Wealthy Heiress Roommate

On the first day of school, my rich heiress roommate revealed her identity. She was the daughter of the city's wealthiest man.

I wondered why her surname differed from the wealthiest man's.

She explained that she had used her mother's surname since she was young.

I secretly called my mom and said, "Mom, I heard you had an illegitimate daughter with someone else behind Dad's back?"

1

On the first day of my freshman year, the dormitory buzzed with excitement over a girl.

She wore thick, exaggerated makeup. Her high heels clicked loudly with every step. Designer logos covered her outfit from head to toe.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Karina Jarvis. My father is the wealthiest man in South City." She introduced herself with her head held high.

As soon as she declared herself the daughter of the wealthiest man, whispers filled the dormitory.

"Wow, this was the first time I saw a rich heiress." My roommate Emily approached her, brimming with excitement.

Before she got close, Karina stopped her with a hand gesture. "Don't come too near. I'm prone to allergies."

"What? Allergic to what? Allergic to people? Why doesn't she just live in outer space?"I thought to myself.

Seeing Emily's awkward expression, I couldn't hold back. "Isn't the wealthiest man in South City surnamed Harmon?"

Besides, I didn't recall anyone named Jarvis on the recently released 2022 rich list.

Karina glanced at me. She sized me up from head to toe. Her look felt ten percent curious and ninety percent disdainful. "I use my mother's surname," she said.

"Oh, I see." I pretended to understand.

"Mom, I heard you had an illegitimate daughter named Jarvis." I sent a quick message.

Mom replied faster than ever. "Get lost. I just calmed your jealous dad down last night."

Thinking of my jealous dad gave me a headache. He threw tantrums all day if Mom even spoke to another male, human or animal.

Looking at this "sister" who appeared out of nowhere, I sighed inwardly. Whatever, I thought. She could pretend all she wanted. It didn't cost my family anything.

As I prepared to climb into bed, a man and a woman entered. Weather-beaten marks covered their dark, skinny frames. They carried two huge suitcases.

"This is my family's housekeeper and driver." Karina explained to us. She turned to them and added, "Just leave the luggage here. Head back now."

"Kar..." The housekeeper started to speak, but Karina quickly ushered her out of the room before she could finish.

That evening, Karina suggested a game of Truth or Dare to get to know each other better. Since we had just met, everyone agreed.

In the first round, Emily lost. She chose Truth.

Karina asked, "What did your parents do?"

Emily thought of her parents and smiled happily. "My parents ran a supermarket."

"Oh, your life must have been pretty rough." Karina's tone dripped with contempt.

I was speechless. "Is this girl lacking in both brains and manners?"I wondered, "How could she sound so smug while being so rude?" "Don't you want to ask what her family's supermarket was called?" I asked Karina.

Karina looked puzzled.

"Frank Gilbert," Emily answered.

A founder of a nationwide chain of supermarkets. And she said his daughter's life was rough?

Emily's parents had dropped her off that day. I had met her father at my dad's banquet.

Karina's eyes lit up when she heard this. She patted Emily's hand lightly. "Why didn't you mention it earlier? We could hang out together from now on."

"So touching others doesn't trigger her allergies?" I wondered.

In the second round, I lost. I picked Truth.

Karina jumped in. "What do your parents do?"

Was she a parrot? Did she only know that one question?

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. "They are farmers," I said.

I didn't lie. Despite her dainty looks, Mom worked as a forensic pathologist. After years of handling corpses and smelling formaldehyde, she dreamed of a simple farming life.

Dad adored her. With a grand gesture, he bought hundreds of acres of farmland in the suburbs. He handed the company to my brother and embraced farming with her. They even claimed they were too busy to see me off to school. Their efforts yielded little. Weeds overran the fields year after year.

Karina smirked when she heard "farmers." No, it was more of a mocking grin. "People shouldn't be so vain. If your parents are farmers, you shouldn't wear branded stuff. It's obviously fake. Still, you look decent. I could set you up with a rich guy someday."

I glanced at my "fake" branded clothes. Words failed me. This heiress had no taste. I shot her a look of disdain.

In the third round, Karina lost. She chose Truth.

