WTF?

WTF?
BEN POV

I stared at her in disbelief.

This had to be some kind of joke, right?
We looked nothing alike.

I walked past her, bumping into her as I headed to the parking lot where I had parked Clay’s car.

She was running after me like she hadn’t abandoned me 30 years ago.
“Ben, listen to me, honey.”
“Hey, slow down!”

Once she caught up with me, she grabbed my arm, and I spun around, facing her.
“What do you want?”
She let go of my arm.

“Is this how the Rebels raised my only child? To be rude to her own biological mother?”

I scoffed in annoyance, crossing my arms over my chest.

“You are not my mother, and I am not your child. The baby you selfishly abandoned in the hospital died years ago.”
She looked taken aback.

“I know you’re saying this because you’re angry, but trust me, Ben, I care about you, and that’s why I came to this place so that I could talk to you.”
I remained silent.

“Talk to me about what? From what I’ve heard, you’re only interested in the money you’re getting from the Rebels.”
She smiled.

“You think that family loves you? I guess you know the truth. The moment Asher came into their lives, they all turned their backs on you because you’re not related by blood. You’ve just been their substitute and nothing else.”

I couldn’t listen to her lies anymore.

Tears filled my eyes.

“Why are you badmouthing the Rebels? Unlike you, they raised me and gave me an education that led me to where I am today. What did you do in my life aside from giving birth to me?”

She remained silent.

“You dumped me in that godforsaken hospital and left a newborn baby to fend for herself… Why didn’t you just leave me in an orphanage? Instead, you sold me for a couple of thousand dollars.”

I didn’t believe her fake story of trying to play mother hen.

“Just leave me alone; you’ve already done enough damage.”

I opened the car door.

“I heard that you have a daughter, and that makes me a grandma… will I ever see her?”

She was more delusional than I thought.
I ignored her and drove off, leaving her stranded in the parking lot.
She didn’t want to make amends.
She had other plans, and I wasn’t going to be used as a pawn.

For the next thirty minutes, I wasn’t ready to go back home. I drove around in circles, lost in thought.

I had lost my only source of income when I gave up my position as CEO at New Way Group.

How was I going to take care of Alessia?
Maybe I should put up a fight and not give up easily. But I didn’t have a say in the matter because Asher was their biological son and the true heir of the Rebels.
He was right; I was just a girl they took pity on, and now that he was here, I was tossed aside like garbage.

It felt like karma.

I deserved it for breaking Nolan’s heart.
Giving up my position as CEO hurt more than anything... but for my daughter’s sake, I was going to swallow my pride and walk back into that office and take whatever offer came my way.
I wasn’t going to let one setback ruin everything I had worked hard to accomplish.

I sighed softly and drove back to Clay’s house.

An hour later, I arrived at the apartment and found Clay doing some light cleaning.
“How was the meeting?” he asked.

I sighed deeply.

As much as I wanted to lie, Clay was my best friend, and I couldn’t keep the truth from him.

“I think I just lost my fucking job and my family,” I muttered, throwing my tired body on the sofa.

Clay looked concerned.

“What happened?”

I told him everything from the beginning and how Asher was bent on ruining my life until he got back what I supposedly stole from him, and how I met my biological mother moments later.

He sat beside me.

“Girl, that is some drama wave script right there… and sorry to say this, but your mother is a bitch.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Drama wave?”

He grinned.

“It’s this online mini-series platform I’ve been obsessed with, but anyway, back to the point: so what are you going to do? Clearly, you can’t stay with your mother because she turned her back on you for the sake of her precious son.”
I nodded quietly.

“Yeah, she’s not an option right now, but I do have to get my car.”

Clay handed me a cold beer.
“You need it, Ben.”
I sighed softly.

“You and Alessia can crash in the guest room until you figure things out.”
I took a sip of the beer.

“I can't afford to give up now, Clay… I’ve been working at that company ever since I could walk, and CEO or not, I am going back there even if it means I have to start from scratch.”

He grasped my hand.

“Is it worth it? We both know that Ambrose left you some shares in the company.”
I nodded quietly, taking a swig of my beer.

I nodded quietly, taking a swig of my beer.
“Tomorrow, I’m going back,” I said softly, mostly to myself.

Clay exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. “You sure about that? That boy’s got fire in his eyes, Ben. He’s not going to make it easy for you.”

“I know,” I whispered. “But I’ve worked too hard to just walk away. Everything I have, everything Alessia has, came from that company. I’m not giving it up without a fight.”

He studied me for a moment, his eyes full of worry. “You always do this, you know. You walk straight into the fire like you’re made of stone.”

“Maybe I am,” I said, forcing a small smile. “Maybe that’s the only way I survive.”

That night, I barely slept. My mind replayed every word Asher had thrown at me, every bitter look. I kept thinking about how twisted fate had been, how two babies born on the same day had been switched, how my entire life had been borrowed, built on a lie I hadn’t even known existed.

