PART 1: THE INTERN & THE ACTRESS

Chapter 1: The Family Business

My family has a very specific set of skills. We don’t do marriage counseling, and we don’t do feng shui or exorcisms. We are professional exterminators. But we don’t kill bugs. We exterminate “toxic manipulators”—specifically the type my brother calls “Green Tea B*tches.”

You know the type: innocent on the outside, calculating and venomous on the inside.

My dad, Frank Sterling, is a former lead interrogator for the FBI. He’s a human lie detector. He can tell if you’re lying about an affair or hiding a body just by the way your nostril flares.

After retiring early due to an injury, he opened a private security consultancy called “The Audit.” It sounds corporate, but in reality, we handle “pest control” for the ultra-wealthy.

My mom, Eleanor, is a forensic psychologist. She can profile a con artist from three text messages and build a psychological trap so perfect the target walks into it thinking it was their idea.

My brother, Leo, is a white-hat hacker. He can dig up a cheater’s dating profile from ten years ago or recover deleted DMs from a burner phone in under ten minutes.

And me? I’m Luna. I’m the synthesis of them all.

I inherited my dad’s sharp eyes, my mom’s analytical brain, and just enough of my brother’s tech skills to be dangerous. Currently, I’m a sophomore at Sterling University, arguably the most prestigious college on the East Coast. Officially, I’m a student. Unofficially, I’m an intern in one of the most target-rich environments for social climbers in the country.

Our dorm just welcomed a new member: Bella “Snow” White (not her real last name, but it fits). She’s the new transfer student in the Foreign Languages department.

From the second she dragged her designer suitcase through the door, my internal warning system started screaming. She wore a floor-length white cotton dress, her black hair was straightened to perfection, and her face looked bare—though I spotted the primer and the subtle lip tint. Her eyes were constantly glistening, like she was permanently on the verge of tears.

A classic “White Lotus.“

She smiled weakly at me and my other two roommates, her voice soft as a summer breeze.

“Hi everyone, I’m Bella. I’m new here… I hope you can help me out.“

Roommate A, Chloe, a hardcore gamer and anime nerd, melted instantly.

“Oh wow, you’re like a living doll! Come sit!“

Roommate B, Sarah, a biology major who lives in the library, adjusted her glasses.

“Hi. I’m Sarah.“

I just nodded, my mouth curving into a standard social smile.

“I’m Luna.“

Inside my head, “The Audit” system booted up.Target: Bella. Level: Professional. Archetype: The Fragile Victim. Threat: High for males, ingratiating for females.

Within less than a week, Bella had successfully colonized the social ecosystem of our dorm. From the class president to the guys who only played League of Legends, she had them all. She always appeared at the exact right moment to hand a tissue to a crying girl, or “accidentally” bought an extra coffee for the guy sitting next to her.

She always said things like, “It’s okay, don’t worry about me,” while blinking back tears.

But I knew her endgame wasn’t these small-fry students. She was hunting a whale. And the biggest whale in our ocean was Liam Lucas.

Liam is a senior in Business Administration, Student Body President, and the only heir to the Lucas Corporation. He sits at the absolute peak of the university food chain. Handsome, brilliant, obscenely wealthy, and notoriously cold. The perfect trophy for a hunter like Bella.

I started documenting Bella’s hunting process like a case study.

Day 1: The “Accidental” Encounter. She “randomly” dropped her books right in front of Liam at the library. Not a messy drop—just enough that he had to step over them or help. He paused, picked up one book. She took it back, head bowed, hair falling over her face, whispering.

“Thank you.” Classic first impression.

Day 3: Silent Empathy. She showed up at the basketball courts where Liam was playing. She didn’t cheer like the other girls. She sat quietly in a corner, holding a bottle of electrolytes. When the game ended, she didn’t rush him. She timidly walked up to a teammate and said.

“Could you give this to Liam? He looks tired.”

Indirect care. Low pressure. High intrigue. Her level was increasing.

Day 7: The Kill Shot. This was the climax. I was sitting in the campus coffee shop facing the quad, finishing an internship report for my dad. Through the glass, I saw Liam walking out of the gym.

