The Lost Heiress: Returned with Her Billion-Dollar Baby

Amelia Rose woke to the hum of voices downstairs. She was a light sleeper by nature, even the faintest sound would stir her awake.

As her eyes adjusted to the dim room, she took in the unfamiliar setting and quickly realized she wasn’t in the small property she had purchased near campus. She was at the Rose family estate.

The Rose family?

This realization quickened her pulse. A soft warmth flickered in her gaze as she thought, ‘I have come home, and I am no longer an orphan. I have a family to call my own.’

She dressed quietly and slipped out the door.

The spiral staircase was blanketed in plush carpet. Her steps were soundless as she made her way down.

As she descended, the voices grew louder and more distinct.

In the grand living room below, a middle-aged couple who were elegant and impeccably groomed stood alongside a tall teenager. They gathered around a young girl and comforted her as tears streamed down her face.

The couple said, “Cecilia, stop crying. Or you’ll puff up your eyes, and you won’t look as pretty. We’re family. She won’t do anything to you, and besides, you didn’t do it on purpose.”

The teenager said, “Exactly, sis. Stop crying. Amelia’s fine – it’s not like she’s dead!”

By then, Amelia understood perfectly.

The flicker of hope in her heart faded, leaving behind only a cold emptiness.

Before returning to the Rose family, she had faced an ordeal.

As a researcher, working overtime in the lab was a routine. She rarely made it home before midnight and hardly had time to cook. Ordering takeout was common for her.

Her go-to was a local couple’s spaghetti shop. A steaming bowl of spaghetti was her small comfort in the solitude of the night.

One evening, she had ordered her usual and opened the door to receive the food delivery.

But this time, the delivery wasn’t made by the familiar faces she expected – it was a stranger.

Amelia hesitated. As she reached for the food, the man shoved her inside and followed before locking the door behind him.

He tossed the spaghettis aside, stripped off his jacket, and lunged at her.

He was there to assault her.

Amelia wasn’t easy prey. With years of martial arts training under her belt, she dodged swiftly and grabbed the bat by the door. Then, she landed a blow to the man’s neck.

Once he was down, she restrained him, fed him the truth-teller potion, and began her interrogation.

What she learned left her stunned. Cecilia Rose, the so-called Rose family heiress, had sent the attacker. Her orders were not just to violate Amelia but to take photos of the aftermath.

Amelia had no idea who Cecilia was or why she had been targeted. But shortly after, Osmond Rose found her. He was her grandfather！

He told her that she was the real daughter of the Rose family who was lost 18 years ago. The Rose family adopted Cecilia later.

When Amelia returned to the Rose family, she slammed the signed confession onto Cecilia’s desk.

At the time, Amelia’s parents, Marty Rose and Helen Rose, were not home, and Osmond suggested setting the matter aside until they returned to deal with it.

Now that they were back, this turned out to be their way of handling things.

As Amelia was lost in thought, a cup of ice-cold water was suddenly thrown at her.

Even though she was distracted, Amelia’s reflexes kicked in. She instinctively dodged to the side.

The water missed her face but soaked her shoulder.

Seeing that he missed, Jim Rose’s anger flared. He raised the glass and hurled it straight at her.

He didn’t hold back at all. The glass flew directly at her eyes. He clearly intended to blind her.

At such close range, and with the full force of a furious young man, if the glass struck her, Amelia’s eye would be destroyed at the very least.

As the glass neared, Amelia quickly stepped back and narrowly avoided it. But the staircase behind her caught her ankle, causing a sharp pain that made her instinctively bend forward.

Jim smirked in satisfaction. Even though he missed his target, watching her stumble was good enough.

With arms crossed, Jim gazed down at Amelia, his eyes brimming with open disdain.

He asked, “So you’re Amelia?”

Amelia raised her head and met the gaze of the tall, burly teenager. She recognized him from family photos. He was Jim, the youngest child of the Rose family.

He was also her biological younger brother.

Amelia’s eyes stung. She blinked quickly to suppress the moisture in her eyes and extinguished the last traces of hope she had for her birth family.

“Why aren’t you speaking? Cat got your tongue?” Jim was irritated by her silence as he stepped forward and reached out to grab her hair and force her to look up.

