My Paranoia Made the Real Heiress Snap

Thanks to my addiction to the stories regarding true and fake heiresses, I'm afflicted with strong paranoia that everyone is out there to get me.

For some reason, I keep thinking that I'm a fake heiress who will eventually get kicked out of my home.

In order to avoid getting set up, I stay on my guard every day. Not only do I hire some people to act as the actual heiresses and visit my home from time to time, but I also have them put on performances with me while clutching paternity test reports and heirloom pendants as props.

On the day I'm done rehearsing all of the webnovel tropes, a pure and innocent young woman comes knocking on the door. Interestingly enough, she has live comments surrounding her.

As she shows the pendant and a paternity test report, she starts crying sadly.

"Mom, Dad, I'm your actual daughter!"

The live comments begin spamming relentlessly.

"I'm tired of looking at pure and innocent female leads! A manipulative true heiress, on the other hand, is a breath of fresh air! Not only does she intend to regain everything that belongs to her, but she also vows to teach the fake heiress a lesson she will never forget!"

"Just look at how amazing her acting and her expression are! Her parents will definitely fall for her excuse, hook, line, and sinker!"

Amid the live comments' cheering, my parents just nod thoughtfully.

"The actress who's playing this role today is quite talented."

Chapter 1

The girl's innocent, pitiful expression froze on her face as she paused in disbelief.

"Dad, Mom, what are you saying? I'm your biological daughter!"

She hurriedly held out the DNA test report and a family heirloom locket in front of them, trying to prove her identity.

"Look! This is the evidence!"

Even the live stream chat fell silent in shock.

"What's going on?"

"Shouldn't her parents be moved to tears and pull her into a hug?"

At that moment, I wrapped up my final scene and stepped out of the room.

The first thing I saw was my mother staring intently at the girl's features, tracing every detail on her face again and again.

The comment section didn't even try to hide its hostility toward me.

"Once her mom recognizes the real daughter by her looks, you're done for, you fake!"

"Our scheming, ruthless heroine is smart, and with her parents backing her, she'll destroy you in no time."

Mom suddenly turned to look at me.

Under the girl's hopeful gaze, she called out eagerly, "Faye, from what I can see, this girl has the best acting skills and is the most dedicated. She even prepared her own props. You won't go wrong partnering with her."

Around the room, the other actresses I had found to play the "real daughter" walked past one after another, each holding the same two items used for the recognition scene.

The girl glanced at them, then down at the items in her own hands. Her expression darkened instantly.

I cleared my throat, feeling a little awkward.

"Mom, I don't think she's one of the actresses I brought in."

That caught both my parents off guard as they sat on the couch.

"What? She's not? Then, who is she?"

With everyone's attention suddenly focused on her, the girl grew agitated.

She threw herself at my parents' feet and sobbed, "Dad, Mom, I finally found you. Even though I've suffered all these years, struggling just to get by and barely having enough to eat, it was all worth it. Our family is finally reunited!"

Excitement surged through the comments again.

"Here it is, the classic recognition scene. The female lead is so pitiful. She's maxing out her parents' sympathy instantly."

"I can't wait for the parents to take it out on the fake daughter. She's been living in someone else's place all these years!"

The girl wiped her tears and looked up expectantly, but my parents remained oddly calm, even a little awkward.

Dad looked especially uncomfortable and turned his face away.

"Miss, calm down for a moment."

The girl looked completely baffled, unable to understand why things were unfolding this way.

I took it all in and nearly failed to hold back my laughter.

Over the years, I had hired no fewer than a hundred actors, running through thousands of familiar fiction cliches. The recognition plot alone had been staged nearly a hundred times.

The first time they saw it, my parents were so moved they cried, wishing they could give their hearts to the real daughter.

The second time, they felt deep regret and swore to make it up to their biological child.

By the 99th time, all that remained on their faces was numbness. They even begged me in their dreams to switch to a different storyline.

Chapter 2

Since it involved questions of parentage, my parents immediately called in professionals to run a full paternity verification process.

The girl's name was Tanya Lockman. It turned out she truly was their biological daughter who had been switched at birth by a nurse.

