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Chapter 1

I was born with something like a curse.



Anyone who makes false accusations about me eventually sees those accusations turn back on them.



In high school, a male classmate spread rumors that I had been involved in illegal activities—that I’d been “passed around” by older men.



That very same day, he disappeared. By nightfall, he was the one being dragged into scandals involving those same men, his reputation completely destroyed.



In college, when I started dating, my boyfriend’s so-called childhood friend accused me of being the woman in an explicit video circulating online.



By that evening, every copy of the video had mysteriously changed.



The face in it was hers.



After that, no one dared whisper another word about me.



Not until I was brought back to my biological family—the Ashcrofts, one of the city’s old-money families.



At the gates of the Ashcroft estate, Celeste Whitmore—the girl who had been raised as the Ashcrofts’ daughter in my place—looped her arm through mine with practiced warmth, smiling sweetly as if we were close.



“Arden,” she said softly, loud enough for everyone to hear, “I heard you got pregnant while you were away… and that the child’s father was a convicted criminal.”



Her eyes sparkled with concern.



“Since you’re finally home, why didn’t you bring the child with you? We’re family. No one here would judge you.”



…



The air went still. Dad’s face darkened instantly.



“You have a child?” he demanded. “An illegitimate one?”



He stared at me as if I were a stranger.



“Arden Ashcroft! How could you disgrace the family like this?”



As he spoke, I caught the faint upward curve of Celeste’s lips—gone in a blink, replaced by shock. She covered her mouth as if she’d said too much.



“Oh my God… you never told Dad?”



“I’m so sorry, Arden. This is my fault. I shouldn’t have spoken.”



She turned to him, her voice trembling with sincerity.



“Please don’t be angry with her. She was alone for so many years… she must have had her reasons.”



Then she faced me again, eyes soft, almost earnest.



“Don’t worry. I’ll help you keep this quiet. I won’t let anyone talk behind your back.”



Before I could respond, a woman rushed out of the house and pulled me into her arms.



“Arden! My daughter—”she sobbed. “I finally found you.”



She clutched me tightly, crying until she finally noticed the unnatural silence around us.



“What’s wrong?” she asked, confused. “Why is everyone staring at Arden? What were you talking about?”



Celeste spoke quickly, flashing Dad a meaningful look.



“It’s nothing, Mom. Arden’s been traveling all day—she must be exhausted. Let’s go inside.”



She looked every bit like someone trying to shield me from embarrassment.



I spoke calmly.



“She said I gave birth to a criminal’s child. That I got pregnant under false circumstances.”



Margaret’s face drained of color. “What? Arden, you—”



“I didn’t,” I said evenly. “She’s lying.”



“Arden!” Celeste cried, her voice rising sharply as tears spilled over.



“I was only trying to help. How could you say I’m making things up?”



She staggered back half a step, choking on her sobs.



“Do you really want me to say everything out loud? All those… disgraceful things?”



She bit her lip, glancing hesitantly at Richard and Margaret.



“What else is there?” Dad snapped, veins standing out on his forehead.



“Celeste, say it. Everything. Right now.”



She looked as if she were gathering courage, then bowed deeply toward me.



“I’m sorry, Arden. I know you wanted to hide it. But our parents deserve the truth.”



She exhaled slowly.



“When I heard Arden was coming home, I tried to learn what she liked… what she had been through.”



“And by accident, I found out…”



She hesitated, as if the words hurt to say.



“That since high school… Arden has been involved in illegal escorting.”



The room erupted.



Dad shook with rage.



“You disgraceful creature! How could the Ashcroft family produce someone like you!”



Mom stumbled backward, staring at me as if she didn’t recognize me at all.



I merely smiled faintly at Celeste.



“Are you sure that’s true?” I asked. “You know false accusations have consequences.”



“Of course it’s true! You—”



She didn’t finish.



She suddenly gagged violently, bending forward as if struck by nausea.



For a split second, everyone froze.



Her stomach… looked slightly swollen.



Chapter 2

I blinked, the corner of my mouth lifting slightly.



I’d warned her. False accusations always come back around.



“Celeste! What’s wrong?” Dad and Mom rushed forward in a panic. “Why are you throwing up like that?”



I stayed where I was, tilting my head.



“Wow,” I said lightly. “You’re getting sick so suddenly—it almost looks like morning sickness.”



The air froze for a few seconds.



“What are you talking about?!”



Celeste shrieked, as if I’d gravely insulted her.



“I don’t even have a boyfriend! How could I possibly be pregnant?”



“You can’t just accuse me because you—because you’ve made questionable choices yourself!”



She burst into tears, trembling as if deeply wronged.



Dad’s expression darkened immediately.



“Arden, how dare you spread that kind of disgusting rumor about your sister?”



