Reborn Early: Kicking Out the Fake Heiress

In my past life, after being taken back into the Horton family, I choose to study medicine so I can look after Willow Horton—the fake daughter who is frail and sickly. But she pretends her illness gets worse and slanders me. She says that not only am I unable to save her, but I also want to snatch everything she has. My fiance, Jason Fuller, fully believes her and joins forces with the Hortons to kick me out. Not long after, I contract tuberculosis and die on the street. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day I was brought into the Horton family at five years old. Jason stands before my birth parents, pointing at me as he says, "Mr. and Mrs. Horton, make no mistake. This girl isn't your biological daughter at all." Looking at the disgust on his face, I know he has been reborn too. After my birth parents leave in disappointment, Jason hands me a piece of candy. "The Hortons only need one daughter. Since you want to steal her place, neither the Horton family nor I can keep you around." Chapter 1 I clenched the candy tightly, its hard edges almost piercing through my palm. That was right. In Jason Fuller's past life, he saw me as a vicious, jealous person—someone who couldn't cure Willow Horton. After all, Willow's condition still took a turn for the worse because of me. So, now that I had been reborn, there was naturally no reason for someone as scheming as me to return to the Horton family. I smiled and held back my tears. I wiped the corners of my eyes hard and told myself that Quinn Horton was already dead—that the person alive now was me. I turned and walked to a corner of the orphanage. Not long after, a black Rolls-Royce stopped at the gate, and the orphanage director led in an elderly man with graying hair. All the children in the orphanage erupted with excitement. They swarmed around him like a flock of chicks, chattering noisily and scrambling to show off. "Hello, sir!" "Sir, let me sing for you!" "Sir, look at the picture I drew!" Only I remained quietly in an inconspicuous corner, looking like an outsider. The elderly man, Peter Stewart, noticed me. He parted the crowd, leaning on his cane as he walked toward me step by step. "Little one, why are you here all by yourself? Do they not like you?" he asked. I shook my head, then looked up and held out that piece of candy, now slightly warm from my grip. "Sir, have some candy." I tried my best to show calm and maturity beyond my age. Mr. Stewart paused for a moment, clearly somewhat surprised. Then he took the candy, unwrapped it, and put it in his mouth. He smiled contentedly, saying, "Mmm, it's very sweet." He studied me for a moment before asking, "What's your name?" "The director calls me Quinn." "Quinn…" He repeated it once and nodded. "Would you like to go home with me? And be my granddaughter." The surroundings instantly quieted down. All the children's eyes were focused on me, filled with jealousy. I didn't hesitate at all and nodded vigorously. "Yes!" Mr. Stewart laughed heartily, his voice booming. "Alright! From today on, your name will be Quinn Stewart." He took my hand, his palm warm and dry. "A name meaning wisdom… Quinn is a good name. "Kid, I hope you'll grow into a priceless gem." I understood the trust and hope behind his words. In that moment, I gripped his hand tightly. I would become the pride of the Stewart family. … Grandpa treasured me like a jewel. He personally taught me to read and write, as well as how to carry myself in the world. His children were busy with work, but whenever they came home, they always brought me all kinds of interesting gifts and genuinely cared about me. The one who doted on me the most was my older brother, Timothy Stewart, who was ten years older than me. When he first met me, a gentle smile appeared on his stern face. "No one lays a finger on my little sister." This was something he said all the time. After being surrounded by so much love, I almost forgot the pain of my past life. I studied hard, and from elementary school to high school, I always ranked first. Trophies and certificates from all kinds of competitions filled my room. In college, I chose medicine without hesitation. I did it because I knew Willow's illness was a pain that the Hortons and Jason would carry with them forever. It was also a sword hanging over my head. 20 years later, I became the youngest and most renowned physician and medical researcher in the country. Chapter 2 Life was peaceful and fulfilling, and I thought the people from the Hortons would disappear from my life forever. Then one day, my assistant, Alicia Larsen, knocked on my office door. "Dr. Stewart, there's a Mr. Jason outside who specifically requested to see you. He said he wants you to treat his fiancee and booked an appointment with the most expensive specialist." Hearing that name, my heart still clenched involuntarily. I took a deep breath and forced down the emotions rising inside me. Keeping my voice calm and steady, I said, "Let him in." A cold, imposing man walked into my office. The boyish innocence he once had was now gone, replaced by sharper, more refined features. The moment Jason saw me, he froze. Those deep eyes of his were filled with shock and disbelief. He never imagined that the medical specialist he had gone to such lengths to find would be me, the woman he had cast aside 20 years ago. After a long while, he finally found his voice again. His tone was full of doubt as he asked, "You… You're Dr. Stewart?" I nodded. "Mr. Fuller, please have a seat and tell me about your fiancee's condition." But he seemed not to hear me. Instead, he scrutinized me. "You're really a doctor? How confident are you that you can cure my fiancee?" He regarded me as though I were some kind of con artist. Standing beside me, Alicia couldn't take it anymore and finally spoke up. "Sir, Dr. Stewart is the most respected specialist at our hospital. Her time is extremely valuable!" I looked at Jason, a faint smile tugging at the corner of my lips. "It seems Mr. Fuller doesn't quite trust my professional ability. In that case, this consultation is canceled. "Alicia, see the guest out." Jason's expression instantly turned unpleasant. He gritted his teeth, but in the end, he said nothing. He turned and slammed the door behind him. Alicia stomped her feet in anger. "Dr. Stewart, that man is so rude! Who does he think he is?" I smiled indifferently. "It's fine. It's just an ordinary patient." To me, this was indeed nothing more than a minor incident—because it'd been a long time since I had anything to do with them. After work, Jason suddenly appeared at the entrance of the laboratory building and blocked my way. He had a conflicted, sullen expression. I immediately frowned. "Can I help you?" Jason stared at me intently. Only after a long silence did he grit out from between his teeth, "Quinn Horton, I'm warning you—no matter what identity you have now, don't even think about hurting Willow." I nearly laughed from sheer anger. 20 years ago, he was the one who coldly stopped my biological parents from bringing me back to the Hortons. And now, he was even calling me Quinn Horton. He was the one who came looking for me, yet the first thing he did was warn me not to hurt Willow? What made him think I would waste my time on someone like that? I looked at him like he was an unreasonable madman, saying, "Mr. Fuller, my name is Quinn Stewart. Please get my name right. "Besides, I don't know you, let alone your fiancee. "As a doctor, my duty is to save people, not harm them. So why would I hurt a complete stranger?" Jason was stunned, and a flash of shock crossed his face. "You don't remember me?" Seemingly unable to accept this fact, his voice rose unconsciously as he said, "20 years ago, at the gate of the orphanage, I was the one who stopped Mr. and Mrs. Horton—" He stopped halfway, as if even he found his past actions too shameful to speak aloud. As I observed his embarrassed expression, I felt a chill settle over my heart. Of course I remembered. I remembered every look of disgust, every hateful word he had thrown at me. I remembered how he had pushed me away with his own hands, shattering every illusion I had about love and family. Still, I persisted in pretending not to remember. I pretended to rack my brain for a moment before putting on an expression of sudden realization. "Oh…" I deliberately drew out the sound. "It's you!" I looked at him and smiled innocently. "I'm sorry, but 20 years ago was a long time ago. I've long forgotten about it. "Besides, I have so much important research to work on every day. Where would I find the time to remember such trivial things?" Chapter 3 Jason's face instantly turned ashen. Trivial things? To him, that was the major event that had decided my fate. This made him feel far worse than any insult I could have hurled at him. He gritted his teeth and said bitterly, "Stop playing dumb! Don't you hold a grudge against me because I prevented the Hortons from adopting you back then? And now, you're looking for a chance to get revenge on Willow and me!" I finally couldn't hold back and burst out laughing. "Mr. Fuller, aren't you being a little too full of yourself?" I dropped my smile as my gaze turned cold. "Get revenge on you? Are you even worth it? "Speaking of which, I have to thank you. If you hadn't been so determined to stop it back then, I wouldn't ever have gotten the chance to become the granddaughter of Peter Stewart. Neither would I have achieved everything I have today. "So why would I hate you? If anything, I should be thanking you." I spoke casually, yet each word was like a knife, viciously stabbing into Jason's heart. He was left speechless, his face shifting between embarrassment and anger. "Peter Stewart? Stop talking nonsense!" He immediately added mockingly, "You think just because your last name is Stewart, you're related to Peter Stewart? "Stop dreaming. Someone like you could never become part of the Stewarts!" The moment he finished speaking, a black Bentley silently pulled up beside us. The car door opened, and a dignified-looking man stepped out. He strode quickly to my side and casually draped a coat over my shoulders. He didn't even glance at Jason. He just gently ruffled my hair and asked, "Quinn, why haven't you left yet? Grandpa is getting anxious waiting for us." Only then did his gaze fall on Jason. "Quinn, who's this?" he questioned. Taking Timothy's arm, I smiled brightly. "No one. He's only a patient who came in today. We were just chatting for a bit." Jason was completely rooted to the spot. He stared in disbelief at the familiar way Timothy and I interacted, then glanced at the luxury car, which clearly signaled the family's status. He wasn't stupid. Of course he recognized the heir of Stewart Group, Timothy Stewart. He was also aware that Timothy had a younger sister whom the entire Stewart family cherished. However, he never could have dreamed that I was that very sister. His mind involuntarily drifted back to that girl from his previous life, the one who always followed behind him and shyly called his name. And now, that same girl was smiling sweetly as she linked her arm through another man's. While he stood there in a daze, I had already gotten into Timothy's car. … The next day, Alicia told me that Jason had once again scheduled a specialist consultation with me. While helping me organize my files, she grumbled, "Dr. Stewart, is something wrong with Jason? Yesterday, he acted like he didn't trust you at all. But today, he's eagerly coming back again. "He probably found out you're a Stewart and is trying to ride your coattails." I only smiled and said nothing, then signed my name on the appointment request. I wanted to see what kind of act he planned to put on this time.