Stolen Test Scores, The Heiress's Revenge

It was one week before the SATs.

My biological parents finally tracked me down.

They took me back while my adoptive parents were away.

It wasn't because they missed me.

They just wanted to hand my hard-earned Ivy League spot to their useless fake daughter.

In my past life, I might have agreed just to feel loved.

But this time, I've been reborn.

"Rosie, this is your sister. Try to get along, okay?"

My mother introduced me to the girl who looked exactly my age the moment we stepped inside.

The fake heiress, Rosalie Langston, reached out a hand toward me.

"You must be the daughter Mom and Dad lost all those years ago. Hi, I'm Rosalie."

I stared at her hand and didn't move an inch.

Rosalie's face tightened with embarrassment.

Within seconds, the tears started rolling down her cheeks.

"Does my sister hate me already? I know I've taken her place for ten years. It's natural for her to resent me."

She turned away, sobbing softly.

"If she can't stand the sight of me, I'll just leave this house."

She started walking toward her room to pack, but her steps were painfully slow.

It was obvious she was waiting for someone to stop her.

My mother opened her mouth to snap at me, then hesitated.

She tried to smooth things over for Rosalie instead.

"Your sister is just joking, honey. Don't take it to heart."

"Really?" Rosalie looked at me with watery, pathetic eyes.

I let a cold smirk play on my lips.

"Of course. I absolutely love playing jokes on people."

In my last life, I exhausted myself trying to please these people.

I even handed over my Yale admission spot to her.

By the time she graduated from that Ivy League school, I was stuck flipping burgers at a greasy food truck outside the campus gates.

My biological parents eventually cut me off, claiming I was an embarrassment.

I thought I would at least live a quiet, simple life.

But then Rosalie lured me to a rooftop.

She told me the truthDthat I had actually earned that spot myself.

My parents had used their connections to swap my test scores with hers.

Before I could even process the betrayal, she pushed me off the building.

Now, I've woken up on the very first day I returned to the Langstons.

This time, I'm living for myself.

As for being someone's stepping stone? They can find someone else to trample on.

Rosalie didn't expect that answer.

A flash of irritation crossed her eyes before it turned into pure malice.

If she kept acting up now, she'd look like the dramatic one.

She grabbed my mother's arm, acting all sweet and clingy.

"Mom, when are Dad and Xavier coming home?"

"Your father and brother should be back any minute now."

Rosalie turned to me with a fake, helpful smile.

"Don't worry, sister. Xavier and Dad are very easy to get along with."

"Oh, I'm sure we'll get along great," I thought. Not.

If Rosalie wasn't stirring up drama, she wouldn't be Rosalie.

When dinner time rolled around, my father and my younger brother, Xavier, arrived.

They acted like my presence was a threat to Rosalie's mood.

They hovered over her, asking about her day and ignoring me completely.

The trouble started the moment we headed to the dining room.

As I moved toward a chair, Xavier barked at me.

"What do you think you're doing? There's no seat for you here!"

Before I could even defend myself, Rosalie jumped in.

"Xavier, don't talk like that. She's your real sister."

"I don't have a sister who's a backwater hillbilly," Xavier sneered.

"If you dare sit at this table today, watch out. I'll make you regret it."

My father and mother kept their heads down, pretending to be very busy with their napkins.

They didn't say a single word to stop him.

"Sister, Xavier is just young. He doesn't mean any harm. You won't hold it against a kid, right?"

It was the exact same script from my previous life.

The same words, the same condescending attitude.

I let a wide, bright smile spread across my face.

"Of course I won't hold it against him. I love kids, and I love jokes."

I didn't wait for Rosalie to respond.

"I'll just eat by the front door. It's more lively with people passing by anyway."

"When I was growing up in the sticks, I loved crouching by the door to eat."

I grabbed a small stool and headed for the exit.

They wanted to humiliate me? Fine, let's see how they like the neighbors seeing this.

My father finally spoke up, looking at me like I was a throwing a tantrum.

"Enough! You just got back. Why are you causing a scene?"

I was used to his blatant favoritism.

He didn't care about Xavier or Rosalie; he only cared about himself.

In my last life, he allowed my scores to be stolen just to save face.

He spent a fortune training his fake daughter, and he couldn't let the world know she was a failure.

If the neighbors saw his biological daughter eating on the porch like a stray, it would be a scandal.

