THE LOST HEIRESS

“The photos will be taken down very soon, but private sharing can’t be controlled, you’ll have to endure it for a while.”

I said somewhat coldly,

“As for the Grand River Arch Bridge, there’s no need to go.”

“You…” Layla’s lips trembled, asking, “Don’t you hate me?”

“I do, I hate you very much.”

“Then why are you…”

“Don’t misunderstand, I hate you, but at the same time I also hate spreading vile rumors about girls. Even if the main character of today’s hot search wasn’t you, I would still intervene.”

“Why?” Layla asked.

After a moment of silence, I said:

“Because I had the same experience, do you believe it?”

It was the summer vacation of senior year.

I got into a pretty good university.

But because I was poor since childhood, a few male students in school always loved bullying me.

Seeing me get into a good university, they were jealous beyond recognition.

So, they photoshopped my head onto adult film actresses and spread it everywhere.

During that time, I didn’t even dare to go out.

As soon as I went out, the way others looked at me could directly kill me.

The scholarship I applied for was also delayed because of this.

If I didn’t have the scholarship, I basically couldn’t afford university; getting in would be in vain.

Finally, I numbly walked to the edge of the reservoir.

And jumped down.

Hearing this, Layla suddenly looked up.

What happened next, without me saying, she knew.

Neither of us spoke.

Just now, to escape the rain, we hid in a cafe.

This shop was Arthur’s property.

The staff recognized me and hurriedly brought hot water and a towel for Layla.

At this time, the hot water blurred her eyes.

Layla’s tears flowed down as if they cost nothing.

I couldn’t be bothered to comfort her; if she liked crying, let her cry.

After Layla finished crying, she said with a hoarse voice:

“But I’m different from you. My photos weren’t photoshopped. Wanting to seduce rich men is also true.”

“These are all your private matters, I won’t judge.”

“Daphne, let me tell you a secret.”

Layla laughed self-deprecatingly,

“I actually didn’t like Vincent as much as you thought. I am very vain, insatiably greedy. Compared to men, I like power and money more. As long as a man more outstanding than Vincent appeared, I could abandon him.

“So, offending that client that time, I did it on purpose.”

I looked at her in surprise:

“You wanted to attract Theodore’s attention?”

“Yes. But I failed. At your mother’s birthday party, I purposely spilled the wine, also to catch your brother’s attention.”

I couldn’t help but roast her: “Have you read too many cheap romance novels?”

“You’re right to scold me. I know now how stupid I was.”

Layla lowered her head.

The hot water couldn’t bring color back to her face.

“I understand that Vincent is fundamentally a refined egoist. I dated him while looking for better options, just because I couldn’t find any, so I stayed by his side all these years.

“As for going against you… it was only because you ruined my basic backup plan, Vincent.”

So that was it.

“But——”

Layla changed the subject,

“Those photos of mine, I only ever sent them to Vincent. Your brother, Theodore, I never sent them. They didn’t even look at me, where would I get the chance to send photos to seduce them?”

“Meaning, these photos could only have been leaked by Vincent.”

“Yeah.”

I had a sudden thought: “Then have you thought about suing him?”

Before answering my question, Layla said she had a secret to tell me.

She showed me a photo.

It was a photo of her and Vincent together.

The photo didn’t look like anything special.

Until I noticed the bottom right corner.

August 2, 2020.

My eyes instantly widened.

“That’s right, this photo was taken on the day you drowned.”

Layla rubbed the rim of the cup and said slowly,

“Vincent and I, our two families, were vacationing together in Coastal City C.”

“You mean, the person who saved me wasn’t him at all?”

“He lied. Of course, I am also guilty, I was an accomplice to this lie.”

Layla told me that Vincent was wholeheartedly competing for the Provincial Honorary Student title at the time.

The day I went to him to confirm his identity, it just so happened that the teachers from the provincial bureau were also there.

I was completely unaware and said to him:

“Last summer vacation, did you go to the reservoir? And then saved me?”

Vincent froze for a second.

He was very smart, the opportunity was right in front of him.

So, he nodded: “Yeah, it was me.”

The teachers immediately gathered around:

“Good job, student Vincent, your bravery is commendable.”

“I said it had to be Vincent, possessing both talent and virtue, with a dignified appearance.”

Under the circumstance of similar academic scores, Vincent, because of this good deed, got extra points.

Successfully securing the honor that year.

To round out this lie, Vincent also pulled Layla in to help him cover it up.

Until today.

Layla decided to tell me the truth.

“I’m sorry, if I had spoken up earlier…”

“Stop, don’t bother apologizing.”

I interrupted her,

“I won’t forgive you, but I also won’t hate you. You don’t need to thank me for today’s matter, because I wasn’t intentionally helping you——

“If it were someone else, I would have helped just the same.”