After the truth was verified, my parents clustered around her anxiously and instructed the staff to set up a room for her.

Tanya saw that I hadn't moved from my spot. She made a show of rubbing her eyes until they turned red.

"Faye grew up by your side, living in luxury and receiving the best education. I'm just a plain, shabby country girl. How could I possibly deserve to live in the same room as Faye?"

A hint of self-deprecation lingered in her eyes.

"I know I don't deserve it. I'd be grateful just to have a storage room to live in."

The comment section immediately softened with sympathy.

"This impostor has no shame at all. Now that the rightful daughter has returned, she's still hanging on."

"Tanya is smart. She's playing the long game. The parents will soon become fed up with the impostor and sympathize even more with Tanya."

I looked at Tanya in confusion, and then I pointed at myself. "Me, living in luxury?"

Dad shot Tanya a strange look.

"Faye grew up with her grandparents in the countryside. She went to boarding school through middle and high school, and she also attended winter and summer camps. She only returned home in recent years, so her living standards likely weren't any better than yours."

The sympathy in Mom's eyes was instantly replaced with confusion. "What are you talking about, dear?"

Tanya's face turned ashen. She stammered, unable to form a coherent response.

I turned off my phone screen with a faint smile, crediting the 999 fictional tales about rightful and impostor heiresses I had read.

I had come to understand one thing very clearly. The more lavishly the real daughter lived, the stronger the public backlash became when compared to the fake daughter. Because of that, I had never allowed myself to indulge over the years. Instead, I poured every resource into improving myself.

Tanya tried to win sympathy by playing the pitiful victim, but I had already completely cut off that path for her.

Tears welled up in Tanya's eyes as she quietly followed behind me.

Right when Dad brought up my recent internship at the company, Tanya suddenly interrupted in tears, "I'm so envious that Faye gets to shine at the company. Unlike me, I'm so useless I can't even help with anything."

Dad was an entrepreneur who built everything from scratch, and his greatest wish was for his children to be capable enough to protect what he had created.

Seeing how thoughtful Tanya was being, he quickly reassured her, "You and Faye are both good kids. If you want, you can start an internship at the company tomorrow to gain experience."

Tanya's eyes brightened for a moment before she lowered her gaze again.

"I don't have a degree," she said, sounding dejected. "I don't even have any shares to establish authority with the staff. I probably wouldn't be able to handle it."

The moment I heard the word "shares", my guard went up.

In every one of those stories, the parents would leave a share of the company to the impostor daughter, but she wouldn't receive it until she turned 18 years old. I was no different.

My 18th birthday was still a month away.

Dad froze, and a conflicted expression crossed his face. Just as he was about to speak, Tanya beat him to it.

She looked cautious, almost timid. "Dad, you don't have to give me much. Just a small portion of shares will do. I'm not trying to compete with Faye. I just want a little more confidence when I work at the company."

The comment section instantly erupted in cheers.

"Exactly. Take the shares back. Why should they go to that thief?"

"I bet the parents had nothing left to say. After all, the shares had belonged to Tanya. The fake heiress was probably fuming by now. A multi-million-dollar stake had just slipped through her fingers."

Under Tanya's expectant gaze, Dad scratched his head awkwardly. "It's not that we're refusing to give it to you. It's just that the shares have already been transferred into Faye's name. We can't change it."

Tanya let out a sharp shriek, almost losing her composure entirely. "She's not even 18 years old yet. How could the shares already be transferred into her name?"

I exhaled softly in relief, silently applauding my own paranoia.

Due to my fear that I would be kicked out, left penniless, and starving on the streets, I cried and made a scene, begging my parents to change the age on the documents from 18 to eight.

I could only feel at ease once I was sure the money was mine.

Precisely for that reason, Dad had not brought up sending me away since the moment Tanya showed up.

She could replace me if she wanted. But once my money was involved, I was more guarded than anyone.

Tanya was furious. Nothing was unfolding according to the script she had planned. Still, if she didn't stir up chaos, she would fail to live up to her role as the scheming female lead.

As we went upstairs, she intentionally stayed right beside me. The moment I stepped onto the second floor, she suddenly fell backward.

