The True Heiress's Return

But thinking about being cornered by reporters that afternoon sent a wave of humiliation to Cody. He had never felt like this before. Anger and shame stirred inside him, leaving him feeling suffocated. Yvette instinctively glanced at Lago, their eyes communicating silently. The dim light in the ward made her pale face look even more pitiful. Struggling to hold back tears, she seemed to make a decision and suddenly tossed aside the blanket covering her. "Yvette?" Rebecca rushed to support her. Yvette climbed out of bed and bowed deeply toward Cody and Rebecca. "Dad, Mom, today's mess is all my fault, and I deserve the ridicule and humiliation. But I can't let you guys suffer because of me." Shen then turned to Mitchell and asked, her tone firm, "Are there still reporters outside, Mitchell? Mitchell, who had been lost in thought, looked up. "Yeah, just a few."

"Well, that's good. Yvette managed a faint smile, though her face remained pale. I'll go out and tell the reporters the truth. I'm not the real daughter of the Nelson family, and I'm just the mistaken one: This way, they'll focus on me and leave you alone. Her tone was calm, as if she had completely given up and didn't care about anything anymore. All she wanted was to keep the Nelson family safe, and she'd do anything for that.

Rebecca gasped, covering her mouth, eyes brimming with tears. Oh, Yvette, how could you be so foolish?"

Yvette's smile widened, but everyone could tell she was forcing herself. She even turned around to comfort Rebecca. "Mom, it's okay. I've always made mistakes before and faced my share of scolding. This is nothing compared to what I've been through. As long as everyone is okay, I'm not scared.

Rebecca held her hand tightly. "If only you had told us sooner that those designs weren't yours... We could have figured something out."

Yvette's voice trembled as she began to explain her "reasons." "I know Shakira didn't like me after she got home. I took her place and love from Dad, Mom, and brothers. I felt guilty, and she has every right to be angry at me.

"When I saw the portfolio that day, she hid it away, looking suspicious of me. I shouldn't have interfered, but her designs were so good! I just wanted to help her shine.

"So, I submitted her designs to Yonder Digital. I thought that if I got in and succeeded, I could tell Shakira later, and she would be happy.

"But I never expected her to suddenly... leave home, and everything went wrong at Yonder Digital"

As she spoke, her voice cracked. "I wanted to tell everyone the truth, I wanted to tell Mom and Dad that the designs weren't mine, and Shakira was the one who passed the Yonder Digital interview, not me." "But... Tears streamed down her cheeks, and her emotions broke loose. "I couldn't find the courage to say it, I wanted to help Shakira, but I also wanted to help the family.

"Once I got through the interviews and met the chairman of Yonder Digital, I planned to ask him not to pull out of the partnership. I thought then I could share the truth and help Shakira get a job there as a designer."

Yvette's tears poured down her face as she bowed her head, covering her face with her hands. "But I was wrong. I never thought Shakira would have joined the competition too. I never expected that the challenge from Yonder Digital would be connected to her designs..."

Yvette hunched over and sobbed silently, and the Nelson family felt their hearts soften as they realized how much she had cared about Shakira and the family. If anyone was to blame, it was Sean. If he hadn't turned his back, none of this chaos would have happened. Rebecca, who had felt distant from Yvette carlier, was now overwhelmed with empathy. "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. It's not your fault, and you don't have to take responsibility for it."

Cody finally spoke up. "Rebecca's right. You need to take a break. This whole situation went sideways, but you were just trying to help the family, and we all get that.

"Plus, the Ortiz family has teamed up with us and taken over the projects that Yonder Digital has objected to. As for the plagiarism issue... it'll blow over once things settle down"

His words signaled that the embarrassment Yvette caused the Nelson family could finally be put behind them.

Yvette was taken aback. "The Ortiz family?"

"Yeah, right after you passed out, some folks from the Ortiz family showed up at the office. Finn has signed a contract with them. Rebecca patted the back of Yvette's hand, teasing, "That Ortiz guy seems pretty worried about you."

Yvette's face blushed. "Mom, we're just good friends."

"Sure, sure. Once you're feeling better, you should invite him over to thank him for his help today," Rebecca said with a wink.

"Okay Yvette nodded. After a moment of hesitation, she asked. "Did Shakira... come in first?".

"Let's not talk about her, Rebecca said, her tone turning cold.

Cody's expression soured too. Today's mess was partly Shakira's fault. If she hadn't stirred things up and just stayed home, would they even be in this trouble?

Thinking about the online comments scolding Yvette and the Nelson family, all while putting Shakira on a pedestal, made Cody and Rebecca furious. They couldn't believe those netizens didn't see that Shakira was the real troublemaker, especially with the way they compared the two sisters-one was praised, while the other was shamed.

Mitchell spoke up. "No, Yonder Digital has announced the rankings. Shakira dropped out of the competition, and they' brought in the third-place contestant instead."

Yvette was stunned, her nails almost digging into her palms. "What's wrong with Shakira the ***h? After all that drama, she just backed out? Was she just trying to make me look bad?"

Suddenly, something hit Yvette and she blurted out, "Isn't it a little too coincidental that right after Shakira left home, the partnership with Yonder Digital fell through? And the second round of the interview just happened to be based on her design sketch? Plus, that day she got in the Maybach-was it Sean...

She didn't finish her thought, but the Nelson family caught on to it. Cody, having navigated the business world for years, quickly picked up on Yvette's implications. His expression darkened, but he held his tongue.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

Mitchell, however, jumped in. "Yvette, even if there's something going on between Shakira and Sean, they can't control you into using that same design sketch."

Yyette stared at Mitchel, her heart sinking. Normally, he would defend her without question, but now, he was sticking up for Shakira.