The Revenge Of An Heiress

Laura's POV

I sit anxiously in my Mercedes, the type of luxury for which I have worked so hard. But right now, what interests me the most is the cool air coming from the car's rolled-down window. It tickles my skin, flickers my lashes, and brushes my eyebrows. This is how I like it; it kind of prepares me for what I am about to do.

What am I about to do? I am about to intrude on a coronation party and steal the queen's crown. Vanessa, my step-sister, the queen, is going to be the CEO of the company. Her crown is now mine, and I am going to claim it.

"Did you, as I requested, pay the paparazzi?" I say to my assistant sitting beside me.

"Absolutely, ma'am. I gave them instructions and also called the media. The inauguration ceremony will be just how you want it," she responds, her face buried in her iPad.

I brace myself for what's about to happen. This is the moment I had been waiting for my entire life. The look on their faces is so gonna make my day. I am going to relish every second of it.

I hear the buzzing sound emanating from the building as the car comes to a sudden stop. Lifting my head, I see the name in big bold letters: "Whitehood Enterprise." My spine tingles at the name. I signal to the driver, and he gets down to open the door.

"Thanks, Austin," I say to him, patting his shoulder. As I take a step down and straighten my silk dress, numerous paparazzi start to focus on me. Whoa, this will be entertaining.

I catwalk into the building holding a microphone. As I enter the hall, I make my way straight to the stage.

"Madam, ma'am, who are you? You were not supposed to be here," I hear the security personnel muttering under their breath. "Hey, do not stop there!" another security staff protests. He makes no effort to stop me. Monica did an excellent job. She had greased their palms before now. They practised a little protest and resistance.

I see Vanessa standing there, giving her speech, holding a bunch of flowers in her arms. Oh, how I want to swipe her face with it. As soon as she notices me, her face is filled with confusion. Her puzzled look is soon replaced with a frightened one. Looks like she knew who I was. I am a step away from her now, and she is shaking with terror. It is as if she saw a ghost or met death. My demeanour alone is enough to raise her blood pressure.

"I will take it from here," I say to her in a low tone. I take over the podium, pushing her nub figure to the side.

"Good day, everyone. Sorry for the minor commotion over here, but I need to convey some critical information. My name is Laura Whitehood, the daughter of Leonard Whitehood. I'm indeed the first daughter and the heiress to the Whitehood firm and enterprise," I say and give a pause, loving the disgust on Lucy's face. "My apologies for the sudden disruption, but I must bring to your notice that I'm the legal benefactor of this great firm. As the first daughter of the Whitehood clan, my grandmother and the legal owner of these properties willed them to me. I have been met by unfair treatment given to me by my father, stepmother, and sister. I only seek that this matter will be reinvestigated and the rightful heiress given the inheritance. I will take legal action against whoever tried to deprive me of my well-deserving rights." I say the last words loudly. I smile as the continuous buzzing from the crowd seems to serenade me. I notice an obvious cheer from my grandma. Right now, she seems to be the only person who has my back.

"What the fuck do you think you are doing, Laura? I dare you to ruin this for me," Vanessa snaps, causing the smirk on my face to expand.

"Shush, baby sis, see you in court," I snap back at her as I grab the bouquet from her arm. I walk down the stage feeling like Beyonce. The paparazzi and media staff flock around me, hitting my face with the flashes of light from their cameras.

"Ma'am, are you really a Whitehood? Where have you been all this while? Why did the family keep you hidden?" The paparazzi throw questions at me, not giving me a chance to reply. I keep a stern face and say loudly, "I'm the first daughter of Leonard Whitehood and the legal benefactor to his properties. I was kept hidden because I'm his illegitimate daughter." The crowd's loud chatter turns into whispers. I motion to my bodyguard, Pablo, and he paves the way. Walking past the crowd, I run into him. The man that started it all, Leonard Whitehood.

"Laura, I..." he says and stops midway, noticing my already agitated face.

"I'm sorry things have to be like this. I'm sorry you and your sister aren't seeing eye to eye. But this is not the way to go about it, Laura. What will the media and people say?"

I kiss my teeth as he speaks, thinking of ways to make him feel the same pain he put my mother through.

"You don't dictate how I act, Mr. Leonard. I'm not like you. I have never really cared about what people say. I mean, they're always going to talk. I just gave them something fun to talk about," I say, trying to curtail my anger. He tries to reach for my arm, and I move a step back.

"Why are you trying so hard? Is it because of Lucy and her daughter? Save your strength; I'm gonna make sure they get nothing," I snarl, looking straight into his eyes. I walk right past him and head towards my car.

I step into my car and breathe out in relief.

"Where to, ma'am?" Austin asks, looking at me from the rearview mirror.

"The Whitehood mansion. There's someone I need to see," I say as I place a warm towel on my neck.

Audrey's POV

I ended my piano lessons for the day more quickly than I have ever done. Alicia has been hard on me. She is all smiley, but when it comes to the piano, she keeps a frown. How am I supposed to learn when she's all strict and a grinch during the lessons? She angrily left, even though I told her I wanted her here. Classic Ally, always wanting me to run after her.

