After the Mix-Up, I Rest

My real heiress sister was born with the kind of charm that turned every room into a battlefield.

The Crown Prince of Manhattan threw money around for her like it was pocket change. An untouchable movie star fell from his pedestal for her. A possessive prep school golden boy once got red-eyed over her in public.

And me?

I was the fake heiress who had taken someone elses place, a background extra with no presence whatsoever.

At parties, Vivian was surrounded like royalty while I lurked in some dim corner, happily surviving on the scraps. She wore limited-edition couture every day. I picked through the clothes and jewelry she no longer wanted.

Then one day, something went ding inside my head.

The system sounded unbearably smug.

[Host, Ive punished your sister for you and stolen her halo. From now on, youre the irresistible one. Every man will lose his mind over you.]

I spat out a mouthful of birds nest soup and let out a shriek.

Are you insane? Im a fake heiress living the good life on leftovers and luxury hand-me-downs. My whole plan is to let my sister step on these men and climb to the top while I sip soup behind her!

Who told you to steal her halo?

The voice in my head preened.

[Host, dont be ungrateful.]

[Ive already punished that fake, pretentious sister of yours and taken her irresistible heroine halo.]

[From now on, you, Piper Whitmore, are the only woman every man will desire.]

I nearly sprayed another mouthful of premium birds nest.

Heroine?

Whoever wanted that job could have it.

My life goal was to become a qualified freeloader. A graceful little parasite. A well-fed house pet with a trust fund. I wanted to cling to my real heiress sister Vivians thigh, watch her conquer the world, and drink one sip of the soup she left behind.

Put it back, I ordered through gritted teeth. Right now. Give the halo back to my sister.

[Request denied.]

The systems voice turned cold.

[Halo binding complete. Maximum output activated. Please enjoy your life as the ultimate heartbreaker.]

The next second, I felt as if an invisible spotlight had fallen over me.

The whole world changed.

Vivian was walking toward me with a glass of champagne, looking lost.

Behind her, Brooks Kingsley, the Manhattan prince who had followed her for three years and treated her like something precious in his palm, did not chase after her for the first time.

He did not even glance her way.

His gaze moved through the crowd with terrifying precision and locked onto me.

Then he walked straight toward me.

My heart skipped.

Dont come over.

Please dont come over.

But he did.

He stopped one step away and grabbed my wrist.

His palm was hot. His grip was shockingly strong.

Starting today, youre my new date.

His tone left no room for refusal, arrogant like the world had always done what he asked.

I nearly lost my soul. I tried to pull my hand back, but he held on tighter until my wrist reddened.

Guests all around us threw over countless looks of curiosity, jealousy, and contempt.

I became the center of the room.

My parents, who had always treated me like a transparent little ornament, suddenly looked delighted in a way I had never seen before.

They rushed over and practically pushed me toward Brooks.

My father lowered his voice and scolded me with excited authority. Dont be stupid. Mr. Kingsley noticing you is a blessing.

My mother smiled so hard it looked painful. Piper is just shy. Please dont mind her.

I looked at their eager faces, at how badly they wanted to sell me for a good price.

Then I looked past them and saw Vivians pale, wounded face.

A nameless rage shot straight to my skull.

A blessing?

Then why dont you take it?

I gritted my teeth, hardened my heart, and deliberately stumbled sideways into the champagne tower beside a waiters tray.

Crash.

Golden champagne drenched Brooks from head to toe, streaming down his custom suit in a miserable glittering mess.

I waited for him to explode.

I waited for him to throw me out like trash.

Instead, Brooks gave a low laugh.

He leaned close to my ear, his hot breath brushing my skin.

Wild little temper. I like it.

Me: ?

He took off his soaked suit jacket and, ignoring my struggle, forced it over my shoulders.

Then, with the posture of a man declaring ownership, he half held, half carried me away from the chaos.

Wrapped in his strong scent, sharp cologne mixed with alcohol and heat, I felt the terror of that cursed halo for the first time.

This was not a halo.

This was a curse.

Brooks forced me toward the center of the ballroom.

Every step felt like walking on knives.

Just then, a cool, elegant figure blocked our way.

It was Nolan West, the newly crowned Best Actor.

He had attended tonight as a special guest and was usually the focus of every camera.

Now, his eyes held only me.

Brooks. Let her go. Nolans voice was as cold as he looked.

Brooks scoffed and tightened his arm around my waist. Arent you overstepping, Mr. West?

