Ficorpio
Chapter 1
When the biological heiress came home, I—the mute mistaken heiress—was supposed to be thrown out.
“Mom, Dad, please let Chloe stay,” she said gently. “She’s so pitiful.”
My parents praised her kindness, and I hurriedly signed my thanks.
Later, the biological heiress pinned me down.
Unable to speak, I could only tremble as I signed that she was a bastard.
The woman who clearly understood sign language put on an innocent expression.
“What? You want me to do it again?”
Me: ?
The day Evelyn Bennett returned to the Bennett family, everyone at the estate was delighted.
Their biological daughter was tall and beautiful, with bright, expressive eyes and a gentle disposition. She was practically the perfect child—the kind everyone else’s parents wished they had.
Meanwhile, I stood in a corner, my heart full of dread.
Because the Bennetts were going to throw me out.
A mute girl.
A fool who couldn’t even get into college.
A fake daughter who had dragged the Bennett family’s reputation down for eighteen years.
If they didn’t want me anymore, it was only reasonable.
I lowered my eyes in disappointment, my lashes casting a thin, pitiful shadow across my face.
Then Evelyn looked toward me. Her eyes were gentle and warm.
“Mom, is that Chloe?”
Eleanor Bennett swept me an irritated glance. “Yes.”
“Born mute, timid and useless, and not very bright either. She just stands there like an idiot. She’s brought nothing but shame to the Bennett family all these years. Thank goodness your father and I found you.”
Richard Bennett continued, “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll send Chloe away soon.”
I heard every word.
Without meaning to, I lowered my head even further.
Timid and self-conscious.
But Evelyn pressed her lips together.
“I don’t think we should throw Chloe out. Her family of origin has been gone for years, and she’s weak. A girl on her own wouldn’t even be able to guarantee herself food, warmth, or safety.”
I looked up at her in surprise.
She wasn’t going to throw me out?
Richard and Eleanor were just as astonished.
But this was Evelyn’s first request after returning to the Bennett family, and after a brief discussion, they agreed.
Besides, immediately casting out the mistaken heiress they had raised for eighteen years would damage the family’s public image. They might even be able to use her in a strategic marriage alliance and squeeze a final bit of value out of her.
Foolish or not, she could still have children.
So long as she could give birth, that was enough.
After showering Evelyn with praise for her kindness, Richard finally turned to me and ordered coldly, “Chloe, come over here and thank Evelyn. From now on, you’ll do as she says.”
I walked over awkwardly and began signing.
Tears glimmered in my eyes, making them look damp and vulnerable.
【Thank you.】
“No need to be so formal.”
Unexpectedly, Evelyn understood sign language.
It made sense, I supposed. My biological mother was deaf and mute.
Chapter 2
Evelyn had lived with her for eighteen years. She would have learned to sign whether she wanted to or not.
Guilt surged through me.
I was the mute girl who had taken another daughter’s place. Ashamed, I lowered my head.
I failed to notice the dark, hungry gaze resting on the crown of my head, hidden so carefully that it was almost as if it were devouring me.
Because the legal name-and-family-record change was so complicated, Evelyn Bennett still hadn’t been able to reclaim the Bennett surname.
She had already moved into the largest bedroom in the house—the one with the best natural light.
Haute-couture dresses, extravagant jewelry, the latest electronics… Richard and Eleanor Bennett kept buying more and more for her.
Evelyn barely glanced at any of it. She picked up a large pink diamond and tossed it aside.
The gentle expression she wore in public had vanished, leaving only cold impatience behind.
I peeked around the doorframe, secretly watching her.
Then the corner of her eye caught sight of me.
When she turned her head, her expression instantly shifted back into one of harmless warmth. She gave me a small smile, her bright eyes and delicate features suddenly captivating.
“Chloe, come in. You can choose any of the jewelry or dresses you like.”
I shook my head, but my gaze drifted toward the Nintendo Switch on the table.
Evelyn followed my eyes.
“Oh. You want to play this?”
I nodded.
She beckoned me closer.
“Come here. Want me to play with you?”
I nervously glanced toward Richard and Eleanor’s bedroom and didn’t move.
“Don’t be afraid. I won’t tell Mom and Dad. We can play together in secret.”
Evelyn really was kind. Letting go of my hesitation, I carefully walked over and sat down beside her.
“Which one do you want to play?”
I pointed at a game cartridge lying nearby. Its title read Overcooked!
“All right. Let’s play this one.”
Evelyn took out the cartridge and inserted it into the console, her slender fingers wrapping around the controller. Her nails were neatly trimmed and spotless.
A moment later, the little characters on the screen began running around.
Back in school, the girl who sat beside me had owned a Nintendo Switch too. I’d been desperate to try it, but she thought I was strange because I couldn’t speak and had never let me touch it.
Now, watching Evelyn play, I couldn’t contain my curiosity. Without realizing it, I leaned closer and closer.
When she completed an incredibly difficult level by timing everything perfectly, I got so excited that I suddenly bumped my chin against Evelyn’s.
Chapter 3
“Ah.”
She drew in a quiet breath of pain.
I’d messed up!
I hurriedly pulled away and apologized in sign language.
【I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Please don’t be angry. I didn’t mean to.】
Then I pressed my palms together and begged for forgiveness, looking like a puppy pleading after getting into trouble.
Once, I had accidentally scratched Eleanor’s hand, leaving a shallow mark. As punishment, she had made me kneel in the living room for two days without letting me eat.
At the time, I’d felt as if I were going to die.
But Evelyn wasn’t angry at all. Instead, she smiled and gently patted my head.
Her hand smelled wonderful.
“It was just a little accident. Why would I blame you? You don’t have to be afraid of me.”
I froze.
In my eighteen years with the Bennett Family, I had never experienced this kind of kindness.
My nose stung. I lifted my hand, wanting to rub the spot on her chin where I had hurt her.
Evelyn didn’t pull away. She let me touch her.
After a moment, she gently closed her hand around my wrist. There was a trace of hesitation in her voice.
“Chloe, keeping your head tilted while you stare at the screen will hurt your eyes. Why don’t you sit on my lap?”
I blinked.
Sit on her lap?
Evelyn parted her long legs, as though she understood my confusion.
“Or you could sit between my legs. I can hold you from behind so you can see better, and I can guide your hands while I teach you how to play.”
“Do you want to?”
I hesitated for a moment.
In the end, the temptation of the game was too much. I gave a small nod.
Evelyn shifted backward, leaving space in front of her.
I sat down stiffly, and her arms slipped around my waist from either side. She rested her chin lightly on my shoulder.
“Isn’t this more comfortable?”
As she spoke, her warm breath brushed against my ear, hot and ticklish.
Completely enclosed in the tall girl’s embrace, I shifted my shoulders uneasily.
It was more comfortable.
But why did it feel so strange?
Before long, the game had completely captured my attention.
After demonstrating the controls a few times, Evelyn let me hold the controller and play on my own. Whenever I got stuck, I grew so frustrated that I couldn’t even make a sound. She would simply cover my hands with hers and guide me through the level.
She was unbelievably patient and gentle.
Privately, I couldn’t help feeling relieved. Thank goodness the Returning Biological Heiress the Bennett family had found was Evelyn. Otherwise, I would have been thrown out of the house long ago.
Suddenly, someone knocked on Evelyn’s bedroom door.
I jolted in alarm and tried to spring out of her arms, but she held me firmly in place, leaving me unable to move.