They Wanted Family Drama And I Wanted A Property Deed Chapter 06
Bennett slowly let go of Sophia’s hand.
Catherine went white as a sheet. “Sophia, you…”
Sophia panicked, shaking her head fast. “No, Mom, I just didn’t want Lena to hate me. I didn’t mean any harm.”
I looked at her. “No harm. Just harm that comes naturally.”
Richard sat on the couch, not saying a word for what felt like forever.
Eleanor stood up. “Since the Harts haven’t figured out how to respect Lena yet, she’ll stay in the house I bought next door. As for the debt, I’ll have legal reassess the Hart Group’s ability to pay.
Richard’s head snapped up.
“Mrs. Vance!”
Eleanor smiled politely. “Mr. Hart, relax. No one’s biting. I’m not here to make things hard for
you.”
She paused. Her voice was soft, but it hit like a punch to the gut.
“I’m just here to tell you that my daughter is not without backup.”
I moved next door that same day.
The Hart Estate and my new place shared a garden wall. But the experience was night and day.
Over at the Harts’, it was daily family drama. At my place, fresh flowers showed up on time every
day, the scent of candles changed with my mood, and afternoon tea came with warm, fresh-baked
cookies.
The first time Bennett knocked on my door, I was sitting in the yard, soaking up the sun.
He stood at the gate, looking uncomfortable. “Lena, Dad wants you to come home for dinner.”
I looked up. “Which home?”
He choked. “The Harts’.”
“Oh.” I turned a page in my book. “No. Send me the menu first. If it looks bad, I’m not coming.”
Bennett’s face went red. “Why do you have to be so difficult?”
“I’m not one of your family’s debtors. I don’t have to follow your repayment schedule.”
He was quiet for a moment. Then he said, his voice low, “About last night… I didn’t know Sophia
would do that.”
I looked at him.
“You didn’t know because you didn’t want to know. You’ve got eyes. If you’re not gonna use them,
donate them to a streetlight. At least they’d light up something.”
Bennett’s face went red, then pale, then red again. But he didn’t snap back like before.
He said quietly, “I was awful to you before. I’m sorry.”
I closed my book. “Apology accepted. Forgiveness is gonna take a number.”
“How long’s the wait?”
“Depends on you.”
Bennett bit his lip. “Can you do me a favor first?”
I raised an eyebrow.
His ears turned red. “At school, some guy is using the Hart family drama to make fun of Sophia.
And me.”
I laughed out loud. “Aren’t you the Hart family’s golden son?”
Bennett’s face got even darker. “It’s Chad Winthrop. His dad’s on the school board. He’s had it in
for me since day one.”
I stood up and brushed off my dress.
“Let’s go.”
Bennett blinked. “Go where?”
“To school.” I grabbed my bag. “Kids from the Tri-State Area can fight each other. But we don’t let outsiders laugh at us. You keep that dirty laundry inside the house. Got it?”
Bennett’s eyes lit up. Then he asked, quieter, “What about Sophia?”
I looked up at the window on the second floor of the Hart house.
Sophia was standing there, watching us. Her expression was complicated.
“Bring her,” I said. “She’s got her drama queen moments, sure. But she’s still a Hart. If outsiders mess with her, that’s an insult to my homecoming.”
That afternoon, the three of us went to Fairhaven Academy together.
Chad Winthrop was standing by the field with a group of friends, laughing.
“Well, well. The real heiress and the fake one. Bennett, your family’s quite the circus. I hear your sister’s a fraud, and your real sister won’t even claim you?”
Sophia looked down, her face pale.
Bennett’s hands curled into fists, but he didn’t say anything.
I walked over, smiling. “So you’re Chad Winthrop?”
He gave me a once-over. “And you are?”
“The real heiress the Harts just found.”
Chad snorted. “Oh, the adopted one. What’s the matter? Didn’t get a room at the mansion? Heard you’re staying next door instead.”
The group around him burst out laughing.
I nodded. “Yeah. I bought the house next door. You want to try working for that too? Maybe you can buy yourself a parking spot before graduation.”
