The Heiress and Her Secrets

The Heiress and Her Secrets

debby ahra

3.5
Comment(s)
178
View
22
Chapters

She came back for answers... Not for the man who could break her all over again. After five years in silence, Isabella Vaughn returns home carrying more than just grief. Her father's death was no accident-and she's ready to face the past that shattered her. But standing in her way is her older sister, Celeste-beautiful, powerful, and hiding something. The sisters were once close. Now, they're strangers bound by secrets, silence... and betrayal. Then there's Damien Carter-the journalist who once saw through Isabella's walls, and the only man who ever made her feel safe. But things are different now. She's guarded. He wants the truth. And trusting him might cost her everything. As the lines blur between love, loyalty, and revenge, Isabella must decide: Expose the secrets that could destroy her family... Or protect the one heart she never meant to risk.

The Heiress and Her Secrets Chapter 1 The Arrival

The Vaughn estate hadn't changed.

It still stood tall at the end of the winding drive, all sharp edges and glass walls-sleek, cold, and perfect. Just like Celeste. Just like the life Isabella had run from five years ago.

The car rolled to a stop beneath the grand archway. Isabella hesitated for a breath, her fingers curled around the handle of her clutch. Her reflection stared back at her from the tinted window-flawless makeup, sleek black dress, and red lips that didn't dare tremble. She looked calm. Controlled. But inside, her heart ticked like a time bomb.

She hadn't returned for a reunion. She'd returned for the truth.

"Miss Vaughn," the driver said gently, opening her door.

She stepped out, heels clicking against the white marble driveway. The air was thick with the scent of lavender and old wealth. The same scent from her childhood-only now it made her stomach tighten.

Two staff members rushed to meet her with polite nods and rehearsed greetings. Isabella recognized neither of them.

Of course. Celeste would have cleared the house of anyone who remembered too much.

"Welcome home, Miss Vaughn," one said, bowing slightly. "Your room is ready. Mrs. Vaughn is expecting you inside."

Mrs. Vaughn.

That title didn't sit right. It used to belong to their mother. Now it clung to Celeste like a crown made of frost.

Isabella forced a smile and made her way up the steps-and there she was.

Celeste Vaughn, standing tall in a flowing cream gown that draped over her figure like liquid silk. Her blonde hair was swept back in soft waves, and her arms were folded, exposing the icy diamonds at her wrist. She looked like she'd stepped off a fashion spread. Cold perfection. Effortless elegance.

"Sister," Celeste said. Her voice was honeyed, her smile tight. "You're finally home."

Isabella stopped a few feet away. Close enough to be cordial. Far enough to protect herself.

"Didn't think I'd miss the estate that much," Isabella said coolly. "But you know how the dead have a way of calling you back."

A flicker of something-surprise? Disapproval?-passed through Celeste's eyes, but she masked it quickly.

"You look... different," she said.

"So do you," Isabella replied, lifting her chin. "I guess grief does that."

They stood in a silence so sharp it could cut glass. A breeze rustled the leaves in the garden nearby, and the fountain gurgled quietly behind them. But the air between the sisters was still and tight-five years of absence, five years of silence, and a thousand things neither dared to say aloud.

"You must be tired," Celeste said finally, gesturing toward the doors. "I've arranged a small welcome dinner. Just close friends of the family. Nothing overwhelming."

"Of course," Isabella murmured. "Small and controlled. Just how you like it."

Celeste's smile cracked ever so slightly, then returned full force. "You'll find things... familiar, but improved. I've made some necessary changes. The company needed it."

"I'm sure it did."

Isabella followed her inside, but her gaze swept the estate as she passed through the towering doors. The grand chandelier still sparkled in the foyer. The marble floors gleamed, and the portraits of their ancestors watched silently from the walls. Everything was pristine-eerily so.

But something was different. The warmth she remembered as a girl, before the chaos, before the tragedy, was gone. The estate didn't feel like a home anymore. It felt like a showroom.

Their father's study door caught her eye as they passed it. Still closed. Still locked.

She knew. Without asking, she knew Celeste had sealed it. Just like she'd sealed every uncomfortable truth behind layers of wealth and charm.

A staff member handed Isabella a glass of wine, and she accepted it without a word. She wasn't here to pick a fight-not yet. There were games to be played first. Moves to study. Faces to watch.

As Celeste floated toward the dining room, greeting guests and air-kissing cheeks, Isabella lingered near the edge of the hallway. Her fingers brushed along a familiar wooden column where she and Celeste used to hide as girls-laughing, spying on their parents' parties.

She closed her eyes for a moment, letting the memory wash over her.

Then opened them, cold and clear.

She could play the part. She could smile and sip and nod like the rest of them. But under the surface, she was counting every breath, every word, every shift in Celeste's eyes.

Because something happened five years ago.

Something that broke their family.

Something that had never made sense.

Her father's death was ruled sudden-natural. A heart attack. But the signs had always whispered otherwise.

And now she was back. Not to mourn. Not to reconnect.

To uncover. To remember.

To finally find out what her sister had buried.

