Born to Flex: Here Comes the Real Heiress

Simon Gibson, my biological father, had clearly heard Alvin and Maya Gibson's attempt to belittle me and put me in my place, but he showed no intention of stopping them.

He merely said in a curt voice, "The Gibson family is different from the family you grew up in. From now on, you'll need to learn and follow certain rules about propriety."

Belinda Mason, my biological mother, simply stared at me with reddened eyes. "My dear child… Have you… suffered a lot throughout these years?"

"Nope. My life has been pretty good."

A peal of laughter rang from the side. "Goes to show how easy it is to satisfy an ignorant bumpkin who lived under a rock."

Maya tried to pass it off as a friendly tease, but her gaze was full of genuine mockery.

"Colette, I guess you never had the chance to learn about art appreciation, formal etiquette, wine tasting, and things like that, right? Well, that's understandable. Most ordinary people go their entire lives without ever being exposed to any of those things.

"But don't worry about it. I can slowly teach you everything you need to know."

It was true that I'd never learned any of those things. After all, my adoptive parents didn't raise me to become a pretty face with nothing between her ears.

Belinda picked up on the mockery in Maya's words, and the smile on her face stiffened slightly. Nevertheless, she couldn't bring herself to reprimand Maya. Instead, she awkwardly changed the subject.

"Everything's ready for the welcome home party. Your father, your brother, and I will greet the guests first. Maya, take Colette to the room and help her get ready."

Maya led me to the far end of the second floor, where Belinda had prepared a dressing room for me. However, Maya entered by herself and locked me outside.

After keeping me waiting for ages, she finally emerged in a designer evening gown, her face completely dolled up.

She glanced at my plain white T-shirt and jeans before exclaiming with an exaggerated look of surprise, "Goodness me! The party's about to start! Why haven't you changed yet, Colette?

"Oh, well. It's your first time attending an event like this, so I guess it's only natural that you're not used to it."

I had to say, this was working out perfectly for me.

The more Maya looked like a sophisticated socialite, the more I would look like some tacky country bumpkin. That would only make the slapdown all the more satisfying when I finally showed them what I could do.

Maya eagerly pulled me into the living room, which fell silent for a moment as all eyes fell on me.

"Is this the biological daughter the Gibson family just reunited with?"

"Why is she dressed like that? Doesn't she know even the most basic rules of etiquette?"

Maya pretended to be thoughtful and considerate as she said, "This is my new sister, Colette Gardner. I hope you will all look out for her, too."

She deliberately emphasized my last name, and whispers rippled through the crowd once more.

"The Gibsons haven't bothered getting her last name changed, huh?"

"Looks like they don't think much of their biological daughter, after all."

"That's only natural, isn't it? She can't possibly compare to Maya."

The more they mocked me, the more tickled I was on the inside.

I began planning my next move. With the stage set this perfectly, it would be such a waste if I didn't put on a spectacular show later.

Just then, several wealthy young socialites who were friends with Maya came crowding around us.

"Oh là là, Maya! You look like la vera principessa tonight!"

"That gown is so gorgeous! Compared to a certain someone here, you're practically un bel ange!"

"You move with nobiltà naturale! If you're not the real heiress, who is?"

They made it a point to scatter a few foreign words into their sentences. I was sorely tempted to roll my eyes.

Maya was clearly loving every second of it. Covering her mouth to giggle, she chided, "Oh, stop it, you guys!"

Then, as if she'd only just remembered my presence, she turned to me and asked, "Colette, can you even understand what we're saying? A lot of people in our circle studied abroad, you know. We're just used to mixing in some foreign words when we speak."

It was basically second nature for me to play dumb before blowing people out of the water. Instinctively, I shook my head and said, "I never did study abroad. I don't understand a thing you're saying."