Ditching the Toxic Heir: I'm the True Billionaire Heiress

As the host of the university's annual Winter Gala, I was standing backstage, holding my cue cards and getting ready to deliver the opening speech. But as the heavy velvet curtains drew back, the giant screen behind me didn't show the beautifully edited promotional video. Instead, a blurry, shaky video began to play. If you looked closely, you could see two people in the deep, dark woods of the campus. It was an explicit video! The camera zoomed in, focusing sharply on the girl's face. The girl, who was half-naked and breathing heavily, was none other than me! Gasps and whispers instantly erupted from the crowd. Right then, my boyfriend stormed onto the stage, his eyes bloodshot with rage. "Chloe Sterling, I never thought you could be this cheap and shameless. We're over!" In my line of sight, floating chat bubbles—like a live Twitch stream that only I could see—started spamming my vision. Yet, I just smiled calmly. "It’s just a video. Who doesn't have one?" The moment the video started playing, the auditorium erupted into utter chaos. "What the hell? Did I walk into the wrong room? Is this a school gala or an adult film screening?" "Holy shit! Is that Chloe Sterling?!" "Oh my god, it really is her! The campus goddess plays this dirty in private?" "Who's the guy? Is it Julian Vance?" "Doesn't look like him... That guy looks way too short. You can't see his face, but... wow, Chloe’s taste is trash." "Wait, it’s not Julian? Does that mean Chloe is cheating on him?!" Staring at the giant screen that was currently projecting a high-definition close-up of my face, my heart sank. In the very front row of the VIP section, I saw Julian Vance. His face was as dark as a thunderstorm. Frowning, I ran backstage and ordered the tech crew to shut the screen down immediately. My co-hosts were staring at me, their eyes filled with judgment, suspicion, and disgust. I didn't have time to deal with them. Once the screen went black, I walked back onto the stage to handle the rioting crowd. Even though I had been somewhat prepared for this, facing it head-on still made my heart race. A person's reputation is everything, especially in a circle like ours. If I didn't handle this perfectly tonight, I would be ruined forever. Julian walked up the stage steps, one heavy step at a time. He was holding a massive bouquet of fresh, blood-red roses. The next second, he hurled the bouquet straight at my face. A hard velvet box hidden inside the flowers struck my cheekbone, leaving a stinging, burning pain. The roses scattered across the floor. The exquisite box popped open, and a platinum ring rolled out, catching the stage lights. "Chloe." "Is this your way of celebrating our two-year anniversary?" Today was indeed our two-year anniversary. We had planned to celebrate right after the gala. I had even told him I had a massive surprise for him. The boy who used to look at me with sparkling, loving eyes now looked at me with nothing but cold, pitch-black hatred. Julian, who always kept his emotions tightly guarded, had red rims around his eyes. His hands, hanging by his sides, were trembling. "Sienna told me you had a wild, messy private life, but I refused to believe her." "I really didn't expect you to be this kind of girl... We're done." "You make me sick." Behind Julian's angry figure, huge blocks of floating chat text kept scrolling in my vision. [Ugh, the male lead is being so harsh now, but he's going to be so miserable later.] [This is so annoying. The evil side-character keeps causing drama, and the main couple doesn't even end up together in the end.] [It’s fine. Once the female lead dies, the male lead will find out the truth, avenge her, and spend the rest of his life as a cold, heartless billionaire machine.] [Just watch. I can't wait for the regret arc. The harder he hurts her now, the sweeter the revenge later.] These crazy scrolling comments had first appeared in my vision this afternoon while I was preparing backstage. The spoilers said that tonight, I would be publicly humiliated, suffer endless rumors, and eventually lose my life. And all of this was orchestrated by the "evil second lead," Sienna Cole. "Chloe! How could you do this to Julian?!" a sharp voice cried out."Julian, are you okay?" Sienna rushed to Julian’s side, her face twisted with worry and concern. Julian didn't say a word. He just stared at me coldly. "Don't you have anything to say for yourself?" he demanded. Looking at the man I had loved for years, my expression remained completely calm. "Julian, do you really think I'm the type