System: [Boss! Wake up! Major gossip incoming!]

Simone Tymms bolted upright in bed, covers flying. Gossip? Now this was an alarm clock she could get behind. Her cheeks flushed, eyes sparkling with the glee of a kid in a candy store.

Simone: [Spill it! Now!]

Anyone not enthusiastic about gossip clearly had a serious hardware malfunction. A gossip a day kept the doctor away, after all.

System: [Three visitors approaching: your biological mother, your biological father, and Xandra Tymms—the fake daughter switched with you at birth. Mission: Family Reunion.]

[They're at the door. Time to face the music.]

A firm knock echoed through the apartment, right on cue.

Simone shrugged, gave her sleep-mussed hair a cursory pat, and sauntered to the door. She swung it open.

Three pairs of eyes instantly raked over her, scrutinizing every detail.

[Well, hello there, my soon-to-be-ruined, utterly clueless parents.] she mused silently, offering them a mirroring once-over.

Mr. and Mrs. Tymms flinched, their heads whipping around as if searching for a ghost. Where had that voice come from?

[Tsk, tsk. Played for fools by a counterfeit daughter, and destined for a total takedown. Classic.]

The voice—Simone's voice?—echoed in their heads again. Could they… hear her thoughts?

Before the dizzying reality could settle, Simone's actual voice cut through the silence, flat and polite. "Can I help you?"

The couple startled, staring at her. That had been her voice in their heads. It was impossible, yet…

Jodie Sanders shot a quick glance at her husband and Xandra. Their faces held only polite curiosity. So, she was the only one hearing this… psychic commentary? Forcing a wobbly smile, she stepped forward. "We… we're your family, Simone. We've come to find you. You must have suffered so much all these years." She dabbed at non-existent tears, her heartbreak performance Oscar-worthy.

[Suffered? Hardly. Your real daughter's six feet under and probably loving the peace and quiet.]

[My name should be Bemoan, not Simone. You're a little late to the parenting party.]

The words were cryptic, cruel, and utterly confusing. But before they could process them, Simone's internal monologue charged ahead, sharp as a blade.

[Did dear Xandra prep you on the drive over? Let me guess… 'washed-up minor actress,' 'D-list has-been,' 'terrible reputation'? Oh, and let's not forget the classic: 'probably unhinged and bites.' Am I close?]

Jodie's smile froze. Caden's throat went dry. It was verbatim. Their initial excitement on the journey had curdled the moment Xandra, with sweet concern, painted that exact picture of their biological daughter. They'd even privately wondered if bringing home such a liability was worth the scandal.

A flicker of shame heated their cheeks.

[Yeah, thought so. Well, don't worry. You won't like me anyway. Saves us all the effort.]

The resigned thought, laced with a bitterness that felt far too old for the young woman before them, twisted the knife of guilt deeper.

"I don't have a family," Simone said, her tone final as she moved to shut the door.

"Wait!" Xandra glided forward, her voice a delicate whisper. "Simone, it's true. I'm… I'm your sister. These are our parents." Her eyes brimmed with manufactured sincerity.

Simone's face feigned shock. "Really? You're truly my family?" Her inner voice, however, was pure, uncut sarcasm. [Might as well play along. Claim my birthright. But seriously, eighteen years to find me? Were you looking with your eyes closed?]

[And here comes the master manipulator. Cue the fragile act in three… two…] She braced internally.

"It's true!" Xandra gushed, right on schedule. "Mom and Dad were so worried. Even though your… um… reputation in the industry isn't the best, I'm sure if you work really hard, you can turn it all around!"

Caden and Jodie fell into a stiff silence. Hearing their adoptive daughter parrot the script Simone had just predicted was deeply unsettling. For a fleeting second, the sweet girl they knew looked… rehearsed.

But the moment shattered as Xandra's lip trembled. Tears spilled over. "Simone… I'm not their real daughter. Once you're home, if you hate me… I'll leave." She wrapped her arms around herself, a picture of tragic sacrifice. "I don't want you to resent me for stealing your life. I know my place. I'll pack my things. Just… please take care of them for me?"

The performance was flawless. The Tymms' hearts clenched, all unease forgotten. They swooped in, a united front of comfort.

"Don't be ridiculous! You're not going anywhere!" Caden exclaimed.

"You'll always be our daughter, Xandra. Nothing changes," Jodie cooed, pulling her close. "We have enough love for both of you."

Xandra peeked over Jodie's shoulder at Simone, her eyes glistening with pitiful tears but shadowed by a glint of pure triumph.

"But… you'll have to tell everyone about Simone," she sniffled. "People will say I'm clinging where I don't belong…"

"We won't announce a thing," Caden decided swiftly, eager to soothe her. "You're twins. Simone was raised away due to… health concerns. A private family matter. How does that sound?"

The tears magically transformed into a wobbly, grateful smile. "Thank you, Mom, Dad. You're so good to me." She hugged them tighter, casting a subtle glance at Simone. "I'm just so glad I was here for you all these years, unlike poor Simone, who had to struggle all alone."

[And… scene. Bravo.] Simone mentally applauded, boredom seeping through her psychic broadcast.

[Now for the next act: the 'accidental' car crash she'll blame on me, turning my new family against me before I've even unpacked. Riveting.]

System: [Risk Assessment: High. Target possesses strong 'protagonist aura.' Advised to abort reunion mission.]

Jodie and Caden caught Simone's hostile thought-patterns but dismissed the wild accusation. Their Xandra? Harm them? The girl was too gentle to hurt a fly.

They presented the DNA results—the final, irrefutable proof. The reunion was official.

Simone packed a single bag: ID, bank card, the essentials. She felt no attachment to the shabby apartment or this world. She was a transplant, an actress from a parallel world whose final act ended with cancer, only to wake up here with a sarcastic system for a roommate. It had promised a quiet second life fueled by gossip.

Instead, it now warned her this "family" was cannon fodder in Xandra's story, and the original owner of this body had met a watery grave thanks to some vengeful male lead.

Fun.

So why go with them? Simple. Gossip was gossip, whether here or in a mansion. And a mansion arguably had better soundproofing for her inevitable mental commentary.

System: [Do not despair, Boss! Complete gossip missions, earn points, exchange for rewards. Financial liquidity is achievable!]

[Your 'system shop' is a ghost town. A concept. Don't tease me.]

System: [Initiating bootstrap protocol! You got this!]

As they descended the apartment stairs, Caden and Jodie flanked Xandra, anxiously guiding her in her heels. "Slowly, darling, watch your step." Their biological daughter, trailing behind, was an afterthought.

[And I'm just the afterthought, trailing behind. And people say parents have intuition. Hilarious.]

[Any second now, she'll "trip" and blame the nearest person—me. Time to step back and exit the frame. I refuse to be the designated culprit in her pathetic play.]

Caden and Jodie shared a look of dawning comprehension a mere heartbeat before Xandra gasped, lurching forward as if shoved from behind. They caught her just before she pitched down the steps.

Sobbing into Jodie's shoulder, Xandra whispered the pre-written line, perfectly tremulous: "M-Mom, Dad… I felt a push… but it must be my imagination. Simone… she would never…"

Her voice trailed off, the unspoken accusation hanging heavily in the narrow stairwell.