Chapter 1

The engagement party was a spectacle, a perfect performance of wealth and love staged on the sprawling lawn of the Scott family's lakeside estate. A year ago, I was Jocelyn Todd from a rundown block in Detroit, now I was the celebrated heiress, supposedly cherished and adored.

They had showered me with affection, Mr. and Mrs. Scott, my supposed parents, and Andrew, my charismatic older brother. They told me I was the missing piece of their perfect family, the daughter they had mourned for twenty years.

Tonight was the grand finale of their year-long production. They gifted me a thick portfolio containing a significant portion of Scott Automotive stock, and my fiancé, Ethan Lester, the son of their biggest business rival, had orchestrated this lavish event to announce our union to the world.

I felt a genuine warmth spread through my chest, a feeling I had craved my entire life. I had a family. I was loved. The gratitude brought tears to my eyes.

Andrew, ever the protective older brother, took my arm. His smile was warm, his eyes kind. "Ready, little sister? Ethan's waiting. It's time to make it official."

He started leading me toward Ethan, who stood on a small, elevated stage, looking every bit the handsome tycoon's son. The crowd of Michigan's elite applauded softly.

It was in that moment, as I took the first step, that my world fractured.

Text, bright and glowing, flooded my vision, overlaying the perfect scene like a digital ghost.

[LOL, she's actually crying. A few worthless stock certificates and she's totally fooled. So naive.]

The words floated right next to Andrew' s smiling face. I stopped dead, my breath catching in my throat.

["A vintage Mustang for my vintage girl," Ethan is so cringe. Can't wait for him to be with our girl Gabby.]

[When does this part end? I need to see this toxic side character get destroyed and Gabby get her revenge!]

[Just wait, the Likeability Score is at 99. Once this engagement is official, it hits 100, and we can finally see the real show.]

I froze, my hand tightening on Andrew's arm. The comments kept scrolling, a torrent of horrifying truth. This entire year, this love, this family-it was all a lie. A performance for an unseen audience. They weren't atoning for a mistake, they were "leveling up" a score.

The text revealed their entire plan. Once the engagement was official and the score hit its peak, they would frame me for a corporate crime. They would disown me, strip me of the Scott name and my inheritance, and give it all to Gabby, the girl I thought was the housekeeper's daughter, the girl they had raised as their own.

My destiny, they called it. After they had taken everything, a convenient "accident" would ensure I never troubled them again.

I shuddered, a cold dread washing over me, so intense it made my legs weak. The warmth I felt moments ago was gone, replaced by a chilling emptiness. The faces of my "family" now looked like masks.

"Jocelyn, what's wrong?" Andrew' s voice was still gentle, but a flicker of impatience crossed his eyes. "Everyone's waiting."

Ethan's charming smile tightened at the edges. "Jocelyn, darling? Don't make a spectacle."

My mother, Maria Scott, gave me a sharp, warning look from the front row. "Pull yourself together, dear."

They were all in on it. The realization was a physical blow. I looked at the portfolio in my hands, the "worthless stock certificates." I had to know for sure. I had to test it.

I took a deep breath, forcing a shaky, apologetic smile onto my face.

"I'm sorry," I said, my voice trembling just enough to sound overwhelmed with emotion. "I'm just so happy. But before we make it official... there's one small thing."

I held up the portfolio. "This gift... it means so much to me. It makes everything feel so real. To make this moment perfect, could we have the family lawyer come up and notarize the stock transfer right now? In front of all our friends and family?"

The effect was instantaneous.

Andrew's hand, which was resting on my back, went rigid. Ethan's charming facade crumbled completely, his face paling. My parents, Clark and Maria, exchanged a look of pure panic.

The floating text in my vision exploded.

[Notarize it now? Why would she ask that?]

[The certificates are fakes! The real ones were already signed over to Gabby! This will expose everything!]

[Ugh, this side character is so annoying. No wonder nobody in her real family likes her. Always making trouble.]

It was all true. The papers in my hand were a prop. My heart felt like a block of ice.