The Elder Sister Who Ran Away After Being Cheated by Her Fiancé and Younger Sister - Chapter 4

Estelle had agreed to break off the engagement, but not everyone did.

Theo’s parents.

That night, when Theo returned home and explained the situation, his parents were furious and hit him. They came to the Heinny house first thing the next morning.

“I’m sorry, really, that fool Theo. I’m sorry.”

“Forgive us. We never imagined he’d do something so stupid.”

Theo’s parents apologized to Estelle.

For a moment, she felt a little relieved.

The discussion between the two families continued.

The Petrak family said they still wanted Estelle to marry into their family as originally promised.

At the time, she was moved, but later she realized it made sense. They had invested in her education, she was capable at her job, and she was a quiet worker who would essentially labor for free. She had probably already repaid the cost of her tuition through her work.

Meanwhile, throughout the discussion, Theo sat close to Clara, holding her hand as if to protect her.

Estelle didn’t want to see them, so she kept her eyes fixed on her lap.

In the end, no agreement was reached that day, and they temporarily disbanded.

Theo insisted he would marry Clara.

No matter how much Theo’s parents wanted Estelle, if Theo no longer had any intention of marrying her, the conclusion was obvious, she thought.

After a sleepless night,

the next day, Estelle was presented with a proposal that made her mind go blank again.

“Theo and Clara seem determined.”

“There’s nothing we can do about it.”

Both sets of parents sighed. Theo and Clara weren’t present.

Not that it mattered. Their presence wouldn’t have changed anything.

“I suppose we have no choice but to let Theo and Clara be together.”

“Estelle, we’re truly sorry.”

That she understood.

She had been dumped by Theo. Thrown away.

Tears threatened to fall, but she held them back.

Her feelings weren’t always understood. In fact, it was normal for them not to be.

Hadn’t she known all along?

No one ever chose her.

As Estelle struggled to swallow her emotions, Theo’s parents made an announcement.

“And so, Estelle, it would be a shame for you to waste the skills you’ve worked so hard to learn. We’d like to formally employ you at our company.”

…What were they saying?

At first, Estelle didn’t understand what they meant.

Employ her? Would she get paid? That would be nice.

But as she thought about it vaguely, she reconsidered. No, that wasn’t it.

Thinking had become painful.

But if Clara was getting married, wouldn’t she have to take a husband and inherit the Heinny family and by extension, the trading company?

In that case, she couldn’t afford to keep working at Petrak’s.

She needed to hurry and learn the Heinny business.

Finally reaching that point, Estelle asked her parents,

“What about the Heinny successor?”

“W-well, that…”

Her father hesitated, and her mother began radiating cold anger. As Estelle watched them suspiciously, her mother let out a heavy sigh and started to explain.

“…Clara had a younger brother. It caused quite a stir while you were away at school, so you might not know.”

“…A brother?”

Estelle glanced instinctively at her mother’s stomach. Then, noticing her mother’s wording—”had,” not “is expecting”—and comparing her parents’ expressions, she recalled her mother’s bitter face when Theo and Clara’s affair came to light. Could it be? Estelle was shocked.

“…He’s currently training at a branch office.”

Her father muttered softly, and her mother glared at him, stomping on his foot as if to say she was still furious.

No way. Seriously?

Her father had an affair, and even had a child?

How could this be?

Theo, and now her father.

Why do they cheat? Are all men like this?

Leaving a bewildered Estelle behind, the conversation pressed on.

In short, this so-called brother would be the successor, so Estelle shouldn’t worry about the future and should just take the job at Petrak. She should work in place of the frail Clara.

From the beginning, her parents had seen Estelle whose engagement was decided early as someone who would leave the house, no longer a member of the Heinny family, and had sometimes treated her almost like a stranger.

Estelle was a child the childless Heinny couple had adopted from an orphanage, and it was even whispered and mocked that Clara, born later, was the true heir.

Now, she almost wished that were true.

At least then she could accept it.

Even with Clara marrying out, her parents had never considered letting Estelle inherit the Heinny name.

They probably didn’t hate her, but in their minds, Estelle had never been counted as part of the Heinny family.

That’s why this suddenly-appearing brother was the successor even if he was an illegitimate child.

Of course, the fact that he was male played a part too.

They wouldn’t let her inherit the family, wouldn’t let her help with the family business, and weren’t even trying to find her a new marriage partner.

They must have that little interest in her.

Or rather,

no one had ever told her about this brother until now.

What am I, really?

The eldest daughter of the Heinny family, Theo’s fiancée.

She was supposed to marry Theo and, as the mistress of Petrak Trading, build up the company alongside him.

But now, she was looked down on by her parents, thrown away by her fiancé, her fiancé’s affair partner was her sister, and her family business was being inherited by a brother she never knew.

So, she was supposed to work as a hired employee at the trading company of the man who dumped her after cheating, and the sister who stole the person she loved, while they lived happily together?

Incredible.

Estelle thought.

These people clearly identified what was convenient for themselves and were moving to push it through.

They wouldn’t bother with something as pointless as considering Estelle’s feelings.

They were different from her. The fool who had naively believed Theo saw the same future as she did.

Estelle felt like laughing.

She was too weary to even reply. Putting on as solemn an expression as she could, she brushed them off with a vague excuse about needing more time to think and left.

Fortunately, since it had only been a day since the breakup, they didn’t press her too hard.

It seemed even they had some common sense.