True Heiress vs. Fake Queen Bee Episode 20

📖 The Story Continues

True Heiress vs. Fake Queen Bee — Episode 20

“Everyone out of the room. Now!” Hailey shouted. She shoved the emergency shield between the flask and the nearest students, then pulled Candice away from the station. Mr. Dalton repeated the evacuation order as panic swept through the laboratory. Stools scraped, glassware rattled, and students rushed toward the doors.

CeCe stopped long enough to help a frightened classmate remove a tangled backpack. Hailey waved them toward the exit, refusing to leave until the central aisle cleared. Candice tore her arm free and demanded that Hailey stop touching her, still more offended by the contact than frightened by the reaction. A sharp pop from the flask silenced the complaint.

They crossed the threshold as the stopper launched into the safety shield. Chemical foam burst across the station, releasing a cloud of bitter-smelling vapor. The shield contained the glass, but alarms began shrieking overhead. Automatic doors sealed the laboratory behind them.

Teachers guided coughing students farther down the corridor while Mr. Dalton contacted emergency services. No one appeared seriously injured, though several students had to be checked by the nurse. Hailey remained beside CeCe until her breathing steadied. The reality of what might have happened left her hands shaking.

Candice recovered quickly enough to reclaim the offensive. She told Hailey this was not over and called her a nerd as if knowledge had caused the danger instead of recognizing it. She promised to make Hailey’s life a living hell. The threat sounded thin beneath the blaring alarm.

“Bring it on, fraud,” Hailey replied. The word struck close enough to make Candice glance around for anyone who might question it. She opened her mouth to retaliate, but staff separated the students and sent them toward their next classes. For the moment, the laboratory doors remained between them.

By late afternoon, yellow tape covered the science wing. Rumors claimed the room had been destroyed, though the actual damage was limited to one station and ventilation cleanup. Students traded increasingly dramatic versions of the event. In most of them, Hailey had somehow caused the explosion.

She heard one classmate say the lab was closed for decontamination and another reply that “she” had caused it. Neither used a name, but their glances identified Hailey. Candice’s account had begun circulating before safety officials completed their inspection. Facts once again moved more slowly than status.

CeCe tried to correct the story, explaining that Hailey had warned everyone and shielded the reaction. A few students listened, while others shrugged because the truth lacked the excitement of blaming the school outcast. Hailey thanked CeCe but advised her not to exhaust herself arguing with people committed to misunderstanding. The castle would soon provide a much larger test of belief.

Party invitations dominated the hallway as students prepared to leave. One boy wondered aloud how Candice planned to get everyone into the Kaplan castle. His friend insisted it would probably be disappointing anyway, though envy undermined the dismissal. Neither knew the entrance code had come directly from the true heiress.

Hailey checked her phone. The temporary access credentials remained active, and no security alert had appeared yet. Frank was attending an evening foundation dinner, leaving the public wing relatively quiet. Dedra had chosen the opportunity carefully, but Hailey knew the castle’s systems better than either she or Candice realized.

CeCe studied a digital guest list circulating among students. Her name and Hailey’s were conspicuously absent, while Gail and McKenna appeared near the top. She asked again how they could attend. Hailey promised that no one could bar her from the building, then suggested CeCe dress for a party.

Before CeCe could ask what that meant, Candice approached with Gail at her shoulder and her phone held like a royal decree. A glossy guest list filled the screen. Candice asked whether the two freaks were admiring the names of people important enough to attend her fabulous celebration. Her smile invited an argument.

Hailey said she was admiring Candice’s confidence. Hosting strangers in a castle required more than obtaining a door code, especially when the home belonged to someone else. The words caused a brief flash of alarm. Candice disguised it with laughter and claimed Hailey could not comprehend private property on that scale.

Gail pointed out that neither Hailey nor CeCe appeared on the list. She predicted security would remove them before they reached the gates. Candice added that people dressed from discount racks had no place in a Kaplan ballroom. Their contempt sounded familiar, but it no longer carried the same power.

Hailey looked at the stolen Cartier still fastened around Candice’s wrist. The watch would enter the home where photographs of Hailey’s mother appeared on the walls. Staff knew the true daughter. Private rooms contained details no outsider could imitate, and digital logs recorded every step. The castle was not protection for Candice; it was a chamber full of evidence.

She asked whether Candice was certain she wanted the party there. Candice mistook the warning for jealousy and declared that every guest would finally see how a real Kaplan lived. Hailey almost smiled. That was precisely what she intended them to see.

The final bell released students into the parking lot. Candice swept away to supervise preparations, already ordering Gail to coordinate photographs and social posts. Hailey waited until the crowd thinned, then messaged the castle’s security manager not to interfere with the party unless safety became an issue. She would handle the guests personally.

CeCe read the determination in her expression and asked what Hailey was planning. Hailey told her only that Candice had spent all day demanding proof, and tonight she would receive it. She invited CeCe to meet her at the gates, promising that the truth would make sense once they entered.

Across town, the temporary code unlocked the Kaplan castle for the first arriving decorators. Candice stepped through the doors and gazed at the opulence she intended to claim, unaware that every camera recorded her trespass. At Western High, Hailey closed the guest list on CeCe’s phone. The fake queen had chosen her stage, and the true heiress was finally going home.