Filed to story: The Heiress Rises From Ashes Book PDF Free
Rosie blinked in surprise. “Do you have a plan?”
Rachael’s lips curled into a cold smile. “You understand they’re real mother and daughter, but you’re still acting recklessly? You need to think before you make a move. I overheard Mr. Mitchell downstairs talking to Luther about the marriage between your family and the Mitchell family. He wants to marry Brenna. That’s our biggest problem right now. We need to stop him from marrying Brenna.”
Rosie’s heart pounded. She had just heard Ethan call Brenna his fiancee, but she still couldn’t understand how he had fallen for her so quickly. Two days. That was all it took.
What had Brenna done to make Ethan choose her?
A wave of panic surged through Rosie. For years, she had clung to one dream-to marry Ethan, the wealthiest man in the world. With him as her husband, she would never have to worry about anything. No more fear of being cast aside. No more being at the mercy of others.
“Rachael, what should I do? Even my grandfather is on Brenna’s side now. If I tell him that I want to marry Ethan, he won’t support me,” Rosie said.
Rachael hadn’t found a solution yet, but one thing was for sure-Rosie’s approach earlier wasn’t working.
She said, “That’s exactly why you need to stop going after Brenna so openly. If you keep this up, the entire Harper family will side with her.”
Rosie crossed her arms and pouted. “I’m not giving up.”
She tightened her grip on her phone and ran through the list of family members in her mind. Not everyone was on Brenna’s side. A thought struck her. Without hesitation, she sent a message to Ernst, asking him to come home early for dinner.
That afternoon, Brenna decided not to go shopping with Giselle. The clothes Luca had sent over yesterday, along with the ones she had picked out today, totaled over a hundred outfits. They were more than enough for her.
Giselle, still carrying a sense of guilt, asked for Brenna’s bank account number and transferred fifty million to her. Along with that, she discreetly slipped a few property deeds into Brenna’s hands, all registered under her name. Brenna was moved by that. She wanted to call Giselle “Mom,” but the words caught in her throat.
As evening settled in, Ernst returned home early. After a quick shower, he made his way to the dining room.
The Harper family gathered around the dinner table. The meal was still lavish, but compared to the previous night’s feast, it was simpler. Rosie descended the stairs with Ernst, then made a point to sit beside Brenna. With a bright, almost exaggerated enthusiasm, she said, “Ernst, let me introduce someone to you. This is Mom and Dad’s real daughter-your sister, Brenna. She grew up in the Barrett family and had a difficult childhood. Now that she’s back, we need to make it up to her.”
When Ernst heard the words “make it up to her,” his lips curled into a mocking smile.
So what if Brenna had suffered outside the family before? Did that mean everyone at home was supposed to bend over backward for her now? Did it justify Brenna bullying Rosie? Brenna had even refused to let Rosie have some clothes she liked. That was outrageous!
Brenna glanced at Rosie, puzzled. They had argued that afternoon over clothes, yet now, Rosie acted as if nothing had happened. Not only was she sitting beside her, but she was also introducing her to Ernst warmly.
Could Rosie really be this kind?
Brenna pushed her doubts aside and offered Ernst a polite smile. Then, she greeted him.
Rosie turned to Brenna with the same enthusiasm. “Brenna, this is our older brother, Ernst. He oversees hundreds of companies under the Harper Group. He is always busy and rarely comes home, but he made the effort to come home these days just to see you. See how great he is to you?”
Brenna glanced at Ernst and caught the unmistakable coldness in his gaze. There was neither warmth nor joy at reuniting with his real sister. Instead, he was studying her, as if sizing up a stranger. Then, out of nowhere, Ernst spoke. “You look great in that outfit.”
Brenna was caught off guard by that. She didn’t understand what he meant by that.
Brenna studied Ernst, noting the coldness in his expression and the clear sarcasm in his eyes. He wasn’t offering a compliment-if anything, he seemed to be mocking her for being materialistic. She couldn’t fathom why Ernst harbored such dislike for her, especially since they had barely spoken.
When they met for the first time yesterday, he had been dismissive, and today, although he spoke to her, his words were laced with sharpness. Compared to Rosie, this vice president of the Harper Group was far more difficult to deal with.
Brenna’s eyes dropped to the outfit Giselle had chosen for her earlier that day. The casual yet slightly hip-hop-inspired T-shirt and jeans gave her a youthful, almost high-school-student appearance.
Feigning ignorance to the sarcasm in Ernst’s voice, she smiled lightly. “Mom picked it for me. Not bad, right?”
Ernst scoffed inwardly. Brenna was too naive and stupid to catch onto his sarcasm. But her response left him with nothing more to say. Dropping the topic of the money spent on her clothes, he turned his attention to her past with the Barrett family.
He said, “I heard things didn’t go well for you there and that you didn’t even finish elementary school. How did that happen? Even if you struggled academically, you should have at least attended school. Luckily, the Harper family has enough money to support you now, so that won’t be an issue. But what if your biological parents had been poor? How would you have made a living then?”
He stared at Brenna with open disdain, making no effort to mask his disapproval as he waited for her to explain herself.
Originally, he had intended to prepare a lavish gift to welcome his sister home. However, before Brenna even set foot in the house, Rosie had ended up hospitalized because of her, and she had ordered clothes worth thirty million without consulting the family.
It wasn’t that the Harper family was unwilling to spend money-rather, it was Brenna’s approach that rubbed Ernst the wrong way. If she had simply mentioned it beforehand, the elders would have gladly covered the cost.
What truly irritated him was her lack of consideration.
That afternoon, when several luxury brands had delivered clothing, Rosie had attempted to pick out a few pieces, only for Brenna to refuse. This had led to their-
Grandfather was scolding Rosie, and Brenna’s overbearing attitude was difficult to tolerate.
Brenna let out a soft chuckle before responding, “Do you really think I am useless?”
It was becoming clear how Ernst viewed her-dim-witted, materialistic, and vain.
Brenna continued, “You can manage to think better of me, can’t you? You are my brother after all.”
Without waiting for a reply, she turned and headed upstairs.
Giselle, unable to understand why Ernst was treating his sister this way, said to him, “What’s wrong with you? You didn’t even prepare a welcome gift for your sister, and now you’re speaking to her like this? You’ve upset her-go and apologize to her.”
Shepard backed her up with a stern tone. “Apologize to your sister. She’s been through enough with the Barrett family. The fact that she didn’t finish elementary school isn’t something she wants to discuss. Bringing it up like that was unnecessary. Is this how you prefer to treat your own sister?”
Rosie, watching the scene unfold, suppressed a laugh. Brenna was proving easier to deal with than expected-she hadn’t even needed to use the tricks she had prepared.
For now, she simply sat back and waited for the right moment to speak and add fuel to the fire.
“I’m not apologizing,” Ernst said flatly, no longer bothering to conceal his attitude. “It’s not about the money-we can afford it-but she had thirty million worth of clothes delivered without saying a word to us. A little heads-up would have been nice. Honestly, I don’t think she’s really one of us. Mom, Dad, maybe we should get a DNA test.”
Just as he finished speaking, Brenna, who had returned downstairs, rolled her eyes at his words. So this was how he truly saw her. Ernst stiffened slightly when he saw Brenna, realizing she had overheard him, but he wasn’t about to back down.