The Billionaire's True Heiress: From Fake Jewel to Real Crown novel Chapter 3

“Cindy, where do you live?” Lance turned to her, his voice impatient.

Cindy opened her mouth to answer, but a voice suddenly called out through the rain.-

“Who are you looking for?”

Both Lance and Cindy jumped, startled by the unexpected sound.

Claire, though, noticed a man approaching, flashlight in hand, his steps steady despite the muddy ground. He looked like he had just come straight from the mountains, wearing a broad straw hat and an old rain cape. His pants were rolled up to his calves, his bare feet caked with mud. Over his shoulder, he carried a hoe, and dangling from it was a woven basket.

Bathed in the car’s headlights, he looked every bit the simple farmer.

Cindy recognized him right away. “Pearce, it’s me. Cindy!”

Pearce blinked, squinting to see her better. “Cindy? I almost didn’t recognize you. Didn’t you call and say you were switched at birth, that you found your real parents? And who are these two?”

Cindy nodded quickly. “Yeah, I did. This is my brother, Lance,” she said, gesturing to him first. Then she turned to Claire. “And this is your sister.”

“Hello,” Pearce said, studying them with quiet curiosity.

“Cindy, how come you’re back at this hour?” he asked.

“I…” Cindy hesitated, glancing over at Lance for help.

Lance stepped in. “We’re just here to drop Claire off. She’s your family’s real daughter.”

Pearce stared, surprised. Who brings someone home in the middle of the night like this?

Lance was already losing patience. “Alright, we’ve done what we came for. We’ll be leaving now.”

He tossed Claire’s suitcase out of the car without a second thought, then turned back to Cindy. “Get in.”

Cindy looked apologetically at Pearce. “Our mom is still at the hospital. We really have to go.” It wasn’t that she didn’t like the village. She was just worried about her mom.

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