My Family Chose The Fake Heiress Then Begged For Me Back Chapter 03
The Aldrich family’s annual charity gala—the Homeward Foundation Benefit.
Crystal chandeliers and walls of flowers filled the ballroom. Guests drifted through the room with champagne in hand.
The banner at the entrance read Homeward Foundation: Bringing Them Home.
Front and center was a portrait of Mia, smiling beneath the title: Mia Aldrich — Homeward Goodwill Ambassador.
Half an hour before everything started, Mia found me.
“Nora, there’s been a schedule change. The family introduction has been pushed back. Just wait in the side room for now.”
I nodded. “Got it!”
This time she didn’t just walk away. She walked me into the side parlor herself, sat me down on the couch, and turned to the two security guards at the door.
“Make sure my sister’s comfortable. And make sure she stays here.”
Before she left, she added softly, “Oh, the foundation would like to include your reunion story in tonight’s program. Is that okay?”
“Sure!”
She smiled and left.
Two minutes later, the guards’ radios crackled.
“Security Two, report to the south entrance. VIP arrival in two minutes.”
They glanced at me before leaving.
“Stay here, miss.”
Then they were gone.
Once the guards left, I caught the smell of chocolate.
I peeked out into the hallway.
A dessert cart was rolling past, loaded with chocolate, macarons, and tiny cakes.
I had never, in my entire life, seen anything like it.
I snuck out. Three cakes deep, the ballroom lights dimmed.
Mia took the stage, poised and already teary-eyed.
“Some of you may not know this, but Nora’s homecoming is closely connected to the work we do here.”
“Three years ago, when I started the Homeward Foundation, I made finding her one of our priorities. We worked with law enforcement, contacted foster agencies, and followed every lead we could.”
Her voice cracked. Perfectly timed.
“It wasn’t easy. But I never gave up.”
“Being able to bring my sister home with my own hands—that’s the proudest moment of my life.”
The applause was enormous.
“Incredible.” “To think she’s not even the biological daughter and she did all that—”
“Now that’s character.”
Then Mia dabbed her eyes and added softly, “But Nora… she may not be ready to stand beside me in public. I think I must have done something to upset her. For that, I’m truly sorry.”
The whispers exploded.
“Can you believe it? The real daughter comes back and treats the adoptive sister like dirt—” “Well, her foster dad was a shoplifter. What do you expect?” “No manners.”
That was when I wandered out from behind the dessert cart, half a cake in my hand, buttercream smeared across my upper lip.
“Is it my turn for the reunion part yet?”
Dead silence.
Mia’s tears froze on her face.
I climbed the side steps to the stage, grinning. “Sorry—I missed most of your speech. I was eating cake.”
I scratched my head.
“I only caught the beginning, and I’m kind of confused. My DNA got entered into NamUs four years ago. The foundation started three years ago. So… what does the foundation have to do with my case?”
Mia’s smile stiffened. “Nora, I meant the foundation also did a great deal of follow-up—”
I tilted my head. “But the people who contacted my foster family, ran the DNA confirmation, handled the whole thing—that was Detective Reyes’s unit. I’ve never met anyone from the foundation.”
Mia’s face was turning green. “Nora, didn’t you agree to let us use your story?”
“I did! I just didn’t agree to let you rewrite it.”
That was when her story started to fall apart.
In the back row, a middle-aged man in plain clothes stood up and calmly made his way to the front.
“Detective Reyes, Missing and Exploited Children Task Force.”
When I heard about the gala, I invited Detective Reyes.
I say yes to everything. But I keep a few cards up my sleeve.
Reyes looked at me and smiled.
“I know this young woman.”
“When she was fourteen, someone tried to take her from her group home. She kept her head, found a way to get help, and got herself safely back to the police.”
“Her story was later used in a school safety program to teach kids how to respond in dangerous situations.”
The mood in the room shifted instantly.
“Fourteen years old and she saved herself—?” “Brilliant.” “Now that’s an Aldrich.”
After the gala, Dad approached me for the first time.
“Nora. You handled yourself well tonight.”
He paused.
“The Homeward Foundation needs someone to oversee supply-chain logistics and inventory. I’d like you to take it on.”
Callum frowned. “Dad—the foundation is Mia’s—”
Mia’s nails dug into her palms, but she smiled.
“Dad’s right. The foundation was built for kids like Nora. Of course she should be involved.”
The next day I started at the foundation office.
I sat at the desk they gave me and did what I always do.
Screenshot of the account permissions page—saved. Each page of the handover documents—photographed. Equipment serial numbers—catalogued. Everything uploaded to encrypted cloud backup.
A staffer glanced over my shoulder. “You’re… really thorough.”
I smiled. “Force of habit.”
That evening, a text from Mia:
Hey Nora, the foundation stuff can be pretty complex—want me to walk you through the handover tomorrow? Happy to help! 😊
I replied instantly: Sounds great!