of person who would do this?" "Even if you don't trust me, does any of this seem logical to you?" Faced with my questions, Julian’s expression didn't soften one bit. Below the stage, the students were losing their minds. "What the hell? She’s not even apologizing, she's actually questioning him? Who's the one who cheated here?!" "I feel so bad for Julian. How did he end up with a girl like her?" "I can't believe Chloe is actually like this. I used to think she was a goddess. I was so blind." "Why did Julian even choose Chloe over Sienna? Sienna looks so much more innocent. Chloe just looks like a girl who can never get enough." The whispers from the crowd buzzed like flies. I didn't miss the flash of smug satisfaction in Sienna’s eyes. Julian knit his brows. "What? Are you trying to say the video is fake?" "The evidence is right there on the screen. How else am I supposed to believe you?" "Do you think I'm a complete idiot, Chloe?" I let out a cold laugh. "This whole thing is incredibly convenient. Why would a video like this suddenly play at the most crowded event of the year just to humiliate me?" "Who filmed it? Is it even real? The whole thing is full of plot holes, yet you instantly decided that the girl in the video must be me." "As my boyfriend, instead of questioning the source, you immediately threw me under the bus." "I didn't expect you to investigate, but I certainly didn't expect you to kick me while I'm down." "Julian, you don't need to break up with me." "Because I'm dumping you." [What is going on? What is the female lead doing?] [But this actually happened! Instead of reflecting on herself, why is she questioning the male lead?] [Exactly! Why is she being so defensive? The male lead would have investigated it for her eventually!] [Yeah, once the male lead figures out what the side-character did, he'll avenge her. Breaking things off with the male lead now does her no favors.] [Am I the only one who thinks she’s doing the right thing? The male lead is acting like a total jerk.] The few comments defending me were quickly drowned out by a sea of complaints. Ignoring them, I quickly pulled out my phone and shot a text to the backstage crew. *Check the control room. Find out who plugged in that flash drive.* I looked back down at the crowd, my posture straight and commanding. "Everyone, I apologize for the little interruption tonight." "But I will absolutely find out who is behind this. The gala is officially paused." Before I could finish, Sienna spoke up, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. "You've already embarrassed yourself like this, and you still want to waste everyone's time?" "This gala belongs to the whole school, not just you." "Don't you feel any shame standing up there?" "Can't you hear what everyone is saying about you?" Sienna’s eyes carried a mocking glint. I locked eyes with her, my voice dropping an octave. "First of all, I didn't start this. I am the victim here." "I didn't do anything, so why should I feel ashamed?" "I never admitted that the girl in the video was me. With AI and deepfakes being so advanced these days, you seem awfully sure it's me. Were you there watching it live, Sienna?" "The person ruining this gala is the sick bastard who put that video up. Why are you throwing dirt on me?" "Everything I am doing right now is to clear my name and protect my reputation." "Besides, this Winter Gala was funded entirely by the Sterling family. I will contact the administration to reschedule." "Anyone who wants to see the truth can stay. If you're not interested, you are free to leave." "We have everyone's registration. We will send out gift cards to compensate for your wasted time." Sienna’s voice turned shrill. "There are hundreds of people here! You think you can just pay them off?" "You and Julian have broken up. What makes you think you can use his family's money to clean up your messy behavior?!" I narrowed my eyes at her. "Use Julian’s money?" "Where on earth did you get that ridiculous idea?" "Have you forgotten that I am the sole heiress of the Sterling family?" "Don't project your own gold-digging tendencies onto me." [Why did the female lead suddenly become so aggressive...] [Yeah, I barely recognize her. Wasn't her character supposed to be an insecure, fragile rich girl?] [Even if she's a Sterling, isn't she super unloved by her family?] [True. The Sterling family and the Vance family are equally powerful, but Chloe has always been ignored. How can she compete with Julian?] I saw Sienna’s face turn pale, then red. She clearly wasn't expecting me to bite back. She bit her lower