He Proposed to the Fake Heiress , But I Was Never the Real One Either

My boyfriend had secretly planned a proposal for me, and the fake heiress tipped me off three days in advance.

I pretended I didn't know a thing.

Three days later, she dragged me to the venue.

I was about to act surprised when my boyfriend dropped to one knee in front of the entire crowdfacing her.

Althea Winfield gasped, hands flying to her mouth.

"Oh, Doreen, I had no idea he was going to propose to me. You two are so close, I just assumed it was for you..."

Solomon Simmons looked down at me, his expression dripping with condescension.

"Doreen Winfield, so what if you're the real daughter? Althea is the one who grew up with me. Let today be a lessonknow your place, and stop coveting what was never yours."

My best friend, Mia Lawson, was shaking with rage beside me.

"You're just going to take that?!"

Yeah. I could.

...

When the diamond ring slid onto Althea's finger, every pair of eyes in the room swiveled toward me, gleaming with mockery.

"She actually thought it was for her. I'm dying."

"If that were me, I'd crawl into a hole and never come out. How humiliating."

"She deserves it. Everyone knows Althea and Solomon are the real couple. She just throws her 'real heiress' card around and tries to steal everything from Althea."

Mia was already lunging forward. I grabbed her arm and yanked her back.

"They're doing this to mess with you on purpose! And you're just going to stand there?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

I watched Solomon pull Althea into his arms, his lips curling into a smirk aimed squarely at me.

All I felt was relief.

This whole deranged circus of a familyI was finally done performing.

Three years ago, on my first day at Winfield Corp, Kevin Winfield's eyes had gone red the moment he saw me.

"Doreen, after all this time, you've finally come home."

"You stormed off after that fight with Althea, and she's been blaming herself ever since."

I explained, over and over.

My name wasn't Doreen Winfield. It was Sybilla Sawyer. It was right there on my employment contract.

But they stared at my face with deadly seriousness.

"You're home now, so stop with the games. A fake name? Really? Are you trying to cut ties with the Winfield family? Or do we have to send Althea away before you'll be satisfied? She's lived with this family for over twenty years. Sending her away would be no different from abandoning her!"

That was when I learned the truth. This family had a real daughter and a fake one.

After the real daughter was brought home, she couldn't stand how the family bent over backward for the adopted one. Even her childhood fianc refused to take her side. Three years ago, she'd blown up at her family and walked out.

No one had heard from her since.

And apparently, I looked exactly like her.

Solomon had stepped in front of Althea, shielding her.

"During the three years you pulled your disappearing act, Althea was worried sick about you. She thought everything was her fault. She nearly fell into depression. As long as you stop causing trouble, I'll honor our engagement. But the condition is thisyou leave Althea alone."

I had no interest in getting tangled up in this family's mess. I tried to resign on the spot.

Solomon chased me down. He tossed me a bank card loaded with two hundred thousand dollars.

"Are you trying to push Althea over the edge again? Stay. You'll get one of these every month."

Who would say no to that?

So I played the part of the Winfield family's real daughter.

I kept a low profile, stayed out of sight, and collected my paycheck on time.

But Althea always found new ways to frame me. One day she'd throw herself down a staircase; the next she'd slip an allergen into her own food.

The security footage showed everything. Not a single person chose to believe me.

Two hundred thousand a monthat that point, it felt more like compensation for emotional damages.

Now the charade was over.

And I could finally quit.

In front of everyone, I walked up to the happy couple.

"Congratulations to you both. I'm truly happy for you.

"I wish you nothing but happiness from here on out. I'll be going now."

Althea froze.

Solomon frowned. "Doreen, what kind of act is this?"

Althea's eyes turned red. "Please don't be like this. I really didn't expect Solomon to propose to me either. If you're upset, I'll give you the ring."

"No need."

"I mean it. Take the ring."

"I said I don't want it!"

"Ah!"

I pushed her hand away. The ring slipped right off and clattered to the floor.

Althea's eyes glistened instantly. "Do you really hate me that much?"

"Enough!" Solomon pulled Althea behind him. "Doreen, who do you think you are? You may be the real daughter, but Althea and I have known each other for twenty years. If we're being honest, you're the outsider here."

I couldn't take it anymore.

"That's right! I am the outsider! I'm not the real heiress, and I'm not Doreen! My name is Sybilla Sawyer!"

The entire room went dead silent.

My breathing came quick and shallow.

Althea covered her mouth. "You'd really say something like that just to spite me? How am I supposed to live with that?"

I stared at her. "Excuse me?"

Were these people incapable of understanding plain English?

I pointed at my own face. "Look closely. I don't look exactly like Doreen. Her eyes are slightly larger than mine, and her earlobes sit lower."

"Enough!" Solomon shoved me back. "I told youyou are never to give Althea a hard time again."

Behind him, Althea pressed her hand to her mouth and sobbed.

Every pair of eyes in the room turned on me with open disapproval.

"What is she playing at? She looks identical to Doreen."

"She's making things up just to humiliate Althea. This is obviously a ploy to guilt-trip her into giving up Solomon."

