
Yale Gabriel took out his phone and displayed the call records: "I have had no contact with you for nearly five years; how could there be a child?"
"To all members of the media, Mary Scott and I have long severed all ties. Please do not believe any rumors."
After speaking, he shielded me as he walked toward the door.
As she passed by Mary Scott, she leaned close to my ear, her voice brimming with triumph: "Older Sister, do you really think Yale Gabriel believes you? A man always remembers his first love."
I sat inside the car; the silence within the cabin was terrifying.
Yale Gabriel looked at me and said, "Don't listen to her nonsense; my heart belongs to you alone."
I nodded, yet my thoughts drifted back to those days eight years ago, when I had just returned to the Scott Family.
At that time, Mary Scott was the apple of our parents' eyes, and Yale Gabriel was her loyal knight. The sight of them walking hand in hand through the garden was a landscape I dared not approach.
I felt like an intruder, needing even to gauge the servant's expression before using a cup in the living room—until the day I saw Yale Gabriel standing on the rooftop.
He had just caught Mary Scott entangled with his best friend Howard in a hotel, his hand clenched around the ring he had prepared to propose.
"Let me go down," he said with a trembling voice. "Life feels utterly meaningless."
I rushed to him and embraced him, tears falling on his shoulder. "Don't be foolish; those unworthy of you do not deserve your life."
From that day forward, I accompanied him daily to the park, listening as he recounted his college days with Mary Scott, watching him slowly emerge from the shadows.
On the day Mary Scott left the country, Yale Gabriel stood outside my house all through the night. The next morning, he knelt on one knee, holding a simple band: "Blair, thank you for pulling me through. For the rest of my life, I want to protect you."
We had been married for three years; he remembered that I disliked cilantro and would drive to the studio early on rainy days just to pick me up. I believed those days would last forever.
Yet, the moment Mary Scott returned, everything collapsed like a toppled stack of blocks, descending into utter chaos.
"What are you thinking about?" Yale Gabriel's voice drew me back from my reverie.
I watched the streetlights flicker past outside the window: "That child... aren't you curious?"
He reached out and gently rubbed my nose, his smile still as warm and familiar as ever: "Jealous? Blair, the past is like a dusty book—I have long since turned the page."
"Mary Scott only aims to disrupt our lives; we must not let her succeed."
I want to believe him, yet the unease within me coils like a creeping vine, silently entwining itself.
Mary Scott is not someone to surrender lightly; now that she has returned, she has surely already written the script.
Back at home, I sat before the dressing table, gazing deeply into my reflection in the mirror.
Married for three years, I have transformed from that timid girl who dared not speak loudly into the capable head of a design studio, yet when facing Mary Scott, I still cannot help but feel flustered.
Yale Gabriel approached and embraced me from behind. “Don't think about it, alright?
Tonight, I will cook your favorite sweet and sour pork ribs.”
His warmth passed through his shirt, and the unease in my heart slightly subsided.
At night, I slept lightly, always feeling as though something was watching from the shadows.
At three in the morning, a sudden knock came at the door, the servant's voice trembling with urgency outside: “Miss! Sir! There is a little boy collapsed at the door!”
My heart sank abruptly. Yale Gabriel frowned and sat up. "Ignore it; it might be a scammer."
But within two minutes, his phone rang.
Upon answering, a police officer's voice came through the receiver: "May I speak to Mr. Yale Gabriel? This is the City West Police Station."
"A little boy claims to be your son. He fainted and was brought here. Could you come over?"
Yale Gabriel's expression changed. I threw back the covers. "I will accompany you."
I must go. I need to find out exactly what scheme Mary Scott has devised.
At the police station, a little boy in a blue hoodie sat in a chair, tear stains still visible on his face.
The moment he saw Yale Gabriel, the boy rushed over and clung to his leg: "Father! You've finally come to pick me up!"
Yale Gabriel instinctively tried to push him away, but the little boy suddenly rolled his eyes and fainted.
"Quick, get him to the hospital!" Yale Gabriel lifted the child, his voice betraying a panic he hadn't even realized.
The doctor said the boy only had low blood sugar and there was nothing serious.
After the boy woke, he clung to Yale Gabriel, calling him "Father" repeatedly, and produced a drawing: "This is a picture I drew of you; Mother said you would like it."
As I gazed upon that painting, the doubts clouding my heart only grew heavier.
The man depicted wore a suit, the tie the familiar gray Yale Gabriel often donned, yet how could a mere five-year-old child recall such details with such clarity?
"Where is your mother?" Yale Gabriel inquired.
The little boy bowed his head, fingers nervously twisting the hem of his shirt: "Mother said she is ill and sent me to find you."
"She also said that if you do not acknowledge me, I will never see her again."
Just then, Mary Scott's call came through.
Yale Gabriel answered, his voice icy: "Mary Scott, what is it that you truly want?"
From the other end of the line came Mary Scott's tearful voice: "Yale Gabriel, is Simon with you?"
"I had a fever and was unconscious all day yesterday. When I woke, Simon was gone. I've been searching for him for a long time..."
"You must come to No.1 Hospital to pick him up immediately." Yale Gabriel hung up the phone after speaking.
Soon after, Mary Scott arrived, dressed in a white gown, her face pale, genuinely appearing as though she had been ill.
"Simon!" she cried, rushing forward to embrace the child, tears falling upon his hair. "You scared me terribly!"
The little boy also cried, "Mama, Father did not abandon me; he even held me."
Mary Scott looked at Yale Gabriel, her eyes brimming with apology: "Yale, I am sorry for troubling you."
"I did not mean to disturb you and Older Sister; it is just that Simon misses you so terribly..."
