Chapter 10
In a flash, Jocelyn’s smug face popped into his mind.
If the hidden camera could be explained away, this video was smoking–gun proof of her betrayal!
He had no clue how to explain this to his father. No way to silence the judgments echoing through the wedding hall.
A tidal wave of emotions crashed over him as he ended the call.
Then dialed Jocelyn directly.
“Lorian, finally calling me back?” Her voice dripped with false sweetness.
“The wedding video–you played it, didn’t you?”
Jocelyn giggled, sounding pleased with herself.
“Well, yeah! I saw you chickening out, so I gave you a little push. You’ve been planning this for six whole years–no turning back now. I did it for your own good.”
Rage surged through him, making his entire body shake.
“I TOLD you, Lancelot family business is NOT yours to mess with!”
“Even if revenge was needed, that was between me and Sylvia. Who the hell do you think you are? What gives you the right to decide what’s ‘for my own good‘? This was never about helping me–this was all
about you!”
“I know exactly what you said to Sylvia that night. I didn’t call you out then to spare your precious feelings. Since you’ve decided to throw away any decency, don’t blame me for what happens next.”
He hung up and immediately texted his assistant.
Within a week, the Collins family would be completely bankrupt.
Just as he powered off his phone, his father and Sylvia’s mother walked in.
He dropped to his knees before them, slapping himself repeatedly across the face until his cheeks burned.
“I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. I’m the one who destroyed Sylvia.”
“I thought… I believed Auntie had come between you and Mom. I… never meant for this to happen.”
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Chapter 10
His father, blind with fury, kicked him hard in the chest.
“You complete idiot! Your mother divorced me because she had terminal cancer–there was never any
affair!”
“She insisted on living her final months on her own terms. I begged her to try treatment, but she refused–afraid you couldn’t handle watching her suffer. I’ve kept this from you all this time.”
“Your aunt only came into my life after your mother passed away. What did she do wrong? What did Sylvia ever do to deserve this?”
His father had never told him any of this before.
Lorian had always believed Sylvia’s mother had stolen his mom’s place and caused her death.
He never imagined his mother had chosen to leave them both behind.
Crushing guilt and regret made every breath painful. His lips trembled, but words failed him completely.
After a long silence, his father slapped divorce papers onto the table.
“You can say whatever you want, but these six years–I refuse to believe you felt nothing real for her.”
Lorian understood–this divorce was to protect Sylvia, to clean up the mess he’d made.
Yet he couldn’t bring himself to beg them to stay.
As the architect of this tragedy, he had no right to ask for anything. He knelt at the doorstep for twenty–four hours straight.
When he learned Sylvia’s mother had left the country, he immediately booked a flight and followed.
Abroad, he found Sylvia–miraculously alive after the “accident.”
They sat on park swings, gently swaying back and forth.
He fought down the urge to run to her.
Hidden in the shadows, he caught fragments of their conversation.
“Sylvia, sweetie…” her mother’s voice was gentle on the swing beside her.
“I know you still have feelings for Lorian. I’ve already signed the divorce papers with Mr. Lancelot, If you can’t move past this–if he’s really what you want–maybe you could…”
“Mom, stop.” Sylvia’s voice was soft but firm as she pushed her swing to a halt. “That chapter’s closed. It’s
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done.”
A small smile touched her lips. “Thanks for not telling him I’m alive. That was the right call.”
“I’m so sorry, dear. It’s me dragged you into this whole mess.”
They fell into each other’s arms, tears flowing freely as they held each other tight.
From the shadows, Lorian watched them, his heart breaking all over again. He backed away silently.
Before leaving, he opened a new account and typed a single message to Sylvia:
“Find the happiness you deserve. I hope it’s everything I couldn’t give you. Love always, your brother.”
He stared at the screen until “Read” appeared beneath his words.
Then, with nothing left to say, he boarded his flight home, leaving her to the peace she’d finally found.
Sylvia and her mother began rebuilding their lives away from the Lancelot family.
The weight of the past six years gradually lifted from her shoulders, and for the first time in years, she
felt truly free.
Two weeks after her “death,” Sylvia received an unexpected call.
“Miss Sylvia? This is Lloyd speaking, on behalf of Mr. Smith.”
“I’m sorry, but I think you have the wrong person,” Sylvia replied, confused. “I don’t know any Mr. Smith.”
“I believe I do not, Miss. Mr. Smith is your biological father. Our investigation confirms you are Sylvia
Smith, his youngest daughter.”
—
DNA tests confirmed everything – she was indeed Sylvia Smith, heiress to the Smith family fortune.
“Your father has been searching for you for years, Miss Sylvia. He would like to meet you.”
After the initial shock wore off, Sylvia agreed to meet the man claiming to be her father.
Their reunion was emotional, with Mr. Smith breaking down upon seeing his long–lost daughter.
“I can’t get your information after my brokenw ith your mother,” he said, embracing her tightly. “Welcome home, my little Sylvia.”
With her new identity came wealth and privilege beyond imagination.
The Smith family was one of the wealthiest in the country, with business interests spanning multiple
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Falling for a Lie: My Stepbrother’s Hidden
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Chapter 10
industries.
Sylvia gradually adjusted to her new life.
For three months, she learned about her family history and prepared to take her rightful place in the
Smith empire.
And her father arranged for her to oversee one of their subsidiaries as training.
But fate had other plans.
On her way to inspect a Smith property in Frant City, Grace’s private jet encountered severe turbulence.
The crash was devastating, leaving her as the sole survivor with severe injuries.
When she awoke in the hospital, she had lost all memory.
The Smith family’s security team lost track of her during the chaotic aftermath of the crash.
Due to a mix–up with her medical records and the remote location of the hospital, Sylvia was registered as an orphan with amnesia.
During her recovery, an elderly man was rushed into the same hospital after a heart attack.
This was none other than Old Mr. Fallen, Edgar’s grandfather. Seeing the beautiful but lost young woman reminded him of his late wife, and he took an immediate liking to her.
Upon learning of her situation, Old Mr. Fallen decided to help Sylvia, offering her shelter and support
while she recovered.
Out of gratitude, Sylvia agreed to accompany the old man back to his family estate.
There she met Edgar Fallen, Old Mr. Fallen’s cold and distant grandson.
Little did she know that Edgar harbored deep suspicions about her sudden appearance in his grandfather’s life, believing her to be a gold–digger who had somehow manipulated her way into the old man’s good graces.
When Old Mr. Fallen’s health began deteriorating, he made one final request–that Edgar marry Sylvia to ensure she would be taken care of after he was gone.
“Promise me, Edgar,” the old man pleaded from his deathbed. “Promise me you’ll protect her.”
Reluctantly, Edgar agreed, but he made a private vow–he would marry this woman to fulfill his grandfather’s dying wish, but he would never truly accept her as his wife.
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Chapter 10
He would keep her at arm’s length, never allowing himself to be intimate with what he believed was just a clever opportunist.
And so, Sylvia Lancelot became Mrs. Fallen through a cold, emotionless ceremony.
Though they shared a home as husband and wife, Edgar refused to touch her–a situation that continued for three long years.
Until that fateful night when everything changed…
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