True Heiress vs. Fake Queen Bee Episode 4

📖 The Story Continues

True Heiress vs. Fake Queen Bee — Episode 4

The teacher had barely finished taking attendance when Candice rose from her desk without being asked. She smoothed the front of her designer outfit and requested everyone’s attention with the assurance of someone accustomed to owning a room. Conversations died immediately. Western High had been waiting to hear from its newest celebrity.

Candice introduced herself as Candice Kaplan and confirmed, with theatrical modesty, that she was indeed the Kaplan heiress. She claimed she was delighted to spend senior year among them, as though attending public school were a charitable appearance. Excited murmurs spread through the room. One student whispered that her family owned the Empire State Building, and another declared that impossibly cool.

Hailey pressed her lips together to contain a laugh. The Kaplan family did not own the Empire State Building, and Candice’s claim grew more absurd each time it passed between students. Still, no one asked for proof. Wealth on that scale had become mythology, and the class seemed prepared to believe anything that made the story more dazzling.

“Please, no special treatment just because of who I am,” Candice said. The request guaranteed exactly the attention she pretended to reject. Students admired her humility, while the teacher watched with open approval. Hailey lowered her gaze before disbelief escaped as a sound.

Candice noticed anyway. “You,” she said, pointing across the room. “What’s so funny?” Every head turned toward Hailey, and the teacher’s expression sharpened before she had an opportunity to answer. On the first day, the woman scolded, Hailey was already behaving rudely toward a peer.

Hailey tried to explain that she had not meant to disrupt the class, but Candice interrupted with a performance of graciousness. She told Miss Darci that Hailey probably did not mean any harm and suggested she was merely jealous. The insult arrived disguised as mercy, making any defense sound petty. Miss Darci praised Candice for behaving exactly as an heiress should.

The approval encouraged Candice to continue. She announced that generosity inspired her to host an exclusive birthday celebration that very night. It would take place at her favorite restaurant, and attendance would be by invitation only. Students straightened eagerly, already wondering whether they ranked high enough to be included.

Candice let her gaze settle on Hailey as she added that some people would not receive invitations because she had standards. Gail joked that the discount rack was forbidden and that Hailey would be too busy searching a dumpster for dinner anyway. The class laughed, while Miss Darci did nothing to stop the humiliation. Hailey felt a new respect for how efficiently Candice weaponized an audience.

She could have ignored the party, but allowing Candice to keep borrowing the Kaplan name without resistance had begun to feel like permission. The false heiress was growing bolder by the minute, and her lies depended on situations no one could verify. Hailey decided it was time to offer one that could.

She raised her hand with deceptive politeness. “I heard the Kaplans have a castle,” she said, allowing curiosity to enter her voice. “I’m sure everyone would love to see what it looks like.” The room went silent for half a breath before excitement erupted.

Students turned toward Candice with immediate enthusiasm. A restaurant now seemed ordinary compared with a private castle, and the idea of entering the legendary Kaplan residence carried irresistible social value. Gail clasped Candice’s arm and begged her to move the party there. Even Miss Darci seemed intrigued by the possibility.

Candice’s smile froze. She had heard about the Kaplan castle, of course; her mother worked there, though Candice had never been permitted to treat it as her home. Hosting classmates inside required access, staff cooperation, and knowledge she did not possess. Hailey watched the calculation flicker behind her eyes.

For a moment, Candice tried to retreat behind exclusivity. She said the castle was not open to the public, hoping the distinction would end the discussion. Miss Darci smoothly reminded her that these students were not members of the public but her friends. Surely, the teacher suggested, an heiress would want to celebrate with friends in her own home.

The trap tightened as everyone waited. Refusing would make Candice appear less powerful than she claimed, while admitting she could not enter would destroy the lie entirely. She looked toward Hailey and saw the faint challenge in her expression. The shabby girl had not made an innocent suggestion; she had chosen the one location Candice could not fake with a credit card.

Candice lifted her chin and forced brightness back into her voice. She agreed to make a call and arrange everything for that evening. The class cheered, already planning clothes and photographs. Only Hailey remained quiet, studying the strain around Candice’s mouth.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me,” Candice said, collecting her phone and moving toward the door. She claimed there were details only she could handle, and Miss Darci allowed her to leave class without question. Privilege, even counterfeit privilege, had already rewritten the school’s rules. The door closed behind her before anyone noticed how quickly she escaped.

Hailey leaned back in her seat, satisfied but not triumphant. She had expected Candice to invent an excuse, perhaps a security concern or family engagement. Agreeing to the castle was far more reckless. Whatever solution Candice attempted would expose either her identity or someone inside the Kaplan household willing to help her.

Gail turned around to boast that Hailey would never pass the castle gates. Hailey replied that she was looking forward to seeing how Candice pulled it off. The words sounded like envy to everyone else, but Gail’s eyes narrowed as if she sensed a hidden meaning. Hailey merely smiled and opened her notebook.

In the empty hallway, Candice stared down at her phone. Panic beat beneath the expensive fabric she had purchased to feel invincible. Renting a car had been easy; borrowing a surname had required only nerve. Producing an entire castle before nightfall was something else.

There was only one person who might get her through the gates, and asking would reveal how far Candice had taken the lie. She found her mother’s number and hesitated with her thumb above the screen. Back in the classroom, Hailey already knew exactly whom she would call. The question was whether Dedra Mathis loved her daughter enough to betray the family that employed her.