The True Heiress's Return

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The box was packed with various little trinkets for young girls.

Leather straps, bracelets, necklaces, charms, small cards, and tiny dolls-All plain and unremarkable, with no brand names, yet the box was crammed full. Mitchell stood there, stunned, overwhelmed by a surge of complex emotions.

Looking at the items, he murmured, "These. all belong to Shakira?"

The maid hesitated, unsure how to answer. How could she be certain?

Mitchell, usually friendly aing. I don't know for sure, but when Yvette brought them back, they looked old, not new..."

never angry with the staff, was now extremely stern. "Answer me!"

The maid jumped, trembling. "I

With a snap, Mitchell slammed the box shut and stormed off.

The maid hurried after him, panicked. "Mr. Lopez? Where are you taking Yvette's things?"

"Returning them to their rightful owner." He paused on the stairs, turned to the maid, and said, "If Yvette asks, tell her the truth."

The maid watched Mitchell leave, her eyes about to well up.

*****

The entire revolving restaurant was booked, its floor-to-ceiling windows reflecting the city's dazzling night lights. A man and a woman sat facing each other. "Thank you, Mr. Lopez." Berry, dressed in a glittering golden strapless dress, looked shyly at the charming man in front of her. "Thanks to you, I got to enjoy such delicious food."

"If you like i it, just

have more." Walter signaled the waiter to pass the untouched plate in front of him to Berry.

"Mr. Lopez, aren't y you I going to eat?" Berry, flattered, remembered how Shakira had fawned over Walter last night. She cut a piece of steak and offered it to him. "Mr. Lopez, give it a try. It's really good." Walter's r's cold stare shifted from the steak Berry was insisting on to her face. He coldly replied, "I'm not hungry. Berry's smile froze as the man rejected her without hesitation.

She awkwardly pulled back her hand and ate the steak herself.

The atmosphere turned incredibly tense.

After a while, Berry sniffled and began to cry softly. "I'm sorry, Mr. Lopez. If I'd known you didn't like this, I wouldn't have bothered you."

Walter frowned. He hated seeing women cry.

She hadn't shed a tear even when things were tough on the island.

'Did losing her memory change her personality too?' Walter wasn't sure. He took a deep breath and said, "It's not about you. Just eat your meal."

Berry kept sobbing. "Mr. Lopez, you don't need to comfort me. I understand. You reserved the whole restaurant so no one

08:17 Mon,

would see us together...

5

She had been hoping Walter would introduce her at Kyle's welcome party. But the one who stole the show last night was Shakira. Even when they left, Walter didn't give her a single glance. Nothing was as she had imagined. Thinking about how, after Walter and Shakira left, everyone at the table discussed their rumored romance, Berry felt like she had been made a fool of.

Walter's intense gaze locked onto her face. "What kind of relationship do you want with me?" Berry's f face turned red. "I..."

Walter seemed to see right through her thoughts. "What you're imagining isn't going to happen."

Berry's s face went pale. Walter continued.

"The check-up this afternoon was fine. You've had a head injury causing some memory loss. You might recover some memories later, and when you do, you'll understand why it's best we don't get too involved." He implied. "It's safer for both of us." Berry clenched her hands tightly, thinking, 'What memories am I supposed to recover?! What did Walter mean? He's given me a chance to get close and shown me favor no other woman has, but now he was saying we shouldn't get too involved? Was it that I couldn't be involved, but but Shakira could?!"Têxt © NôvelDrama.Org.

Jealousy burned fiercely in Berry's heart. "Alright, I'll listen to you, Mr. Lopez. I'll behave and not cause you any trouble." After a moment of hesitation, Berry said, "Mr. Lopez, there's something I'm not sure whether to tell you."

Walter frowned, as he disliked indecisive women. He sighed. "Just say it."

"It's

this about Shakira. I know she's just your maid, and this might seem like a small matter, but.. Bemy pulled up her phone and showed Walter the photos of Shakira posted online by students that afternoon. "Joe has a girlfriend, and she didn't let him go. She even got the the family to fight for At Martha's birthday party, she boasted about her relationship with you. a woman like that tarnishing your reputation?"

In the photo, Joe, held back by Mitchell, was gazing at Shakira with intense affection. Shakira had her back turned, but Walter could see she was indifferent to him.

'But she is is different to that other man, Walter found the photo extremely unpleasant.

He suddenly moved his wheelchair. "I have work at the company. I need to leave."

Berry was taken aback. "Mr. Lopez!"

She tried to follow him, but Brian stopped her. "Ms. White, please stay and finish your meal. There's no need to see him off."

Berry bit her lip and had no choice but to sit back down.

At the

Eastlake Valley Estate, Shakira was trying to figure out how to get back what Yvette had taken from her when the maid came in to say someone was looking for her outside.

Who would be visiting the Lopez residence looking for me?' When Shakira went outside, her surprise quickly turned to indifference.

She scoffed. "Oh, Mr. Lopez, what a rare visitor. What brings you here so late at night?"

Shakira's sarcastic tone made Mitchell uneasy. He walked up to her, holding a box, and said heavily, "I'm here... to return

08:17

what belongs to its rightful owner." As he spoke, he opened the b

Shakira's casual gaze turned cold when she saw the items that use

Her expression grew darker with each passing moment. "Well, it

Letting go of her clenched fists, Shakira reached out and picked visible stitches.

She recalled and said, "When I was little, I had to sleep alone in t thundered constantly. I was so scared and wanted to sleep in Lag locked me in alone. I remembered a fairy tale I read that said ha bear from my blanket, stuffed it with cotton, and made it into a t Mon,