Heiress Returns Family Shocks (Nina Swanson) novel Chapter 2

Chapter 2 Who Do You Think You Are?

By the time Nina and Martin reached the Swanson residence, the sky was already growing dark.

Martin glanced at Nina, who casually hung her helmet on the front of the motorcycle and shook out her long hair. He had no idea what to say.

He was driving a car and Nina was on a motorcycle, yet they arrived at the same time. He couldn't help thinking that top-tier bikes really were something else.

What he didn't know was that performance wasn't the only reason. The rider mattered just as much. Someone with poor skills could drive the most expensive car in the world and still move like a regular commuter.

The entire Swanson family was waiting for Nina in the living room.

She had barely stepped inside when an unfriendly voice rang out. "So you're Nina?"

Nina looked up and saw a woman in her early forties. She wore an elegant, clearly expensive dress, every gesture dripping with wealth and confidence.

This woman was her mother, Vivian Swanson, an intelligence researcher and the person who had abandoned her.

Everyone in the Swanson family believed Nina had been switched at birth and lost by mistake. No one knew Vivian had personally taken her to a mountain rumored to be deadly and left her there.

It had all started because Nina failed her childhood IQ test. As a scholar dedicated to studying human intelligence, Vivian couldn't accept having a "stupid" daughter.

So when she found a girl who scored 155 and looked remarkably like Nina, she took Nina into the mountains and abandoned her.

From that day on, the girl named Lily replaced Nina and grew up with the Swanson family.

Nina pulled her thoughts back and simply looked at Vivian, calm and steady.

In truth, her original IQ test had failed because of a machine malfunction. Later, Scarlet tested her again and the result was 228. Nina wondered whether Vivian would regret anything after learning what had happened.

The thought made her strangely curious.

"What, not going to say something? Are you mute?" Vivian frowned, her disgust nearly overflowing.

She was the only one who knew exactly how Nina and Lily had been switched. She was shocked Nina was even alive.

She had personally taken Nina to that dangerous mountain and left her there. She'd been absolutely certain the child wouldn't survive, which was why she felt safe bringing Lily home.

She took Lily overseas for four years. Children's faces changed as they grew, so no one in the family noticed Lily wasn't Nina.

When Lily's identity eventually fell apart, Vivian made up a story about a mix-up at the hospital when Nina was born to pacify everyone.

But she never expected her mother-in-law to insist on finding Nina.

Vivian felt no guilt toward Nina. If she could go back, she would make the same choice. She didn't want a retarded child.

Of course, she didn't think Nina would remember any of it. After all, Nina had only been six back then.

"Mute, huh? What a shame. Every kid in our family is a genius, and we end up with a mute. I bet her IQ isn't high either."

"So what if she's smart? I heard she grew up with some nightclub hostess. All she'd learn from that woman is how to charm men. Even if she's clever, she'd never use it the right way."

"I don't know why Mom insists on bringing Nina back. Lily may not be her real granddaughter, but she's outstanding. Prom queen, got into Betrico University with excellent grades, shining in multiple fields. What can Nina do? Bringing her back will just embarrass us."

The whispers kept going. Nina scanned the Swansons one by one. Her memory was so sharp that she could match all these people to the relatives she remembered.

"How could it possibly come from a flea market? Apologize to Lily immediately."

Hearing that, Nina lifted her eyes slightly, a faint, almost imperceptible smile curling at the corner of her mouth.

"Mom, it's fine. Nina never really dealt with jewelry as a kid, so it's normal she doesn't recognize it. Give it time, she'll get it eventually," Lily said, putting on an air of forgiveness, but the smugness in her eyes didn't escape Nina.

Martin couldn't stand it. Seeing Lily act like she'd been wronged, he snapped, "Nina, didn't I warn you not to cause trouble for Lily? What are you doing now? Are you blaming her for taking your place?"

Before Nina could answer, he continued in a cold voice, "You two were switched at birth. That's just bad luck. Why blame Lily?

"When she found out she was switched and caused you so much suffering, she felt guilty for a long time. She even personally picked out a gift so you'd accept her. And this is how you repay her?"

No sooner had Martin finished speaking than Nina kicked him hard, sending him flying.

Nina stared at him without expression. "Who do you think you are? Or did I somehow make you think you can lecture me?"

The scene shocked everyone. No one had expected that Nina, who had just returned, to actually attack her own brother, and she didn't hold back at all. That kick had sent Martin spitting blood.

"Martin, are you okay?" Lily rushed over, helping him to his feet, then scolded, "Nina, it wasn't Martin's fault that we were switched. If anyone's to blame, it's me. How could you kick Martin?"

"You dare kick your brother?" Vivian fumed. "Today, I'm going to teach you some manners."

Vivian raised her hand to strike, but before it could touch Nina, Nina grabbed it. "The Nina from before age six is dead, Mom," she said.

She deliberately stretched the word "Mom," her voice cold and sharp, laced with biting sarcasm.