10 Years a Stand-In, They Lost It After I Go - Chapter 2

Any warmth or hope I once had evaporated like smoke in the wind.

Alexander’s voice, usually so controlled, now carried a sharp edge. “Oliver is just a kid!”

“As his… nanny, you’ve failed him. I’m being more than generous by not holding you accountable. What gives you the right to throw a tantrum?”

Nanny? The word stung. I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.

Years ago, Alexander had fallen for my stepsister, Emily. He married her against his family’s wishes, and with his support, the Brooks family quickly climbed the social ladder from their humble beginnings.

They had been madly in love, inseparable, until tragedy struck. Emily died giving birth.

Worried about losing Alexander’s backing, the Brooks family sent me, his adopted daughter, to take her place.

Despite his grief, Alexander didn’t want to remarry. But, fearing Oliver would be left without a mother, the two families made an agreement. I would stay with the Grants for ten years as a “special assistant.”

It wasn’t a real position, just a title. No contract, no legal standing. My whole life had been dictated by that single deal.

For ten years, I raised Oliver, cared for him.

And yet, I remained invisible. Still alone, still nothing.

I shook myself out of my thoughts, my voice steady but resolute. “I’m not throwing a tantrum. The agreement is over.”

“My status here is uncertain, and it’ll only cause trouble for you and Oliver. People will talk.”

Alexander’s frown softened, just a little.

His eyes narrowed, almost testing me, but his tone grew less harsh. “If you gave the Grant family an heir, I’d make sure you and the child were added to the family register, with proper status…”

“No need,” I interrupted. I wouldn’t degrade myself like that.

I’d spent my whole life as an illegitimate daughter, and I wasn’t about to subject my child to the same fate.

I straightened up, walking over to my bedroom and pulling out the company seal and the documents detailing the Grant family’s assets.

“I’ve handled all the accounts over the past few days. Emily’s people will take over. They’ll handle everything from here.”

“Oliver’s getting older. He needs professional guidance. I’m not the right person for that.”

Alexander waved me off dismissively, but then, without hesitation, he stepped on the documents, grinding them into the floor like they were worthless.

“Lily, don’t be ungrateful,” he snapped. “I’m letting this go because it’s your birthday.”

“Stay in your room for the next few days and think things over.”

With that, the heavy mahogany door slammed shut, leaving me in cold silence.

I stood there for a moment, staring at the night sky. The lanterns they’d set off for my birthday slowly faded into nothing. It was almost like they were never there at all.

I couldn’t help but smile, though there was nothing warm in it.

Today wasn’t actually my birthday. It was the anniversary of Alexander and Emily’s first meeting.

The night before I came to the Grants, my adoptive mother had pulled me aside.

She told me to learn everything about Emily, how she spoke, how she moved, and mimic her perfectly.

“Lily, you have to impress him. That’s the only way you’ll truly have a place in the Grant family.”

Her words had been blunt, unyielding.

Just like she said, Alexander, who cared about nothing else, only remembered my “birthday.”

It was the one day each year I could almost convince myself I was part of the family. The one day I might feel like he actually cared, even if it was only for a fleeting moment.

But I knew better.

Stolen things always had to be returned.

A sharp pain suddenly jabbed at my forehead, and I looked up to see Oliver standing on the wall, slingshot in hand, grinning like a little devil.

“If you don’t leave the Grant house soon, one day it won’t be a rock hitting your head. It’ll be a bullet!” he taunted, clearly proud of his “good aim.”

I bit back a sigh. I was the one who had taught him how to shoot, how to race cars.

But ten years had passed.

Now, father and son, one ignored me, and the other seemed to wish I’d vanish, just like I was never there at all.