Chapter 151
Brielle couldn’t help but find it amusing, the act they were putting on so late in the game.
“The Haywoods have footed the bill for my upkeep all these years,” she said, a wry smile touching her lips. “I’ve tallied up the costs, with interest, and paid you back in full. Let’s not have any more of these inconvenient calls, shall we?”
This was not the scenario Miranda had expected. Shouldn’t Brielle be the one unable to bear parting with them, begging to stay with the Haywoods? Without their intervention, Brielle might be out on some street corner begging for change right now.
A surge of irritation flashed through Miranda, her temper flaring. “Brielle, what do you mean ‘don’t disturb you‘?” Miranda spat. “The Haywood family has supported you for so many years, and you’ve occupied Lillian’s identity for so long. Now, you almost ruined her reputation, and you have the audacity to say not to disturb you. You really are ungratful. Tomorrow night, we are organizing a banquet for Lillian, and you have to come and apologize in person. You owe Lillian, and you’ll never be able to repay it in this lifetime.”
Her self–righteousness was grating. Brielle’s smile widened, “Well, I shall not repay it then.”
“Brielle, you-”
Brielle was done with the nonsense. She had to admit, after being taken in by the Haywoods. she’d had access to some educational resources. But whether it was moving up from middle to high school, or from high school to college, it was all on her own merit. The money the Haywoods spent on her couldn’t compare to a fraction of what they showered on Lillian.
Ten million should more than cover it.
“Mrs. Haywood, I’ve got work to do, so I’ll be hanging up now.” Without hesitation, she ended the call, feeling the irony of it all.
Aubree was fuming beside her, then burst out laughing at the absurdity, “Do they think you’re clinging to the Haywoods for dear life?”
“Seems like it. So, my generous payout must’ve wounded their pride.”
Brielle sat back nonchalantly, her stomach rumbling with hunger.
Aubree was at a loss for words concerning the Haywoods, thinking about the life Brielle had endured, her anger palpable, “And they expect you to attend the party tomorrow night?”
“Yeah, they want a personal apology to Lillian.”
“The nerve! They’re shameless!” Aubree cursed, letting out her frustration. “How much did you send them?”
“Ten million.”
“Bri. I know you just got thirty million, but did the Haywoods ever spend two million on you? Did
MANN IST
she take it?”
A snide laugh escaped Brielle, “Oh, she snapped it up quick enough.”
Aubree was at a loss for words, “So, are you going tomorrow?”
As Aubree asked, she glanced at her phone, her frown deepening. “The haters are piling on now. All those idle gossips in the circle are slamming you one–sidedly, elevating Lillian to sainthood.”
Brielle didn’t want to hear any more about the Haywoods and was content to rest on the couch, but Aubree’s next words snapped her to attention. “Bri, you’ve been donating to the Sunflower Children’s Home all this time, right? You only kept enough to live on each month, but now the charity is listing Lillian as the donor.”
Brielle’s expression darkened, her eyes sharpening. “What do you mean?”
Aubree’s own anger was palpable. “I don’t know, but everyone’s praising her now, saying she’s got a heart of gold, always donating to the orphanage. It’s all over the social circles, and the charity’s released the donor details–it’s definitely Lillian.”
Brielle’s fingers clenched, a bitter memory flashing through her mind. She had trusted Lillian too much, allowing her to handle the beneficiary details for her donations. Lillian had played a cunning game, switching the donor name to her own.
Before this revelation, the public opinion hadn’t been entirely against Brielle, but once the charity released the donor details, everyone seemed to side with Lillian.
A girl who had stayed with the Haywoods, working hard from a young age, growing up to give back to the home that had taken her in, leaving herself just enough to get by and donating the rest–such a benevolent person who had been replaced as the heiress from the start and believed she was living on borrowed time.
That was the persona Lillian had crafted.
It was effective, and with the undeniable proof of the donor’s name, Brielle was subject to much vitriol
Brielle scoffed, “I’ll be attending the party tomorrow night.”
Chapter 15