I step out of the bathroom in my robe. Walking to the dresser, my phone pings with a message. Ignoring it, I start to get dressed. It must be Alicia, plausibly tired of waiting for me to show up at her place. I put on my clothes and head for the mini-fridge when my phone starts to ring. I roll my eyes at the thought of her calling just to remind me that she's mad. I pick up the phone to see the name: Laura Whitehood.

She came into my office months ago proposing a business partnership. Her beauty and aura astonished me. It's rare to cross paths with a young woman who's that beautiful and equally fierce. I liked her demeanor. I was thrown off balance when she explained the business proposal. She's just a crazy chick with Daddy issues. It was a straight no.

"No way I'm gonna involve myself in your family's war," I had said that to her when she told me about her plan. She didn't hold back on telling me about her desire to seek revenge on her entire family. It made her seem more fierce, but I had already made up my mind.

"It's my war; for you, it's just a business opportunity. An opportunity that will earn your company millions of dollars. It's a partnership, Mr. Drewn. See it as nothing else." I arched my eyebrows at her words. She spoke so comfortably about ruining her family.

"Your offer seems tempting, but I'mma pass on it. Miss Whitehood, I'm a billionaire. Millions don't impress me." I said with a smirk across my lips. She rolled her eyes and wore a stern look.

"I know who you are. That's why I'm here. I need your help. I'm just requesting a partnership now. If we succeed, we will be business partners for a long time. Whitehood Enterprise is known across the world. Think about it. I will leave now." She said and stood up to leave.

"Why do you want revenge on your father and family? I can at least know the reason." I said, causing her to stop in her track. She turned and gave me a hard stare.

"I told you, Mr. Drewn, it's my war. It's just a business opportunity for you, and you should see it as just that." She said and smiled, a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

She left me in deep thought. Her eyes held fire as she spoke. I wonder why she's so determined to ruin her father.

I arrived home that day tired and stressed. The workload from the office shriveled my shoulders. She crossed my mind, and I immediately went over to my study. I turned on my computer and went straight to Google. Typing in "Whitehood," I pressed search. The company's logo first came up. Scrolling up, I saw his name: Mr. Leonard Whitehood, the present CEO of the company. I clicked on his name and was left utterly distorted by his picture. "It's him," I said out loud to the empty room. I flinched just looking at his picture. The sad and depressing memories flooded right back into my mind. She is his daughter; why does she want to ruin him?

My intrusive thoughts got the better of me that night. The nightmares became real just as they used to. The incident replayed in my mind several times, leaving my pillow soaked in my sweat. Jay's screams and the terror scourged my mind.

I woke up the next morning and decided to avenge Jay. She's mad at her dad for some reason, and I want him to pay for his sins. I asked my secretary to call her for a meeting. At first, she was in doubt, but my sudden change of mind perplexed her.

"Your reasons for the abrupt change of mind are uncanny. I expected you to agree, but not this quickly," she said, arching her eyebrows at me as if trying to look through my skin.

"Well, I did some research yesterday, and I must say the achievements of the company are pretty impressive. I will tell you this: I'm a strict businessman." She hesitated for a while before she spoke.

"I'm glad you changed your mind," she said with a cold smile, then brought out some documents from her bag and placed them on the table. "Go through it and sign at the end."

I picked up the file and chuckled. "A contract? Don't you think you are being too serious about this?" I said, laughing out loud. I stopped as I noticed she wasn't finding me funny. She narrowed her eyebrows and steadied her gaze at me.

"Well, it says I get involved in thirty percent of the business deals Whitehood ensures. Why thirty, Miss Laura?" I stated, dropping the file on the office table.

"What more do you want? The thirty percent are millions of dollars, Mr. Drewn."

I stayed silent for a few seconds. Picking up the documents, I signed in the blank space. A smirk grew on her face as I signed. I wondered what exactly she had planned.

Stepping out of my trance of thoughts, I pick up the call on the third ring. "Hello, Laura. Sorry I took time to-"

She interrupts me rudely. "I need your help. You must have seen the news," she says impatiently.

"Well, good day to you too. Everybody in New York has seen the news. What do you need me to do now? What's your next move?" I ask, perplexed by her amount of rudeness. Like, jeez, you're the one who needs my help.

"I want your lawyer to represent me in court. Then you should hire a secret agent to follow Mrs. Lucy Whitehood around," she says, still keeping the same stern tone.

"You aren't giving me orders. I don't work for you, Laura. We're partners. So at least be nice when you speak to me. A proper greeting when talking on the phone will be wonderful." I snap at her. For some reason, I want her to be nice to me.

"Hmm, I'm sorry about that," she says after a minute's pause. "Just do as I say, please. We don't have much time." She cuts the call, not allowing me to reply. She ignored my 'be nice to me' speech.

I slump on the bed as I dial my lawyer's number. This lawyer is also a part of my plan.