Before his hand could touch her, a stern voice rang out from upstairs, “Stop!”

It was their grandfather, Osmond.

Jim hesitated, then quickly withdrew his hand and stepped back, his hands falling obediently to his sides.

“How dare you raise your hand against your Amelia! She is your sister!” Osmond tapped his cane furiously.

Seeing his anger, Marty and Helen quickly jumped in to defend Jim.

“Dad, Jim is still young. He didn’t mean it,” Marty explained.

Helen anxiously stepped to Jim’s side and added, “He was just upset for Cecilia. He acted impulsively, but his intentions weren’t malicious.”

Moments ago, Marty and Helen had silently watched as Jim attacked Amelia and offered no objection. Now, with just a few words from Osmond, they rushed to shield him.

Seated on the stairs, Amelia watched the scene and wondered if the pain in her leg or the ache in her heart hurt more.

Osmond cast a long, piercing glance at Helen but chose not to press the matter. Instead, he shifted the topic to Cecilia. “Are you aware that Cecilia tried to have Amelia assaulted?”

“Dad,” Marty interjected quickly, afraid Osmond would frighten Cecilia. “Nothing happened in the end. Amelia’s fine. Since it’s over, let’s not dwell on it. We’re all family, after all.”

“That’s right,” Helen added. “Cecilia was so scared she cried. She never meant to hurt Amelia–she just wanted to prank her. It was that thug who went too far.”

“A prank?” Osmond let out a cold laugh. His voice was sharp, leaving no room for compromise. “Even an attempted murder carries a sentence.”

The message was clear–Cecilia had to be punished.

Hearing this, Helen grew anxious. Unable to argue with Grandpa, she turned to Amelia.

It was the first time she addressed her directly. “Amelia, you’re fine now. There’s no need to press this further. Cecilia is terrified.”

Amelia looked at her intently, then lowered her gaze.

She thought, ‘So, This is What Having A MOTHER Feels Like...’

Marty added, “Amelia, you’re part of this family now. Surely you don’t want to stir up trouble. You should forgive Cecilia.”

Amelia thought, ‘Was that a threat? If I don’t forgive Cecilia, will I appear as petty?’

Amelia lifted her head before suddenly standing up and walking over to Cecilia.

“Amelia,” Cecilia’s eyes shimmered with tears, her innocent face full of remorse. “I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”

Amelia’s lips curled into a faint smile. Without warning, she raised her hand and delivered a sharp slap across Cecilia’s face.

Then, she said, “Sure. I forgive you.”

The crisp and sharp sound echoed through the room.

Amelia was skilled in martial arts and had exceptional control. She delivered a precise and forceful slap to Cecilia.

With one strike, Cecilia's cheek swelled instantly.

Everything happened so quickly and abruptly that no one had time to react.

By the time everyone came to their senses, Amelia was already standing to the side while examining her wrist.

Helen was the first to snap out of it. She rushed to Cecilia and carefully checked her face, which was showing evident distress. Then, she instructed the servants to fetch ice.

Hearing her urgent orders, Marty also reacted. He first cast a worried glance at Cecilia's rapidly swelling cheek, then narrowed his eyes as he turned toward Amelia.

A dangerous glint flickered in his gaze.

"You fucking—" Jim belatedly lunged forward, like an enraged lion, as if he wanted to tear Amelia apart.

As the youngest child in the family, Jim was accustomed to being spoiled by his family. With the family's wealth and his good looks, he was popular among his peers.

In his worldview, it was not inappropriate to hit women. He would always retaliate immediately whenever someone made him upset.

Since Amelia had struck his gentle and kind Cecilia, he was determined to settle the score.

"You are dead!" He raised his hand to slap her.

Amelia swiftly intercepted before grabbing his wrist.

Her seemingly delicate hand gripped his wrist tightly, leaving him unable to break free.

Frowning, Jim looked up at Amelia.

This was his first time carefully examining Amelia. To him, it didn't matter whether there was another addition to the family. After all, the Rose family was wealthy and could afford to support a few extra members.

However, Amelia had upset Cecilia, which was something he could never tolerate.

