The Double ( or More ?) Life of The Fake Heiress

Mirabella sidled over to the sideboard and poured herself a glass of water. Taking a sip, she finally drawled a rejection. “Let’s not bother with it, shall we?”

Throwing a party equaled spending money. Inviting guests equaled spending money.

Shawn, who had already made a mental guest list and even picked out the venue, was taken aback when his daughter declined. He looked up at her, perplexed. “Ah, why not?”

Leaning casually against the wall, Mirabella said, “It was just a minor contest, not worth splurging on.” In other words, spending money to celebrate a competition without prize money was just a loss. NôvelDrama.Org exclusive content.

Shawn opened his mouth to explain, “Darling, our family isn’t exactly…” short on cash.

Mirabella raised her hand mid–air, cutting him off seriously. “Dad, we should keep a low profile.”

The corners of Shawn’s mouth twitched in response. Once upon a time, it was Shawn who preached understatement, but now these words echoed from his daughter’s lips. It was oddly disheartening.

Mirabella had already turned and made her way to the dining room, leaving Shawn alone on the couch, his emotions tangled like a knotted necklace. It felt like having a treasure you wanted to show off, yet you had to keep it hidden away–a real downer.

When breakfast time came around, Zach and Leo descended the stairs one after the other. Leo headed over, greeted everyone, and then naturally took his usual spot next to his sister.

Zach, witnessing this, grimaced slightly. Talk about brotherly love! He also sat down for breakfast.

Mirabella took a sip of milk and then glanced at Leo. She noticed his complexion was fair, and the toxins in his body hadn’t spread. It seemed he had heeded her advice and taken his medicine.

“Why are you staring, Mira?” Leo blinked, his curly hair and groggy expression making him look adorably clueless.

Suppressing the urge to ruffle his hair, Mirabella lowered her head to nibble on a bagel, “It’s nothing.”

“Oh,” Leo sounded a bit disappointed, having hoped his sister would compliment his good looks for the day.

After Mirabella polished off the last bite of her bagel and wiped her mouth clean with a napkin, she pulled out a small glass vial, no bigger than a shot of cough syrup, from her jacket pocket and placed it by Leo’s hand.

Leo paused before picking up the bottle. “What’s this?”

10:45

Zach, sitting across from them, looked on curiously.

Mirabella raised an eyebrow. “I’ve noticed you’ve been quite heated up lately, so I got you this. cooling detox remedy.”

Leo eyed the label–less vial, which did not quite resemble the detox concoctions found in

stores.

“Mirabella, I’m feeling hot too. Do I get one?” chimed in Zach, feeling a tad left out.

With a twitch of her lips and a half–smile, Mirabella shot him a glance. “I could give you an acupuncture session.”

Zach hastily shook his head. “I’ll pass.” Mirabella’s smile in these situations was always somewhat terrifying.

Leo had already unscrewed the cap and sniffed the vial. There was a faint scent of herbs, nothing overbearing.

Leaning back in her chair, Mirabella rested an arm on the table edge, her posture slack but her presence somehow imposing. Leo glanced at her, recalling the last time he neglected to take her prescribed remedy and the stern look she gave him. Cautiously, he asked, “Do I just drink it like this?”

“Yeah,” Mirabella answered softly, her gleaming eyes lazy yet piercing.