Chapter 5

Amelia awoke on her first morning at the Clyde mansion, half-convinced she was still dreaming. Pinching herself hard, she winced. Nope, this was real.

She entered the massive closet and selected a stunning outfit, adorning herself with every piece of jewelry Rosy and her brothers had gifted her—necklaces, bracelets, rings. For a moment, she caressed each piece as if it held special power.

"Miss Clyde, would you like lunch now?" a servant asked deferentially.

"No, I'm going out," Amelia replied curtly, but stopped mid-step. Turning back, she fixed the servant with a haughty look. "Let me ask you something. Who's prettier—me or that fake daughter, Rhea?"

The servant hesitated before stammering, "It's... it's you, Miss. You're the most beautiful lady."

Amelia smirked, satisfied. "Exactly. That's what I think too. A fake will always be a fake. I'm the real heiress! She stole eighteen years of my life, leaving me to suffer in her place. The nerve!" Her expression darkened, her teeth grinding audibly. The servant felt a chill. Amelia was so unlike Isabel, who had always been kind and gentle, treating the staff with warmth. Amelia, in contrast, seemed crude and even mean.

"Alright, let Mom know I'm stepping out," Amelia said before leaving. The Clyde family had provided her with a private driver and a luxury car.

"Miss Clyde, where would you like to go?" the driver asked respectfully.

A sly smile played on Amelia's lips. "Take me to the Galvez family. I want to see how the thief is doing." Amelia was finally living the life she believed she deserved—lavish, privileged, and enviable. She couldn't wait to flaunt it in front of her old neighbors. As the car rolled along, she snapped a selfie and posted it on Instagram, X, and TikTok. The reactions were instant. Those she'd known before couldn't believe their eyes.

"Amelia, is that really you? You've hit the jackpot!"

Old classmates and former friends who had once ignored her now reached out eagerly. Amelia felt on top of the world. "The real heiress," she thought. "After eighteen years of struggle, I'm finally living the life I deserve."

Before long, the car pulled up in front of the Galvez family's modest house. The moment Amelia stepped out, she became the talk of the village.

"Isn't that Amelia?" someone whispered, stunned. "She looks so glamorous now. And she has a driver!"

Another added, "Didn't you hear? She found her real parents. Turns out she and the Galvez daughter were switched at birth."

A young woman sighed enviously. "Her family must be filthy rich. Just look at her outfit—it's flawless!"

Her friend agreed, "She's so lucky. Imagine being the lost daughter of a wealthy family."

Under their envious stares, Amelia strode confidently to the Galvez home. Hannah lit up when she saw her, thinking Amelia missed them.

"Amelia, you came back to see us!" Hannah's eyes welled with tears of joy.

"Wrong," Amelia's tone was ice-cold. "I came to see how that fake heiress is doing. She stole my life for so long—now that she's stuck here in this dump, I had to see it for myself."

Hannah was momentarily stunned. She never imagined the girl she'd raised could become so venomous. At that moment, Isabel appeared from the pigsty, carrying a bucket of slop. She had been feeding the pigs, a task Hannah could no longer manage due to her bad back.

Seeing Isabel with the bucket, Amelia wrinkled her nose dramatically and covered it with her hand. "Oh my God, the stench! It's unbearable! Filthy people like you are only fit for filthy tasks," she exclaimed, her tone exaggerated and dripping with contempt.

"Amelia, how could you say that? Didn't you used to feed the pigs too?" Hannah intervened, trying to defend Isabel. She couldn't fathom how Amelia had become so cruel.

Amelia's response was a furious shout, "Don't call me Amelia! Call me Miss Clyde. The Galvez name is a disgrace. I'm not your daughter—this loser is!" She jabbed a finger toward Isabel.

"You... you..." Hannah stammered, her voice trembling with anger.

Before Hannah could continue, Isabel calmly reached into the bucket, grabbed a handful of slop, and flung it straight into Amelia's face.

"Aaah!" Amelia shrieked. The foul mixture smeared across her carefully pampered face, ruining her expensive skincare routine. Her driver rushed over, frantically trying to clean her up.

Amelia's voice quivered with rage. "Isabel, you vile witch! How dare you! I'm the real heiress now—you're just a fraud!"

Isabel's expression remained calm. "Then leave, or I might just toss you into the pigsty next."

Amelia planted her hands on her hips, puffing herself up with indignation. "You wouldn't dare! Do you know who I am? The Clyde family is rich and powerful. You're nothing. Oh, and did anyone tell you? You have a fiancé now! Hahaha!" Amelia shook with laughter.

At the mention of a fiancé, Isabel froze, her brow furrowing. She turned to Hannah, seeking an explanation. Hannah avoided her gaze, her expression heavy with guilt.

Chapter 3 (Note: This chapter was out of order and has been moved to its proper place.)

Amelia smirked, her delight evident. "Oh, she doesn't want to tell you! Fine. I'll do it. Your fiancé lives right here in the village. Go see for yourself! Good luck with that." If this is fate, Isabel. The fiancé who was supposed to marry me is yours, and yours is mine now, and the one meant for you...?

The Clyde family had arranged Amelia's engagement years ago. With the daughters switched, that engagement naturally passed to Amelia. But no one had told her that the Galvez family had also arranged a marriage for her.

"Ugh. A house full of pitiful paupers. I'm off to enjoy my luxurious life. You can stay here and rot in poverty—you'll never escape it." With that, Amelia strutted away, basking in their discomfort.

Isabel didn't bother responding to someone so petty and toxic. Her thoughts were already occupied with this so-called engagement.

Hannah sighed heavily. "Isabel, I'm so sorry about the engagement... we had no choice. A few years ago, a powerful family, the Yates, approached us. They wanted to arrange a marriage for their son and chose Amelia."

Hannah hesitated, her voice thick with regret. "The man they wanted her to marry... he's disabled. Paralyzed from the waist down and bedridden for years. He was abandoned here in the village. We didn't want to agree, but they offered a large sum of money. At the time, your father's condition was worsening, and we desperately needed the money for his treatments. So we said yes. Looking back, I regret it deeply. I'm so sorry, Isabel. Don't hate Amelia for resenting us—we were just too poor to refuse. And the Yates family is too powerful to defy."

Hannah sighed deeply. "Now that Amelia is gone, the engagement naturally falls to you. They said the wedding would take place when you turn eighteen, and that's coming up this year." Hearing this, Isabel exhaled slowly. Life in the Galvez family was proving more complicated than she'd anticipated. Still, she composed herself. She decided she would need to meet this so-called fiancé to assess the situation for herself.