He blamed me for living the life that was supposed to be his.
And maybe, deep down, I couldn’t blame him for hating me.

But I wasn’t the enemy. I was just another victim of a cruel mistake.

The Next Morning I went back.

The Rebels’ headquarters felt different now colder, emptier. I could feel the stares following me as I walked down the hall. People whispered, and I knew exactly what they were saying.

That’s the girl who stole Asher Rebel’s life.
The impostor.
The fraud.

I kept my head high, even though my heart was pounding.

Asher’s new secretary, a young woman with nervous eyes, jumped slightly when she saw me. “He’s expecting you, Miss Cortez.”

I froze at the name.

It was still strange hearing it. For thirty years, I’d been Benedykta Rebel. Overnight, I became Benedykta Cortez, the daughter of a woman who had sold her own child for a handful of cash.

“I’ll handle it,” I said quietly and pushed the door open.

Asher sat behind the desk that used to be mine. His suit was sharp, his grin sharper.

“Well, well. If it isn’t the princess who lived my life,” he said mockingly. “Come to gloat?”

I ignored the jab. “I came to talk, Asher. I want to help you. I know this company better than anyone. Let me mentor you through the transition.”

He barked out a laugh. “Mentor me? You think I want help from the woman who stole my family? My childhood?”

“I didn’t steal anything,” I said, keeping my tone steady. “We were switched at birth. Neither of us asked for this.”

“You got mansions, private schools, and a future,” he shot back, stepping closer. “I got poverty and a mother who could barely feed me. So don’t stand there and talk about fate like it’s fair.”

I swallowed hard. “You can hate me all you want, Asher, but you don’t have to destroy everything around you.”

He smirked. “Watch me.”

Before I could react, he started pulling things off my old desk files, photos, awards and shoving them into a cardboard box.

“Asher, what are you doing?”

He ignored me and shouted, “Security!”

My heart raced. Two guards stepped inside, hesitant.

“Help Miss Cortez pack up her things,” Asher ordered. “She won’t be needing this office anymore.”

I took a step forward. “You’re making a mistake. This company needs leadership, not your anger.”

He turned sharply, eyes cold. “And you’ll still be part of it… just not as a leader.”

He shoved the box into my arms, the frame of Alessia and me slipping out and shattering on the floor.

“As of today,” he continued, his voice calm and cruel, “you’ll be my personal assistant. You’ll get my coffee, take my notes, and remember every single day what it feels like to lose everything.”

Laughter rippled quietly through the hallway as people pretended not to watch. My cheeks burned with humiliation, but I refused to let him see me cry.

I turned on my heel and walked out.

Two Weeks Later

Being Asher’s assistant was torture. He made me redo reports, fetch his coffee, and stand through meetings he knew I didn’t belong in. Every insult was deliberate, every smirk a reminder that I was living a life that should have been his.

I kept my head down and did the work. For Alessia. For survival.

But today, he crossed the line.

We were in the conference room, reviewing quarterly reports. I handed him a file, and he barely glanced at it before slamming it on the table.

“You call this work?” he barked. “You can’t even handle basic numbers.”

“That wasn’t me,” I said quietly. “The accounting team—”

“Don’t you dare blame someone else!” His voice rose, sharp and venomous. “You’ve been spoon-fed all your life, and you still can’t do anything right.”

Something in me snapped. “I didn’t ask to live your life, Asher. I didn’t ask to be adopted. I didn’t even know until it was too late.”

He glared at me, his jaw tight. “You had everything I was supposed to have. And now, you’ll feel what it’s like to be nothing.”

He stepped closer, invading my space. “You’re just a mistake that got lucky.”

The words hit hard, but I stood my ground. “And you’re a bitter man who can’t see past his own pain.”

That’s when he shoved the folder against my chest hard. I stumbled backward, my heel catching the leg of the chair. The world tilted. My vision blurred.

Then everything went black.

When I opened my eyes, the light was too bright. My body ached. A soft beeping filled the air.

“Ben?”

I turned my head weakly. Nolan was sitting beside me, his eyes filled with worry. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days.

“What… happened?” I whispered.

“You fainted at the office,” he said quietly. “They called me. You hit your head pretty bad.”

I blinked, disoriented. “Asher—”

“Don’t talk about him right now,” Nolan said sharply, then sighed, softening. “He’s been suspended for the week. You’re safe.”

Before I could respond, the nurse entered the room, smiling kindly. “Glad to see you awake, Miss Cortez.”

The name felt strange again. Like it didn’t belong to me.

She glanced down at her clipboard. “We ran some tests to make sure everything was all right. There’s something you should know.”

My heart raced. “What is it?”

She smiled. “Congratulations, you’re pregnant.”

The air left my lungs. I froze, staring at her as the words echoed in my head.

Pregnant.

I turned my head toward Nolan. His eyes widened in shock.

I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know how to feel. My life had already been turned upside down, and now everything was about to change again.