You’re Not a Page

Our campus was too small for a delusional deity like Ivy.

I didnt grasp the full extent of her madness until days later, when my penniless roommate dared to crash my engagement partywearing my custom wedding gown and dripping in my million-dollar jewelry.

She crossed her arms, eyeing me with disgust as if I were the trespasser. Look who showed up. The imposter, she sneered. Youve leeched off my family and stolen my life for twenty years. But as former roommates, kneel and beg, and I might let you serve me to pay off your debt.

Watching her drown in her own fabricated switched at birth fantasy, I stayed silent and pulled out my phone.

To understand this, rewind to the first week of the semester. It began with a hairpin.

When Ivy learned the diamond clip in my hair cost fifty grand, her eyes reddened with envy. Fifty thousand! Without your parents, could you ever afford that? she shrieked. Audrey, you need a reality check. Every bite you eat, even the air you breathe, belongs to my family!

Think shiny rocks make you less of trailer trash? Just waitmy real parents will throw you out. Lets see you act the heiress then!

Stunned by her rant, I laughed. Im not the Page heiress? Let me guess you are? Do yourself a favorspend less time reading cheesy web novels and more on your student loans.

With that, I stepped into my familys town car and drove off, leaving Ivy shaking with rage on the sidewalk.

It was definitely time to arrange a change of scenery for her.

I was sitting in the dorm room, handing out souvenirs to my roommates and sharing funny stories from my summer vacation in Europe.

Brooke suddenly leaned in, staring at the side of my head.

"Audrey, that hairpin is absolutely gorgeous. Is it new?"

I nodded casually, not thinking much of it.

"Yeah, you could say that."

Ivy stepped closer, narrowing her eyes as she scrutinized the piece.

"It looks incredibly tacky. That material is obviously cheap resin or glass. You can find identical junk on Shein for two dollars. It is nothing special."

The moment the words left her mouth, Brooke let out a loud gasp.

"Oh my god, I just recognized it! That is a limited-edition piece by that genius French jewelry designer. There are only ten of them in the entire world. They retail for at least fifty thousand dollars."

"I cannot believe you actually got your hands on one. I have been obsessing over it for months, but it is way out of my budget. Audrey, can I please look at it closer?"

I was just reaching up to unclip it when Ivy's voice shattered the peace of the room.

"Fifty grand? For that ugly piece of metal?"

The truth was, I had sketched the design myself when I was bored. My dad saw the drawing, loved it, and had his luxury brand produce a limited run. The pearls were plucked directly from the South Sea, and the crushed diamonds were flawless.

Her aggressive tone irritated me, but I didn't want to start a screaming match over jewelry. I kept my voice perfectly flat.

"It is alright. I just bought it because I liked the design."

"Because you liked it? You say that so casually!" Ivy's voice cracked. "Fifty thousand dollars! If your parents weren't funding your ridiculous lifestyle, could you ever afford it?"

"Your toxic materialism and parasitic reliance on your parents is disgusting. You are a complete embarrassment to the entire student body!"

Her voice pitched so high it physically hurt my ears.

Lexi and Brooke exchanged exhausted glances. Seeing Ivy puff out her chest and play the righteous hero was getting old fast. Lexi muttered under her breath.

"Here she goes again, playing the moral police."

"Fifty grand is literally pocket change for an only child like Audrey. I don't understand why Ivy is throwing a temper tantrum. It isn't her money..."

I swatted away Ivy's finger, which was currently hovering an inch from my nose. My patience officially evaporated.

"Are you quite finished?"

"Where my money comes from and how I choose to spend it is entirely my business. But watching you choke on your own jealousy is honestly just pathetic."

Ivy's face turned a violent shade of crimson.

"You... I am trying to give you good advice! Why are you so ungrateful?"

"You haven't worked a single day in your life, yet you burn through tens of thousands of dollars like it is water. When the Page family cuts you off, you are going to starve in the gutters!"

My expression turned ice-cold.

"What makes you think I am not spending my own money? And even if I am spending my family's wealth, so what? I am happy. My parents are happy. What the hell does it have to do with you?"

"If I wanted to buy a solid gold bathtub encrusted with rubies, my dad would ask what color rubies I prefer. I am not spending a single cent of your cash. Why are you acting like you own the bank?"

Brooke and Lexi could not hold it in anymore. They burst out laughing.

The self-righteous fury froze on Ivy's face. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

I was too exhausted to deal with her psychotic behavior. Today was just freshman orientation anyway, and classes didn't start until Monday.