lip, quickly typing something on her phone. Right then, a guy from the tech crew ran out from behind the curtain, panting. "Chloe! The security footage! We found it!" He held a flash drive high in the air.I took the flash drive from him. Sienna’s face instantly lost all of its color. That was all the confirmation I needed. I plugged the drive into the podium, and the security footage played on the big screen. Sure enough, it showed Sienna sneaking into the control room earlier and swapping the opening presentation drive. The crowd gasped. I turned to Sienna, my gaze icy. "So, you're the one who filmed the video?" "Then let me ask you: when exactly did you film it? Give us a date and time. Let's compare our schedules." "And what exactly were you doing wandering around the deep woods in the middle of the night?" Faced with my sharp questions, Sienna’s eyes welled with tears. She shrank back behind Julian, her voice trembling. "Julian, I... I just didn't want her to keep lying to you." "No matter what I said, you wouldn't believe me. I had no choice but to do this to show you her true colors." "Please don't be mad at me..." Her acting was incredibly fake, but Julian had always fallen for her damsel-in-distress routine. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let her cling to him for all these years. "So what if she exposed it?" Julian said, stepping forward. "You're the one who did those shameful things. What right do you have to interrogate her? At least she was just trying to show me the truth. She didn't do anything disgusting in the woods." Julian shielded Sienna behind his back. The slight hesitation in his eyes quickly vanished, replaced by a cold, stubborn resolve. "She only did this because she cares about me. It’s still better than being a lying, unfaithful snake like you." Behind Julian's back, Sienna shot me a smug, triumphant smirk. I pressed my lips together, any lingering affection for this man completely dying inside me. "If that's the case, why don't you let her tell us when this video was filmed?" "Based on the background, this was filmed behind the lake pavilion. No one goes there at night. Why was Sienna lurking there with a camera in the middle of the night?" "Julian, I don't care about arguing with you. I just want my name cleared." I stared straight into his eyes—the eyes of the man I had known for half my life. [Ugh, I'm so done. What is the female lead doing? What's the point of arguing? Just let the plot play out!] [Exactly. Why is she making all these people wait just to hear her talk? It's so annoying.] [Why is she being so stubborn? Even if she proves her innocence, what does she gain? The male lead still won't love her.] [She needs to suffer and look pitiful so the male lead will feel more guilty later! What is she doing?!] [Wait... is it wrong for a girl to clear her name when she's framed? What is wrong with you guys in the chat?] [We came here for a tragic romance, not to see the female lead act like a boss babe!] The chat bubbles kept flashing, almost entirely filled with complaints about my defiance. I narrowed my eyes and refused to back down. Ever since Julian and I started dating, Sienna had been playing these dirty little tricks. Julian would occasionally scold her, but he never actually did anything about it. Every single time, he would just tell me, "She’s just like a younger sister to me, she doesn't know any better. Don't take it to heart." But now, I was being publicly humiliated, and Sienna had literally projected a fake pornographic video of me to ruin my life. Yet, Julian still thought she "didn't mean any harm." He was always so willfully blind. Even if, as the spoilers said, he would eventually avenge me after I died... what was the point? I would be dead! What good would his regret do me then? Right now, the only thing in front of me was Julian's blatant favoritism. If that was the case, why the hell should I accept being his tragic female lead? Just as I was about to present the next piece of evidence, my phone suddenly rang. A furious, booming voice echoed from the speaker. "Chloe Sterling! Do you have any corporate PR team trying to clean up your mess right now?!" "Why are you bringing shame to our family?!" "I told you not to use cheap tricks to get close to Julian! Why couldn't you just obediently agree to the marriage alliance with the Kingsley family?!" "You enjoy all the wealth of the Sterling family, but you refuse to do your duty?!" Because my phone was close to the microphone, my father's furious shouting echoed loudly through the entire auditorium. The room fell dead silent.