Yale Gabriel's face grew cold: "Mary, why can't you just live peacefully abroad? Why must you return to sow discord?"
"Do not let this child appear before me ever again."
Mary Scott bit her lip and nodded: "I understand. I will take Simon away."
Yale Gabriel, I wish you and your older sister happiness.
As I watched their departing figures, the unease in my heart refused to fade.
Mary Scott gave up so easily? That is unlike her; she has never ceased until she obtains what she desires.
The following week indeed passed without any significant developments.
Yale Gabriel still accompanied me to the studio each day and watched movies with me at night, though occasionally he would stare blankly at his phone.
I did not ask him what he was thinking, for I feared that once spoken, even the last thread of trust would shatter.
Until Friday night, when Yale Gabriel and I dined at a private restaurant, and a waiter presented us with an envelope made of cowhide.
"Mr. Gabriel, a lady asked me to deliver this to you." The waiter said no more and withdrew.
Yale Gabriel opened the envelope, and a bloodied little finger fell onto the table. I cried out in terror.
Immediately after, a children's electronic watch slid out, its screen illuminated with the words: "Father, save me, Aunt has locked me up!"
Inside the envelope was also a note, written in a childish hand: "Father, Aunt says I'm naughty and wants to cut off all my fingers. Please come save me!"
Yale Gabriel held the note, his fingers trembling: "This is Simon's handwriting; I have seen his writing before..."
At that moment, the restaurant door was pushed open, and Mary Scott rushed in, falling to her knees before me with a heavy thud.
"Older Sister! I beg you, please spare Simon!" she cried, her sobs wrenching at the heart. "I am not fighting with you for our parents, nor for Yale Gabriel, but Simon is my life! If anything happens to him, I will die!"
The surrounding guests gathered around, their phone cameras aimed at me, and the murmurs swelled like a tidal wave.
"Blair Scott is truly ruthless, even hurting the child!"
I stood up and looked coldly at Mary Scott, "I have no idea where Simon is; don't put on a show here."
"If it's not you, then who else could it be?" Mary Scott lifted her head, tears blurring her face. "Who else but you would dare harm Simon?"
"You have always hated me, hated Simon; you simply want to destroy us both!"
She saw the "fingers" on the table, suddenly clutching her chest, breathing heavily. "I... I can't breathe..."
Yale Gabriel's expression changed sharply. "An asthma attack! Mary, where is your medicine?"
Mary Scott trembled as she pointed to her handbag; Yale Gabriel hastily retrieved a spray and administered a few squirts into her mouth.
After a long moment, Mary Scott's breathing finally steadied. Leaning weakly against Yale Gabriel's chest, she murmured, "Yale Gabriel, do not blame Older Sister; she only cares about you too much..."
"As long as it means saving Simon, I am willing to do anything."
Yale Gabriel looked at me with suspicion in his eyes: "Blair, was it you who did this?"
My heart felt as though it had been pierced by an ice pick, trembling in pain: "Yale Gabriel, how could you suspect me? Why would I ever harm a child?"
“The note carries the scent of your usual cedar fragrance," Yale Gabriel's voice was as cold as frost, "That limited edition—I just brought it back for you from abroad last week; only you have it.
“Blair, if you are angry, direct it at me, but do not hurt the child.”
I looked at him and suddenly laughed, "So, in your eyes, I am such a malicious person?"
You believe everything Mary Scott says, but disbelieve whatever I say, don't you?
Mary Scott whispered softly from the side, "Older Sister, please don't be like this. Yale Gabriel will be upset..."
I know your heart feels uneasy, but Simon is innocent...
Yale Gabriel frowned. "Blair, you should go home first. I'll find Simon, and then we can talk."
"You don't trust me, do you?" I looked into his eyes, hoping to find a glimmer of trust, but there was only frustration and doubt.
"I'll take care of things here first." Yale Gabriel averted his gaze and helped Mary Scott to her feet.
I turned and left the restaurant. Outside, a light rain was falling, cold droplets striking my face, yet I felt no chill.
Back at home, I sat alone in the empty living room, staring at the wedding photo on the wall.
Yale Gabriel smiled warmly at me in the photo; his eyes were filled with tenderness, yet now, that tenderness had long since vanished.
My phone suddenly rang; it was a message from an unknown number, containing only an address—a deserted warehouse on the city's outskirts.
I knew it was a trap, but I still wanted to see what scheme Mary Scott intended to play.
Just as I was about to leave, Yale Gabriel returned. He looked at me and said, "You received the message? I will take you there."
We drove toward the warehouse; no one spoke along the way, and the oppressive atmosphere inside the car was almost suffocating.
The warehouse was dark, with only a few shabby light bulbs flickering. Yale Gabriel pushed open the door, and I saw a little boy tied to a pillar, his head bowed as if he had fainted.
"Simon!" Yale Gabriel rushed over to untie him. The boy woke and cried upon seeing him: "Father! Auntie hit me and even said she would throw me here to feed the dogs!"
Yale Gabriel picked up the child and turned to look at me, his eyes filled with deep disappointment: "Blair, you have truly let me down."
I opened my mouth to explain, but the words caught in my throat, and I could not say a single thing.
The ambulance arrived, and after examination, the doctor said, "The child has suffered severe shock and multiple soft tissue contusions and requires hospitalization for observation."
Outside the emergency room, Yale Gabriel looked at me and said, "Blair, after all these years of our relationship, why would you do this?"
"I didn't!" I finally broke down in tears. "Yale Gabriel, why won't you believe me? Mary Scott has been framing me all along. Can't you see that?"
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