My driver was waiting downstairs. I grabbed my designer tote and headed for the door.

Just as I reached for the handle, Ivy stepped in front of me, blocking the exit.

She crossed her arms, raking her eyes over my outfit like she was inspecting garbage.

"God, any stray dog thinks they can slap on some designer labels and act like royalty these days."

"Some people are just cheap knockoffs down to their very bones. Wearing something that expensive on your head should make you sick to your stomach!"

My good mood was entirely ruined. I glared at her.

"Ivy, do you ever shut up?"

My anger only fueled her twisted sense of superiority.

"Audrey Page, you need to understand your place. Every meal you eat, every dollar you waste, even the oxygen in your lungs belongs to my family!"

"Do not overestimate yourself. You think wearing a shiny rock changes your DNA?"

"Just wait. Very soon, my real parents are going to throw you out like the trash you are. Let us see how long you can keep playing the pampered Page heiress!"

I was utterly mesmerized by her sheer stupidity.

I finally decoded her psychotic rambling. She had read too many trashy internet novels and genuinely convinced herself that we were switched at birth. She thought I was the fake heiress destined to be banished to the slums, while she was the tragic, hidden diamond.

What she didn't know was that when my mother went into labor, my father rented out the entire VIP floor of a private hospital in Switzerland. I was the only infant born on that floor that week. The security was tighter than a military base. A mix-up was scientifically impossible.

I let out a breathless, mocking laugh.

"I am not the Page heiress? Let me guess, you are?"

"Do me a favor. Spend more time looking in a mirror, stop rotting your brain with fiction, and focus on paying off your student loans."

The color instantly drained from Ivy's face. She looked like she had just been slapped.

But a second later, she lifted her chin, her eyes flashing with a bizarre, terrifying obsession.

"What do you know? My suffering is only temporary. It is just a test from my parents to make sure I do not grow up to be a useless parasite like you."

"It is just a small loan. Once I return to the Page estate, that debt will be nothing. The financial compensation they owe me is unimaginable!"

She took a step closer, her eyes practically overflowing with malice.

"But you, Audrey. Everything you have is stolen. You are wearing my jewelry, spending my inheritance, and soaking up the love that belongs to me. Don't you feel any shame?"

"Enjoy your borrowed time. The moment I present the DNA evidence and kick you out the door, you will be begging on your knees for my mercy!"

I stared at her like she belonged in a straitjacket. I tapped my temple.

"Ivy, I strongly recommend a psychiatric evaluation. Anyone with a functioning brain cell would never speak like this."

I shoved past her, walked out of the building, and got into my car.

Ivy didn't show up to the dorm for the rest of the week. Brooke heard a rumor that she took a leave of absence for a family emergency.

I couldn't care less. Without her suffocating presence, the rest of the suite got along perfectly.

Friday morning, I was sleeping in since my first class was canceled. My phone buzzed violently against the nightstand.

I groggily pressed accept, still half-asleep.

"Where the hell are you?!" a shrill voice demanded.

My brain was completely foggy. "Where am I supposed to be?"

Ivy's furious scream nearly blew out my speaker.

"Audrey, do you have absolutely zero concept of time?!"

"I texted you last night to be here by nine sharp! Why are you still in bed?!"

"Get up right now. You have thirty minutes to get here, or you will regret it for the rest of your miserable life!"

Her screeching completely obliterated my exhaustion. I assumed there was a sudden schedule change for one of our core classes.

I pulled the phone away from my ear and checked my messages. Sure enough, there was a text from an unsaved number sent at 10 PM last night.

"Meet me at the City Records Office tomorrow at 9 AM."

I had assumed it was a spam text or a scammer and ignored it. I hadn't even bothered saving Ivy's number to my contacts.

When I didn't respond, she completely lost her mind.

"Are you deaf?! We agreed on nine, and it is already eight-thirty."

"Get down to the Records Office immediately and sign the paperwork to remove yourself from the Page family trust. The clerks go on lunch break soon."

"Letting you play the billionaire heiress for twenty years is generous enough. Do not delay my official return to my bloodline."

Realizing this had absolutely nothing to do with school, my annoyance morphed into pure rage. I was about to unleash a string of curses when Lexi groaned from the bed across the room.

"Who is screaming at this hour? People are trying to sleep."

"Seriously Audrey, turn the volume down. It is giving me a headache."

I took a deep breath, muttered "absolute psycho" under my breath, and hung up the phone.

