The True Heir Returns

Chapter 5: The girlfriend

Three days passed.

Anthony kept his head down, attending family dinners, smiling for the occasional photographer who lurked outside the gates, and quietly building his network.

He acquired another 5% of Styles Industries through a shell company, bringing his total to 15%. Enough to be noticed. Enough to be dangerous.

Jonathan walked around like a ghost. His smiles were strained. His eyes darted everywhere. He'd stopped sleeping. The servants whispered about him pacing the halls at 3 AM, muttering to himself.

And then she arrived.

Carmen Hayes.

Anthony stood at the grand entrance as a sleek white Mercedes pulled up the driveway. His face remained calm, but inside, something twisted.

The original Anthony loved her, he thought. Loved her with every pathetic, desperate fiber of his being. He'd have given her everything. They were still dating, never broke up yet and here she was.

She gave him nothing but lies.

The door opened, and Carmen stepped out.

She was stunning with her long dark hair cascading over her shoulders, designer heels, a cream-colored dress that probably cost more than most people's rent. Her smile was dazzling, practiced, perfectly curated for the cameras she knew would be watching.

Behind her emerged a second figure: a distinguished-looking man in an expensive suit, and a woman in pearls and a silk scarf. Her "parents."

Paid actors, Anthony noted. Two hundred dollars an hour, plus wardrobe. She found them on a casting website.

Jonathan rushed past Anthony, his face alight with genuine excitement. "Carmen! You made it!"

Carmen laughed, a melodic sound. "Of course I made it, silly. I wouldn't miss meeting your family for the world." She embraced Jonathan, kissing his cheek. Then her eyes found Anthony.

Recognition flickered. Guilt. Panic. She recovered quickly.

"And you must be Anthony." Her smile was warm, curious and fake. "The famous long-lost brother. I've heard so much about you."

Anthony inclined his head. "Carmen. I see you've moved up in the world."

Her smile faltered for just a fraction of a second. Jonathan, oblivious, wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Carmen and I met at a charity gala three months ago," Jonathan said, beaming. "It was fate. I couldn't believe someone so beautiful and accomplished was single."

"Accomplished," Anthony repeated. "That's one word for it."

Carmen's eyes darted to him. Her jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.

She knows I know, Anthony realized.

Good. Let her squirm.

***

The family gathered in the sitting room. Carmen's "parents" worked the room like seasoned performers with her "father" shaking Reginald's hand with practiced ease, her "mother" admiring the artwork with appreciation.

"A pleasure," Mr. Thornton said. "We've heard so much about the Styles family. Carmen is absolutely delighted to be here."

"The feeling is mutual," Reginald said, his tone polite but guarded.

Giselle leaned toward Beatrice, her voice a stage whisper. "He's gorgeous. And rich. She's so lucky."

Evangeline sniffed. "Money isn't everything. But it helps."

Carmen basked in the attention. She laughed at Jonathan's jokes, complimented Vivica's dress, and listened to Beatrice's tedious stories with a look of genuine fascination.

Then she turned to Anthony.

"Anthony," she said sweetly, "I heard you grew up in the countryside. How... rustic. I grew up in the south myself. My family has a shipping empire. We traveled constantly. I barely remember my childhood home. Too many mansions to keep track of."

The room chuckled.

Anthony smiled. "The countryside is beautiful. Simple. Honest." He paused. "Very honest people there. Farmers, mostly. Hard workers. They don't pretend to be something they're not."

Carmen's smile tightened. Her hands, clasped in her lap, whitened at the knuckles.

"How poetic," she said. "I admire that. You know, Jonathan told me you had a girlfriend back in the village. I was so curious. I thought maybe she'd come visit. Did she break up with you? Or was it too difficult to maintain a long-distance relationship with someone from... well, there?"

The sisters snickered.

Anthony's expression didn't change. "She ended things," he said calmly. "She said she wanted something more. A better life. A richer life. She was willing to do whatever it took to climb higher."

"How tragic," Carmen said, her voice dripping with false sympathy.

"It was. But I understood. Ambition can make people do terrible things. Lie about their past. Pretend to be someone they're not. Even abandon the people who loved them."

