Chapter 1

I, Sarah, a freshly unemployed paralegal from Chicago, was scrolling through "Heiress Undone," the trashiest, most popular online serial I' d ever had the misfortune to read.

"This writing is an abomination," I muttered, typing furiously. "The protagonist is a doormat, the villains are caricatures, and the plot holes are big enough to drive a truck through."

My comment posted.

A second later, my screen flickered.

[Narrative Correction System Activated: Subject Sarah identified. Critical analysis logged.]

"What the hell?"

[Error in original narrative: Protagonist Ava Chen, true heiress, denied justice. Correction required.]

My apartment dissolved.

One blink, I was in my pajamas. The next, I was standing in a ridiculously opulent hallway, wearing a discreet black dress, holding a tablet that read: "Sarah, Personal Assistant to the Miller Family."

A woman with a face like a clenched fist, Eleanor Miller, was screaming.

"You embarrassed us, Ava! Working as a server at your own sister's birthday party! How could you?"

A younger girl, Brittany, with fake-innocent eyes, clutched her chest. "Mommy, I feel faint. The stress... my heart."

A meek, pretty girl, Ava, stood with her head bowed. "I needed the money, Mrs. Miller."

David Miller, Ava's father, wrung his hands. "Eleanor, dear, perhaps..."

"Perhaps nothing, David! She' s a disgrace!" Eleanor snapped.

A smirking young man, Chad, chimed in, "Always causing trouble, that one."

This was it. The scene I' d just ripped apart online.

My tablet buzzed.

[Objective: Ensure Ava Chen receives justice. Current narrative trajectory: 98% failure.]

[Reward for successful correction: Full royalties from original "Heiress Undone" serial. Estimated: $7.8 million.]

Seven point eight million dollars.

For fixing a story.

My paralegal brain, trained to find loopholes and leverage, kicked in.

This was insane. But the money wasn't.

Ava looked up, her eyes filled with a quiet despair that resonated with every bad day I' d ever had.

The System wanted a correction. These people were cartoon villains. Ava was the wronged protagonist.

And I, apparently, was the plot device.

Eleanor was still ranting. "You will apologize to Brittany immediately!"

Ava flinched.

Okay, System. Okay, Miller family.

I stepped forward.

"Actually," I said, my voice clear and steady, "I think Ava has nothing to apologize for."

All heads swiveled to me.

Eleanor' s eyes narrowed. "And who are you?"

"Sarah. The new personal assistant," I said, tapping my tablet. "And it seems my first duty is to point out some basic decencies."

The System buzzed again. [Protagonist intervention initiated. Narrative deviation: 2%.]

I looked at Ava, then at the stunned faces of the Millers.

This wasn't just about the money anymore, though that was a huge part. This was about the sheer, infuriating injustice of it.

"Ava," I said, my voice firm. "We're going to get you out of this mess. We're going to help you build a life of integrity, away from these... toxic people."

Ava stared at me, a flicker of something unreadable in her eyes. Hope? Disbelief?

Didn't matter. I was in.