Five years ago, I saved a handsome fox. I expected gratitude. Instead, he dumped three kits on my doorstep. As I hesitated, floating comments appeared: [OMG! These fox spirits transform into Grade-A hotties!] [The fake heiress will steal them to build her harem!] [Their powers will help her steal everything from you!] Just then, my scheming "sister" reached for the box: "You hate animals, Cora. Give them to me." I yanked the box back: "Better to raise my own men, no?" 1 When Hailey reached for the cardboard box, my hands moved faster than my brain. I yanked it behind my back. "No, I couldn't possibly trouble you. I found them, so I should be the one to take care of them." Five minutes ago, I had started seeing strange, translucent messages—like a live chat commentary—floating in my vision. Through them, I learned the truth: I was living inside a novel. A novel titled The Fake Heiress Who Fought for Everything and Lived Happily Ever After. And I, the real heiress, was nothing more than the villainous foil to the story’s beloved protagonist. Hailey, the fake heiress, was greedy and materialistic, yet she pretended to despise our wealthy family, making a show of wanting to escape. And for that, everyone adored her. Meanwhile, I, the one who craved a family’s love, the one who’d been separated from them for over a decade because of a hospital mix-up, was despised for everything I did. And it all started with this litter of foxes. Hailey was supposed to use these kits to steal the good fortune that was rightfully mine. I, without any magical assistance, was destined to fail at every turn, ultimately ending my story by jumping off a building in despair. But now I could see the commentary. And I wasn't about to let that happen. I clutched the box tightly. Hailey’s hand froze, and a strange expression crossed her face. She tilted her chin, a smirk playing on her lips. "You wouldn't know how to raise them, Cora. You spent your whole life in some backwater town. Did they even teach you about this kind of thing at that little school of yours? Oh, right, I forgot. You went to a public middle school. You probably don't know the first thing about caring for foxes." Her words were like a physical blow. A hot flush of shame and anger crept up my neck. Before I could retort, a smooth, magnetic voice spoke up from behind me. "Cora? What are you fighting with Hailey about now? You have everything she has. Can't you just leave her alone? The family has already compensated you for what you went through. Isn't that enough?" The speaker, dressed in designer sportswear, had sharp, handsome features and a perfectly styled haircut. It was Ashton Vance, the adopted son of the Song family. And, as of recently, my fiancé. 2 Five years ago, I was spending the summer at my grandmother’s, shucking corn, when I found an injured fox. He was magnificent—pure white fur, piercing blue eyes that held a chilling intensity. I’d heard stories about fox spirits who repaid human kindness. So, I left him my home address and social security number, just to be sure he didn’t repay the wrong person. I waited and waited. No magical repayment came. Instead, a fleet of luxury cars belonging to the wealthiest family in the region, the Songs, rolled up to my grandmother's tiny house. They were here to take me home. There had been a mix-up at the hospital. I was their long-lost daughter. This has to be the fox spirit's work! I thought. But when I returned to the Song family, I discovered my position was… awkward. My biological parents felt no connection to me. They pitied me for my past—my adoptive parents had died young, leaving me to be raised in poverty by my grandmother—but they seemed to think money was the only compensation they owed me. Hailey, the girl who had taken my place, was so sweet and charming that my parents couldn't bear to send her away. So she stayed, now officially the "adopted second daughter." In name, I was the first daughter. But in reality, she held all the power. And Ashton? The live commentary had just revealed he was the male lead of this novel. As the adopted son, everyone had assumed he and Hailey were destined to be together. But when I, the real heiress, was brought home, our parents honored a childhood betrothal agreement. Suddenly, Ashton was my fiancé. And since he couldn't marry the girl he actually loved, he had nothing but contempt for me. But I didn't care. The Songs had made a promise: if I came back, they would pay for my grandmother's medical care, ensuring she had a place in the best nursing home. A muscle twitched in my jaw as I glared at Ashton. "Enough? What, exactly, should I be satisfied with? This imposter who stole my life gets to throw tantrums in my face every day, and I'm supposed to be grateful? You're lucky I haven't lost my temper. And who are you to lecture me? The family dog? Get out of my way." I clutched the box and tried to push past him. The commentary had