Rejected for the Real Daughter

[Suddenly both the male lead and female lead feel kind of disgusting. The supporting girl literally didn't do anything, yet they still insist on humiliating her.]

[What do you mean she did nothing? She stole the female lead's identity as the Brooks family's daughter for years! This is the price she should pay!]

I clenched the cheap white dress tightly in my hands.

If they wanted to make a fool out of me, then fine. I'd play along to the very end.

By evening, I arrived at the entrance of the Trillion Hotel, where the gathering was being held.

My phone screen lit up again. Another message from Aaron.

The same nauseating tone, full of self-important urgency, like he needed to control everything.

[Chloe, are you here yet? Everyone's waiting for you, don't keep us waiting too long!]

[And remember to wear the dress I bought you. I've got a huge surprise for you tonight!]

A cold smile tugged at my lips.

My fingers hovered over the screen for a moment before I finally replied with a single word:

[Okay.]

I pushed open the heavy private-room door.

Around the enormous round table sat a sea of familiar faces, all our old high school classmates.

At the head of the table, Aaron sat close beside Yvonne, the intimacy between them painfully obvious.

Just like the floating comments had said, Yvonne was wearing a dress almost identical to the one Aaron had given me.

Except hers had intricate embroidered detailing along the skirt, made with luxurious fabric that screamed money at first glance.

She had been leaning toward him, whispering something softly into his ear. The two exchanged shy, sweet smiles.

Meanwhile, Aaron casually rested his arm along the back of her chair in an openly possessive gesture.

The moment he saw me walk in, a flicker of mockery flashed across his eyes.

Then, as if waiting precisely for this moment, he pulled out the bouquet of nine hundred and ninety-nine roses he had hidden behind him. Raising his voice deliberately so everyone could hear, he dropped to one knee in front of Yvonne.

Several classmates turned toward me in confusion.

"Aaron, did you get this wrong? Isn't Chloe your girlfriend?"

Aaron frowned immediately, irritation obvious on his face.

"Chloe and I just grew up together. How could she possibly be my girlfriend?"

"The one I actually like is the real daughter of the Brooks family, Yvonne. Everyone misunderstood before because Chloe kept imagining things."

"And look at her now, wearing another knockoff version of Yvonne's dress. Fake things will always be fake. I only like the real deal."

He looked at Yvonne affectionately.

"Yvonne, will you be my girlfriend?"

Yvonne covered her mouth with both hands, her voice trembling emotionally.

"Yes... I will."

I stood there alone, like I had been completely shut out of everyone's world.

All this time, everyone thought Yvonne and I were biological sisters.

Turns out I was the fake heiress all along.

The room immediately erupted into whispers.

"So Chloe is the fake daughter? No wonder she never looked anything like Yvonne."

"And today of all days, she deliberately wore the same dress to show up here? What is she trying to do, embarrass herself?"

"Fake girls like fake things. Makes perfect sense."

"She could wear knockoffs for the rest of her life and still never become a real rich heiress."

"Wait though, that dress looks kind of familiar. I feel like I've seen it in a magazine before."

"You're crazy. A fake dress making it into a magazine?"

To make things even more humiliating for me, Aaron looked me up and down with blatant judgment and disdain.

"Your dress honestly doesn't look too bad at first glance.

"But Yvonne's authentic version is obviously better. You get what you pay for.

"A cheap bargain-bin knockoff like yours doesn't even deserve comparison."

He turned toward Yvonne with a smile.

"Don't you agree, Yvonne?"