My father would scream at his own mother if she threatened his reputation.

"Dad, I was just joking with Xavier," I said, keeping my face perfectly cheerful.

"YouD" Xavier started to yell, but my mother pulled his arm to shut him up.

Xavier finally went quiet, though he kept glaring at me like he wanted me dead.

That dinner was a lot less suffocating than it had been in my last life.

Once we finished, my mother led me to a small, cramped room off the kitchen.

"Zoe, your arrival was so sudden. We didn't have time to prepare much."

"You'll have to make do with the storage room for now," she said.

In my previous life, I had believed her and stayed in that dusty hole.

This time, I acted like I didn't understand.

"Mrs. Langston, what are you talking about? I'm going back to my adoptive parents."

"If I stay out all night, they'll get worried," I added.

My mother panicked instantly.

"You're my daughter! Where else would you live if not here? Back in that dusty little town?"

Rosalie, who had been lingering nearby, chimed in with her fake-sweet voice.

"Exactly, sister. Mom and Dad worked so hard to find you. Don't leave."

"Don't throw away their kindness like that," she urged.

I tilted my head, looking innocent.

"But Rosalie said I'm the real daughter of this house."

"What kind of real heiress lives in a storage closet?" I asked.

My mother's face turned several shades of red.

Before she could answer, Xavier came charging over again.

"You're a peasant! If you don't sleep in the storage room, where else would you go?"

"Don't think just because you're Mom's kid that you can bully my sister."

"If you touch her stuff, I'll make your life a living hell," he threatened.

Rosalie played the martyr, wiping away a fake tear.

"Xavier, stop. It's okay. She just got back, so she's bound to be bitter."

"If my sister thinks the storage room is beneath her, I'll swap with her."

"Deal," I snapped before she could even finish her sentence.

Rosalie forgot to keep crying.

Her eyes went wide, and she stared at me in total disbelief.

"Since you're so worried about me, I'd hate to be rude and refuse. I'll take your room."

"Wait, sister, IDI didn't mean it literally," Rosalie stammered.

She looked frantic, but I cut her off immediately.

"Oh? Were you just lying to Mom then? Just for show?"

"If that's the case, I really should just go back home. My bedroom there is way bigger than this closet."

I turned to walk out the front door.

Rosalie forced a smile that looked more like a painful grimace.

"Of course I wasn't lying. If you want my room, you can have it."

I don't know what my mother said to Xavier, but he looked like he was about to explode with rage.

Later that evening, I walked past the storage room.

The whole family was huddled inside, comforting Rosalie as if she were a dying orphan.

"Rosie, just hang in there," I heard my mother whisper.

"Once the SATs are over, we'll use our connections to swap your scores with hers."

"Then we'll kick her out for good. You're the only daughter the Langstons will ever have."

I stood in the shadows and smiled.

We'll see who's left standing when the dust clears.

Since I had successfully taken her room, Rosalie didn't dare pull any more stunts for a while.

The next morning, we sat in the back of the car together on the way to school.

It would have been a perfect ride if she could just keep her mouth shut.

"This is probably your first time in a big city school, right?"

"Mom put you in my class so I can help you adjust. Education in the city is much harder than in the country."

I could see the driver smirking in the rearview mirror.

"If the city education is so superior, why are your grades at the bottom of the class?" I asked casually.

Rosalie's face went pale.

Her grades were a disaster, which is why my mother was pushing her toward an arts major.

But even for arts, her scores wouldn't be high enough for a top-tier university.

That's why they were eyeing my potential.

Rosalie shifted the subject quickly to hide her embarrassment.

"Mom also wanted me to introduce you to the right people. You know, networking."

"Like who?" I asked.

She thought she finally had my interest.

"The Sterling family, for starters. They're just as powerful as the Langstons."

"There's actually an arranged marriage between our families. Their son, Milo Sterling, is incredible."

"He's handsome, top of his class, and the student council president. Every girl wants him."

She went on and on about how perfect Milo was.

If I didn't know better, I'd think he was actually a decent human being.

In my last life, Milo Sterling went out of his way to ruin me for Rosalie's sake.

He even pretended to date me just to convince me to give up my university spot.

The moment my scores were hers, he showed his true colors and tossed me aside.

He's heading straight for me again, the snake.

"You're talking him up so much," I said with a smirk. "Do you have a crush on him?"