Carmen's mask flickered. Her smile became brittle.

Jonathan looked between them, oblivious to the undercurrent. "I'm sorry you went through that, Anthony. But you're here now. With family. And Carmen—" He squeezed her hand. "Carmen is going to be part of this family soon. I'm going to marry her. I know it."

Carmen's eyes widened. She hadn't expected that. Not yet.

Anthony leaned back in his chair, his voice soft. "Congratulations, Jonathan. You found yourself a real treasure."

The sarcasm was so subtle that only Carmen caught it.

She swallowed hard and forced a smile. "Thank you, Anthony. That means so much coming from you."

Liar, Anthony thought. Every word is a lie. Your parents are farmers. They grow corn and raise pigs. You pay them to stay away because you're ashamed of where you came from.

But you're useful. And you're going to be my weapon.

After the family dispersed, Carmen cornered Anthony in the garden.

The sun had set, and the grounds were bathed in moonlight. Carmen's heels clicked against the stone path as she marched toward him, her face flushed with barely suppressed fury.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed. "You're supposed to be in the countryside. You're supposed to be nothing."

Anthony turned to face her. "I'm the true heir. The media exposed the switch. I had no choice but to come."

"I know what you're doing. You're going to expose me. You want revenge because I left you for Jonathan."

Anthony shook his head slowly. "No, Carmen. I don't want revenge. I don't care about you at all."

She blinked, thrown off balance. "What?"

"If I exposed you, Jonathan would dump you. He'd embarrass you publicly. Your secret would destroy you, and you'd crawl back to the village with nothing."

Carmen's face went pale. "Then why haven't you told them?"

"Because you're useful to me where you are."

She stared at him, confusion and fear warring on her features.

"Jonathan thinks he's in love with you. He's already planning to propose. He's desperate for validation right now. The media is watching, and he needs a win. You're his win." Anthony stepped closer. "And you? You're going to play along. You're going to smile. You're going to pretend you're exactly who he thinks you are. And when the time comes, you're going to do exactly what I tell you."

Carmen laughed, a brittle, nervous sound. "And why would I do that?"

Anthony pulled out his phone. He tapped the screen and held it up.

On it was a photograph. Carmen, in casual clothes, standing outside a small farmhouse. A man and woman in their sixties stood beside her—weather-beaten, wearing simple clothes, their faces lined with years of honest labor. Her real parents.

Carmen's face went white. "Where did you—"

"I know everything, Carmen. I know about the actors. I know about the shipping empire lie. I know about the trust fund you don't have. I know about the debt you're drowning in." He pocketed the phone. "One word from me, and Jonathan finds out that his perfect fiancée is a fraud. One word, and you're back in that village, begging your real parents for forgiveness."

Carmen's knees buckled. She grabbed the garden wall to steady herself.

"What do you want?" she whispered.

"Simple. You stay with Jonathan. You accept his proposal. You become his fiancée. You report everything he does, everyone he meets, every scheme he plans. You're my eyes and ears inside his world."

Carmen shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. "He'll find out. He's cunning. He'll notice I'm different."

"That's your problem, not mine." Anthony smiled coldly. "But here's something to make it easier. When he proposes. And I know he will propose soon, you'll look at his face. Look at his eyes. And remember that you're not marrying him for love. You're marrying him because I said so. And if you try to betray me, I'll destroy you."

Carmen sobbed openly. "You're a monster."

"No. I'm the man who knows the truth." Anthony turned and walked back toward the mansion. "Welcome to the family, Carmen. I think you'll fit right in."

***

Later that night, Anthony sat in his room, staring at the ceiling.

He hated that conversation. Every word. Every moment of Carmen's fear. She was a liar. She was a fraud. She'd humiliated the original Anthony and left him for a richer man.

But she's also desperate. And desperate people are easy to control.

His phone buzzed.

A text from Jonathan: Dinner tomorrow. 7 PM. Don't be late.

Anthony smiled.

Jonathan thinks he's winning. He thinks bringing Carmen here was a victory. The proof that he's the better son, the better man, the one who deserves everything.

He has no idea that he just handed me his leash.

And Carmen is going to hold it.