Chapter 4

Mia floated out of the store like she was walking on clouds.

"Viv… am I dreaming?"

She pinched herself hard and winced at the pain.

"Not a dream."

I ushered her into the Rolls-Royce Phantom parked at the curb — the butler had just delivered it.

"This car… is yours too?" Mia ran her fingers across the starlight headliner, her voice trembling.

"Yeah, a hand-me-down from my grandfather," I said casually.

It was actually a limited custom edition. Only three in the world.

Mia took a deep breath, then turned to face me with a dead-serious expression.

"Vivian Sinclair. Be honest with me. Are you some billionaire's mistress? Because if you are, you have to tell me! I know you've got money now, but being a homewrecker never ends well!"

I almost choked on my water.

"What are you even — I told you, it's an inheritance!"

I tossed the probate documents into her lap.

Mia flipped through them, her eyes growing wider with every line.

"Thousands… millions… billions… ten BILLION?!"

She screamed and nearly passed out.

"Calm down." I shook my head. "That's just the start."

Mia lunged at me, clinging to my leg. "I'm riding with you from now on! Linda, the finishing school — they can all go to hell!"

Seeing her bounce back like that, I felt a wave of relief.

But it wasn't over.

Linda was the type to hold a grudge over the smallest slight.

After today's humiliation, there was no way she'd let it go.

Sure enough, before we even got home, Mia's phone buzzed again.

This time it wasn't a text. It was a livestream notification.

Linda had gone live.

The title was sensational: EXPOSED: Washed-Up Influencer and Fake Socialite Run Credit Card Fraud Ring at Luxury Mall!

In the stream, Linda was sobbing on camera.

"Everyone, I'm absolutely heartbroken. I tried to teach these girls proper etiquette, tried to help them move up in the world. And what did they do? Not only were they ungrateful — they used a stolen card to commit fraud at a luxury boutique!"

"I've already contacted the mall and the police. These criminals must be punished!"

Faye chimed in beside her: "Exactly! That Vivian girl can't even afford takeout on a normal day — how could she possibly buy millions of dollars' worth of anything? It's obviously a stolen or cloned card!"

The comments were a flood of outrage.

"Disgusting!"

"Lock them up!"

"Dox them! Don't let them get away!"

Mia stared at the livestream, shaking with fury.

"How can they twist everything like this?! Your card went through!"

I watched Linda's fake tearful face on the screen, my expression cold.

She was clever, I'd give her that.

She knew the public loved to tear down anyone who seemed to have undeserved wealth. She knew how to weaponize outrage.

She was betting I wouldn't dare come forward to set the record straight — or that my money was dirty.

After all, a nobody who was scraping by yesterday suddenly spending millions today? That did look suspicious.

"If she wants to make a scene, let's help her make it bigger."

I pulled out my phone and dialed.

"Attorney Whitfield? I need you to draft several cease-and-desist letters. Defamation and slander. Also, dig into Linda's finishing school — I want every piece of dirt you can find. The more detailed, the better."

After hanging up, I turned to Mia.

"Tomorrow night's gala is the real show. Linda wants to blacklist us? Let's find out who's really blacklisting whom."