I asked, "The wife of South City's wealthiest man has the surname Harmon. You claimed to use your mom's surname. Are you sure it's Jarvis?"

Didn't she do any research before pretending?

Karina's face shifted. "You..." she stammered.

Before she recovered, I echoed her advice. "People shouldn't be so vain. If your parents are farmers, you shouldn't wear branded stuff. It's obviously fake. Anyway, you look average. I wouldn't bother introducing you to anyone."

Another roommate, Whitney Binder, sensed the tension between us. She made an excuse to end the game.

From that moment, our rivalry took root.

2

On the second evening of military training, Karina returned to the dorm.

She carried a huge bouquet of roses and two designer shopping bags. Joy radiated from her face.

"Wow, which generous guy did this?" Whitney sounded amazed. "That haul must have cost a fortune."

Karina noticed everyone gathering around. She replied with fake modesty. "Not much. Just a few thousand dollars."

Emily chimed in. "He has to be a rich kid. No way around it. How did you meet?"

"For dating, you need someone wealthy. He is our senior, Alfred Dawson. He asked for my number on the first day," Karina said.

"Wow, love at first sight. How nice." Emily's eyes sparkled with envy.

I realized Emily was the purest soul among us. She held no grudges and smiled every day.

"Tomorrow night, my boyfriend invited everyone to dinner at Jubilee. His brother owned it," Karina announced.

Whitney and Emily high-fived at the mention of Jubilee.

Jubilee stood out in South City. Even money couldn't guarantee a reservation there.

Karina glanced at me as I scrolled on my phone in bed. "Hey, you should come too. This might have been your only shot in life."

"Sure," I agreed. Her snarky tone didn't faze me.

Curiosity drove me. Who was this Alfred Dawson? First, Karina tried to claim my parents. Now someone linked to my brother popped up. Was my family a phonebook?

Still, Alfred Dawson's name rang a bell.

The next day arrived. We headed to Jubilee.

"Miss..." A waiter started to greet me. I cut him off with a look. "We didn't need service. We'd handle it ourselves."

"Wow, this place screams wealth. The lobby looks like a palace." Emily's eyes darted around as she stepped inside.

Her cute reaction made me tease her. "Emily, did your parents keep you locked up?"

"Hehe, am I overreacting a bit?" Emily grinned slyly.

"No, it's adorable," I said. Far cuter than a certain show-off.

"We are in the South City South private room." Whitney read Karina's message.

"This way." I grabbed the two heading in the wrong direction.

"Hey, Janice, how did you know this place so well?" Emily asked.

"Maybe I'm a psychic." I teased her as we reached the room.

"This is Whitney, Emily, and Janice. This is my boyfriend, Alfred." Karina made the introductions.

Alfred greeted us politely one by one. When he saw my face, he froze. Disbelief washed over him.

Karina must have noticed. She pinched him hard. Alfred snapped out of it, avoided my eyes, and sat down.

I caught Karina silently asking him what was wrong. He shook his head.

So it was him. No wonder he felt familiar.

3

Once everyone arrived, Alfred signaled the waiter. The dishes started coming.

Exquisite plates hit the table one after another. Emily and Whitney gasped in awe. Their reactions fed Karina's ego.

Maybe my lack of enthusiasm annoyed her. Karina turned to me suddenly. "This is Almas caviar, shipped from the Alps. A country girl like you wouldn't get to try it in a lifetime. Have a taste."

It came from Dubai, not the Alps. Those mountains only had glaciers now.

I wanted to snap back. Then I saw Alfred's cautious glance and his hand tugging her sleeve. I smirked instead. Fine, I thought. This country girl hadn't eaten it in a while.

The meal continued like that. Karina kept pointing out things I, the farmer, supposedly never tasted or saw. Alfred looked like he wanted to intervene but held back.

"Janice, I'm sorry." I heard his voice as I left the restroom.

"Alfred," I paused. Some things needed saying. "She isn't right for you."

He wiped his face with his hand. "I know that. But I couldn't help it. I really like her."

I watched his resolute expression. In the end, I walked away silently.

Love made guys lose themselves too.

