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

Chapter 1“Mira, back from the race already?” Mrs. Thompson called out as she stood in the doorway of her quaint corner store.As the old lady’s voice caught her attention, Mirabella, decked out in sleek black cycling gear, smoothly applied the brakes to her bike. With a practiced toe-touch to the ground, she removed her helmet, and her long ponytail cascaded down, giving her an air of effortless grace and cool beauty.Mrs. Thompson couldn’t help but sigh internally as she watched Mirabella.

She really was something special. Even riding a bike, she exuded an aura that set her apart from the rest.“Oh, by the way, it looked like you had visitors at home – they arrived in a car so fancy, it’d make your head spin! My son said it’s worth a fortune, probably more than any car in our whole town…” Mrs. Thompson exaggerated with her hands as she spoke.Mirabella listened thoughtfully, her delicate features betraying no particular emotion.Noticing Mirabella’s silence, Mrs. Thompson cautiously looked around before leaning in closer, lowering her voice conspiratorially, “Mira, tell me the truth. How did your family come to know such wealthy folks? Or did you… perhaps offend someone?”Mrs. Thompson remembered that there was also a commotion involving a fancy car at Mirabella’s house last year.Mirabella’s eyelids twitched slightly, and she couldn’t help but give a wry smile at Mrs. Thompson’s wild speculation. To avoid any misunderstanding, she replied softly, “Maybe they’re like, distant cousins or something.”As soon as she said this, confusion spread across Mrs. Thompson’s face, but before she could probe further, Mirabella had already put her helmet back on and waved goodbye. “I better get going, Mrs. Thompson.”Mrs. Thompson watched Mirabella ride away, murmuring to herself, “Wasn’t her family known for being hard up?”Where did these wealthy distant cousins come from?***As Mirabella approached her house, she could already see the fancy black sedan parked in the alley outside the gate. It bore the majestic emblem of an eagle in flight, with a stately and dynamic body. It’s a Bentley, no less, worth a pretty penny.

in the city, complete with a caretaker to look after you. It’s far better than here in every way.”“Just look at this dingy floor, the faded walls, and the leaking roof whenever it rains. Does any of that scream ‘comfort’ to you?”“Your health isn’t the best, yet you choose to live in this damp, moldy old house. Others might think we’re poor, or worse, that your children are neglecting you…”Still in the yard, Mirabella paused thoughtfully as the words reached her. But then, she lifted her chin with resolve.Truth be told, since she’d body hopped into this body, she hadn’t really taken a good look at the place she was living in.The house was a quaint two-story cottage with a yard, the kind you’d find out in the countryside. It had red brick walls topped with black shingles, and the walls were untouched by paint or tiles. In some areas, due to the passage of time, dark, moldy streaks had etched their presence into the surface. All in all, it was the epitome of 1980s architecture—undeniably old and tattered.Mirabella touched

wasn’t called Mirbella but Mirabelle, a pampered daughter of a newly wealthy family in Ashford.A few months ago, she was abruptly informed that this body was not a true Gilbert family child but was switched at birth by a nurse. Her biological parents were just an ordinary working couple, not only lacking in wealth and influence but also burdened with four seemingly unmotivated sons to support—a heavy load by any measure.Mandy, her foster mother standing before her, discovered that her biological daughter lived in poverty while she raised a poor family’s child in luxury. Perhaps Mandy felt her dormant maternal instincts stir due to this stark contrast. She saw her biological daughter appear gracious and sweet-spoken, so she quickly brought her back home, renaming her and inviting her to the family with haste as if to compensate for any past neglect.As for the faux heiress Mirabella, though born into wealth, she was never truly cherished by the Gilbert family. She spent her childhood in a small town, raised by Mandy’s mother, and was rarely visited, even once a year.With the real daughter reclaimed, the counterfeit had to step aside. So, before the Davis family came to reclaim Mirabella, Mandy told her she didn’t deserve the Gilbert name nor to stay there—a sentiment as clear then as Mandy’s cold demeanor now.Mirabella collected her thoughts and nonchalantly withdrew her gaze from Mandy.Mandy, noticing the shift, furrowed her brows, her anger flaring. “What kind of attitude is that?” she snapped.Hearing the rage in the question, Mirabella raised an eyebrow playfully and replied with a sly smile, “And what, may I ask, is your current title?”At that, Mandy’s well-maintained face darkened instantly. Clearly, no matter how long you raised

a diamond, no matter what.”Catherine looked worriedly at Mirabella, fearing the words might have hurt her. “You haven’t been involved in her life for years. You have no idea what Mira is like now…”Mandy sneered dismissively, cutting her off again. “Mom, she’s