just flashed a new message: [The first kit is about to open his eyes! The first person he sees, he’ll recognize as his master! I think this one controls wealth, right? He’s gonna bring his owner insane financial luck.] Financial luck! A walking cash machine! If I could make this little guy my subordinate, I could finally start winning in this ridiculous novel. I wasn't sure if Hailey could see the commentary, but she suddenly grew desperate, lunging for the box. "Cora, don't be angry! I didn't mean you were ignorant. It's just… I've been the daughter of this family for eighteen years, and you just got here. I'm not looking down on you, really! And Ashton was just worried about me. You didn't have to be so cruel." I rolled my eyes, her words bouncing right off me. All I could think about was the message: [The alpha fox is about to wake up! His power is wealth! Hailey, baby, grab him! Once he imprints, it's game over!] [I think the alpha transforms tonight, too. He's so hot. 6'2", pale skin, and legs for days.] I ignored the rest and bolted for my room, clutching the box. If I couldn't make the fox imprint on me, I definitely wasn't going to let Hailey have him. Hailey, sensing my urgency, grabbed my sleeve, her nails digging in. In the scuffle, the box fell from my hands. I heard a tiny yelp. In the chaos, my eyes met a pair of amber, animal eyes. Hailey's face went pale, her own eyes instantly welling with tears. "Cora, I know you've had a hard life, but it wasn't my fault! Punish me however you want, but why would you hurt these innocent animals? Please, just give them to me." When force didn't work, she switched to playing the victim. I ignored her completely and dove for the box. But a white blur shot out from inside and vanished in a flash. Damn it, one got away. Hailey gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. "Cora, I really didn't mean for that to happen! If you hadn't fought me for them, he wouldn't have run away!" I shoved past both of them, grabbed the box, and sprinted to my room, locking the door behind me. As the lock clicked, I heard a faint rustling from inside the box. I lifted the lid. There were only two kits left, their eyes still sealed shut. The one with the amber eyes was gone. 3 My cash cow had escaped! Just then, the gloating commentary reappeared. [Hahaha, the alpha ran off! He's probably going to find our sweet Hailey! What is this dumb heiress thinking? This is a villainess-reborn story! Anything our Hailey wants, she gets!] [Once Hailey gets the wealth fox, she’ll inherit the entire Song family fortune. Ashton will be hers too. They're totally gonna seal the deal tonight, hehehe.] I was shaking with rage. How was this fair? The old fox was repaying me. These kits were meant for me. Now Hailey was the righteous one for stealing them? Just because she was the "villainess reborn," she could ignore all basic decency? A loud banging started at my door. It was Ashton. "Cora, you'd better come out here and apologize to Hailey right now! Mom and Dad are coming back from their trip tonight. If they find out you've been fighting with her again, I'm not covering for you." When I didn't answer, he added coldly, "And don't say I didn't warn you. They're going to be distributing company shares when they get back. You still want your allowance and tuition money, don't you?" I let out another cold laugh. "And you think they'll actually give it to me? Save it. You and Hailey are their real children. I'm just an outsider, right?" They treated their fake daughter better than their real one anyway. They'd only brought me back to be Hailey's punching bag. Did anyone really care if I lived or died? Instead of waiting for their pitiful handouts, I'd put my faith in these foxes. 4 I didn't leave my room that night. My parents didn't bother to check on me. The next morning, they left for school without me. After I was brought back to the Song family, I was enrolled in the same elite private high school as Hailey and Ashton. A luxury car was supposed to take us every day, but Hailey had been telling everyone at school that I was her maid's daughter, and that she only brought me along out of pity. She’d even encouraged the other students to bully and isolate me. I didn't have a single friend. I tucked the two remaining kits into a hidden compartment in my bag and took a series of public buses to school. According to the commentary, in the original story, the alpha fox was supposed to have transformed last night. He would have accompanied Hailey to school today and delivered my first major humiliation. As I walked into the classroom, the commentary popped up again. [Here comes the real heiress! Showtime! Today’s the day she wins first place in that essay contest and gets the $50,000 prize, right?] [Yep! And she was going to send it to her blind grandma in the country for eye surgery. But our Hailey intercepts it! The poor girl has no idea the alpha fox