Chapter 2
771 Words
I shot an immediate message to my family's private intelligence analyst, ordering a full trace of every detail in Mia's photos.
While waiting for results, Mia updated the group chat with a carefully crafted statement.
Mia: [I know a lot of you are curious about my family, but I can't say much. My elders insist we keep a low profile, so I can't disclose our family name. The jewelry, yacht, and club access are just random luxury perks my family spoils me with. They're nothing special, honestly. I usually hang out alone for these outings, though. It'd be nice to have some friends to tag along with sometime.]
Her calculated modesty sent the class into a full-blown frenzy. Every student rushed to curry favor, desperate to lock in a spot in her inner circle.
Girls flooded the comments with eager requests.
A: [Need a new bestie? I'm free literally anytime!]
B: [Hit me up for your luxury outings—I'll never flake!]
C: [Yacht days sound so unreal, you're so lucky, Mia!]
Boys grew even more fervent in their pursuit. Jasper Grant, whose family owned a statewide luxury hotel chain, was the most aggressive, spamming the chat nonstop to win her over.
Jasper: [Had no idea we had a real old-money heiress in class—I would've shot my shot way sooner! Let me tag along for yacht trips and club nights! I'd be honored! I'll treat you to a fancy dinner soon, fr. Would love to get to know you better.]
I scanned the flood of desperate compliments silently, unimpressed by how easily everyone fell for her fake persona.
The whole class was nothing but a pack of clout chasers.
I held my tongue and waited patiently for my analyst's report.
The detailed breakdown landed in my inbox minutes later.
Mia Carter was the daughter of Linda Carter, our family's housekeeper of ten years.
Linda had been tricked into pregnancy in her younger years, her partner abandoning her entirely. She'd raised Mia single-handedly ever since, scraping by alone for years.
The second I saw Linda's name, old memories crashed over me in full force.
A brutal gang rivalry had erupted when I was young.
Our enemies laid a sophisticated trap, luring most of our security team away from the estate.
The few guards left fought valiantly to hold the perimeter, but they were quickly overwhelmed by invading assailants.
Amid the chaos of the breached mansion, only Linda stayed by my side.
Instead of fleeing to save herself, she locked me safely in the underground blast shelter.
Grabbing my childhood doll, she disguised herself as me and led every intruder away from my hiding spot.
The attackers realized they'd been duped and savagely assaulted her.
Covered in brutal wounds, she stalled them long enough for our backup security team to arrive.
Thanks to her sacrifice, I escaped completely unharmed.
Grateful for her life-saving loyalty, my father rewarded her with unprecedented privileges.
Her salary quadrupled overnight.
She received full unrestricted access to our private estate, marina, and exclusive member-only club. We even leased a high-end downtown apartment for mother and daughter to live in rent-free.
Every private school tuition fee and miscellaneous expense for Mia's education came directly out of our family funds.
Even the gift cards Mia splashed around school were fully reimbursed through our corporate accounts.
'So all those "generous" gifts are just my money.'
A cold, bitter laugh bubbled up in my chest as I continued reading the report.
Linda had abused her special access repeatedly, sneaking Mia into our private marina and exclusive club for staged photos.
Our family's priceless heirlooms and luxury yachts were free game for Mia's fake rich-girl aesthetic, letting her leech off the Voss name to gain social clout at school.
Rage simmered hot in my veins. I reached for my phone, ready to call my father and put an immediate end to this ridiculous charade.
A new message from my analyst stopped me cold—a direct quote from my father.
Analyst: Linda's sacrifice saved my daughter's life. This is merely a child's vain posturing, no real financial loss or malicious scheme. Let it pass for now. No punishment necessary.
I closed my eyes, swallowing back my frustration in helpless compromise.
Gratitude outweighed my irritation. No matter how outrageous Mia's act was, I couldn't bring myself to ruin Linda's life over her daughter's petty vanity.
I typed a quick reply to my father.
Elaine: Understood. I'll respect your decision.
However, I had no idea then that my mercy would only fuel Mia's endless greed and arrogance. Every compromise would be taken as weakness.
- Writer
