Her Story: Rise Of Tiffany

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They used to laugh together, joke around, and even argue, sometimes playfully, sometimes seriously.

Tany would blink her big eyes and tug at Richard’s arm playfully. When she was upset, she’d blush like an angry kitten, scratching or even biting him.

But now, all she did was call him “Mr. Hampton” with a blank expression and keep her distance.

‘Why have things come to this?‘ Richard thought.

June’s words from earlier echoed in his mind. She’d claimed Tiffany’s conflict with him stemmed from that woman, Jennie.

At the appraisal conference earlier, Richard had seen Jennie, the woman who supposedly resembled Tiffany. But to him, there was no comparison. Jennie was a mere imitation, a counterfeit that didn’t hold a candle to the original.

With that thought, Richard slowly drifted off to sleep.

As soon as his eyes closed, memories began flooding his mind, distant, fragmented, yet familiar. They felt like pieces of a life–long past, rushing over him like waves, pulling him under.

A sudden knock jolted Richard awake. “Mr. Hampton, I found something!” John Ross’s voice came from behind the door.

“Come in,” Richard called.

John burst in, holding a stack of documents and photos. “Mr. Hampton, there’s definitely something off about Jennie! Look

at this!”

John laid out an old photo. “This was taken when Jennie was a child. Most of her photos were destroyed, but this one was secretly saved by a servant years ago.”

In the photo, Jennie looked about ten years old, wearing a school uniform and beaming with confidence.

But something didn’t add up. She didn’t look anything like she did now.

Jennie looked so different that she must have had plastic surgery. Otherwise, it’d be impossible for her to grow up to look like she did now.

John’s anger boiled over. “What’s her deal? Is she so jealous of Madam’s beauty that she altered her face to look like her? She must have ulterior motives!”

John Ross looked up, expecting agreement, but Richard wasn’t paying attention. Instead, his gaze was fixed on the window, a rare, distant look in his eyes.

“Mr. Hampton?” John Ross called softly.

Richard snapped out of his thoughts, his cold demeanor softening slightly with a faint smile.

Without a word, he rose and leapt out the window.

“Mr. Hampton?” John Ross rushed to the sill, but by the time he got there, Richard was already gone.

“He’s getting faster at this,” John Ross muttered, shaking his head. He had a feeling Richard was heading straight to Tiffany. John had a feeling Tiffany was still angry and refused to see Richard.

John was right.

When Richard arrived at Luna Villa, its top–level security system was already active. Electric fences, alarms, and motion

detectors were all operational. Not even Richard could bypass it.

Ironically, this fortress–like security had been his idea to protect Tiffany. And now, it was keeping him out.

Standing at the gate, Richard sighed and resigned himself to waiting.

Inside, Tiffany was feeling unwell again. She had just come out of the bathroom, looking pale and exhausted.

June noticed her state and asked the kitchen to prepare clam chowder, but the smell only made Tiffany feel worse.

“Take it away! Now!” she ordered.

June quickly had the soup removed, but the lingering smell in the bedroom still made Tiffany nauseous.

Hoping for some relief, Tiffany walked to the window to open it. As she pulled back the curtains, her eyes caught sight of a car parked outside and the figure standing beside it.

‘Why is he here? It’s so late, Tiffany thought.

Tiffany fought the sudden wave of emotion. She’d made up her mind to break things off cleanly. Dragging it out would only make things harder.

But her hand instinctively went to her stomach.

Tiffany was pregnant and two months along.. Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

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She’d assumed her loss of appetite was due to stress or an upset stomach. It wasn’t until a servant mentioned her symptoms that she realized what was happening. June had later confirmed it.

The divorce papers had already been sent. Tiffany had no intention of telling Richard about the baby. The less he knew, the better her chances of raising the child on her own.

Downstairs, Richard seemed to sense her gaze. He looked up, his eyes searching for hers.

Panicking, Tiffany quickly pulled the curtains shut.

As the smell dissipated, the nausea eventually passed, and Tiffany lay back in bed.

“Miss Kelley, you should eat something,” June said gently. “It’s not just for you. You need to think about the baby too.”

Tiffany said, “Bring it here.”

June had the maids serve some light vegetarian dishes, carefully prepared with minimal oil. Tiffany managed to eat half before exhaustion overtook her again.

It was nearly midnight after Tiffany had eaten. Before bed, she checked the window again. Richard was still there The fog had grown thicker, obscuring his figure, but she knew he was looking toward her room.

Tiffany closed the curtains and returned to bed. She didn’t sleep well that night.

As dawn broke, rain began to fall. Tiffany jolted awake, ran to the window, and looked outside. The car was gone, and so was Richard. Relief washed over her.

People often said her heart was made of ice but she knew better. A part of her had been hollowed out long ago.

Richard returned to Royal Bay just as the sun rose.

His hair and clothes were damp with dew, but his disheveled state only enhanced his striking features.

John met him at the door. “Mr. Hampton, you’re back! Let me guess. Did Mrs. Hampton refuse to see you?”

John sounded strangely happy about it.

Richard shot him a sharp look. “Get Garry for me.”

“Right now?”

“Is there a problem?”

“No! I’ll go right now!” John ran off.

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Garry happened to be at Royal Bay that day. John and Garry even made a bet about whether Richard got to see Tiffany.

John didn’t waste any time and forced open Garry’s bedroom door. John shook Garry. “Mr. York, wake up!”