Laura's POV

I woke up feeling weary, my body aching from the lack of sleep. I longed for more rest but was met with a series of phone calls. Today was a crucial day, and I had to make sure everything was perfect. The court hearing would determine my rightful place as the heiress of the Whitehood firm. I made preparations, reviewing the case files Audrey's lawyer had meticulously gone through. Grandma was snuck out of the Whitehood villa under the radar, and now it was time to move.

I walked to Grandma's room to see it empty. Panic surged through me as I quickly checked the bathroom. She wasn't there either. My heart raced.

"Grandma, Grandma, where are you?" I called out, anxiety tightening its grip on me. I hurried down the hallway, my footsteps echoing off the walls. Reaching the kitchen, a cool breeze of relief washed over me when I saw her standing by the stove.

"Grandma, what are you doing? You should have called me if you wanted something," I said, walking towards her. She turned to face me, a gentle smile spreading across her wrinkled face.

"Good morning, dear. Would you like a cup of tea? I made hot cocoa too. Amber loves hot cocoa." Her voice was soft, filled with a warmth that made me momentarily forget the anxiety clawing at my insides.

I smiled back at her, feeling a wave of affection. "The housekeepers aren't here. Today's their day off, so just tell me if you need anything, okay? I don't want you to get hurt." I reached out and took her hands in mine, feeling the delicate bones beneath her thin skin.

"Oh, silly, it isn't any trouble making tea. Amber and I would wake up every morning for a cup of fresh tea. She would drink the tea just so that I would finish my cup." She giggled as she spoke, her eyes sparkling with the memory.

"Grandma, was there a time Amber lived with you in the villa? You both woke up early every morning to make tea, right?" I asked, staring into her eyes, hoping to see a spark of recognition.

"Oh dear, Amber didn't stay at the villa. Robert wouldn't let her. She stayed with me in New Orleans." She said as she continued to pour tea into a teacup.

New Orleans? I never knew Mom lived there. "Really? Did Dad stay there with you and Mom?" I asked, my voice cracking with emotion.

"Yes, he did. Leonard never left Amber's side. They were love birds." She handed me a cup of warm cocoa, the steam curling up between us.

"What happened, Grandma? Why didn't Grandfather want Amber in the villa? Why did Leonard leave her?" I asked, but her face hardened. Placing the cup of tea on her lips, she turned away, the momentary clarity in her eyes fading. I stared down at the cup in my hands. I shouldn't pressure her. What's most important is today's court hearing. I can ask her anything after that. I took a sip of the cocoa, and the sweet sugary taste filled my taste buds. "Umm, it's really tasty. Thank you," I said to her, and the smile on her face returned.

We stepped into the courtroom, my arm linked with Grandma's. Walking side by side, we passed Lucy and Vanessa. I could hear Lucy cussing under her breath, but I didn't really care. My key to the company was right beside me. I glanced at my wristwatch. Audrey wasn't here yet, and neither was the lawyer.

"The judge will be in the courtroom soon," the court attendant announced. Just as my anxiety reached its peak, Audrey and the lawyer entered the room, smiling sheepishly at each other.

"Sorry I'm late. I got stuck in traffic," Audrey said as he tried to sit beside me.

"What do you mean traffic? It's been over an hour since I called. Audrey, I expect a businessman of your caliber to be more punctual," I snarled at him, moving to make space.

"Shush...the hearing is about to start," Grandma snapped at us. I glared at him with my eyes wide open.

Time passed as the court proceedings went by. Audrey's lawyer kept me in awe with his work. When it was time for Grandma to walk into the witness box, she hesitated. I felt her hand trembling in mine.

"Calm down, Grandma. I'm right here with you." I smiled at her and led her to the witness box. Vanessa's eyes trolled me as I walked, her sharp gaze piercing my skin. I turned to meet her gaze, the anger in her eyes exciting me. Oh sweetheart, we are just getting started. I have a lot in store for you and your dearest mother. My lips curved into a smirk, a sign of immense satisfaction. Her frustration gladdened me. I walked back to my seat and could almost smell my victory. The beginning of my revenge.

"Did you invite the media as I asked you to?" I whispered to Audrey.

"Yes, I did. Stop worrying, it's a clear case. Eric is pretty impressive; it will be over in no time," Audrey said, smiling at me.

"I'm not worrying. I don't get nervous," I said, avoiding his gaze. He chuckled and turned to the other side.

It was time for the judge to give his verdict. I could hear my heart beating so much that I feared it was audible to others. I swallowed hard, trying not to show my anxiety. Sweat rolled down my back, and my jean jacket now seemed too tight. The air was stiff, and the room felt suffocating.

"After hearing the proceedings from both prosecutor and defendant lawyers, I have made my final verdict," the judge's voice echoed in the room. It had been a long time since I felt this nervous. "In the case of Miss Laura tricking Mrs. Georgia Whitehood into transferring property into her name, I and this honorable court find Miss Laura Whitehood..." I clung to my floral dress, awaiting his final words.