already swapped her essay with a plagiarized one. As long as the alpha is with Hailey, all of the protagonist’s good luck gets stolen.] [Serves her right! Why should she get all the good stuff just for acting pitiful? Finders keepers, losers weepers!] I ignored the comments and looked at Hailey. Sure enough, a boy in the school uniform was standing beside her. He had a shock of silver-white hair, and his skin was so pale it was almost luminous. Even his eyelashes were white. He was unnaturally beautiful. He stood obediently by Hailey's side as she reached up and ruffled his hair, as if summoning a puppy. "This is my friend," she announced to the class. "He'll be coming to school with Ashton and me from now on. Don't any of you mess with him." When she saw me, her smile widened. "Sorry, Cora. Ashton was craving a burrito from that place on the south side, so we left a little early. We forgot to wake you." I just smiled back and walked calmly toward her. "You'd better hope you actually forgot and aren't just putting on an act. You know whether it was intentional or not." With that, I kicked over my own desk. A few mice and a small, bright green snake scurried out. These little tricks had been happening since my first day. I was used to it. I'd put up with it because the Songs were paying for my grandmother's care. But yesterday, the commentary had revealed the truth. The Songs were going to force my grandmother to move, and then, on Hailey's instruction, they were going to cut off the nursing home payments, leading to my grandmother's death from neglect. I was done being patient. I was taking back everything she had stolen from me. The classroom erupted in screams. I, however, simply pinned the writhing snake with my foot, grabbed it by the head, and dangled it in front of Hailey's face. The snake flicked its tongue, hissing. Hailey's eyes widened in terror, her face ashen. "Are you insane, Cora? Get that thing away from me! GET IT AWAY!" Ashton immediately tried to intervene, but he was too afraid of the snake to get close. "Cora, what the hell is wrong with you? That snake is poisonous! If you have a problem, take it out on me, not Hailey!" I glanced at him. "I'll deal with you after I'm done with her. Don't worry." I was about to drop the snake down the collar of Hailey's uniform when the white-haired boy frowned and grabbed my hand—and the snake. I looked at him and saw them—the same amber, animal eyes. It was the transformed alpha fox. We stared at each other for a moment. He blinked, a look of confusion on his face. 5 Seeing that someone had stopped me, Hailey's fear vanished. A triumphant smirk appeared on her face. "Do you hate me that much, Cora? That snake is poisonous! Do you really want me dead? Too bad, it looks like fate isn't on your side today." She preened. "Thank goodness for my dear Fenris. Oh, well. A little punishment is fine, I guess. After all, you've suffered so much." But as soon as the words were out of her mouth, Fenris—that must have been his name—let go of my hand. His amber eyes grew moist, and his nose twitched. The next thing I knew, he was bending down and rubbing his fluffy white head against my chin. "You… you smell so good," he murmured. I was so startled that my grip loosened, and the snake slithered out of my hand, landing right inside Hailey's collar. She shrieked, clawing at her uniform and running around the classroom like a madwoman. No one dared to help her. Ashton just stood there, pale-faced, swatting at her clothes with a textbook. The classroom was in utter chaos. Someone finally called security, and the snake was removed. Hailey glared at Fenris, who was now clinging to my hand. Her eyes filled with tears. "Fenris, I'm your master! How could you protect someone else? Have you forgotten who took you in? How could you do this to me?" Fenris looked from Hailey to me, his expression torn. "I was just…" He seemed utterly confused, but in the end, he moved to stand behind Hailey. Hailey shot me a venomous look, but then a cold smile spread across her face. "You're feeling pretty smug right now, aren't you, Cora? But what does it matter? You'll never win against me." The commentary exploded. [That's right, Hailey, baby! Don't back down! We love a villainess! Does she really think she's the heiress now? Her parents don't even care about her.] [But what was that just now? Why did Fenris act all cute with Cora? Does he know she was his original master?] [No way. Our Hailey performed a blood bond with him last night. He only recognizes her as his master.] [Just wait. Cora's about to have a meltdown when she finds out the prize money she's been dreaming of is going to Hailey instead. It's gonna be epic.] I read the comments, a secret smile playing on my lips. Hidden in my hand, I clutched a small tuft of white fox fur.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "394038", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel