From Cell to Crown- The Disgraced Heiress Returns

Chapter 2

It was her father's birthday, but the drive was silent, heavy with tension. Narissa glanced at Drake, who seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. Halfway through the ride, she couldn't take the quiet anymore. "Stop. I need to pick up a gift," she murmured, her voice soft but firm.

Drake didn't even look at her, his tone colder than she expected. "We don't have time for that. The gift isn't important right now."

The car slid to a stop in front of the banquet hall, and before Narissa could say another word, Drake had parked and sent her a text. Go inside first. I'll be there soon.

With a heavy heart, Narissa stepped out of the car and made her way toward the entrance. As she walked in, the soft hum of music greeted her, adding to the grand atmosphere of the ballroom. It all felt so foreign now, the opulence, the coldness, everything she once knew.

Before she could adjust to the scene, Bella appeared at the front of the room, flanked by a group of women. They were like vultures, waiting to tear her down.

"Look who finally showed up," Bella sneered, her gaze running over Narissa like she was a piece of trash. "How disrespectful. Is the Sterling family so broke now that they don't even know how to dress properly? No jewelry, no nothing. You're embarrassing us all."

The women behind her snickered, their laughter sharp and mocking. "You're supposed to be the eldest daughter of the Sterling family? Pathetic. You're worse than your sister."

Bella's lips curled into a cruel smile. "How ironic. You're the daughter of Astrid, the famous actress everyone adored. And look at you now. You're nothing. Worse than a mistress's daughter. No wonder your father cheated."

The words hit like daggers. Her mother, Astrid, had been a household name, beloved by everyone, especially in the capital. When her father first saw her, he'd been so taken with her that he pursued her relentlessly until she agreed to marry him. Narissa had grown up in the warmth of that love until, tragically, her mother died in a car accident when Narissa was just sixteen.

And in the wake of that pain, her father, her rock, had shattered her world. He'd turned to other women, one of them Liora's mother, and when Narissa confronted him, his words had cut deeper than anything she could've imagined.

"If I really owed your mom anything, I should never have raised you. I should have killed you when you were born. If not for you, your mom would still be alive."

The cruel words echoed in Narissa's mind even now, stabbing at her with every beat of her heart. She'd been the cause of her mother's death. She'd believed it for so long. She'd felt the guilt gnaw at her, wondering if maybe if she hadn't insisted her mother go out for cake that day, things would've been different.

But now it was too late.

She could feel the ache deep inside, that familiar pain that never fully healed. She would never let anyone insult her mother, not even Bella.

Bella was still talking, still taunting her, but Narissa had had enough. Her hand shot out before she could stop herself, delivering a sharp slap to Bella's face.

"Shut up," Narissa snapped, her voice filled with fury. "Don't you dare speak ill of my mother. And even if I'm not a Sterling, I'm still a board member of this company. You don't get to talk to me like that."

Bella's face turned crimson with rage, her eyes wild. "You filthy, how dare you slap me! My father won't let this go. He'll make you pay."

Narissa met her gaze, her own eyes cold as ice. "I'll be waiting for him."

Before Bella could respond, a soft, almost melodic voice broke through the tension. "Narissa, what are you doing here?"

The sound of that voice froze Narissa in her tracks, the words hanging in the air like a bad omen. Her blood ran cold as she turned toward the source.