“Where are your manners?”



Mom looked at me with clear disappointment.



“That’s enough, Arden. You’ve gone too far.”



“Celeste has never had men around her. How could she be pregnant?”



I blinked again, feigning innocence.



“I was just making a casual remark.”



“But she’s clearly not feeling well. Maybe we should call a doctor—just to be safe.”



“No!”



Celeste blurted it out, then quickly covered her mouth, coughing softly. Her eyes flickered with panic.



“I just ate something bad. I’ll be fine after resting.”



As she spoke, she leaned weakly into Mom’s arms.



Dad and Mom immediately supported her, hurrying her back into the house.



I watched their retreating figures, thoughtful.



Her reaction didn’t feel right. It was almost as if she already knew.



Curiosity sparked instantly.



I followed them inside and joined them around her bed.



“Celeste, I’m really worried,” I said gently. “I’ve already called a doctor. They’ll be here soon.”



“If it’s nothing, great. But if it’s something, it’s better to know early. That way Dad and Mom won’t worry.”



Hearing my words, Dad and Mom both looked relieved.



Celeste, on the other hand, went pale. She whimpered and buried herself in Mom’s arms.



“Mom… I don’t want to see a doctor…”



Mom stroked her back sympathetically, about to respond—



“That won’t be necessary.”



A low voice cut in from the doorway.



Julian stepped into the room.



He looked me up and down from head to toe, open disdain in his eyes.



“So you’re Arden,” he said flatly. “I’ll make this clear. Blood or not, Celeste is my only sister.”



“Her business isn’t yours to interfere with.”



He walked straight to the bed and gently wiped away Celeste’s tears.



“If Celeste doesn’t want to see a doctor, then she won’t.”



“As long as I’m here, she’ll be fine.”



At that, Celeste collapsed into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably.



“I knew you cared about me the most,” she cried.



I watched them, then spoke with deliberate innocence.



“You two really are close,” I said. “Even though you’re not biologically related, you seem… especially intimate.”



The atmosphere changed instantly.



Julian jerked back as if burned, releasing her. His ears flushed red with anger.



“What nonsense are you spouting?!”



Celeste sniffed, tears sliding down as she looked at me.



“Arden, how could you say something like that? Are you trying to shift attention away from yourself?”



Her voice trembled.



“Is this because you don’t want Dad and Mom to keep asking about what happened to you… about the pregnancy?”



She bit her lip, looking deeply hurt.



“I heard things about you—about what happened while you were away,” she said, voice shaking. “I almost told Dad and Mom. I thought they had a right to know the truth.”



“I never expected you to turn around and hurt me like this…”



Chapter 3

Mom stiffened instantly.



“What truth?” she demanded. “Arden—who hurt you?”



I sat down slowly, almost amused.



“I don’t know,” I said, turning to Celeste. “You tell me. Who exactly hurt me?”



“Don’t be scared, Arden,” Celeste said gently, her eyes filling with sympathetic tears.



“What happened to you… it wasn’t your fault.”



She hesitated, as if struggling to continue.



“I found out that a few months ago, you were dragged into an alley by several men…”



“They… did things to you.”



She sighed and reached out, as if to take my hand.



“At first, it wasn’t your fault. Anyone could see that. But Arden… how could you be so careless afterward?”



She shook her head, her voice trembling.



“If it was forced the first time, why did you keep seeing them later?”



“People living nearby said they saw those men coming and going from your place all the time…”



She lowered her head, stopping at just the right moment, as if unable to go on.



“That’s enough!” Dad exploded, his face twisted with rage. “How can you be so shameless?”



Mom clutched her chest, pointing at me with a trembling hand.



“Arden… tell me this isn’t true…”



Julian glared at me, fury burning in his eyes. “Our family doesn’t have someone like you.”



“Get out. Right now.”



I looked at their distorted faces and felt nothing but absurdity.



Even if something like that had truly happened, shouldn’t a family’s first instinct be concern?



Not condemnation?



“Arden,” Celeste said softly, her eyes fixed on me, “Even if you made mistakes… I believe you won’t keep going down the wrong path.”



She spoke earnestly.



“As long as you admit it, cut ties with those men, Dad and Mom will forgive you.”



I laughed quietly and looked straight at her.



“I don’t know any of these men,” I said calmly. “Why would I admit to something that never happened?”



“And besides—Celeste,” I added, “didn’t I just tell you? False accusations have consequences.”



“Why do you keep saying that, Arden?”



She forced out a few tears, hands trembling as she pulled out her phone and held the screen up for everyone to see.



“If I’m lying,” she sobbed, “then how do you explain these?”



On the screen were photos of me in revealing clothes, lying intimately among several men.