"Thanks for not calling me out." His weary voice followed me as I stepped away.

Alfred lost his family in a big earthquake. Mom ended up funding his life by chance. She said he stopped accepting her help in high school. He worked odd jobs to cover everything after that.

When he got into college, Mom took me to celebrate with him. She always praised him. I never imagined meeting him again like this.

That night, an awkward dinner wrapped up smoothly.

Later that evening, I called my brother on the sly. Alfred's pride wouldn't let him ask for a free meal.

I disliked Karina's showboating. For Alfred's sake, I decided to avoid clashing with her going forward.

The day after the dinner, the school forum lit up. Two photos and a bold headline thrust me into the spotlight.

"Shock! Country Schemer Tried to Steal a Rich Boyfriend!"

The first photo showed a woman gazing at a man under soft lights. The dim glow made her eyes seem flirty.

The second photo captured her riding a sheep. She frowned at the camera. A loose white T-shirt hung on her frame. Bright, tacky pants clashed below. Chickens, ducks, and geese swarmed around her.

4

"That girl looks shady. Those flirty eyes practically stuck to the guy."

"Country girl. Total schemer."

"Are freshmen this gutsy now? Those pants, though. My grandma wouldn't even wear them."

"She is pretty. Why did she have to chase someone else's boyfriend?"

"Because someone else's stuff always seems better."

"Shameless. I hate homewreckers most."

I scrolled through the nasty comments. My brow furrowed.

The first photo came from Jubilee. Someone snapped it when I talked to Alfred that night. His back faced the camera. My face stood out clear as day.

Flirty? Who saw that with bad eyes?

The second photo was from summer. Mom tricked me into a "retreat." Instead, she made me herd sheep and chase poultry. I wondered if sheep rode like horses. I climbed on one. It bucked me off. Mom caught the moment. Only we had that picture. How did it leak?

"Janice." Emily's voice came soft and careful. "You and that guy..."

"It was nothing." I cut her off. "I ran into him by the restroom." That was true. I did.

"I figured." Emily relaxed. "When Karina got here, you could explain. She wouldn't overthink it."

Karina acted like she didn't overthink. She posted a public reply on the forum.

"This is my roommate," Karina wrote. "My boyfriend treated us to dinner at Jubilee that day. I brought her along. She probably had some questions and asked my boyfriend privately. Don't read into it, everyone. She is from the country. Very naive."

Her so-called explanation stirred the pot. The buzz grew louder.

"You are the naive one. No motive, and she'd chat up your boyfriend alone?"

"Watch out. She might steal him. Plain types like her are the sneakiest."

Comments tagging Karina piled up fast.

A ping hit my phone. "It came from your dorm." I stared at the message. Silence took over.

I had someone dig into this mess. Sure enough, a certain someone staged it all.

"Need me to sort it out?" Another text popped up.

"No need," I replied. Handling a petty schemer like her was easy. I grew up in the Harmon family. Frankly, her tricks didn't impress me.

"Oh my gosh, Janice! Karina's boyfriend replied. You knew each other?" Emily showed me his post, thrilled.

"This was my distant cousin," Alfred wrote. "It was all nonsense. Please stay calm, everyone."

Right after I read it, my phone rang.

"Janice, it's Alfred. I'm sorry for the trouble. Karina misunderstood us. She posted the photos. I apologize for her. It wouldn't happen again. Please let it slide this once."

His words left me speechless. So I was the biggest fool here? Splashed with mud and expected to play dumb?

I couldn't hold back. "What do you even like about her?" "Do you like her fakeness? Or her two-faced act? Or do I make you think I was some saint?"

A long pause stretched on the other end. "I'm sorry," he said.

"Forget it," I thought, "I couldn't change his mind. Best wishes. Stay stuck together."

"Um, Janice..." Emily watched my outburst. She edged closer and grabbed her phone. "You are trending again."

Someone named "CoolDude" posted three comments.

One hit back at Karina. "Is this the famous art of sly talk?"

Another tackled the first photo. "Guess I'd walk with my eyes shut now. If I glance at a dog, they'd say I flirted with it."

The last one eyed the second photo. "That girl looks familiar."