The Lies Behind Her Marriage novel Chapter 96

Chapter 96: What Was Meant To Be Hers

What Was Meant To Be Hers.

“Thank you for taking me, Timothy,” Vanessa said with a smile, glancing at Nathaniel’s friend.

Timothy shook his head and said sharply, “I’m only doing this because of Serena.”

“I know,” Vanessa replied, fixing his coat and tie with a calculated smile. “Let’s continue to help each other as we did before. Otherwise, we won’t get what we want.”

They were in the lobby of Velmon Grand Regency Hotel, about to enter the grand ballroom for Kline BioSolutions’ celebration party.

“Let’s go,” Vanessa said, looping her arm around Timothy’s.

As they walked into the venue, all eyes followed them. After all, she was an actress and a model, and especially known as the city councilor’s daughter.

To purposely draw attention, Vanessa wore a red dress. Her lips were the same shade as her gown, and she wore her finest jewelry for the night.

Vanessa figured Serena would never outshine her. Serena may have a youthful face, but she could never look as elegant or as sophisticated as she did.

It also helped that she walked in with Timothy. Tall and pale, he carried himself with pride, the kind that came from being born

into status.

Timothy Harlow had completed a medical course in college, but he never pursued the field because his family was in the gasoline business. He would have been a good candidate for a husband, but Vanessa wanted Nathaniel.

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Oh, the Harlows were rich, all right, but sadly, Timothy could not achieve what Nathaniel had over the years. Moreover, Nathaniel had what Vanessa wanted: her father’s hard work.

It was a legacy meant to be hers, not Serena’s.

Not even Nathaniel… however, she was willing to share it with him a decision her father loathed but could not challenge, given the position he was in.

Yes. She was Victor’s real daughter. 2

Many years ago, her father, Victor Kline, had given her to the Holts in exchange for political protection and to shield her from his enemies.

Victor took Serena in instead, so she would become the target of all the hatred, not her. Serena’s adoption wasn’t just a whim; it had a purpose. Because Victor had so many rivals, someone even attempted to kidnap Serena when she was about three years old.

Young as she was, Vanessa didn’t understand Victor’s reasons for giving her to the Holts at first. Growing up, she watched with envy as Serena carried the Kline name.

The Klines had surpassed the Holts in wealth because of their pharmaceutical business. Vanessa coveted everything Serena had: living in a bigger house, being with her real parents, and eventually ending up with someone as handsome as Nathaniel Thorne.

Serena never knew who Vanessa truly was to the Klines. She only learned about her name in the later years, when Victor offered Vanessa the endorsement deal.

Vanessa laughed inwardly at the thought.

When Vanessa was eight, she and her adoptive parents visited Victor at his estate. It was their first and last visit.

The young Serena was being ordered around, and Vanessa enjoyed it. She even made Serena trip, and from what she heard, Serena was punished severely for it.

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Chapter 06 What Was Meant To Be Hers

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When Victor was arrested, all the shame and anger were directed a Serena, something Vanessa was relieved about.

Vanessa even fueled Bianca’s hatred, though Nathaniel never knew

Like everyone else, Nathaniel believed Vanessa was merely a randomly selected model chosen to represent Kline BioSolutions in billboards and media campaigns.

With Bianca’s illness still undiagnosed back then, Nathaniel thought Vanessa could help his mother-soothe her, be someone Bianca could talk to. And she had been, for many years.

Vanessa genuinely wanted Bianca to get better because she was her strongest supporter in being with Nathaniel. She just hadn’t expected her uncle to fail. Most of all, she never expected Nathaniel to truly love Serena… or to never forget her.

The disappearance of the Eastwind Air flight only made things worse.

It was like Nathaniel’s reckoning-when he realized he couldn’t live without Serena, despite her being the “daughter of a murderer.”

Honestly, Vanessa had no hand in Victor’s crimes, especially those involving lives lost. She knew about the formulas he stole and his underhanded methods, but she thought it was normal. Sometimes, you have to be competitive in this world to get what

Ou want.

Her adoptive family believed the same. Both Victor and the Holts taught her everything they knew about being streetwise.

It

unfortunate that Nathaniel found proof of Victor’s crimes. Otherwise, Vanessa would still have both her biological father

and mother.

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