As if that weren’t enough, she swiped again.



Another photo appeared—me holding a child.



Dad and Mom’s faces went completely dark.



“These images are fake,” I said evenly.



“And I’ll say it one last time—false accusations always come back around.”



“I’m not accusing you of nothing! I—”



“That’s fine,” I interrupted calmly. “Just don’t regret it later.”



With karmic backlash on my side, I had nothing to fear.



She’d spoken the words herself. Now she could deal with the consequences.



Dad, Mom, and Julian stared at me in disbelief, their anger rising at my composure.



“See?” Celeste said softly, a faint smile tugging at her lips.



“She’s admitting it.”



She turned to them, playing the peacemaker.



“Please don’t be angry. Arden is just confused right now…”



Mom pulled her into an embrace, visibly relieved.



“You’re such a considerate child.”



“You’re not feeling well. We’ll let you rest.”



“If you’re still uncomfortable tomorrow, I’ll take you to see a doctor.”



They closed the door gently behind them.



When they looked at me, their eyes were filled with contempt.



I didn’t care. The smile on my lips never faded.



The next morning, I was jolted awake by a hoarse scream tearing through the house.



“Celeste!”



“What happened to you?!”



“Who did this?”



“Who the hell did this?!”



Chapter 4

Celeste’s screams echoed through the entire estate.



I stretched lazily and wandered over, unhurried, to see what all the noise was about.



Inside her room, seven or eight half-dressed men were pinned to the floor by the Ashcroft security team.



Celeste sat curled up in the corner of the bed, her eyes swollen and red, her body shaking. Faint marks covered her skin as she trembled, clutching the sheets.



Dad lost it.



“You animals!” he roared, kicking the man closest to him to the ground.



“Who gave you the nerve to touch my daughter?!”



The man spat a laugh, unfazed.



“Touch her?” he sneered. “She invited us.”



He turned his head toward Celeste, grinning crudely.



“Go on, sweetheart. Explain it to your parents.”



“Last night you were the one begging us to come over. Now you want to play innocent?”



He pulled out his phone and shoved the screen forward.



The messages were unmistakable.



\[Come over tonight. I miss you.\]



\[I’ll be waiting at home. It’ll be more exciting that way.\]



Dad and Mom staggered as if struck by lightning.



Julian stared at the screen, disbelief written all over his face.



“This is fake!” he shouted. “It has to be fake!”



Celeste screamed hysterically, shaking her head.



“I don’t know them! I’ve never met them!”



“I didn’t send any of this!”



Her voice broke as tears streamed down her face.



“Why are you making things up about me? I don’t even know you!”



“Making things up?” the man scoffed. “We didn’t fabricate anything. The messages are right here.”



He shoved the phone closer.



Celeste’s face drained of color. Her lips parted, but no words came out.



I leaned against the doorframe, watching quietly.



So this was what it felt like—to be buried under false accusations.



“It was you!” Celeste suddenly snapped her head up, glaring straight at me.



“Arden! You did this!”



“You brought these men here to ruin me!”



I sighed lightly. “Me again?”



“Yes! You!” she screamed, sobbing uncontrollably. “What did I ever do to make you set me up like this?”



She pointed wildly at the men.



“They’re obviously your people. The ones you used to see!”



I let out a quiet laugh.



“So now you’re saying I had improper relationships with them?”



“Fine.” I met her eyes calmly. “Show the proof. Let me see it.”



“I will!”



She shot me a venomous look, as if she’d been waiting for this moment.



“You asked for it.”



Her fingers flew across her phone, and a video began to play.



The room instantly filled with intimate sounds.



Before anyone could react—



Smack!



Dad didn’t hesitate. He turned and slapped me hard across the face.



“I knew it!” he shouted. “Celeste would never do something this disgraceful! This is all your doing!”



My cheek burned. My ears rang.



“I even defended you,” Mom said coldly, her gaze sharp with resentment. “And this is how you repay us?”



Julian wrapped his arms around Celeste, who was shaking violently, and glared at me.



“Get out,” he snarled.



“Get out of the Ashcroft family right now.”



Celeste glanced at me triumphantly, then quickly softened her expression, putting on a mask of generosity.



“Arden… I won’t blame you,” she said gently. “As long as you admit your mistake and apologize, I’m willing to forgive you.”



I looked at their faces—twisted with anger, disgust, certainty.



Then my gaze settled on Celeste’s tear-streaked, pitiful expression.



“Apologize?”



I raised my hand and pointed at the video still playing on her phone.



“Why would I apologize?”



I looked straight at her.



“That woman in the video—that’s you.”



📖 My Rumor-Proof System Backfires on the Rich Girl Who Tried It



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My Rumor proof system backfires on the rich girl who tried it