_______Jenna’s POV
The night was drawing to an end and I was locked in the house. Being all alone in such a huge house with nothing to do felt...a little lonely.
Loneliness was a companion I was used to, but that did not make it easy for me to endure. So I decided to do something about it.
I might have been locked inside the house physically, but the house had internet and I could connect to the outside world mentally using a device that was capable of using wifi...and there were a lot in Damian’s house.
From the T.V. to even the fridge, they all supported online functions, but I picked my phone.
I did not even have to search for anything for the headlines of today’s scandal to find me. The first headline was provoking and caught my eyes.
"Has the Harvour Heiress Returned?- Society Wonders if Rose’s Reign Is Over."
"Is the Real Star Back: Can Rose Continue to Compete?"
"Return from death: Is Jenna Harvour alive? Or, did she have a long-lost twin no one knew about?"
These headlines were eye catching but the content in there lacked any substance. No one had any proof that I was alive and most just marked me as a body-double with an uncanny resemblance to the real thing.
But at least it got people talking about Rose and the situation.
However, Rose was not someone who would take this all lying down. She had started to make her counter attack as well.
Headlines in favour of her had started to appear as well.
"A fake can never take the place of my dear sister: Rose Harvour claims."
"Harvour Family denies any claim of knowing the fake body double - Says that it’s a disgrace to the dead."
"How wonderful. So my family has changed their stance on me once more. When they disguised my death as a suicide, they called me a disgrace who could not live with her own failure. And now they want to talk about my honor?"
A soft laugh escaped me before I realized it - amusement rather than pain. They were predictable. And predictable people were easy to break.
I scrolled a few more pages before I checked social media for public opinion.
As expected, the trending news had caused people to gossip about this. Most believed that I was a fake body-double, but they did not mind my presence.
In fact, all people cared about was entertainment and my presence provided them with it. So at least the public and media welcomed me with open arms.
The clashing articles that were released tonight caused people to be divided. But I knew well enough that it won’t last long. If I did not capitalise on this opportunity, then the public would lose interest too quickly.
So I quickly made a media account and bought a few bots with the money Damian had given me. I was low of cash after this, but the social media engagement I would get because of my current fame would pay for that.
I quickly formed my first message out and sent it out:
[Hello everyone. This is my first day on this account. I look forward to all your guiding~]
I kept my message non-professional and clear. I wanted people to feel close to me and see me as an approachable person.
Along with that, I also posted a photo that a reporter had taken of me and made sure to credit them.
The bots did their work and due to the sudden reposting of my social media post, people started to flock to my account and follow me.
Smaller accounts and people did it because they thought it was a trend and the bigger, more influential ones did it because of Damian and him being my partner.
Before the hour was up, I had hit the 1M follower count on social media. It was nowhere close to my previous one that had over 50M or Rose’s who had 35M, but it was a start.
A lot of news accounts picked up on this as well and decided to inform the people, causing my social media presence to increase as well.
For now, I let this account marinate and started to search for Rose’s next schedule. It was not public knowledge, but the schedule must be posted on the same online page that the company used.
Luckily for me, neither the security of the account, nor the secretary’s habits had changed from the time they worked for me, everything was recorded neatly.
The schedule was...far less packed than mine used to be. Rose had pushed her responsibilities over to other people, not even realizing how her actions looked to other people.
"Looks like she had cashed a lot on the goodwill I built up over the years. But at least she has enough sense to not hand over any responsibility to Karl. Alright, so what’s her schedule like?"
There were a few parties that she were to attend but none of them were a big enough stage for me to confront her.
But there was one party a week later that could serve as a good stage for me to pull Rose down.
It was the foundation party of Miss Anabella’s charity. It was an association that claimed to help struggling kids and gathered funds for it, but it was extremely shady.
I refused to associate with that charity, but both Karl and Rose had been supporters of the charity and they even refused to hear me out when I tried to tell them not to support it.
’Was there something more to this charity that I overlooked? Anyway this will be the perfect stage for my next counter attack. I better talk to Damian about this once he’s back.’
A tiny warmth tugged at my chest - surprising and unsettling. Since when did I look forward to someone coming home?
I closed the social app and locked my phone, realizing just how much I had come to depend on Damian’s presence tonight. Not as protection - but as comfort. The thought alone was dangerous.
And yet, I did not push it away.
_______Rose’s POV
Rose scrolled through her phone with a nervous look in her eyes. She knew what was coming but the social media headlines still made her pause.
She expected the usual praise - her outfit coverage, the gala photos, her ranking on this week’s "Most Influential Women Under 30" to dominate the search.
But instead, every headline stabbed at her.
"She’s back - and suddenly Rose Harvour isn’t the safest bet anymore."
"The return of the ’real heiress’? Sources whisper Rose’s throne is shaking."
"Rose Harvour’s worst nightmare arrives - and it has teeth."
Her hand trembled. She nearly dropped the phone. She knew these headlines would be around, but she was sure she had bribed more than enough reporters to praise her and not write against her.
’Real heiress? Throne shaking? What are those idiots writing about after eating my money?’
No. No, no, no. She had worked too hard. She earned her place. No one was taking anything from her - especially not her.
Rose flung her phone onto the bed and started pacing, heels stabbing the floor with sharp clicks.
She tried to breathe, tried to stay calm, but her chest tightened.
"It’s fine. People love me. They always have. This was a one-time thing."
She muttered to herself. But the headlines kept flashing in her mind. Every word felt like a countdown.
She grabbed her vanity chair and shoved it back hard. The legs screeched loudly against the floor - satisfying for half a second, not enough the next.
What if Karl saw these? What if the board saw them? What if the sponsors started asking questions?
That thought sent a spike of panic through her spine.
She rushed back to her phone, scrolling again, faster, as if the words would magically change.
"Harvour Family shaken - insiders admit Rose is no longer untouchable."
"Will the princess be dethroned?"
She exhaled shakily - then shoved her fist into the mattress to stop herself from screaming.
She’d been humiliated once already in public. She would not be humiliated again.
If the world wanted a fight, she’d give them one.
"I won’t lose. Not to her or her ghost."
Her voice cracked - brittle, desperate, but determined.
Her eyes hardened. The panic didn’t disappear - it evolved.
"The situation needs to be fixed."
She whispered, reaching for her phone again - this time to call someone. Someone who could make problems go away.
If this Jenna-wannabe wanted a war, she’d get one. Rose will burry her in public opinion.