Favoread
Download
The Heiress's Shadow

Chapter 1


My younger sister discovered that she bore a striking resemblance—about 50%—to the CEO’s first love.

To take her place, she arranged to meet the woman and planned to stage a car accident to get rid of her.

I arrived just in time to stop it.

On the way home, I tried to talk some sense into her. “Thomas Lee built his empire from scratch. He’s ruthless, sharp, and never lets a slight go unnoticed. Your little tricks won’t fool him forever. Sooner or later, he’ll find out, and when that happens, the whole family will be dragged down with you.”

She nodded, agreeing with my words.

And yet, when we got home, she slipped paraquat into my water.

As I lay dying, she whispered in my ear, “You were just jealous that I have a face worthy of marrying into a wealthy family. You ruined my dream, so I ruined you.”

Then, I opened my eyes—only to find myself back on the very day she was about to meet the CEO’s first love...

A loud crash echoed through the air.

My sister rushed forward instantly.

She knelt beside the person on the ground, shouting frantically, “Forget about the car! Call an ambulance!”

Her delicate, perfectly made-up face twisted with urgency as she performed CPR, even going as far as giving mouth-to-mouth without hesitation.

Blood soaked her expensive dress, making her look like a selfless heroine.

By the time the ambulance arrived, so had the reporters.

Faced with cameras, my sister exploded with anger. “Do you people have no conscience? Why are you interviewing me at a time like this? Saving lives is more important!”

Then, she turned to the paramedics, her expression filled with anxiety. “She’s been receiving CPR for this long—please, doctor, you have to save her! She’s so beautiful, it would be such a waste if she died like this!”

The doctor, clearly moved, reassured her, “Don’t worry, we’ll do everything we can. Do you know any of her family members?”

My sister shook her head. “I’m just a passerby. But I can go with you and cover her medical expenses.”

The doctor praised her for her sense of responsibility and urged her to get in the ambulance.

As she turned away, unnoticed by everyone, she slipped the unconscious woman’s phone into her pocket.

I watched the ambulance drive off. Half an hour later, a luxury car pulled up at the scene.

A man in a gray suit hurried out. His face was familiar—Thomas’s assistant. He scanned the area before turning to the police to gather details about what had happened.

I took out my phone and sent my sister a message.

“Jessica Brown, I just saw you on TV. What did you do?”

She replied almost immediately.

“None of your business.”

Seeing those four words, I smirked.

She had read too many CEO romance novels and thought all powerful men were fools.

After a single encounter with Thomas—where he had casually said, “You look a lot like my wife when she was young”—she had begun daydreaming about marrying into wealth.

In my past life, I had tried to talk her out of it, but my efforts had only led to a tragic end for myself.

This time, my priority was to distance myself from her—so that when Thomas sought revenge, I wouldn’t get caught in the crossfire.

Just as I was about to head home, my phone rang. It was the hospital.

“There’s a patient in urgent need of blood. Would you be available to donate?”

Both my sister and I had Rh-negative blood, a rare type. Our contact details were in the blood center’s database.

Without hesitation, I went straight to the hospital.

What I didn’t expect was that the person in need of blood… was Thomas’s wife.

After donating, I went to the rest area.

The moment my sister saw me, she stiffened. “Why are you here?”

I sat down. “I heard someone needed Rh-negative blood, so I came.”

Then, I glanced at her and asked, “What were you doing at the scene of the accident?”

In my past life, when I found out about her plan, I had tried to stop her multiple times—even threatening to report her.

Afraid that I’d get suspicious, she quickly answered, “I just happened to pass by.”

I merely responded with a quiet “Oh” and closed my eyes to rest.

But even though I didn’t press further, she couldn’t resist bragging.

“Jennifer Brown, do you know who that woman is? She’s Thomas’s wife! He told me himself—I look just like her when she was younger. Once she’s dead, I’ll be the next Mrs. Lee!”

In the past, whenever she said things like this, I would try to wake her up from her delusions.

But this time, I smiled and said, “Wow, congratulations. When you marry him, can you help me get a job at Lee Corporation?”

My flattery instantly put her in a good mood. She scoffed, “Dad and Mom were right. You were born to be a servant. I’m about to be filthy rich, and all you care about is working for someone else?”

At that moment, Thomas’s voice echoed from outside.

Her eyes lit up, and she shot to her feet, eager to go out and make her presence known.