Her eyes widened in shock and fear as she looked up at me. "Faye, why did you push me?"

Chapter 3

At that moment, I understood Tanya's intention. She wanted to frame me, making it look like I had pushed her down the stairs so my parents would see me as a vicious person.

The live comments also started celebrating too soon.

"Tanya knew there were cameras in the villa, but she deliberately chose a blind spot to fall down the stairs. Now, the fake heiress has no way to defend herself."

I watched the scene expressionlessly and then pressed the button beside the staircase.

The next second, Tanya, who should have slammed hard onto the ground, was launched into the air, forming a graceful arc instead.

Her smug expression instantly cracked.

"Wait. Who installs a trampoline under their own staircase?"

Normal people would not, but I had paranoia. Places like staircases were high-risk zones for framing incidents. How could I not prepare for that?

After countless rehearsals with hired actors, I installed a full-coverage safety trampoline system. With just a press of a button, it deployed in 0.01 seconds.

Mom rushed over when she heard the noise. "Tanya, what happened?"

Tanya's eyes darted around with a calculating glint. Just as she was about to spin another lie, she saw me pull a small surveillance device from my collar and casually play with it in my hand.

Even if there were blind spots in the cameras, I had nothing to fear. I carried my own portable monitoring device with me.

Tanya's face instantly went pale. She stared at me like she had seen a ghost and shook her head frantically.

"I'm fine, Mom. I only slipped. Luckily, Faye's trampoline caught me."

After that incident, Tanya stayed unusually quiet for quite a while. She started to feel like something was haunting her, as if every move she made was known by me.

At home, she avoided me like the plague, terrified of getting caught in something again.

Eventually, her school transfer application was approved. On the day we went to school together, she looked like she had been reborn.

As she got out of the car, she leaned close to my ear and whispered in an eerie tone, "Faye Lockman, if your classmates found out you're just a fake heiress who has been lying to them all along, I wonder what they would think of you."

The comment section came alive again.

"Tanya is pretty cunning. She can't get the upper hand at home, so she's shifting the battlefield to the school instead."

"Tanya is amazing at manipulating public opinion. Back in middle school, she drove someone who bullied her to the point of dropping out. The fake heiress is done for."

They chatted away, discussing my tragic downfall.

I said nothing and simply walked toward the classroom with my backpack.

When it was time for self-introduction, Tanya shot me a smug glance and then turned to the class, smiling sweetly. "Hello, everyone. My name is Tanya Lockman. You might be wondering why I share the same surname as the Lockman family's heiress, Faye."

She stretched her words out, milking the suspense for all it was worth as she savored the look of torment on my face.

"That's because I'm the real daughter the Lockman family just found. Faye is nothing but a fake heiress who has been living under my identity for 18 years."

Chapter 4

Tanya ended her words with a confident smile. However, the students exchanged confused glances.

"What is she even talking about? I don't understand a word."

"Who's the Lockman heiress? We don't have anyone like that at this school, right?"

Even the teacher, Ms. Elsa Stark, frowned slightly and reminded her, "Tanya, this is a self-introduction. You're straying off topic."

Tanya quickly composed herself and stubbornly repeated her claim, "Faye, the so-called heiress of the Lockman family, is a fake. I'm the real heiress who was brought back. You've all been fooled by her!"

At that point, Ms. Stark's expression soured. She immediately sent Tanya back to her seat.

"Tanya, this is a public school, not some elite private school. If you're trying to bring class hierarchy into this, I will be contacting your parents."

The classmates stared at Tanya like she had completely lost her mind.

"Even if you're wealthy, it's not like we're getting any of it. Who cares if you're the real heiress?"

"Even if Faye were a fake heiress, she's never acted high and mighty about it. We're friends with her because of her personality, not her status. What's wrong with you?"

Tanya returned to her seat, looking as though her entire worldview had collapsed.

I bit down on my laughter so hard I almost suffocated.

Fearful that being branded a fake heiress would make me unable to survive in an elite private school, I had chosen to attend a public school all these years. I had also never once publicized my background.

