Real Heiress 10

Next day, Mason showed up at Stanford.[] 

“Savannah moved out.” He said straight up.[] 

“Okay.” 

“Mom and Dad want you to come home.” 

No.” 

“Raven,” he stared at me, “Savannah’s gone. What more do you want?“[] 

I laughed: “Mason, you STILL don’t get it?“] 

“Get what?” 

“The problem isn’t Savannah. It’s YOU GUYS.“[] 

looked right at him.[] 

e.“] 

“You chose to believe a fake daughter for eighteen years. You chose to ignore me, the real one.” 

“Even with Savannah gone, think you’ll suddenly treat me 

He went quiet. 

right?” 

e.“[ 

“Don’t kid yourselves. You kicked her out because she LIED to you, not because she hurt me.” 

“That’s not…“]] 

“That’s exactly it!” I cut him off. “If she hadn’t faked the heart thing and just genuinely disliked me, would you have kicked her out?“[] 

He said nothing. 

“See? You know the answer too,” 

I walked a few steps, then turned back: “Tell Mom and Dad–I’m not coming back. That house never had room for me anyway.” 

After Savannah left, the Whitmores went into overdrive trying to “make up” for everything.[] 

Mom texted me daily with weather updates and random concern.[] 

Dad kept dumping money into my account–millions at a time.[] 

Mason went completely overboard and bought me a condo near campus, said it was “for me to live in.“] 

I turned down everything.] 

I didn’t need their guilt money.[] 

Because some things can’t be bought back. 

Like all those nights I was ignored.] 

Like all those birthdays I spent alone.[] 

Like that Labor Day family photo where there was no space for me[] 

Early December, finals coming up. 

I was living at the library, studying till midnight every day!] 

That night, I was deep in problem sets when my phone rang 

“Hello?” 

Is this Raven?” The voice sounded panicked. “Your dad’s been in an accident–he’s in emergency surgery at Central Hospital![] 

hich dad?” 

as obviously confused.[] 

I got it.” 

and headed to the hospital.[] 

here. Mom was crying in the hallway.[] 

by the operating room, face white as a ghost.[] 

e and rushed over: “Raven, your dad…“]] 

pened?” I asked Mason.[] 

er hit him coming home from work. Guy took off.” His voice was rough.[] 

1 found a chair. 

und pissed by how calm I was: “Raven, do you even CARE?!“]] 

ne fingers: “First, whether he’s my dad depends on whether HE claims me.” 

Whether I care isn’t for you to judge.“] 

Mamu’re really worried, shut up. Don’t make noise in a hospital.“[] 

jehu loctor came out: “Patient lost a lot of blood. We need transfusions.“[] 

#nine* Mason jumped up immediately.[] 

shook his head: “Patient has RH–negative blood. That’s pretty rare.” 

0 

panicked: “What do we do? Does the hospital have a blood bank?“[] 

Hough in stock. We need family members to test for matches.” 

rolled up his sleeve immediately: “Test me first.“[ 

followed. 

d pur 

unutes later, results came back: neither of them matched.[] 

† looked worried: “Shit, this is bad. We need emergency blood NOW, but that’s gonna take two hours easy. The way he’s looking…“[] 

I stood up.] ↓ 

one stared at me.[] 

at negative.” I rolled up my sleeve. “Take mine.“] 

giving 400ml of blood, I felt dizzy. 

told me to rest. I waved her off: “I’m fine.“[] 

grabbed my hand, tears streaming down her face: “Raven, thank you. 

ed my hand back: “Whatever “[] 

ter what else, he gave me life.]]] 

com) was paying him back.[] 

wheeled Dad out of surgery still unconscious. 

said they needed to monitor him for 48 hours. 

stayed in his room, Mason handled company stuff.[] 

Chapter 10 

I was about to leave when Mason stopped me: “Where are you going?“[] 

“Back to school.“[] 

“You just gave BLOOD!“]] 

“I’m not made of glass.“[] 

He frowned: “Raven, can’t you just…“] 

I cut him off: “Stay and play the devoted daughter? Sorry, I don’t do performances.“[] 

“Nobody’s asking you to perform!“[] 

Then what Do you want?” 

I looked at him. 

“Stay by his bedside, wait for him to wake up, then have some tearful family reunion where we all hug and live happily ever after?“]] 

He couldn’t answer.[] 

sighed: “Blood relation can make me save his life, but it can’t make me love him.“[] 

With that, I turned to go.]] 

Mason called after me: “Raven, don’t you feel ANYTHING?” 

I stopped but didn’t turn around: “Feelings need to be cultivated.“[] 

“Too bad you guys never gave me the chance.“]