Claire Lila Serena NovelBlood and Inheritance

After two years abroad in seclusion as I recovered, I received a selfie from my daughter, Lila Ashford. She was sitting on a bike, dressed in a work uniform.

Mom, youll be home soon, right? I miss you so much.

My heart softened as I thought about how my girl had grown up. She understood that she needed to start from the bottom and work her way up.

I was about to praise her when I noticed her skin seemed tanner, and her fitted shirt was the same one Id bought her three years ago.

It was frayed and worn thin, yet she still hadnt thrown it away. As a child of the wealthiest family, Lila shouldnt have to live like this, not even for "life experience".

I zoomed in on the picture again. Her shoes were falling apart, the front gaping wide open.

The more I looked, the more uneasy I became.

The next second, I stumbled across Serena Ashford, my adopted daughters posts on social media. She was showing off male models, luxury cars, and on her wrist, the global limited-edition diamond bracelet I had given Lila.

What shocked me most was the car that appeared in nearly every photo, the very one I had gifted Lila for her college graduation.

How the hell had it ended up with her instead?!
Chapter 1
I nearly crushed my phone in my hand. One photo after another flicked past my screen, and then I saw it: Serena Ashfords necklace.
That ruby pendant was our familys heirloom.
It had been passed down for more than a hundred generations, but now it was hanging around the neck of an outsider?
I remembered it clearly. On Lilas eighteenth birthday, I had placed it around her neck myself.
My pulse thundered as I dialed the number for Lilas university, words spilling out before I could stop myself. I demanded to know about her enrollment.
The reply nearly knocked me off my feet.
"Lila Ashford? She dropped out a long time ago."
Dropped out? My daughter dropped out? It was like being struck by lightning. My mind went blank, buzzing.
I immediately called my husband, Adrian Ashford. Adrians face appeared on video, steam still rising from behind him. Hed just come from the hot springs, looking relaxed, freshly dressed, and utterly unconcerned.
"Its just a pendant," he said, casual as ever. "Serena liked it, so I let her borrow it. Why are you making such a fuss? The girls are sisters. Sharing is normal."
Normal? Did he forget what that pendant meant?
I swallowed my fury and forced my voice steady. "Why isnt Lila in school?"
"She didnt want to go. Nothing anyone can do about it," Adrian replied lightly. Then, he hung up, just like that.
Rage shook me from head to toe. That man spoiled Serena to the point of lawlessness.
I thought back. Even before I left, Adrian had been paying less and less attention to Lila.
When she was little, he treated her like a treasure and fed her until she was plump and rosy. However, two years ago, after Serena came into our lives, everything changed. Suddenly, Adrian forbade Lila from eating meat, spouting nonsense about how a vegetarian diet was healthier. Right in front of her, he piled the table high with meat and delicacies for Serena.
Id even joked at the time, "What, if Lila eats one less bite, will Serena grow an inch taller?"
He had called me petty and said our family wasnt so poor that we had to count morsels.
Looking back now, I realize I was blind.
I tried calling Lila again and again, but her line was busy. That silly girl must be out on her milk delivery route.
I turned and dialed Helen Carter, our neighbor and a close friend. She always knew what was happening around the estate.
The moment she picked up, her voice trembled. "Claire, thank God you finally reached out. The truth is Its hard to say. But, well, Lilas had a rough couple of years."
I pressed for details, but Helen wouldnt budge.
Frustrated, I rang up Martha Winters, our longtime housekeeper, and launched straight into her. "Our household expenses have doubled over the past two years. Why did Lila give up the university she worked so hard to get into? Why did all of you hide this from me? Where did the money go?"