Before leaving, she turned to me and warned, “Stay out of sight. Don’t ruin my chances.”

We were twins, and she was afraid my presence might steal Thomas’s attention away from her.

She was overthinking it.

At this point, I wanted nothing more than to keep my distance from her.

Otherwise, when the blade fell on her, I might get splattered with blood.

But then, she let out a quiet chuckle. “Actually, on second thought… maybe you should show up.”

She was smiling, but I knew exactly what she meant.

Chapter 2


She and I may look alike, but our beauty is not on the same level.

The same features, yet on her face, they look as if my own had been airbrushed with ten levels of beauty enhancement.

She is stunning. I am hideous.

My sister swayed her hips as she walked out the door. Not long after, I heard her comforting Thomas, her voice deliberately coy, so saccharine that it made my skin crawl.

I had just donated blood and was feeling unwell, so I curled up and took a nap.

By the time I woke up, the apartment was silent.

Checking the time, I got ready to leave. The elevator was taking too long, so I took the stairs instead.

The moment I stepped into the stairwell, I overheard Thomas talking to his assistant.

“President Lee, Madam’s phone was last located at the hospital, but she’s already left.”

I froze, holding my breath.

Luckily, neither of them noticed me.

Thomas’s voice was ice-cold. “Look into it privately. Don’t inform the police.”

“Mary Ryan would never go to a place like that. Something’s definitely off. That Jessica is too suspicious—start with her.”

“Damn it, if I find out who did this to Mary, I’ll make sure their entire family pays for it.”

I shuddered.

Rumor had it that before Thomas became a CEO, he was a well-known gangster and had even served time in prison.

Terrified, I hurried home, only to hear my parents and sister laughing together the moment I stepped inside.

Mom fussed over my sister, saying she had sacrificed too much—money, blood donations—and bought her tons of supplements to replenish her health.

My sister waved it off. “You have to sacrifice a pawn to catch the big fish. Covering the medical expenses was just a way to stay connected to Thomas.”

Dad sighed. “Giving money is one thing, but why donate blood? You have rare blood to begin with. Who knows how long it’ll take for you to recover?”

“If I hadn’t donated, how would that woman die?” My sister smirked slyly. “I did my research—Mary is allergic to mangoes. I ate several before donating blood. She’s as good as dead.”

The three of them soon started fantasizing about my sister’s future as a wealthy wife.

I couldn’t take it anymore. Stepping forward, I pointed at my sister in disbelief. “How could you do something like this?”

At the sound of my voice, the three of them fell silent.

I grabbed my sister’s wrist, pretending to pull her outside. “There’s still time for you to turn yourself in.”

She shoved me away. “Jennifer, have you lost your mind? My plan is flawless. That area is a slum—no surveillance cameras, the car has already been disposed of. As long as you keep your mouth shut, no one will suspect a thing.”

I frowned. “Do you think rich people are as stupid as you? Why would Mary, a wealthy socialite, go to a slum for no reason? No cameras doesn’t mean no witnesses, and you even tipped off the reporters. You are unbelievably dumb.”

She froze for two seconds before regaining her composure. “So what? No one will suspect me. What’s with your reaction, Jennifer? Are you jealous of me?”

“I’m afraid you’ll drag our whole family down with you! If you don’t turn yourself in, I’ll call the police.”

The moment the words left my mouth, someone yanked my hair.

My father pulled me back and kicked me hard in the leg.

I collapsed to my knees in pain, but he wasn’t satisfied. He slapped me twice across the face. “Everything your sister does is for this family, and you want to call the cops on her? If I’d known you’d turn out this vicious, I would have strangled you at birth.”

Mom joined in, egging him on. “Hit her! A wretch like her won’t learn unless she’s beaten.”

My sister crossed her arms and sneered. “Dad, hit her harder. Don’t let her ruin our future.”

As I endured my father’s kicks and punches, memories from my past life came flooding back.

Back then, after my sister poisoned me, I had begged my parents to take me to the hospital.

But they had locked me up instead, watching coldly as I withered away, taking my last breath alone.

I never understood why—why, despite being their daughter too, they had always favored my sister.

We were twins, yet she wore new clothes and went to a good school, while I wore hand-me-downs and was treated like a servant.

The pain in my body grew unbearable. I screamed, counting down the seconds in my head.

A few minutes later, a neighbor knocked on the door. “What’s going on in there?”

