The True Heiress's Return

86

The elevator had ample space, but Walter's wheelchair occupied the central position. Shakira didn't dare move too much and stepped back two or three paces, only to find herself tumbling straight into Walter's embrace. The heat radiating from his body was overwhelming.

Shakira was taken aback; it seems Walter was not just furious, but also burning up!"

In the next moment, her chin was grabbed, forcing her to tilt her head at a ninety-degree angle to meet Walter's furious yet chilling gaze. He pressed her again, "What do I need to treat?"

The flawless face coming closer was too perfect to be true, and the man's highly attractive, hormone-laden aura pressed down on her. Shakira instinctively held her breathi, feeling an uncontrollable heartbeat echoing loudly-thump, thump, thump. It was so loud she almost thought it would reach Walter's cars.

Her clear, water-like eyes gazed up at him. Deep within her pupils, his image was reflected. Walter, unable to help himself. tightened his grip on her chin slightly.

An invisible tension filled the air, as if an unseen force was pulling them closer-

Just as Walter's thin lips were about to brush against the corner of Shakira's mouth, a loud, furious shout approached from

afar.

"What are you two doing!" Mitchell doubted whether he was seeing things! Confirming that the pair was about to kiss in the elevator was none other than Shakira. He rushed over, leaving the car door wide open, as if struck by artillery hire.

The voice interrupted the intimate atmosphere between the two

Shakira immediately jumped up, stepping in front of Walter before Mitchell could reach them. She frowned. "Mitchell, what's wrong with you this time?"

"What's wrong with me?" Mitchell pointed at the man in the wheelchair who had just exited the elevator, "The crazy one is this cripple; how could he do such a thing to you!"

Shakira maintained a stern face, unamused. "What he does to me has nothing to do with Mr. Lopez."

"Of course, it does! You're my... You're just a maid in the Lopez family, not his lover! How can you be so close? Shakira, he's not sincere towards women; don't be deceived by him!"

The mockery in Shakira's eyes nearly overflowed. "Lover? Mr. Lopez loves to accuse me unjustly."

"No, Shakira, I didn't mean to insult you; I" Mitchell almost bit his tongue. The words came out without thinking, and he wasn't trying to slander Shakira, but-

Walter's icy gaze pierced through him. "My fiancée and I are close; what business is it of yours, Mitchell?"

Mitchell was taken aback. "Fiancée?"

""You're not saying..."

At that moment, Brian had finished dealing with the counterfeit goods issue and was approaching with his bodyguards. Shakira ignored Mitchell and followed Walter to the car with Brian's escort,

Watching the Maybach drive away, Mitchell stood still, stunned Eke, a statue, unable to comprehend. I didn't expect them to end up together again after all this! While deep in thought, his friend Slade Parry approached and patted him on the back. "Hey, buddy, you back with us?" He looked at Mitchell in surprise. "Didn't know you were still such a romantic!"

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Mitchell pushed him away angrily. Slade had just returned from abroad and was unaware of much of the context.

Mitchell sighed, "She's my sister who got swapped at birth."

"Huh? Her? You mean Shakira?"

This time it was Mitchell's turn to be astonished. "You know my sister?" Then he remembered, "Right, you used to race in the same amateur racing team as Joe. Did Joe mention her?"

"More than that, I've seen her several times. Slade had his hands in his pockets, looking nonchalant. "She used to live in the building next to mine; she was quite the legend at our school. I remember her grades were excellent when she first started, but then they dropped rapidly for some reason. You know how our principal is; if a parent didn't attend the parent-teacher meeting, they'd be publicly criticized the next day. I recall Shakira being publicly criticized for three whole years."

As he continued, he remembered something else. "Oh, and she was beautiful, quite eye-catching at school. She got close to the school hunk. Joe, and a lot of girls who liked Joe gave her a hard time. Whenever something happened, those girls" parents would complain to the office. But she had no one to back her up. I passed by the office a few times and saw her being humiliated by the homeroom teacher... I thought back then that her parents must have favored boys over girls. Now that I think about it, those parents who swapped her must have been cruel. She endured all that gossip for so long; her parents were partly to blame."

As Mitchell listened, each word felt like a burning brand searing into his heart.

"Lago, Jessie, those two worthless scum!" Mitchell's eyes darkened with deep anger. They had known all along that Shakira was not their daughter. They had also known Yvette was their child. Yvette lived luxuriously in the Nelson family and was treated like a treasure by everyone. Lago and the others couldn't possibly be unaware! But what about them, who had swapped the true daughter of the Nelson family? They didn't regard Shakira as human! All those years, Yvette had never faced any hardship. And what about Shakira? If only they had protected her a little, shown her some kindness... 'She wouldn't have been entangled in all kinds of rumors, wouldn't have been misunderstood as a bad person, wouldn't have been imagined to be selfish and greedy, only competing with Yvette for affection. for? It

Looking back now, Mitchell felt incredibly foolish. "Why did Shakira need to compete? What was there to compete was all rightfully hers! Uncontrollably, he thought of Shakira's past with the Nelson family, her resolute departure; it made him feel like he was choking on blood, overwhelmed with discomfort! Mitchell suddenly felt ashamed and hateful. Yeah, what right do I have to criticize her and Walter? They are in a free relationship and have confirmed they are engaged. Walter can protect Shakira openly, while I, as her brother... lost my own standing!

Immediately, Mitchell felt dejected, and Slade put his arm around his shoulder. "Come on, brother, even without a sister, you still have brothers. Let's drink until we drop today!"

Inside the car, Shakira gradually came to her senses, still feeling a bit dazed. She thought for a moment, then scooted closer to Walter, feeling it wasn't close enough, and shifted again. Walter glanced at her, and Shakira quickly spoke up, "Mr. Lopez, when you said to Mitchell that I'm your fiancée, what did

that mean?"

Just as she finished speaking, Brian, who was driving in front, was startled and almost made a wrong turn. Indeed, Mr. Lopez is the one getting deeper, eager to solidify his relationship with Ms. Nelson! Exclusive © content by N(ô)ve/l/Drama.Org.