Continue Reading

Other books by debby ahra

More

You'll also like

Secret Triplets: The Billionaire's Second Chance

Secret Triplets: The Billionaire's Second Chance

Roderic Penn
4.5

I stood at my mother’s open grave in the freezing rain, my heels sinking into the mud. The space beside me was empty. My husband, Hilliard Holloway, had promised to cherish me in bad times, but apparently, burying my mother didn't fit into his busy schedule. While the priest’s voice droned on, a news alert lit up my phone. It was a livestream of the Metropolitan Charity Gala. There was Hilliard, looking impeccable in a custom tuxedo, with his ex-girlfriend Charla English draped over his arm. The headline read: "Holloway & English: A Power Couple Reunited?" When he finally returned to our penthouse at 2 AM, he didn't come alone—he brought Charla with him. He claimed she’d had a "medical emergency" at the gala and couldn't be left alone. I found a Tiffany diamond necklace on our coffee table meant for her birthday, and a smudge of her signature red lipstick on his collar. When I confronted him, he simply told me to stop being "hysterical" and "acting like a child." He had no idea I was seven months pregnant with his child. He thought so little of my grief that he didn't even bother to craft a convincing lie, laughing with his mistress in our home while I sat in the dark with a shattered heart and a secret life growing inside me. "He doesn't deserve us," I whispered to the darkness. I didn't scream or beg. I simply left a folder on his desk containing signed divorce papers and a forged medical report for a terminated pregnancy. I disappeared into the night, letting him believe he had successfully killed his own legacy through his neglect. Five years later, Hilliard walked into "The Vault," the city's most exclusive underground auction, looking for a broker to manage his estate. He didn't recognize me behind my Venetian mask, but he couldn't ignore the neon pink graffiti on his armored Maybach that read "DEADBEAT." He had no clue that the three brilliant triplets currently hacking his security system were the very children he thought had been erased years ago. This time, I wasn't just a wife in the way; I was the one holding all the cards.

Inferno Heiress: Freed From Hell To Reclaim My Empire

Inferno Heiress: Freed From Hell To Reclaim My Empire

Clara Voss
5.0

Hayley was betrayed by those who should have loved her most. To save their precious adopted daughter from a punishment she deserved, her own parents sent Hayley straight into a living hell—an infamous prison where survival demanded cruelty, and weakness meant death. Four years later, the girl who had entered those iron gates no longer existed. She emerged with a single, unbreakable rule carved into her soul: Every betrayal would be repaid tenfold. The day she walked free, the world trembled. A convoy of luxury cars lined the road. A legion of loyal followers awaited her triumphant return. Her father tried to buy her silence with money. But money had long lost its power over her. Her adopted sister hid behind sweet words and false kindness. But empty smiles no longer fooled her. Everything that had once been stolen would be reclaimed—piece by piece. When her parents attempted to tie themselves to the city's most feared man by offering their adopted daughter, Hayley's lips curved into a cold smirk. "Not on my watch." Backed by a legendary hacker, shadowy allies, and an entire prison willing to burn the world for her, Hayley dismantled her enemies with terrifying precision. Then the tyrant noticed her. "You're interesting," he said. "Be my woman, and the city is yours." Hayley raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "You want to own me? Survive me first." High society became their battlefield. Power collided with desire. Ambition clashed with obsession. In this ruthless game of dominance and temptation, only one would kneel first. The girl once abandoned in hell rose from its ashes, crowned by fire and vengeance—And in the end, even the most feared ruler in the city would bow, offering his empire to the woman who had conquered both hell… and him.

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book
The Heiress and Her Secrets The Heiress and Her Secrets debby ahra Fantasy
“She came back for answers... Not for the man who could break her all over again. After five years in silence, Isabella Vaughn returns home carrying more than just grief. Her father's death was no accident-and she's ready to face the past that shattered her. But standing in her way is her older sister, Celeste-beautiful, powerful, and hiding something. The sisters were once close. Now, they're strangers bound by secrets, silence... and betrayal. Then there's Damien Carter-the journalist who once saw through Isabella's walls, and the only man who ever made her feel safe. But things are different now. She's guarded. He wants the truth. And trusting him might cost her everything. As the lines blur between love, loyalty, and revenge, Isabella must decide: Expose the secrets that could destroy her family... Or protect the one heart she never meant to risk.”
1

Chapter 1 The Arrival

13/07/2025

2

Chapter 2 Old Walls, New Wounds

13/07/2025

3

Chapter 3 Damien's Curiosity

13/07/2025

4

Chapter 4 Sisterly Smiles, Hidden Blades

13/07/2025

5

Chapter 5 A Whisper from the Past

13/07/2025

6

Chapter 6 Lines in the Marbel

13/07/2025

7

Chapter 7 Uninvited Memories

13/07/2025

8

Chapter 8 Broken Glass

13/07/2025

9

Chapter 9 The Sister Pact

13/07/2025

10

Chapter 10 Storm at the Garden Party

13/07/2025

11

Chapter 11 Night of the Truth

13/07/2025

12

Chapter 12 Celeste Strikes

13/07/2025

13

Chapter 13 The Last Recording

13/07/2025

14

Chapter 14 Trust on Fire

13/07/2025

15

Chapter 15 The Undoing

13/07/2025

16

Chapter 16 Fracture

13/07/2025

17

Chapter 17 Damien's Choice

13/07/2025

18

Chapter 18 The Estate Files

13/07/2025

19

Chapter 19 Truth Unleashed

13/07/2025

20

Chapter 20 The Heiress, Reclaimed

13/07/2025

21

Chapter 21 Breathing Room

19/07/2025

22

Chapter 22 Bonus - Damien's POV - The moment I knew

19/07/2025