My father stopped, turning to the door. “Nothing, the eldest daughter just fell by accident.”

Chapter 3


Once the door was shut, he kicked me again. “Do you know what you did wrong?”

Normally, even after a beating like this, I would never admit fault.

But this time, I trembled like a frightened rabbit and immediately surrendered. “I was wrong, Dad. I shouldn’t have said that about my sister.”

Even then, he remained unsatisfied. “Are you still calling the police?”

“No, I won’t, I won’t.”

After my repeated apologies, his anger finally subsided. I even groveled to my mother and sister, seeking their forgiveness.

Mom sneered. “Enough. Go make dinner—I’m starving.”

I obeyed, putting on an apron and heading to the kitchen.

Just then, my sister’s phone pinged with a notification. She checked it and let out an excited scream.

“She’s dead! Mary is dead! I need to get to the hospital and comfort Thomas!”

Ecstatic, she ran to her room to change, putting on makeup and high heels before rushing out the door.

Worried about her safety at night, my parents grabbed the car keys and left with her.

The moment they were gone, I packed my belongings and prepared to leave this house for good.

Outside, I ran into a neighbor. Seeing the bruises on my face, he frowned. “Your parents hit you again?”

His eyes flickered to the suitcase in my hand, and he clicked his tongue. “Good. Get out of here. If you stay any longer, you’ll end up dead.”

I thanked him and walked away, hailing a cab.

The radio was broadcasting breaking news: the wealthy socialite Mary had died in a car accident.

Thomas was offering a reward—ten million dollars—for any leads on the hit-and-run driver.

The driver clicked his tongue in pity. “Damn, that guy must have guts. Running over someone that powerful? They’ll hunt him down like a dog.”

I hummed in agreement.

The driver continued, “I heard that Thomas used to be in the underworld before he became a CEO. He turned over a new leaf after meeting his wife. Now that she’s dead, who knows how many people are going to suffer.”

I nodded in agreement.

Unfortunately, the one who would suffer the most still had no idea of her fate.

Over the next few days, the internet was flooded with two kinds of news—one was about Thomas offering a huge reward for clues about his wife’s death, and the other was about my sister’s heroic act.

A video of her, dressed in white and drenched in blood, kneeling on the ground performing CPR, went viral. Millions of people shared it, calling her a goddess.

Another video showed her silently crying in the hospital. Facing the reporters, she said, “I’m heartbroken that I couldn’t save Mrs. Lee. I must not have tried hard enough.”

Behind her, Thomas stared at her with a complex expression.

She proudly shared the video in our family group chat.

“Look at Thomas’s gaze. He’s obviously interested in me.”

My parents immediately agreed, and the three of them began fantasizing about her marrying into wealth.

I was the only one who commented:

“He is interested, alright. Looks like he’s interested in killing you.”

My words immediately provoked my sister’s anger.

She sent me several screenshots of her chat with Thomas. Over the past few days, they had exchanged hundreds of messages.

She kept comforting him, and he responded, saying her words were a great source of comfort.

His tone was ambiguous, seemingly affectionate.

She gloated: “See? Do you still think he doesn’t have feelings for me?”

I couldn’t help but warn her: “Have you considered the possibility that he’s just trying to get information out of you? Thomas can have any woman he wants. Why would he choose you?”

My sister flew into a rage: “Jennifer, I haven’t even settled our last score. Are you asking for it?”

My father chimed in: “Where have you been hiding these past few days? Don’t think we can’t find you.”

The three of them took turns cursing me out again, ending with a final warning: if I dared to go to the police, they’d kill me.

I put away my phone and glanced outside.

Since leaving home, I had rented a small apartment. With no money, I could only afford a place in the outskirts.

Ironically, it was close to where Mary had died.

Every day after work, I saw Thomas’s assistant going from shop to shop, checking surveillance footage.

Two days later, my sister shared another chat screenshot in the group.

Thomas had invited her and my parents to his estate as a show of gratitude.

She tagged me.

“Jennifer, do you see my charm now? This isn’t just a visit—it’s meeting the parents!”

I didn’t respond.

She was so focused on seducing Thomas that she hadn’t noticed something strange.

News about Mary’s death had vanished from the internet.

The police were no longer investigating.

Even Thomas’s assistant had stopped visiting the area.

This wasn’t a thank-you banquet.

It was a death trap.

They had finally pushed themselves into a corner.

👉 Click to read more exciting content