All Chapters of The Price of a Like: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

I glanced down at my hands and legs, eyes widening in disbelief. "Lucy," Vanessa Parker's voice chimed in, sending a shiver down my spine. "Graduation's around the corner. I need to find a place for my internship, and this real estate agency is offering a 150-dollar discount if I get enough likes on their post. I'm just one short—help me out, will you?" Her tone was polite, almost pleading, but the sound of it made my skin crawl. I turned to face her, her smile seemingly sincere, but a flicker of hatred crossed my mind. In my past life, Vanessa, who had clawed her way out of the countryside, was always trying to save money. She had a habit of sharing posts on her social media to collect likes for rewards. "Fifty-two likes and you can get a free face mask!" she'd exclaim excitedly."Lucy, why don't you try it too?" she'd suggest, her gaze holding an odd glimmer of anticipation.I had dismissed it as harmless—a marketing gimmick from businesses trying to drum up engagement. "

When I arrived home, a deep sense of dread still lingered in my heart, as though I had narrowly escaped some terrible calamity. "Lucy, are you alright?" my brother asked, his hand resting gently on my head, his eyes filled with concern. I nodded, though my thoughts were far from settled. My gaze drifted to my father, who stood nearby with an expression of worry etched across his face. I wanted to question him, to demand answers about everything that had been gnawing at my mind. But the memories of my past life—those harrowing moments—stopped me. My lips parted, but no words came out. Instead, my eyes found the photo of my mother resting on the mantle. A wave of confusion washed over me. I was said to be the spitting image of her, a perfect replica of her beauty and grace. Moreover, in families like ours, DNA tests were as routine as annual check-ups, a safeguard against any mischief or doubts about lineage. Could genes... mutate? "Dad, brother, I need to step out for a bit,

"I've won," I said with a calm smile, placing the piece on the board before me. "Time sure changes a young lady, doesn't it? You're no longer the timid little girl hiding behind your mother's dress," remarked the man before me, his face brimming with an almost paternal pride. He was my uncle and the master of the estate, the one man who had always stood as a pillar of support. "I've caused a bit of trouble for your father and brother," he said, leaning back. "For now, you're free to do what you need to do. And as for those peculiar social media posts from your old roommate, I've got some folks digging into them. We'll have answers soon enough. Don't worry, as long as I'm here, you'll be fine." I nodded, my eyes welling up with emotion. Looking down at my phone, I read the messages from my father and brother. It seemed it was time to head back. The grand birthday banquet they had prepared for me was being held at the finest hotel in the city. My father and brother wore expressio

I cast a cold, steely gaze at Brad, a glint of contempt flickering in my eyes. "Don't look so nervous, Brad. I've got more news," I said. "I've uncovered quite a bit about Mom's death. "You didn't expect it, did you? That Mom left the entire Henderson Group to me in her will. All these years, you waited for me to come of age, waited for the inheritance to legally fall into my hands—just so you could claim it under the guise of fatherly authority. Quite the meticulous scheme, wasn't it?" I took a step closer, locking eyes with him. "But there's one thing you didn't account for—Mom wasn't on that doomed plane." Brad's complexion turned ashen. "What nonsense are you spouting now?" he stammered. I held up my phone, pressing play on a video that filled the room with grainy footage of an airport terminal. "This is the surveillance tape from that day," I said. "Mom never boarded the plane. She bought a ticket for the next flight but left the airport after answering a phone call. Day