Solomon fixed me with a cold stare. "Doreen, my patience has a limit. If you keep making a scene and tormenting Althea, don't expect me to show you an ounce of mercy."

Was there a single rational person in this room?

I was out of options.

"Fine! You don't believe me? Then let's go get a DNA test. Right now."

Solomon and Althea both stiffened.

I pointed at Althea. "We go home, get samples from Mom and Dad, put a rush on it, and wait for the results. Then you can all see for yourselves whether I'm a Winfield or not."

Solomon's brow furrowed. He looked at me with something close to surprise.

The guests who'd come to witness the proposal exchanged uneasy glances.

"She doesn't sound like she's bluffing. She's not actually going to do it, is she?"

"What if she really isn't Doreen?"

"She looks serious."

Solomon opened his mouth to speak.

Before he could, Althea burst into tears, both hands pressed to her face. "I know I'm the outsider. You don't have to humiliate me to remind me of that!"

She flung the engagement ring aside, turned on her heel, and stormed toward the exit. When someone tried to stop her, she wrenched free and kept going.

My mind went blank. "Wait, that's not what I"

A brutal shove sent me stumbling backward.

Solomon was livid. "How long are you going to keep this up?"

"I'm telling you the truth! I'm not Doreen!"

"That's enough!" He spun around and took off after Althea. "Althea! Althea, where are you going?"

Mia leaned in close. "Do rich people actually have functioning brains?"

"Evidence suggests not," I said with a shrug.

I headed straight home. I'd more than earned my paycheck from this gig. Whether they believed me or not, I was packing my things and quitting.

But the moment I stepped through the door of the Winfield mansion, the servants grabbed me by both arms.

"Mr. and Mrs. Winfield heard about you making the younger miss cry. They've ordered us to lock you in the attic for three days to reflect on what you've done."

"What? Wait! I'm not Doreen! I'm really not her! Let go of me!"

The attic door slammed shut.

I pounded on it, screaming until my throat was raw. No one came.

I slid to the floor and stopped struggling.

Fine. Three days. I'll leave after three days.

But then I noticed a problem.

No one had been assigned to bring me food.

I lost track of how long I'd been starving. Eventually I didn't even have the strength to call out anymore.

Three days. Not even water.

I'm going to die in here, aren't I?

A piece of bread slid through the gap beneath the door. I snatched it up and bit into it before I'd even fully torn the wrapper open.

"It's me."

The voice on the other side made me freeze.

"Althea?"

I frowned.

Althea's voice dropped to a whisper. "I believe you. You're not Doreen. I can get you out of here, but you have to promise you'll never come back."

That was exactly what I wanted.

"Swear it!"

"I swear. I'll never set foot in this house again. I'll never show my face in front of anyone in this family."

"Then wait here. I'll go get the key."

I never expected Althea, of all people, to be the one who got me out. She wasn't a good person. But she'd helped me, and that was what mattered.

She drove me to a hotel. She even carried my luggage upstairs for me.

But when I opened the door, I realized I wasn't alone in the room.

Seven or eight hulking men stood inside with their arms crossed, eyes locked on us like wolves sizing up prey.

Before I could say a word, Althea shoved a baseball bat into my hands, ripped her own clothes apart in a few quick jerks, and screamed at the top of her lungs.

"I'm sorry, sis! Please don't let them touch me!"

I stood there, stunned.

The men dragged Althea toward them in seconds. Before I could even move to stop them, the sound of footsteps thundered down the hallway, growing louder and louder.

"Althea!"

"My baby!"

Kevin and Patricia Winfield burst through the door. Solomon was right behind them.

"Althea!" Solomon's eyes went red instantly. He shoved me hard, then drove his fist into the face of the nearest thug. "You want to die?"

Kevin and Patricia stared at the fresh red marks smeared across Althea's face and body. Their hands were shaking.

"Doreen!" Patricia screamed. "She's your sister! How can you be this vicious? This heartless?"

"I didn't"

I dropped the bat immediately.

Althea curled into Solomon's arms, the picture of fragile innocence. Her voice trembled.

"Sis, if you want Solomon, I'll step aside. I know you're the real Winfield daughter. Everything here is yours. Just say the word, and I won't fight you on a single thing." Her lip quivered. "But why did you have to do it like this? Ruin me? Make Solomon hate me? Make Mom and Dad despise me?"

She dissolved into sobs.

I stared at her.

I genuinely hadn't seen this one coming. Althea had another card up her sleeve, and she'd played it flawlessly.

Kevin and Patricia pulled her into their arms, tears streaming down their faces, and turned on me with raw fury.

"How did we give birth to a monster like you? Hiring thugs to destroy Althea's innocence? Are you even human?"

"You've got it all wrong!"

I couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm not one of you Winfields! I just happen to look like your real daughter! I have zero interest in Solomon Simmons. This whole thing was staged by her!"

Solomon let out a cold laugh.

"You think saying all that is going to make me let you off the hook? My wife is Althea. No matter what she becomes, she's still my wife. You want to use these disgusting tricks to ruin her?" His voice dropped to something lethal. "Then I'll ruin you first. Someone get over here! Lock her in the freezer!"