From the very beginning, I had been preparing for this exact situation.

Even so, I knew very well that the scheming Tanya would not give up that easily.

Sure enough, when I returned home after school and saw a black Maybach parked outside the gate, a sense of unease settled in my chest.

Just like in those online fiction stories, the fake heiress always came with a fiance candidate.

I was no exception.

The Gilmore family was one of the most influential upper-class families in the capital, representing a level of wealth and status the Lockman family would never normally be able to reach.

However, my sister just so happened to be the Gilmore heir's first love.

Yes, I had another sister.

Like many women cast as a first love in stories, Irene Lockman was the one the domineering CEO could never forget.

Before she left, her final wish had been for him to take care of her younger sister. The problem now was that Tanya turned out to be the true heiress.

Even worse, Tanya had a face that looked strikingly similar to Irene's. Furthermore, she was Irene's biological younger sister.

That realization sent my mood straight into free fall.

With a girl who closely resembled his first love standing in front of him, it was difficult not to show favoritism.

As expected, Jason Gilmore froze the moment he saw Tanya.

The comment section instantly erupted in excitement.

"Fate itself is favoring Tanya. That face is her most powerful asset."

"The Lockmans might be rich, but how could they compare to the Gilmores? With Jason backing her, the outcome is already decided."

Tanya's cheeks flushed red. She walked over to Jason in a soft, coquettish manner and struck up a conversation. While chatting with him, she would intermittently laugh and cast me smug looks.

It was just before dinner that Tanya came running downstairs after changing, clutching torn fabric in her hands and tearfully accusing me.

"Faye, I know I'm nowhere near you, and I've never tried to steal Jason away. I just couldn't help my feelings and chatted with him a few times.

"Why would you ruin the dress Jason gave me? It's the most precious gift I've ever received. I've already backed down again and again, so why are you still targeting me?"

Tanya broke down in tears, looking utterly devastated. She clutched the fabric to her chest as if it were some priceless treasure.

Jason's usually soft expression darkened immediately, and he snapped, "Faye, what is going on? Don't you have any manners?"

With Jason backing her up, Tanya instantly found her confidence again. A smug look crept into her tear-filled eyes.

"Faye, you were the only one upstairs the entire time, weren't you?"

I nodded calmly. "Yes. But I never went into your room, and I didn't damage your dress."

Even so, every word of my explanation sounded pale and powerless. As long as she stuck to her story, I would have no means of proving my innocence.

A spark of triumph lit up Tanya's tearful eyes as she finally turned the tables. She clutched Jason's hand and said through her tears, "I know I can never compare to Faye, and I've never tried to compete with her to become your fiancee."

With trembling hands, she took out a diary from her arms. "I found this in Irene's room. It records her final wishes."

I couldn't help but feel curious about what she would say next.

She paused briefly and continued, "Irene's greatest wish before she passed was for me to live happily. That's why she entrusted you, Jason, to take care of me. I can tolerate Faye, but I can never go against my sister's wish.

"Faye has to pay for this. Otherwise, how are we supposed to honor Irene's soul?"

Jason accepted the diary. In an instant, the air around him seemed to freeze, and his gaze turned icy.

Tanya looked down at me with a triumphant smile.

"Faye, if you sincerely apologize to me, I might be able to persuade Jason to go easier on you out of respect for my sister."

The comments behind her broke out in a wave of excitement.

"So, this is what a first love can do, even after death. Tanya only looks somewhat like her, yet she already has Jason completely wrapped around her finger."

"The Gilmore family is far more powerful than the Lockman family. Getting rid of a fake heiress would be as easy as swatting an ant."

I couldn't help but gesture at myself as I asked, "Are you certain you're talking about me?"

Tanya's grin widened, carrying a hint of something sinister. "Of course."

She was so absorbed in her victory that she completely missed the unease on my parents' faces beside her.

My heart thudded in my chest. It wasn't fear I felt, but excitement.

A cold, twisted smile formed on Tanya's lips. "Jason, what do you think? How should we deal with Faye so she learns her lesson?"

Under her expectant gaze, Jason trembled with suppressed rage. He raised his hand and struck her across the face.