I blocked Ivy's number, put my phone on silent, pulled the heavy duvet over my head, and went right back to sleep.

I went home to my family estate that afternoon, completely forgetting about the insane phone call.

This weekend was my engagement party with Spencer. Everything was perfectly planned, but my beloved business mentor fell severely ill on Friday night. I booked a red-eye flight to visit him in the hospital out of state.

Even though Spencer's family had arranged the venue, I didn't want to risk any delays. I had my driver deliver my custom gown and diamonds to the bridal suite a day early.

I flew back Saturday afternoon and rushed straight from the airport to the luxury hotel. Just as I stepped out of the car, a rough, calloused hand clamped down on my wrist.

"Audrey? You are Audrey, right?"

I stumbled in my heels, turning to face a disheveled, middle-aged woman in cheap clothing. Her cloudy eyes were brimming with dramatic tears.

"Oh, my poor sweet baby! Mommy finally found you! I have been searching for you for so many agonizing years!"

Her shrill, theatrical wailing echoed across the hotel driveway, instantly drawing the stares of wealthy guests and valets.

After a second of pure shock, I recognized her face.

I had seen her in the background when Ivy FaceTimed her family in the dorm. This was Ivy's mother.

Looking at the exaggerated, tragic expression plastered on her face, combined with Ivy's psychotic behavior, I realized mental illness definitely ran in their genetics.

Choosing my engagement day to pull this stunt was a new level of desperate.

"Let go of me."

I tried to yank my arm away, but the woman dug her dirty nails into my skin.

"My beautiful daughter, please do not abandon your real mother!"

"I know you live a life of luxury now. I know you climbed the social ladder and look down on your poor, struggling mom."

"But blood is thicker than water! You share my DNA. How can you be so incredibly heartless? Please, pack your bags and come home to the trailer park with me!"

She shrieked even louder, dropping her weight and letting her knees hit the concrete in a pathetic display of begging.

The crowd of onlookers began whispering. I saw expressions of curiosity, judgment, and blatant disgust.

I had absolutely zero patience for this circus. I forcefully ripped my arm out of her grip.

"Lady, your acting is terrible."

"Go back and tell Ivy that if she wants to be a billionaire heiress, she needs to pray for a better reincarnation in her next life."

"Sending you here to throw a public tantrum and try to publicly shame me only makes you both look like pathetic clowns."

"Security! What are you staring at? Remove her from the property!"

I personally funded and owned this luxury hotel. The security guards knew exactly who I was. They sprinted over immediately, grabbing the screaming woman by her arms.

"Let go of me! Do you have any idea who I am?!"

"I am the adoptive mother of the true Page heiress! I gave birth to the fake billionaire you are protecting! How dare you lay your hands on me!"

The guards dragged her down the driveway. She kicked and thrashed, her cloudy eyes locked onto me, burning with a sickening mix of greed and hatred.

I refused to let a lunatic ruin my mood. Today was my engagement.

I took a deep breath, smoothed my hair, and walked into the grand lobby. I took the private elevator up to the penthouse bridal suite to get dressed.

I pushed the heavy oak doors open and froze.

Ivy was sitting at my vanity mirror.

She was wearing my custom, million-dollar bridal gown. The dress was entirely wrong for her. She was far too frail to fill out the bodice, and the sweeping, backless design hung loosely off her bony shoulders.

But the dress wasn't the worst part. The blinding diamonds wrapped around her throat, dangling from her ears, and encircling her wrists were the pieces I had spent months sourcing. She was dragging her fingers over the flawless gems, completely mesmerized.

She had even shoved my custom engagement ring onto her own finger.

The moment she saw my reflection in the mirror, she stiffened. But it only took her a fraction of a second to sink perfectly back into her psychotic delusion.

"Oh, look who decided to show up. The imposter."

"You have to admit, clothes really do make the woman. Look at us right now. Between the two of us, who actually looks like the daughter of a billionaire?"

I thought her dorm room rants were just toxic gossip. I never imagined her sickness had progressed to this terrifying level.

The jewelry and the gown combined were worth over fifteen million dollars. She was wearing them without a single shred of fear.

My hands balled into tight fists. I took a slow, menacing step into the room.

"Take it off."

Ivy shrank back slightly, her eyes darting nervously.

"Audrey Page, what are you trying to do?"

"These diamonds belong on the skin of the true Page daughter! You are the one who stole twenty years of my life! You are the thief!"

"Every single thing in this room, the Page fortune, the prestige, and even Spencer... it all belongs to me! You stole my destiny!"