Caught Between the Vengeful Billionaire Brothers

Aurora's POV CEO Ethan Sterling was spotted again with Sofia Yates, the found heiress of the Yates Corporation, at a rooftop restaurant. I chewed my bottom lip, pushing myself into my seat. They weren't even bothering to hide it anymore, now they're fatter for hungry blogs. I liked the post and my phone was halfway into my designer tote bag before it started dinging like crazy. Fished it out and, what do you know, it was my fiancé calling me for the first time in three weeks. “Yes?” “I just saw the post you liked, a little petty, don't you think? Sofia had a date that night. He stood her up and—” “And like the gentleman you are …” I interrupted him with a dramatic wave of my hand, “You rushed to her side, correct?” I could hear him grinding his teeth over the line. “If this is how you're going to be, maybe you shouldn't even have bothered getting on your plane,” Too bad, I was already en route to the Yates mansion with a designated driver sitting in front and maneuvering me across obstacles on the road. “Do you really mean that?” I asked, a c***k forming in my voice. My cherry-painted lips curling downwards He had enough shame to hesitate. “Don't twist my words, Aurora, just try to be civil to Sofia. It won't kill you,” “I'll try,” I drawled sarcastically. He didn't respond. I lowered my phone and saw he had ceased the call. Didn't even ask how my flight was, or how it felt saying goodbye to 3 years of my life, packing it up in one suitcase, and returning like nothing ever happened. I closed my eyes, allowing my body facing jet lag to be swooped away temporarily by a brief nap, but slumber and rest were far from me as my father's words three years ago echoed in my head. “This doesn't change anything. You have been my daughter for the past 20 years…don't you think Sofia deserves that undivided love too? And it's just going to be for a short while, and a change of environment will be great for you.” He said as naturally as somebody holding a script up to their nose and reading the words one by one. It hurt. But I had always been the perfect daughter, therefore instead of breaking down and asking if he no longer wanted me since his biological daughter was back, I wore a warm understanding smile, nodded my head, and agreed to it all. For the past 3 years, I have been working relentlessly to turn our company branch in France into a household name and I would like to think that I did a good job noting that I had raked in millions of profits, gotten us front pages in business magazines and brought in thousands of more customers. I hoped my father would acknowledge my efforts. But the logical functioning brain in my head told me not to hold my breath—it was right. The yearly anniversary of the Yates corporation was being held and Red Velvet, an exclusive five-star hotel that any elite worth their salt had visited at least once. I got dressed first in one of its rooms before gliding out with a full beat of makeup, slit sparkling red dress and heels that clicked musically with every step. As soon as I stepped onto the occasion, eyes started to turn to me. But it was not the expression of awe I expected. Rather, each face shared a piece of horrified acknowledgment I couldn't wrap my head around. Nevertheless, I spotted Ethan looking stunning in a navy blue suit. I hadn't seen him in months since he last came to visit me. With intensity, I picked up my speed until I was in front of him, then I stretched forward my mannequin nails hoping to wrap them around his neck and peck those deliciously plump lips. He pulled away not so gently, grabbing my arms and bringing them back to my side. “You should go talk to your father first,” he had that same grim look on his face like everyone else, as if there was something they knew that I didn't. “Ethan, what's going on?” He was parting his lips reluctantly when my father, amidst the crowd, was pushing a wheelchair and Sofia was sitting in it. I blinked several times, trying to process what I was seeing. “Sofia, what happened to you?” I asked jaws down to the floor. Our relationship might be complicated at best but I never wished her any sort of harm. Sofia shrank into her wheelchair when she saw me. Suddenly, bursted into tears unprompted, father came forward and stepped between the two of us. “Step back! Don't you take one step closer to her, you venomous snake! I can't believe I raised you all for you to harm my real daughter.” His words stung like a whip, but I overlooked that first to consider the other grievous thing that he said. “I didn't do this to her, I've been in Paris!” I declared, throwing my hands in the air. I had come tonight hoping that, after I had proved myself in France for the past 3 years, that my father would officially declare me as his heiress. At this, she increased her whimpering but lowered it enough when she wanted to add more fuel to the flame. “Aurora, I understand why you hate me. Every day I spent with my father made me wish we had never been switched at birth. It made me wish that I had the life you already had while I had to survive in the countryside and eventually become an orphan…” More people were becoming sympathetic while others were looking at me as if I caused global warming. I was just standing stupefied as the sob story got worse, “But I never thought you would do something like this…” she drew up her white dress, my eyes widened so far they nearly popped right out of their sockets.