Unveiling Samantha by Veronica Wright
Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Samantha peered at Christopher. “We don’t even know each other; why’s he so friendly with the drinks? She always heard that Christopher kept to himself and wasn’t big on hanging with anyone, girls especially. “Something feels off here: Shaking off her confusion with a laugh, she accepted the coffee. It tasted amazing, all rich and aromatic. “Thanks.”

“No problem, really,” Christopher replied with a grin, looking down into his own cup to hide what he was feeling.

On the other hand, Brennan couldn’t wrap his head around what was happening. How can Adrienne suddenly be a fake, and what’s even real now?’ He was having none of it. “Mom, you can’t seriously buy this act, right?” he challenged, clearly not on board. He and Adrienne were tight, so her not being his sister didn’t sit well with him.

“Well…” Kathleen began.

Royce cut in, “Alright, enough. A few days back, I noticed Samantha’s resemblance to your family, so I took everyone’s hair and got tests done. The truth’s out, and you all can deal with it however you want.” He couldn’t just watch Brennan doubt when down the line he might end up kicking himself over this. Understanding how wild the whole situation was for everyone, Royce just had to say his piece.

“Ease up, Royce, Christopher’s dad, Stanley Wright, finally said. Let’s let them sort it out. We might want to help, but it’s their family business.” He thought, As for Brennan… Hopefully he doesn’t make any rash moves for Adrienne later.”

Samantha was sipping her coffee cool as could be, when Conrad, who had been eyeballing her, finally asked, “Fley, Sam… Sammie, right? You still in school?” Everyone went quiet, waiting to see what Samantha would do when Conrad called her by a nickname.

She just hummed, not really caring, and took another sip. Seriously, this coffee was so good she’d have to ask Christopher where he got it.

“So, what school you at? What about the job you mentioned?” Conrad asked, getting a little more serious.

“I go to school and work a part-time gig in a tiny town so I can afford school and living.” Samantha explained, setting down her cup with a cool smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“I’m sorry…” Conrad finally said after a bit.

“Don’t apologize. We’re just related by blood, that’s it,” she cut him off, and Conrad was left without anything to say. She wasn’t wrong; to them, she was just some DNA relative.

The awkward quiet hung around, but then the Vanderbilt’s butler, Bailey Wells, piped up, “Sir, the party is all set.”

“Okay. By the way, how many cakes did the chefs make?” Hansel wanted to know.

Bailey looked confused, not sure where Hansel was going with this, but answered, “Just one, Sir.”

“All right. Just to let you know, this is Samantha Vanderbilt, my real daughter. She will be replacing Adrienne’s position from now on,” Hansel said, introducing Samantha to Bailey, who nodded with respect. Bailey just said, “Hello, Ms. Vanderbilt, like it was any other day.

Royce watched, happy to see that the Vanderbilts were still all about family first.

While everyone was silently taking this in, Enzo was on his phone, thumbs flying.

Sammie’sMinion: [Ahem! Attention, everyone! Good news! Boss has found her family!] He got a flood of messages back right away.

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15:35 Fri, May 31

Chapter 3

BrokeEmployee: [Really But will Boss reunite with them? With her temper, this spells trouble, no?]

Sammie’s No.1Simp: [Noted. If the Vanderbilt family dares to lay a finger on Ms. Vanderbilt, I will kick their asses!]

TopFan: [Agreed! But how did you replace out?]

68%

Sammie’sMinion: [Because I’m right here, duh! Ms. Vanderbilt brought two documents along-the DNA test and the disowning deed. Let me tell you, she knocked them out of the park! What’s more, she even ruined her new Dawncat bag?]

No.2Fan: [You mean that bag worth tens of millions of dollars? The one that only has three in the world? Jeez, Ms. Vanderbilt sure is loaded!]

Ms Vanderbilt’sFutureGF: [What! No way! Why’d you trash it? I would ve taken it’]

Enzo chuckled at the flurry of texts, and then sneaked a peek at Samantha’s bag beside her. It was all beat up with patched spots and even a couple of tiny holes-it looked more like thrift store material than a swanky designer piece. No one would guess it was a mega-expensive, designer bag that got rich folks in a bidding war the minute it hit the market.

“So ready to bounce, Sammie?” Kathleen glanced at her, kinda unsure.

Samantha just nodded without much emotion and stood up, giving a little smile. Taking her cue, Christopher got up, and they headed out one by one.

Cracking the door open, they caught sight of the guests hanging around, looking kinda guilty.

“Sammie, you wanna come chill with us later?” Kathleen ventured.

“Nah, I’ll just grab a bite and park it wherever. Don’t sweat it,” Samantha brushed off the offer, keeping her cool, rebel vil Despite her plain Jane look compared to the glam around her, her knockout beauty made everyone do a double-take was the spitting image of young Kathleen.

That got folks whispering like crazy, speculating about Samantha being a true Vanderbilt. Rumor mill going full tilt, al

landed on Samantha.

But she didn’t even flinch. She just strolled over to where the eats were, picked a spot, and started in on some snacks. Roy had bugged her about meeting her family earlier, so after a super long day, Samantha wasn’t in the mood. Pronto, she rang up her lawyer, Logan Price, to whip up some papers. Being in the neighborhood, she dashed over to the party with her documents, even after a tussle with the security guys out front. After a while, Samantha turned that stew of feelings into a full-on craving. She scoffed down food fast; to any outsider, especially Christopher, she seemed like a hamster hoarding for

a food stash.

Walking over to her, he saw Samantha polishing off her last pastry and about to slam her drink when he reached out to stop her. “Hey, kids shouldn’t hit the hard stuff. Here, try some juice, he said softly, sliding a glass of orange juice her way.

Samantha chuckled, totally chill, and leaned back in her chair, giving him a look. “Look, Mr. Wright, we’re both the same age. You’re not the boss of me. Plus, today I’m officially an adult. Her face changed to a serious look as she lifted her glass, put it to her lips, and downed her drink in one gulp.

Christopher was taken aback for a second. Right, she’s a Vanderbilt, and it’s her birthday too. He began to say, “Sorry. I forgot that today is…” but stopped himself.

Samantha’s face started turning red from the drink, but she was still sharp as a tack. She burst out laughing and then slammed her glass down hard. “What’s with you guys, always saying sorry? If you’re really sorry, know what you did wrong first!” She was getting fired up and held onto the glass tightly. Ever since she was a kid, she couldn’t stand apologies-they just got under her skin. As she remembered old times, a cloud of sadness came over Samantha now sitting in silence.

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