My Heiress Life, My System

Chapter 1 of my life was a fairy tale: Jocelyn Todd, orphan no more, adopted by the wealthy Scott family and about to marry a charming scion. My engagement party was a lavish spectacle, a testament to the love and affection I' d finally found. Standing beside my "protective" older brother, Andrew, watching my fiancé Ethan across the lawn, I finally felt loved, complete. But then, as I took my first step towards my future, my world fractured.

Bright, glowing text flooded my vision, overlaying the perfect scene: "LOL, she' s actually crying. A few worthless stock certificates and she' s totally fooled. So naive." My family' s affectionate smiles transformed into chilling masks as I read on, discovering their monstrous plan. The year of love was a performance, and I was merely a prop to boost their "Likeability Score." Once official, they'd frame me for a corporate crime, strip me of everything, and dispose of me, all to benefit Gabby, their real "daughter."

The warmth in my chest turned to ice. They weren't just betraying me; they were orchestrating my destruction. My "parents," "brother," and fiancé-all in on it. They saw me as a disposable pawn, intended for a tragic, convenient "accident." The thought of facing this chilling reality, alone and betrayed, was paralyzing.

But then, a defiant spark ignited. My tears weren't of gratitude anymore, but of cold, hard resolve. I still clutched the portfolio of "worthless" stock, and a new comment flashed: "The certificates are fakes!..." It was all a lie. I took a deep breath, the trembling in my voice purely intentional. "Before we make it official," I smiled sweetly, holding up the portfolio, "could we have the family lawyer notarize this transfer right now?" The panic on their faces, the sudden plummet of their "score," confirmed everything. My supposed doom was their control. This wasn't merely survival; it was war.

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.

"Jocelyn, what are you talking about?" Clark Scott, my "father," stood up, his voice a low growl disguised as concern. "This is your engagement party, not a business meeting. Don't be so materialistic."

"Your father is right," Maria added, her tone sharp and accusing. "After everything we've done for you, do you really distrust us this much? We've given you everything."

Andrew leaned in close, his voice a harsh whisper in my ear. "Stop this, Jocelyn. You're embarrassing us. You're embarrassing yourself. This isn't how things are done in our world. It's low-class."

Ethan strode over from the stage, his face a mask of fury. "Is this some kind of joke? Are you trying to humiliate me? After I planned this perfect night for you? You ungrateful..."

He stopped himself, but the venom in his voice hung in the air. The pain of their words was sharp, a bitter sting in my throat. I remembered everything I had done for them, thinking they were my family.

A comment flashed in my vision, reminding me of the incident with the hostile takeover.

[She' s so stupid. Remember when she dug up dirt on those corporate raiders? She saved their asses and they called her a 'thug.' All because she almost exposed Gabby's secret lover, who was one of the raiders. LOL.]

I remembered it clearly. I had used my old street connections, calling in favors, staying up for three days straight, digging through filth to find the leverage that saved Scott Automotive. They had thanked me with clenched teeth, telling me my "thuggish" methods were a disgrace to the family name.

Now I knew why. I hadn't just saved their company, I had protected the man who was secretly involved with Gabby.

My silence, my stunned stillness, seemed to enrage Ethan further. He had built this perfect moment to reach his goal, and I was ruining it.

"Say something!" he snarled, his control completely gone.

He shoved me. Hard.

I wasn't expecting it. I stumbled backward, my heel catching on the soft grass. I fell to the ground in a heap of designer silk. A long, ugly tear ripped through the skirt of my expensive gown.

A collective gasp went through the crowd. The live music stopped.

The world went silent, except for the frantic scrolling of text in front of my eyes.

[HOLY SHIT HE PUSHED HER!]

[Ethan's Likeability Score is plummeting! 99... 95... 89!]

[Idiot! He couldn't keep his temper for five more minutes! Now the penalty is a risk!]

As the number 89 flashed in my vision, Ethan, Andrew, and my parents all flinched at the same time. A look of genuine distress, of physical discomfort, washed over their faces. Ethan clutched his head, his face suddenly slick with sweat.

"Oh, my God, Jocelyn! I'm so sorry!" He rushed to my side, his voice filled with a desperate, fake panic. "I don't know what came over me. Are you okay? Please, forgive me."

He was trying to fix his score.

My parents and Andrew scrambled forward, their faces etched with a similar forced concern. "Darling, are you hurt?" Maria cried, kneeling beside me.

Ethan grabbed his own wrist, fumbling with the clasp of his watch. It was a Patek Philippe, a famous Scott family heirloom. "Here, take this. Please. As an apology. I'm so, so sorry."

He tried to fasten it on my wrist, his hands trembling. They were terrified. Not for me, but of this "penalty."

I looked down at the torn dress, at the dirt staining the silk. I looked at their panicked, lying faces. And then, I looked at the worthless portfolio still clutched in my hand.

An opportunity.

Tears welled in my eyes, but this time they were cold and deliberate. I let out a sob, a sound of pure, heart-wrenching betrayal that echoed in the sudden silence.

"An apology?" I whispered, my voice breaking. "You want to apologize with a watch... after you gave me these?"

With a trembling hand, I opened the portfolio. I pulled out the top sheet, the beautifully printed, utterly fake stock certificate.

Then, with all the strength I had, I tore it in half.

And then another. And another. I ripped the entire stack of fraudulent documents into pieces, scattering them over the pristine lawn like confetti at a funeral.

The crowd gasped again, louder this time. The Scotts and Ethan stared at the shredded paper, their faces turning from pale to ashen gray.

The text in my vision went berserk.

[IT'S OVER! SHE KNOWS! THE SCORE IS CRASHING!]

[Likeability Score: 70... 60... 55...]

[GET IT BACK UP! DO SOMETHING! THE PENALTY IS COMING!]

[49.]

The moment the number dropped below 50, all four of them-Clark, Maria, Andrew, and Ethan-collapsed. They didn't just fall; they crumpled to the ground as if their bones had turned to dust. They writhed, their mouths open in silent screams, their bodies convulsing in an agony no one else could see or hear.

They were being punished by their system. And I was the one who controlled the switch.