Chapter 1 · Fake Heiress? Fake Heir!

Chapter 1

On the day I was finally reunited with my wealthy family, my so-called little brother humiliated me in front of everyone, mocking me for being poor.

But the DNA test results revealed the truth that he was the one who had been switched at birth.

Overnight, my sister and I grew close, and together we struck back at those who had wronged us. But behind the scenes, my brother was plotting something far darker—kidnapping.

When the full truth came to light, the conspiracy that began eighteen years ago shook the entire family to its core.

*****

After 18 years in an orphanage, I, Melanie Larson, was suddenly told I was the heiress of the Larson family.

Standing in front of the Larson residence, I glanced at my faded jeans and worn sweater, then back at the massive house. The only thought in my mind was whether this was a human trafficking scheme.

"Melanie, my dear..." Heather Larson, whom I guessed I should now call Mom, pulled me into a tearful hug.

Dennis Larson's eyes were red as he gently patted my back. He said they'd been searching for me for years and finally found me.

While I was still trying to process everything, a few lines of semi-transparent text floated across my vision.

[Here we go. I love the real vs. fake heiress trope.]

[Where's the fake heiress, Giselle? Let me see just how fake she can be.]

[I heard there's a brother, too? Looks like things are about to get messy.]

I blinked, and the text vanished. I thought I was hallucinating, or I was so stressed that I was seeing things.

"Giselle and George are waiting in the living room," Mom said, taking my hand. "Giselle's a good kid. When she learned the truth, she even offered to move out on her own..."

When we pushed open the living room doors, I saw a girl in a fancy dress and a tall boy by the couch.

The girl, clearly Giselle Larson, had puffy, red eyes like she'd been crying. The boy's eyes were cold, brimming with hostility.

"Melanie, this is your sister, Giselle. She's 16, same age as you. And this is your brother, George, he's 18," Dad said.

Just as I was about to greet them, George Larson scoffed. "Blood means nothing. A broke girl like you isn't good enough to be my sister." He pulled Giselle close. "She's the only sister I acknowledge. Don't even try to compete with her."

I was speechless.

Who was he trying to impress?

I looked between Giselle and George as it hit me. "I'm 18. I just look younger from being underfed. That means George is my age." I faced my parents. "Could George and I have been the ones switched at birth?"

The room fell silent.

Dad froze. "You mean..."

"Let's get a DNA test," I said calmly. "If we got switched once, who's to say it didn't happen twice?"

George's face instantly drained of color.

A week later, the Larson family's DNA test results arrived.

I sat in the luxurious living room, twisting at my shirt. Across from me, George looked stormy, while Giselle fidgeted. Mom clutched the sealed report, her hands trembling.

"How about... I read the results?" Dad cleared his throat, taking the envelope.

George laughed coldly, glaring at me. "What's the point? You don't really think you can just show up and play the part of the real heiress, do you?"

I met his eyes, a sly smile tugging at my lips. "Yeah, I'm wondering the same thing. Who's really the fake one here?"

"Enough!" Dad barked, tearing open the envelope. The sternness on his face flickered, gave way to shock, and then hardened into something complicated.

"No way... This can't be!" George shot up, snatching the report. His eyes went wide, clutching the paper so hard that it nearly tore.

I leaned in, curious, and nearly laughed at what I saw.

Giselle was their daughter.

So was I.

But unfortunately, George wasn't related to our parents at all.

"Are you kidding me?" George slammed the report on the coffee table, the glass top echoing with a sharp bang. "No way. This has to be a mistake! How could I not be their real son?"

Mom dabbed her tears. "The hospital checked the records... Back then, there was an earthquake, the power went out, and the nursery was chaos. It wasn't just two babies who got switched..."

"So," I drawled, "Giselle's the real daughter, I'm the real daughter, and you..." I let my words hang in the air, watching George's expression shift from uneasy to absolutely livid. "George, you're the one with nothing to do with this family."

The air went heavy for several seconds.

"I have a big sister?" Giselle squealed, launching herself at me and nearly knocking me off the couch. "This is awesome! I've always wanted a sister."

I was stunned. This was not at all what I had pictured.

Wasn't the fake heiress supposed to hate the real one? That was what all the TV dramas showed.

George's face flushed red. "Giselle! What are you doing? She's just—"

"That's enough, George." Dad cut him off. "No matter what, we've raised you for 18 years. We're not tossing you aside over a DNA test. You're still family."

I noticed Dad spoke to him more sternly now. Funny how blood ties changed things.

George took a deep breath, and then suddenly bowed to me. "Melanie... I'm sorry for how I acted before."

That was a world-class attitude turn.

But I didn't miss the cold, calculating glint in his eyes as he lowered his head.

"It's all good, George," I said with a sweet smile. "It's not like you knew you were the one who got swapped, right?"

His fists clenched tight, knuckles white.

That night, I walked past George's room. The door was cracked, so I peeked in.

He sat on the bed, back to the door, his phone lighting his face. On the screen were photos of me and Giselle, along with detailed info about us.

He was actually investigating us.

I slipped away quietly, suddenly much warier. This "brother" of mine was definitely hiding something.

Three days later, I transferred to St. Yohan High School, the same school as Giselle and George.

"There's a new transfer in Grade 12, Class A. I heard she's the real heiress of the Larson family, and she just got back..."

"I heard she grew up in an orphanage. Can she even keep up with our classes?"

"Word is, George totally hates her..."

Standing at the front of the classroom, I heard the whispers swirling. After Esther Lewis, our homeroom teacher, introduced me, there was a round of half-hearted applause.

