After I Became a Stand-in, I Experienced the Life of A Rich Girl

"Five million dollars and you'll see Keira through high school and into college. We'll cover all her expenses," Mrs. Gates said earnestly, holding my hand.

Money is a powerful motivator.

It can make you agree to something unrealistic without a second thought.

I nodded. "Sure, especially since even I can hardly tell myself and Keira apart."

Mrs. Gates thanked me profusely. I waved it off, changed out of my cheap clothes, and put on one of Keira's dresses.

My name is Elle Hart. Well, it was. Now, I'm Keira Gates.

I was just a high school dropout turned debt collector, spending my days collecting protection fees or roughing people up. Then, out of the blue, the Gates family showed up with a bunch of bodyguards, asking me to pose as their missing daughter, Keira.

I stared at Keira's photo for a long time, wondering how two people could look so alike.

I swear, I'm not from another world, nor have I lost my memory. I even asked my mom; she swears I'm her only child. This resemblance is purely coincidental.

Mrs. Gates promised me five million dollars if I graduated and got into college. Five million! That would be enough to set me up for life, no more scraping by on protection fees.

Of course, I agreed. It was an opportunity too good to pass up.

The Gates' driver dropped me off at school, and I headed to the dorms with my suitcase. I should have been unfamiliar with the campus, but I was very likable. Before I could even ask for directions, a striking girl with an impressive figure came up and led me toward the dorms.

"Hey, are we roommates? We seem to be close," I said.

The Gates family had already informed the school about my supposed memory loss from an accident, so I wouldn't recognize anyone.

She smiled, "Yeah, we're really close." But something about her smile felt off.

Our dorm was on the top floor, with four girls in a room. The girl who brought me here was one of my roommates. As soon as I rolled my suitcase inside, she shut the door with a click and quickly locked it.

"Keira, what's up with you? Forgetting who I am after just one summer? That's a joke."

She pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and propped her foot up on a chair, her tone just as aggressive as mine when I was collecting debts.

I got it now. She and I were in the same line of work.

Tough luck for her. I'm even tougher. I dealt with grown men in their thirties and forties; she just pushed around teenage girls.

I took the cigarette from her mouth and took a drag. "A mother would never forget her daughter, right? So, you need some pocket money?"

The girl was taken aback by my attitude and seemed ready to explode, but then the other three girls pulled her away, whispering among themselves.

One of them said, "Lea, could she have swapped souls with someone else? Her attitude is completely different."

Another added, "Maybe. In novels, the heroine dies, and someone else takes over her body, then takes revenge on those who bullied her."