The Maid's Daughter Stole My Life Online

I stumbled across a wealthy-heiress flex account while scrolling through my feed. The further down I scrolled, the more eerily familiar it felt. A runaway fiancée chased down city streets by her fiancé in a supercar. So many designer shopping bags from a Dubai spree that one hand couldn't hold them all. And a walk-in closet in a luxury mansion packed to the brim with high-end fashion... I was confused, completely bewildered, and couldn't help asking out loud: "Lucky, when did you get yourself a stepmom?" "And Dad, when did you stash a sugar baby in our house?" I consider myself an ultra-online heiress. Just today, while scrolling through my feed, I came across a video posted by an influencer named "BerryTipsOnly." Caption: "Had a fight with my fiancé, grabbed my passport, and headed for the airport. Now he’s chasing me in his Lambo down the avenue. Let’s see who’s faster." The attached video showed a Lamborghini chasing down a Ferrari on a busy downtown strip. I love a good piece of internet drama just like anyone else. The juicy, drama-filled opening hooked me, but as I clicked onto her profile, things started to feel very off. Caption: "Grandpa said if I don't go back and get engaged to the billionaire's heir, he'll freeze my cards. Guess I’ll just max them all out in Dubai first." Video: hands full of designer shopping bags. Geotag: Dubai. Caption: "Fiancé dragged me back to play maid for a hundred grand a month. In his dreams." Video: the grand gates of an ultra-luxury gated community. Geotag: The Reserve. Caption: "This season's new arrivals are here again. All because my fiancé can't stop spending money. My closet can't even fit any more clothes." Video: a walk-in closet lined with unopened luxury boxes. After watching several videos in a row, my brow was furrowed so hard it could crush an ant. This video... this mansion... this walk-in closet... Isn't this literally my house? As I kept browsing her page, a new post notification popped up at the top of my screen. I tapped it. Caption: "My fiancé actually tried to compete with my puppy for my attention! Not a chance. My baby comes first forever." Attached image: a fluffy, snow-white Samoyed with big, round eyes, smiling straight into the camera. I stared unblinkingly at the screen, walked downstairs, and shouted toward the living room: "Lucky!" "Woof! Woof!" What answered me was an excited bark and a little white ball of energy barreling straight into my arms. I scooped Lucky onto the sofa, held my phone right next to his face, and compared his adorable little mug to the smiling dog on screen. I stared at him for ten solid minutes. Growing impatient, he tried to lick my cheek, but I held him back with deadpan seriousness. Looking Lucky straight in the eye, I asked: "Lucky, be honest with me. Did you go behind my back and find yourself a stepmom?" The dog was shocked, confused, offended, and immediately tried to win me over with puppy eyes. At the dinner table, after I sneaked my fifth glance at my dad, he finally couldn't take it anymore. "What's wrong? Run out of money? What did you buy? Didn't I just wire you a hundred grand a couple of days ago? Need another two hundred grand? I'll send it via PayPal right now." Watching my dad whip out his phone to open the banking app, I started to reach out to stop him, but after a split-second pause, I pulled my hand right back. Who says no to free money? Thank you, dear father.After hearing the notification ding on my phone, I shook my head like a rattle. "Then what is it?" Dad asked, thinking for a moment. "Did you fall for some guy? Let me tell you, sweetheart, you can't just judge a man by his looks. A guy as handsome, wealthy, and decent as your dad is one in a million!" As he spoke, he leaned in closer, his face practically glowing with curiosity. He glanced around, made sure our housekeeper, Mrs. Miller, was busy cleaning up in the kitchen, and lowered his voice to a whisper: "Spill it to your dad. I swear I won't tell your mother!" I shook my head again. With a solemn, probing expression, I stared into his face, looking for the slightest crack in his facade. Dad looked completely baffled. "Sweetheart, why that look? I swear I haven't been stashing secret cash or secretly gaming lately..." "Dad," I said, eyeing him with suspicion. "You haven't done anything behind Mom's back, have you?" Dad threw his hands up instantly, swearing to the heavens with the most righteous expression possible. "How could I ever do something to hurt your mother! I am entirely devoted to the queen of this house! I have only ever loved Helen Vance my entire life!" I looked down, absently pushing a fork into my dinner. Then a sudden, wild thought hit me. I looked up at him in