Chapter 3The Nanny's Daughter Who Believed She Was the Real Heiress

The commotion drew the entire class out of the room.

I stood frozen in shock, watching as Riley clutched her cheek, tears streaming silently down her face. Her lips trembled, but no words came out.

Margaret’s face was flushed, her eyes blazing as she grabbed Riley by the hair.

“You little ingrate! Did you steal my money? Did you take everything I had on that card?!”

“That money was for your brother’s wedding!” Margaret’s voice broke with a sob. “Do you want to ruin this family? How could I have raised something as selfish as you?”

The pieces clicked into place. Riley’s flashy new wardrobe? Her sudden spending spree? It all came from Margaret’s savings.

I hurried forward to pull them apart. “Margaret, stop! This is a school.”

Margaret, seeing the crowd of onlookers, dramatically collapsed onto the floor.

“God, what did I do to deserve this? I worked my whole life to save that money, and she’s gone and squandered it all! How am I supposed to go on?”

The whispers around us grew louder.

“Wait, that’s Riley’s mom? She doesn’t look rich at all.”

“Did you hear her? Riley stole her mom’s savings to act rich.”

“She always seemed kind of vain, but this? Yikes.”

“She only got into this school because someone sponsored her.”

“Enough!”

Riley’s furious glare landed on me.

“This is your fault, Natalie! I’ve already suffered for your sake, and now you’ve got her humiliating me too? Just wait. I’ll make sure you regret this for the rest of your life.”

She shoved past us and ran, tears still streaming down her face.

“Hey! Watch your mouth when you’re speaking to Miss Natalie!” Margaret yelled after her. Then, as if nothing had happened, she turned to me.

“Miss Natalie, are you alright? I’m so sorry about her behavior.”

“Wait…” a classmate murmured. “Is she… Natalie’s real mom? She’s treating Natalie better than her own kid.”

“No way. She’s the Channings’ nanny, right?”

“Still, doesn’t this kind of favoritism make you wonder? Maybe Riley’s the real daughter.”

“Or Margaret switched them on purpose.”

Before I could react, a calm, familiar voice interrupted the chaos.

“Margaret, maybe you should go check on your own daughter.”

Everett Hughes stepped forward, his tall figure commanding attention.

“Natalie,” he said, his tone softening, “class is starting.”

“OMG, OMG, I’m shipping them so hard!”

“Even if Natalie isn’t the real Channing heiress, who cares? She’s still going to be Mrs. Hughes. Talk about living the dream!”

“Everett Hughes is just so perfect. Honestly, he and Natalie look amazing together.”

Everett Hughes is my boyfriend, and that’s no secret.

In fact, both of our families fully support us.

With similar backgrounds, education, and looks, we’re practically the perfect match. Plus, a partnership between the Channing and Hughes enterprises is nothing short of a power move.

Margaret awkwardly let go of me and hurried after Riley, leaving me to my thoughts.

I didn’t care much for the gossip surrounding us, but after everything that had happened recently, I couldn’t help but wonder what Everett thought about it all.

Back in the classroom, I turned to him.

“Everett, if I weren’t the real Channing heiress, would you still like me?”

He looked at me like I’d just said the funniest thing he’d ever heard and burst out laughing.

“What’s so funny?”

I was genuinely curious. “Given everything that’s been going on, there’s a real chance I’m not the Channing family’s biological daughter.”

Everett reached over, gently ruffling my hair. His clear, steady gaze locked onto mine.

“Whether or not you’re the Channing heiress doesn’t matter to me. What matters is that you’re Natalie. As long as you’re you, that’s enough for me.”

That afternoon, Riley Harper returned to school.

But instead of toning things down, she showed up in an even more luxurious outfit than before. Her transformation left everyone scratching their heads.

She walked straight toward me—no, not me. She stopped in front of Everett.

“Everett,” Riley said, her voice laced with a mix of nerves and newfound boldness. “I’m sure you’ve realized it by now—I’m the real Channing heiress.”

The classroom collectively gasped, stunned that she would just blurt it out.