"Quiet!" Esther knocked on the desk. "Melanie aced every subject on her transfer test. She even broke the school record. She is a role model for you all."

The classroom instantly buzzed with shock.

"No way!"

"Must be the Larson family pulling strings..."

"Shh..."

I stayed calm, scanning the room. Giselle waved at me excitedly from the third row. By the window, a boy with glasses glanced at me, and then went back to his book.

Chapter 1

On the day I was finally reunited with my wealthy family, my so-called little brother humiliated me in front of everyone, mocking me for being poor.

But the DNA test results revealed the truth that he was the one who had been switched at birth.

Overnight, my sister and I grew close, and together we struck back at those who had wronged us. But behind the scenes, my brother was plotting something far darker—kidnapping.

When the full truth came to light, the conspiracy that began eighteen years ago shook the entire family to its core.

*****

After 18 years in an orphanage, I, Melanie Larson, was suddenly told I was the heiress of the Larson family.

Standing in front of the Larson residence, I glanced at my faded jeans and worn sweater, then back at the massive house. The only thought in my mind was whether this was a human trafficking scheme.

"Melanie, my dear..." Heather Larson, whom I guessed I should now call Mom, pulled me into a tearful hug.

Dennis Larson's eyes were red as he gently patted my back. He said they'd been searching for me for years and finally found me.

While I was still trying to process everything, a few lines of semi-transparent text floated across my vision.

[Here we go. I love the real vs. fake heiress trope.]

[Where's the fake heiress, Giselle? Let me see just how fake she can be.]

[I heard there's a brother, too? Looks like things are about to get messy.]

I blinked, and the text vanished. I thought I was hallucinating, or I was so stressed that I was seeing things.

"Giselle and George are waiting in the living room," Mom said, taking my hand. "Giselle's a good kid. When she learned the truth, she even offered to move out on her own..."

When we pushed open the living room doors, I saw a girl in a fancy dress and a tall boy by the couch.

The girl, clearly Giselle Larson, had puffy, red eyes like she'd been crying. The boy's eyes were cold, brimming with hostility.

"Melanie, this is your sister, Giselle. She's 16, same age as you. And this is your brother, George, he's 18," Dad said.

I was speechless.

Who was he trying to impress?

The room fell silent.

Dad froze. "You mean..."

"Let's get a DNA test," I said calmly. "If we got switched once, who's to say it didn't happen twice?"

George's face instantly drained of color.

A week later, the Larson family's DNA test results arrived.

I sat in the luxurious living room, twisting at my shirt. Across from me, George looked stormy, while Giselle fidgeted. Mom clutched the sealed report, her hands trembling.

"How about... I read the results?" Dad cleared his throat, taking the envelope.

George laughed coldly, glaring at me. "What's the point? You don't really think you can just show up and play the part of the real heiress, do you?"

I met his eyes, a sly smile tugging at my lips. "Yeah, I'm wondering the same thing. Who's really the fake one here?"

"Enough!" Dad barked, tearing open the envelope. The sternness on his face flickered, gave way to shock, and then hardened into something complicated.

"No way... This can't be!" George shot up, snatching the report. His eyes went wide, clutching the paper so hard that it nearly tore.

I leaned in, curious, and nearly laughed at what I saw.

Giselle was their daughter.

So was I.

But unfortunately, George wasn't related to our parents at all.

"Are you kidding me?" George slammed the report on the coffee table, the glass top echoing with a sharp bang. "No way. This has to be a mistake! How could I not be their real son?"

Mom dabbed her tears. "The hospital checked the records... Back then, there was an earthquake, the power went out, and the nursery was chaos. It wasn't just two babies who got switched..."

The air went heavy for several seconds.

"I have a big sister?" Giselle squealed, launching herself at me and nearly knocking me off the couch. "This is awesome! I've always wanted a sister."

I was stunned. This was not at all what I had pictured.

Wasn't the fake heiress supposed to hate the real one? That was what all the TV dramas showed.

George's face flushed red. "Giselle! What are you doing? She's just—"

"That's enough, George." Dad cut him off. "No matter what, we've raised you for 18 years. We're not tossing you aside over a DNA test. You're still family."

I noticed Dad spoke to him more sternly now. Funny how blood ties changed things.

George took a deep breath, and then suddenly bowed to me. "Melanie... I'm sorry for how I acted before."

That was a world-class attitude turn.

But I didn't miss the cold, calculating glint in his eyes as he lowered his head.

"It's all good, George," I said with a sweet smile. "It's not like you knew you were the one who got swapped, right?"

His fists clenched tight, knuckles white.

That night, I walked past George's room. The door was cracked, so I peeked in.

He sat on the bed, back to the door, his phone lighting his face. On the screen were photos of me and Giselle, along with detailed info about us.

He was actually investigating us.

I slipped away quietly, suddenly much warier. This "brother" of mine was definitely hiding something.

Three days later, I transferred to St. Yohan High School, the same school as Giselle and George.

"There's a new transfer in Grade 12, Class A. I heard she's the real heiress of the Larson family, and she just got back..."

"I heard she grew up in an orphanage. Can she even keep up with our classes?"

"Word is, George totally hates her..."

Standing at the front of the classroom, I heard the whispers swirling. After Esther Lewis, our homeroom teacher, introduced me, there was a round of half-hearted applause.

"Quiet!" Esther knocked on the desk. "Melanie aced every subject on her transfer test. She even broke the school record. She is a role model for you all."

The classroom instantly buzzed with shock.

"No way!"

"Must be the Larson family pulling strings..."

"Shh..."

I stayed calm, scanning the room. Giselle waved at me excitedly from the third row. By the window, a boy with glasses glanced at me, and then went back to his book.