Two top-tier men facing off over me.

Flashbulbs went wild. I could practically see myself climbing every entertainment headline by morning.

No.

I had to save myself.

My brain spun fast.

If charm could not be stopped, then I had to make it disgusting.

I took a deep breath and, under everyones stunned eyes, did something deeply unladylike.

I lifted my pinky finger and began to pick my teeth.

Then I puffed out my chest and let out a loud burp.

Buuurp.

The entire ballroom seemed to freeze for one second.

Brooks and Nolan both stared.

My heart leapt.

It worked!

So I doubled down.

I bent over, pretended my foot itched, and scratched it in public.

I endured the horror and humiliation with one thought blazing in my mind.

Go away. Lose interest. Get lost.

But in the next second, Brookss smile deepened.

Real. Unfiltered. Much more interesting than those fake society girls.

A trace of admiration appeared in Nolans cool eyes.

To stay true to yourself amid all this vanity. Like a lotus blooming from mud. Admirable.

Me: ???

Under this cursed halo, my hard work at being repulsive had somehow become a list of virtues.

I was about to lose my mind.

No.

One last move.

I ripped myself out of Brookss arms, rushed onto the small stage nearby, and snatched the microphone from the host.

Hello? Hello?

I cleared my throat and used the most greedy, materialistic voice I could manage.

Stop fighting!

You want me? Easy!

Tonight, whoever gives me the most money gets to take me home!

Surely that would work.

A gold digger publicly auctioning herself off could not possibly be called pure, right?

I thought this would finally let them see my true nature and avoid me like a plague.

Brookss face did darken.

Then he smiled, took out his phone, and made a transfer on the spot.

Ding.

A bank notification arrived on my phone.

[Deposit received: 0-00,000,000.00]

Brooks lifted his chin, arrogance filling his voice. Ten million. Enough?

Before I could recover from the shock, Nolan threw out a contract.

A leading role in a fifty-million-dollar film. Sign now, and youre my heroine.

The room erupted.

Just as Brooks and Nolans bidding war grew more intense, a figure in a school uniform rushed onto the stage like a storm.

It was Asher Quinn, the famously obsessive golden boy of his elite prep school.

He yanked the jade pendant from his neck and shoved it into my hand.

The pendant still held his body heat.

Rumor said it was the only thing his late mother had left him.

His eyes were red as he stared at me, his voice hoarse and frantic.

I dont have their money. This is all I have.

If you want it, I can give you my life too.

The whole room went completely out of control.

I looked at the pendant in my hand, then at the three men below the stage who had lost their minds over me.

I had failed to become a gold digger in their eyes.

Instead, I had become the legendary femme fatale who made three powerful men fight over her, even to the point of offering their lives.

I broke down.

This life was impossible.

Before I could recover, my parents dragged me off the stage, one on each side.

They pulled me into an empty lounge and slammed the door shut.

Piper Whitmore! Have you lost your mind?

My fathers roar made my ears ring.

I thought he was about to scold me for being greedy and shameless.

But what he said next dropped me into ice water.

Asking for money in public? Couldnt you at least make it look decent? You humiliated the entire Whitmore family!

My mother pointed at my nose, her eyes full of disappointment and anger.

We raised you for seventeen years. We gave you food, clothes, and luxury. Now its time for you to repay this family.

Youd better hold on to Brooks Kingsley. He is the Whitmore familys future security.

So they were not angry that I was greedy.

They were angry I had not been greedy toward Brooks alone.

They were angry I made the scene ugly and embarrassed them.

Just then, the door opened and Vivian rushed in.

She stepped in front of me and glared at our parents with red eyes.

Dad, Mom, how can you say that about Piper? She isnt that kind of person!

When Mom saw Vivian, her anger burned hotter.

She slapped her across the face.

Smack.

The crisp sound rang sharply through the quiet lounge.

You still have the nerve to talk? You couldnt even keep a man after all the work we put into you.

Mom pointed at Vivian, then at me, her voice shrill.

Look at your sister. Learn from her.

That slap felt like it had landed on my face.

It burned.

I looked at the handprint swelling on Vivians cheek. I looked at her hurt, disbelieving tears.

The last string in my mind called reason snapped.

Im not that kind of person?

I should repay the family?

Fine.

Great.

I tore free from my fathers grip and rushed out of the lounge like a wild animal.

