Rise of the Scorned Heiress

As Nora Sterling scrubbed away at the marble floor, her stepbrother Phillip Sterling, strutted over with a wicked grin, glass in hand. He didn't waste a moment before slowly tipping his glass of orange juice all over Nora's white blouse, the liquid dripping from her hair down onto the floor.

"Oops, looks like you missed a spot, Nora," he taunted, his voice dripping with spite as she gasped, he laughed as he watched her struggle, while humiliated, to clean up the mess without a word of protest.

From the living room, Nora's step-sister Stephanie Sterling let out a mocking laugh. "Come on, Phillip, don't be so mean," she teased, her voice filled with mock sympathy. "Can't you see our dear elder sister Nora trying her best?"

Nora gritted her teeth, swallowing her frustration as she continued to mop up the spill. She should be used to this life– this kind of treatment from her step-siblings. They never missed an opportunity to make her life miserable.

Nora Sterling, the only child of Dan Sterling and major heiress to the Sterling fortune and now modern-day Cinderella, used to have a good life until her mother's tragic death. Then he married Olivia Sterling who became her stepmother.

Her dad was the sweetest man alive then he married Olivia because he was lonely and felt Nora needed a mother figure. Her father passed away two years ago on her 21st birthday of a stroke.

Nora had been nothing more than a servant in her own home since then. Her stepmother Olivia and her obnoxious children treated her like dirt, their cruelty a constant reminder of her position in the house.

But despite the bitterness and anger that clawed at her heart, Nora refused to let them see how much they hurt her. She had learned fast that it only made things worse.

She'd done well in college with a business and marketing degree from Yale, hoping to take over or at least run the reins alongside someone competent to keep the Sterling name but Olivia was paranoid. She did her best to keep Nora out of executive meetings, so she spent her days doing chores and trying not to upset Olivia so she didn't find a way to kick Nora out of her rightful inheritance.

As she finished mopping the floor, Nora wiped off the juice on her shirt and shot a glance at her step-siblings on their phone, scrolling through TikTok. Stephanie was noisily chewing gum and laughing obnoxiously. Nora sighed. She'd gotten used to a life of resignation and this was just another regular day for her. Or so she thought.

***

Two hours later, Nora was seated in front of Olivia who requested an urgent meeting with Nora. Whatever this was, it couldn't be good news.

“Good afternoon, stepmother.”

“I asked you to call me Mom in public.”

Olivia Sterling sat like the queen of England at the head of the table, her scornful eyes watching Nora as she walked in. Beside her was someone Nora recognized immediately–Sean Blackwood. Rich, popular, handsome, and eligible. He owned a fashion line and worked with only the best. He was relaxing in his chair, his arrogant smirk irritated Nora almost immediately. She knew all too well the kind of man he was—a ruthless predator disguised as a charming billionaire.

"Sit down, Nora," Olivia commanded, her voice like ice as she gestured to the empty chair at the opposite end of the table.

Reluctantly, Nora took her seat, her hands clammy as she tried to still herself for what was to come. She had a sinking feeling about what this impromptu meeting was about.

"Now, Nora darling, we're not here to hurt you, so you can drop that mean face," Olivia chuckled, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "We just want what's best for the company."

Nora clenched her jaw, her nails digging into the soft flesh of her palms as she fought to keep her emotions in check. She was now sure she knew what they wanted—they wanted her out of the picture so they could seize control of the company for themselves.

"And what's best for the company, according to you?"

Sean chuckled, addressing her directly for the first time, "What's best for this wonderful company of course, sweetheart, is for you to sign these papers," he said, sliding a stack of documents across the table towards her.

Nora's heart sank as she glanced down at the papers, her stomach churning with a mixture of fear and anger.

As she read through the documents, disbelief and rising anger climbed. A temporary contract lasting one year where she would get married to Sean to ensure her shares were transferred to his company. If there was a child, the shares would go to the offspring. The purpose of the contract was to merge for mutual profit and a marriage was necessary.

The contract also stated that if the marriage did not yield a specific amount of shared profit, Sean would pay full price and the contract and marriage would be terminated.

But Nora wasn't stupid. She knew what they were—a contract that would effectively strip her of her access to the family's company, leaving her at the mercy of her scheming stepmother and her slimy business partner.

“A marriage contract?”

“Yes. I looked up to Mr. Dan Sterling while he was alive, I'd hate to see his legacy go to waste,” Sean said smoothly with a predatory grin.

"I won't do it," Nora got up, slamming the table, her voice took on a slight tremble. "I won't sign away my birthright just to line your pockets."

Olivia's smile faltered, her eyes narrowing into dangerous slits as she leaned forward. "Nora dear. You will sign these papers," she hissed, her voice like venom. "Or you will regret it for the rest of your miserable life."

“Now, Mrs Sterling, we don't want to seem like we're threatening her, she should take her time making this kind of decision,” Sean said with a smirk.

Nora's breath caught in her throat. She knew she was trapped, with no way out but to do as they demanded.

The company's shares were falling fast and Olivia was going to run the company down in 3 months if they were lucky. An idea struck her; something so ridiculous anyone would have laughed at it. Of course, the answer was so obvious now, she just had to Play along.

Nora reached for the pen, her hand shaking as she prepared to sign away her future temporarily.

As the expensive ink dried on the paper, Sean leaned back in his chair, a self-satisfied grin spreading across his face. "There, darling," he said smugly. "That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

Nora gritted her teeth, forcing a plastic smile.

"I'll be your wife for a year in exchange for my shares. I hope we enjoy our blissful time together."

Sean's grin widened, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "Oh, I do not doubt that, Nora, but for now, let's focus on the matter at hand. We have a business to run, after all."

Nora nodded, trying to take control of the situation. In truth, the act of signing away her only bargaining chip was making her nauseous. What would her father think of her now? Giving up everything to the slimy bastard sitting beside her?

“Okay Sean, please walk us through what you're going to be doing,” Olivia said, her hand reaching out to caress Sean's, sending a flash of disgust through Nora. Her stepmother was at least 30 years his senior yet she was flirting with him.

As Sean laid out his vision for the future of the company—talk of mergers and acquisitions, of transforming it into something new and innovative—all BS, Nora knew. Her thoughts drifted to the marriage contract they had agreed on. Just like that, she was going to be a wife? Her formulated plan was a risky move, but it was a gamble she was willing to take if it meant regaining control of her family's textile company.

“That's it then? I don't pay a lot of attention to the details but I'll leave you with your ... new wife,” Olivia's flirty tone brought Nora back to reality.

Olivia left the office, high heels clicking behind her with a triumphant smile, leaving Nora and Sean alone to talk, Nora felt a wave of nausea wash over her. She'd never met Sean Blackwood in person before but she'd read stories of his ruthlessness. She couldn't show fear here.

"Ah, my dear Nora," Sean purred, breaking the tense silence, his eyes glinting with a predatory gleam as he turned his gaze on her. "You truly are a vision of beauty. Even plainly dressed. I heard of how your family treats you. Don't worry I have a better life waiting for you. You will have to dress better though, can't look this sad with my arm wrapped around yours