disbelief. "Dad... don't tell me I have a secret long-lost sister out there!" "Was I born first or second? Dad, please don't secretly sneak her into the house. I'm not petty, I swear. I'm very understanding, and I can totally get along with an older sister..." Before I could finish, I got a sharp flick on the forehead that literally brought a tear to my eye. "What is that little head of yours imagining all day? If you have this much free time, go back to school, or come help out at the family firm. Stop sitting around inventing ridiculous drama." "So you really don't? Swear it, Dad. If you're lying, you're Lucky!" Lucky gave a confused whine from the floor, as if wondering what he did to deserve that. Later that evening, while browsing social media, I ran across Miss Berry Tips again. Caption: "Had another fight with the fiancé. That jerk really thinks this little treat can buy me off? Keep dreaming!" Attached image: an exquisite traditional afternoon tea set placed beside a delicate indoor water fountain. Geotag: The Reserve. I stared at the photo. The more I looked, the more familiar it became. Wait. Wasn't this the exact photo my best friend posted on her private feed yesterday?! Well, that explained a lot. My bestie, Chloe Stone, came from a family that had been close with mine for generations. When our families bought houses, they deliberately purchased neighboring villas here in The Reserve so we could visit easily. With that in mind, I shot Chloe a text on SnapChat. “Babe, remember the little people when you make it big!” “Lily, have you lost your mind?” “Babe, you’re a massive influencer now and you didn't even tell me? Wow. So cold. I guess I'm not your favorite person anymore!” “What influencer? What are you even talking about?”Seeing that Chloe wasn't admitting it, I immediately sent her the video link and opened the profile for her to see. "Since when did you and Brandon get this far?" I teased over FaceTime. Chloe actually did have a fiancé, but she hardly ever brought him up. To think she was secretly living this fairy tale behind my back! "And another thing—when did you take photos of Lucky? You haven't visited him in ages, and he misses his godmother!" I was in the middle of listing my playful grievances when she cut me off cold. "Stop." "That's not me." "Not you?" "It's not me! I swear on Lily Vance remaining single for the next ten years, that is not me!" Now the two of us were staring blankly at each other through the screen. If it wasn't either of us, then who on earth was this snooty little rich-girl persona? And where was she getting all these photos? I drafted a polite direct message on her profile: "Hi there, I was just wondering where you take the photos and videos on your page? A lot of them seem to feature my and my friend’s personal life and belongings. Could you share where you got this material from?" I read it over several times to make sure it didn't sound too confrontational, then hit send to "BerryTipsOnly." By nighttime, having received no reply, I clicked back into our chat to see if my message had gotten buried in her inbox. However, a small gray "Seen" receipt sat quietly beneath my text. It seemed Miss Berry Tips had no intention of revealing the secret behind her viral fame. Since it was a one-way follow, the platform only allowed one message to be sent to a stranger. Curious to see if she had posted anything new today, I went to check her main page, only to see a blank screen—she had blocked me. Guilty conscience, much? I hopped onto my burner account and left a comment under her latest video: "Hey, where did the creator actually get these photos?" I never imagined that single, simple comment would unleash an absolute torrent of hate. "Sounds like pure jealousy to me! The creator is a real-deal heiress, of course she took them herself!" "Gotta love broke people exposing their own poverty. Just because you aren't rich doesn't mean everyone else is as broke as you." "There are way too many bitter, broke haters in this world." "Why does she owe you an explanation? Could your clout-chasing be any more obvious?" "She has money to document her life. What are you so jealous of, you broke loser?" Me? Broke? I opened my burner profile. Fair enough—that account was dedicated to sharing cheap budget finds, like two-dollar hair clips and bulk hair ties. It was definitely a monument to my bargain-hunting side. Still, being thrifty didn't give anyone the right to verbally abuse me. Besides, I glanced at the eight-figure balance sitting pretty in my bank app... Who was the broke one again? The storm in the comments was rapidly blowing up. Then, Miss Berry Tips posted a new set of images that poured gasoline directly onto the fire. No caption. Just several screenshots of direct messages.