I stormed back onto the stage that had made me the center of attention and grabbed that cursed microphone again.

Everyone! Everyone!

I shouted with all my strength, pulling every eye toward me.

The guests stopped talking.

The three leading men all looked over at once.

My parents ran after me, shouting in panic. Piper, what are you doing now? Get down!

I looked at them and gave a bright, strange smile.

Then I raised the microphone and began my self-destruction.

Youre all wondering why Im so desperate for money, right?

Because Im not a Whitmore daughter at all.

Im the child switched at the hospital. A fraud who stole someone elses life.

My sister Vivian is the real Whitmore heiress.

With tears streaming down my face, I acted like an award-winning actress.

Im jealous of her. I hate everything she has. I stole her jewelry and sold it. I deliberately spilled coffee on her couture gowns. I wanted her reputation ruined.

Everything I did tonight was for money. To escape this suffocating family.

I confessed to crimes and painted myself as a vicious, greedy, ungrateful snake.

I only wanted everyone to despise me.

Especially those three men.

The guests did erupt into whispers.

My parents faces turned black with fury. Mom looked so shocked she swayed on her feet.

But the three men were looking at me even more strangely now.

Brookss gaze burned with possessive obsession.

Nolans gaze overflowed with pity.

Ashers gaze held the tragic determination of someone ready to stand beside me even if I fought the whole world.

They had automatically rewritten my confession into a tragic drama about a poor little flower oppressed by a wealthy family, forced to smear her own name to protect herself, making one final desperate stand.

It was over.

I was completely hopeless.

Just as I was considering jumping off the stage and ending this whole mess, my eyes accidentally landed on the most unnoticeable corner of the ballroom.

There sat the Whitmore family patriarch, who had been resting with his eyes closed since the party began, uninterested in everything.

My grandfather.

At some point, he had opened his eyes.

He was watching me quietly.

No anger.

No disappointment.

Instead, he gave me a meaningful look.

The situation had completely spun out of control.

There was no saving it.

My mind went blank except for one thought.

If being a bad person didnt work, then I would become a sinner.

A sinner so unforgivable that the Whitmores would have to throw me out.

I hardened my heart and fixed my eyes on the object displayed in the center of the hall.

The family treasure.

An antique jade peace charm said to be worth over a hundred million.

That jade was the foundation stone of the Whitmore business empire, the pride of the entire family, and the old mans most beloved possession.

Touching it wrong would earn a scolding.

If I destroyed it, forget being a freeloader. I would be thrown out with sticks and never have anything to do with the Whitmores again.

That was it.

Before anyone could react, I jumped off the stage and ran madly toward the display.

Piper! What are you doing? Father screamed in terror.

Bodyguards tried to stop me, but Brooks, Nolan, and Asher blocked them without knowing what they were doing.

They thought I was about to hurt myself.

Instead, they created the perfect opening.

I reached the stand and lifted the huge antique jade, which was bigger than my head.

So heavy.

I used all my strength and raised it high above my head under everyones horrified screams.

Then I smashed it down onto the polished marble floor.

Crash.

The sound was deafening.

The clear green jade shattered into pieces.

The world seemed to go silent.

Everyone gasped and stared at the fragments on the floor as if witnessing the end of days.

My father shook with rage. He pointed at me, stammering for a long time without managing a single word.

My mothers eyes rolled back, and she fainted into a servants arms.

I looked at the broken jade and felt a fierce, vengeful thrill.

It was over.

This had to be over.

I had succeeded.

I thought what awaited me would be my fathers slap and the fate of being kicked out.

Instead, Brooks stepped forward and shielded me behind him.

He looked at my trembling father with icy eyes and an arrogant voice.

So it broke. Name the price. The Kingsleys will pay.

But today, anyone who touches a single hair on her head goes against my family.

Nolan and Asher also stepped forward at the same time, standing on either side of me. Together with Brooks, they formed a wall around me.

Nolan said, Ill take responsibility for this.

Asher was even more direct. Anyone who insults her will answer to me.

I went numb.

So even destroying the Whitmore familys most precious object could not free me from this cursed halo.

What else could I do?

What was left?

At that tense moment, an aged but powerful voice rang through the ballroom.

Everyone, get out.

It was Grandfather.

Holding his dragon-headed cane and supported by the butler, he slowly stood.

He did not even glance at the shattered jade.

His cloudy but sharp eyes passed over everyone and landed directly on me.

You. Stay.