The Billionaire's Hidden Daughter
Chapter 1: The Night Everything Changed
The rain poured heavily that night, as if the sky itself was mourning.
Emily Carter stood outside the small house she had grown up in, clutching her school bag tightly. Her heart pounded as she heard shouting from inside.
"Why are you still here?" her mother's angry voice echoed from the living room.
Emily slowly pushed the door open.
Her mother sat on the couch beside her new husband, Mr. Raymond. The moment Emily stepped in, both of them looked at her with cold eyes.
"I… I just came back from school," Emily said softly.
Mr. Raymond scoffed.
"You're always coming back late. What useless thing were you doing this time?"
Emily lowered her head. She had stayed late at school to clean the classroom because the teacher asked for volunteers.
Before she could explain, her mother slammed her hand on the table.
"Enough excuses!" she snapped. "Since I gave birth to your brother, all you do is cause trouble."
Emily felt her chest tighten.
Ever since her mother had remarried and had a baby boy, everything had changed. The warmth in her mother's eyes had disappeared.
Now there was only resentment.
"I'm sorry, Mom," Emily whispered.
Mr. Raymond leaned back in his chair, studying her like she was something unpleasant.
"You know," he said slowly, "raising you is a waste of money."
Emily's fingers trembled.
She wanted to argue, but she knew it would only make things worse.
Just then, the baby began crying from the bedroom.
Her mother quickly stood up and rushed inside.
Mr. Raymond followed a few seconds later, leaving Emily alone in the silent living room.
The rain outside grew louder.
Emily sat down quietly, staring at the old photo frame on the wall.
It was a picture of her father.
Her chest tightened as she looked at his smiling face.
Her father had died when she was ten years old. After that, everything had slowly fallen apart.
She wiped a tear from her cheek and stood up.
As she turned to go to her small room, something caught her eye.
A small brown envelope lay on the table.
Frowning, she picked it up.
Her name was written on it.
Emily Carter.
Her heart began to race.
Slowly, she opened the envelope and pulled out a folded letter.
The handwriting was familiar.
It was her father's.
Her hands trembled as she read the first line.
"Emily, if you are reading this letter, it means the truth can no longer remain hidden."
Her breath caught in her throat.
Then she saw the next sentence.
"You are not who you think you are."
The thunder outside roared as Emily's eyes widened in shock.
And at that moment, her entire life began to change.
To be continued…