My eyes went wide. "What?"

His men grabbed me by the arms and dragged me toward the vehicle. I thrashed and kicked with everything I had.

"I'm not Doreen Winfield! You can run a DNA test! Let go of me! Let go!"

In that moment, it hit me.

My two-million-dollar monthly salary, weighed against what I had to endure every single day?

It was nothing.

The freezer was fifteen degrees below zero.

I was wearing nothing but a thin layer of clothing. The second they threw me inside, my whole body seized with a violent shudder.

The lock clicked shut from the outside. I screamed until my throat was raw.

"I'm not Doreen Winfield! You have the wrong person!"

"Still pretending?"

Solomon's voice filtered through the door, muffled and indifferent.

"The combination lock has every Winfield's fingerprint registered. Keep up the act, and you can freeze to death in there for all I care."

Footsteps retreated. Then silence.

Panic clawed at my chest.

"Solomon? Solomon! Solomon, I'm not Doreen. I will die in here!"

Nothing. Not a sound.

I huddled into the corner, curling in on myself, breathing into my cupped hands. But even that feeble warmth wasn't enough.

My body temperature started to drop.

Everything blurred. My thoughts went hazy and slow, and somewhere in the fog, I heard the electronic chime of the lock disengaging.

I crawled toward the door.

It opened.

But on the other side, there was no one.

I stumbled out, legs barely holding me, and staggered into the living room.

The entire Winfield family was gathered there, crowded around Althea, showering her with comfort. Solomon looked frantic with worry.

"Is that bitch still faking it in the freezer?" he snapped. "Drag her out here! She's going to get on her knees and apologize to Althea!"

"No need." My voice came out hoarse. "I'm right here."

He froze.

Then the sneer returned. "Weren't you just insisting you're not Doreen Winfield? So what happened? You got yourself out just fine, didn't you?"

I looked around the room. Every Winfield was present.

Whoever had unlocked that door for me, I had no idea.

When I didn't speak, Kevin and Patricia erupted.

"Althea has no blood relation to us. It's only natural she'd feel insecure, and giving her a little extra is the least we can do," Kevin barked. "You are our daughter. Nothing changes that. So why do you insist on competing with her? Fighting her for everything? Are you even a Winfield?"

Patricia delivered her ultimatum. "Get on your knees and apologize. Or from this day forward, we don't have a daughter."

"Fine!"

I raised my voice so every last one of them could hear.

"I'll kneel. I'll bow my head to the floor if that's what you want. But since you're so insistent that I'm your daughter, then what about the company dividends? Shouldn't I be getting those too?"

Stunned silence.

I let out a bitter laugh. "Don't think I don't know. Althea pulls in over a hundred million in dividends every single year. You want to call me your daughter? Good."

I held out my hand.

"I'm not even asking for much. Fifty million. Hand it over, and I'll get on my knees and apologize right now."

"You!" Patricia shot to her feet.

I cut her off before she could get another word out.

"What? You want me to play the dutiful daughter, but I don't see a single cent? Meanwhile, every last dollar of the dividends goes to someone with no blood relation to this family? And this is what you call family bonds?"

My voice cracked through the room like a whip.

"Is it?!"

Patricia choked on my words.

I let out a cold laugh.

"You keep saying I'm your daughter. When have you ever once treated me like one?

"All these years, the only thing you've ever asked me to do is step aside for Althea, your precious little heiress with her shares and her dividends. What have you ever given me?"

Kevin and Patricia frowned.

Solomon stared at me, something like surprise flickering across his face.

My smile turned bitter.

"You won't give me anything, and then you have the nerve to blame me for fighting. For grabbing what I can.

"You want me to be generous? Then put your money where your mouth is!"

The room went dead silent.

I scoffed.

"If you won't, then don't talk to me about apologies. Don't talk to me about getting on your knees.

"You don't deserve to."

"Stop right there!"

Kevin and Patricia called out as I turned to leave.

"Fifty million. It's yours. But you get on your knees right now and apologize to Althea."

Ha.

These clueless parents.

Even when giving their own flesh and blood what she was owed, it was still about making the fake heiress happy.

I turned back.

"Fine. While you're at it

"Sign this."

A notarized gift agreement.

Stipulating that no matter what happened in the future, the money could never be reclaimed.

Kevin and Patricia signed.

Then tossed the pen aside.

"Clearly all those years running wild out there turned you into nothing but a schemer."

I didn't take the bait.

Because.

Fifty million dollars had just hit my account.

I knelt before Althea.

Once.

Twice.

A third time.

Three solid bows, forehead to the floor.

"I'm sorry. I was wrong."

I stood up the moment the words left my mouth.

Ignoring every pair of eyes on me.

I walked out of the Winfield mansion without looking back.

As I passed Solomon, he seemed like he wanted to say something.

I didn't lift my head. I walked straight past him.

His outstretched hand froze in midair.

His phone rang.

It was the police.

"The missing person you reported three years ago, that was Doreen Winfield, correct?

"She's been found."