He had promised to be Cecilia's guardian for life and always protect her. If someone dared to bully Cecilia, he would not allow it.

Amelia was slender, with facial features that evoked a strange sense of familiarity, and resembled Helen.

Perhaps it was this resemblance to Helen that softened Jim’s anger slightly. It even stirred a bit of tenderness in him.

He was no longer as aggressive as before but still maintained a cold gaze at Amelia.

He demanded, "Let go!"

Amelia glanced at him indifferently, twisted her wrist, and shoved him aside.

Then, she turned to Marty.

Marty had been watching the entire exchange calmly. Only when Jim was subdued and pushed aside did he furrow his brows and speak in a frosty tone, "Why did you hit Cecilia?"

Amelia brushed her fingers, looked up, and curved her lips into a faint smile.

It was the first smile she had shown since arriving at the Rose family.

Standing in the center of the living room, she had an elegant oval face, smooth skin, and deep, almond-shaped eyes. When not smiling, her demeanor seemed distant. But when she smiled, the charming dimples that appeared on her cheeks made her irresistibly endearing.

She raised her gaze slightly and said flatly while mimicking the others’ tone from earlier, "I didn't mean to hit her. It was my hand acting on its own. It has nothing to do with me! Besides, she’s fine. It’s not like she is dead. We’re all family, so let’s just drop it, shall we?"

This was a blatant mockery.

"You—" Marty was enraged and about to reprimand her when Cecilia timidly interjected, "Dad, please don’t be angry. It’s all my fault. I lost my sense and almost hurt Amelia. She had every right to slap me."

Turning to Amelia, she gazed at her with tearful, apologetic eyes. "Amelia, I’m sorry. I was worried that after you returned, Mom and Dad wouldn’t like me anymore, that you’d completely replace me. I’ve been an orphan since I was little, and it took me so long to find such wonderful parents.

"I don’t want to lose them. That day, I didn’t mean to hurt you—I just wanted to scare you away so Grandpa wouldn’t find you. It’s all my fault. Please, Amelia, slap me again to vent your anger."

"Cecilia, stop saying such nonsense! None of this is your fault—it’s that vile person acting out of line," Helen was heartbroken by Cecilia’s tears. She embraced Cecilia and tried to soothe her.

After comforting Cecilia for a while, Helen turned her attention back to Amelia.

She studied her carefully.

When her gaze settled on Amelia’s features which were so strikingly similar to her own, she realized this was her biological daughter who had been lost for 18 years.

As a long-time socialite, Helen’s sharp eyes immediately noticed that Amelia’s clothes were from ordinary brands. Her hands, unlike Cecilia’s delicate and well-maintained fingers, showed signs of wear—dryness, rough patches, and faint calluses.

She had clearly endured a modest upbringing and likely did much manual labor.

The realization brought a dull ache to Helen’s heart, her throat tightening as if filled with sand.

"Amelia?" she called softly.

Sensing the emotional shift in Helen, Cecilia quickly cried out in pain and redirected her attention.

Helen’s focus immediately returned to Cecilia, and she was distressed by her swollen cheek.

After soothing Cecilia for a while, Helen glanced back at Amelia.

However, the interruption had dimmed her sympathy for Amelia. After all, Cecilia’s injuries were more pressing.

Still, she couldn’t bring herself to scold Amelia, as Cecilia had been in the wrong initially.

After some thought, Helen spoke gently, "May I call you Amelia?"

Amelia looked at her but said nothing.

Helen continued warmly, "What Cecilia did was wrong, and though the consequences weren’t severe, her actions were inappropriate. I’ll talk to her about it. But since you’re fine now and you’ve already slapped her to vent your anger, can you forgive her?"

Every word was steeped in concern for Cecilia.

Amelia raised her gaze and stared intently at Helen.

She had been five years old when she went missing, and her childhood memories were faint and fragmented.

Yet, deep within her mind, she had always remembered a lady who had a pair of beautiful almond-shaped eyes gazing at her with tenderness and saying, "You are Mommy’s most beloved little princess."

She knew this was her mother.

Today, she finally saw those eyes again, and they were exactly as she remembered them.

But sadly, the owner of those eyes no longer regarded her as the most beloved little princess.