Claimed By the billionaire

Chapter 7

Rachel’s first stop after leaving her apartment was the nearest mobile carrier flagship store. She spent a hefty chunk to buy a new smartphone and get her original SIM card replaced with the exact same number.

The second the new device booted up and connected to the network, it violently vibrated in her hand. A relentless cascade of notifications flooded the screen—dozens of missed calls, urgent text alerts from banking apps, and spam notifications.

But before she could even clear the clutter, the screen flashed with an incoming call. The caller ID read: Mother.

Rachel swallowed the lump in her throat and swiped to answer. "Hello, Mo—"

"Rachel! Where on earth have you been?!" A sharp, piercing voice erupted through the speaker, dripping with absolute venom. "I have been calling your number for two days straight! Do you have any idea how much stress you are causing this family? You are completely selfish!"

Rachel’s grip tightened on the phone, the trauma of the warehouse rushing back. "Mom, listen to me... my phone was lost. I was taken. I was literally kidnapped by men who—"

"Oh, stop with the pathetic excuses!" her mother cut her off, letting out a loud, theatrical scoff. "Kidnapped? Do you think I’m an i***t? You're just fabricating some wild, dramatic story because you want to extract more money from the Stewart family estate.

Why did I even give birth to you? Your sister, Chloe, would never resort to such low-class lies. She is ten times the daughter you will ever be!"

Rachel closed her eyes as the cruel words washed over her. Her mother always weaponized these vicious insults whenever she was angry. But for Rachel, it wasn't just typical parental frustration; it was a reminder of the twisted, painful reality of her birth.

Twenty-four years ago, Mrs. Stewart had given birth in a prestigious private hospital. In that exact same ward, a struggling pediatric nurse was also in labor. Mrs. Stewart gave birth to a healthy Rachel, while the nurse gave birth to a fragile baby girl diagnosed with a severe, expensive congenital disease.

Desperate, broke, and wanting her biological child to have a life of endless luxury, the nurse took advantage of her night shift position. She maliciously swapped the newborn babies, stealing Rachel away.

Years later, a terrible car accident forced a routine blood transfusion, and a subsequent DNA test revealed that the girl the Stewarts raised—Chloe—wasn't biologically theirs. But they loved Chloe far too much to ever part ways with her. They used their massive wealth to hunt down the fraudulent nurse, who was swiftly arrested.

For the first half of her life, Rachel had lived under the nurse's roof, severely neglected and bearing the nurse’s family surname. When the truth finally came out and Rachel was brought back to the Stewart mansion, she expected a fairy-tale rescue.

Instead, she was met with cold resentment. Rachel could still vividly remember her very first day in the mansion. Her biological mother had looked at her ragged, cheap clothes with pure disgust, shrieking,

"Get away from there! You’re dirtying my fifty-thousand-dollar custom couch!"

Chloe had despised her from day one, viewing her as an unwanted intruder. The only reason the Stewarts had tolerated Rachel’s presence at all over the last few years was because she had somehow caught the eye of Dominic Vance.

The moment she began dating the billionaire, her mother had suddenly treated her with a modicum of respect, using Rachel’s relationship to secure massive corporate favors from the Vance Group.

Rachel shook her head violently, forcing the dark memories back into the shadows.

She cleared her throat, her voice turning icy and detached. "Yeah. Of course. If I'm such a disappointment, why are you even calling me? Go call your perfect daughter Chloe instead. Let’s just cut ties, Mom."

"What?! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!" her mother hissed through the line. She let out a heavy, controlling sigh before changing her tone to a sharp command.

"Listen to me carefully. The Stewart Group’s 30th Anniversary Gala is tomorrow night. It is a massive media event. You better dress yourself properly and attend the gala side-by-side with Dominic. We need the Vance Group's presence to secure our new investors."

"I’m not going," Rachel said flatly. "And I’m not bringing Dominic. I broke up with him."

The silence on the other end of the line was deafening.

"You... what?!" her mother shrieked, her voice hitting a panicked, hysterical octave. The only reason she valued Rachel was because of Dominic; without his shadow, Rachel was entirely worthless to the Stewart family.

"Have you completely lost your mind?! Dominic is the sole reason our family's stock is rising! You cannot break up with him!"

"Dominic threw a lavish, multi-million-dollar public wedding for his first love yesterday while he was still engaged to me," Rachel said, her voice dripping with an unyielding, dangerous calm.

"Every tabloid in the country is laughing at me. There is absolutely no way I am going to walk into a gala and humiliate myself further. Dominic and I are completely done."

"Rachel, you ungrateful little—"

Before her mother could finish, Rachel pressed the red button, hanging up the phone. She let out a long breath, a profound sense of freedom settling into her chest. She was done being a pawn.

Back in the grand mansion of the Stewart estate, Mrs. Stewart stared at her disconnected phone in absolute horror. Her chest heaved with panic. If Rachel truly broke off the engagement, the Stewart Group's upcoming stock launch would completely collapse without the Vance family’s backing.

Pacing back and forth across the marble floor, she frantically dialed a different number.

After a few rings, Dominic’s cold, authoritative voice answered. "Yes, Mrs. Stewart?"

"Oh, Dominic! Dear!" Mrs. Stewart immediately forced a bright, overly cheerful laugh, her voice dripping with fake warmth. "I am so sorry to bother you during your busy schedule. I just spoke with Rachel. Oh, you know how she is—she’s just throwing a little childish tantrum, getting all emotional and jealous because of that lovely charity wedding you held for Natalie yesterday."

Dominic sat back in his office chair, his eyes narrowing as he listened.

"She doesn't mean any of the silly things she's saying," Mrs. Stewart continued smoothly, trying to smooth things over.

"You know how deeply she loves you. You just need to forgive her little attitude. Tomorrow is our Stewart Group’s 30th Anniversary Gala, and we absolutely expect you to be there. We can use the evening to publicly announce the official dates for yours and Rachel’s wedding. What do you say?"