At the exact same moment, Bella emerged from a blind spot carrying a stack of files way too high for her to see over.

It played out in slow motion. She slipped. The files went flying. She hit the concrete hard. But the genius was in the positioning—she landed exactly at the tip of Liam’s expensive sneakers.

People stopped. Whispers started. Liam frowned. He hates complications, and he hates strangers.

But Bella had calculated the social pressure. She didn’t get up. She sat on the pavement, clutching her ankle, which was turning red (probably makeup). Tears pooled in her eyes. She bit her lip, trying to look brave but failing beautifully.

Psychological Analysis: Liam has a mild narcissism complex and hates public scenes, but he has the pride of a leader. Leaving a “weak, injured” girl on the ground would damage his reputation.

I typed furiously into my laptop. Prediction: He will engage.

Liam sighed. He crouched down, his voice cold.

“Are you okay?“

“I… I’m fine,” Bella whispered, looking up through wet lashes. It was a lethal blow. Any normal guy would have melted.

Liam paused. He was struggling internally. Finally, he extended his hand. The crowd gasped. Liam never initiates contact.

Bella looked at his hand, a tiny, triumphant smirk hidden behind her hair. She reached out. Once skin touched skin, the bond would form.

I slammed my laptop shut. Report paused. Intervention required.

Chapter 2: The Confrontation

I stood up, walked out of the coffee shop, and marched straight into the center of the drama. I pushed through the circle of onlookers and stepped right between them.

“Bella! Oh my god!“

I dropped into a squat next to her, completely blocking Liam from her view. My voice was pitched high, filled with panicked concern.

Bella froze. Her triumphant smile didn’t have time to fade; it just curdled.

“Luna? W-what are you doing here?“

I didn’t answer. My hands immediately went to her “injured” ankle.

“Does it hurt? Is it broken? Let me see!“

I pressed my thumb hard into a specific pressure point below the ankle bone. It’s a technique my dad’s old bodyguard taught me. It’s used to verify injuries. If the trauma is real, the nerves are inflamed, and this touch would make a grown man scream.

Bella jumped, her eyes going wide—but she didn’t scream in pain. She gasped in surprise. Her eyes darted to me, flashing with pure venom.

I looked up at her with a smile that was 100% innocent to the audience, but I leaned in close, my lips brushing her ear.

“Your acting is solid, barely,” I whispered, my voice drop-dead flat.

“But next time you want to fake a dislocation, check an anatomy textbook. You’re clutching your shin bone, not the joint. It looks like a mosquito bite.”

All the color drained from Bella’s face.

I stood up smoothly and turned to face Liam, who had been frozen in mid-action. I gave him a polite, 30-degree head tilt.

“So sorry to bother you, Mr. President. My roommate is a little clumsy. I’ve got it from here.“

I didn’t wait for his answer. I bent down and hauled Bella up by her arm. I did it gently enough that it looked helpful, but firmly enough that she couldn’t pull away.

“Come on, roomie. Let’s get you to the dorm.“

As I dragged her past Liam, I felt it. The weight of his gaze. It wasn’t his usual cold indifference. It was heavy, curious, and sharp.

I stopped. A thought occurred to me. I turned back, flashing a bright smile at him.

“Oh, right. Liam, I’m Luna. Bella’s roommate. You wouldn’t mind if I got your contact info, would you? Just in case Bella has another… accident… when you’re around. I’d hate for you to be inconvenienced without a way to call her handler.“

The crowd went dead silent.

This wasn’t just saving the day. This was a declaration of war.

Inside my head, red text scrolled: Case File 404. Subject: Bella. Status: Active. Handler: Luna.

The air was so thick you could choke on it. Everyone held their breath, watching the standoff between me, the white lotus, and the king.

Bella was trembling—not from pain, but from rage and the iron grip I had on her arm. She tried to yank it away, but I held fast.

Liam didn’t look flustered. He looked me up and down, his eyes like scalpels peeling back layers. I didn’t flinch.

Analysis: Liam Lucas. Heart rate steady. Pupils normal. Mouth corner elevated 0.1mm. Reaction: Amusement. He’s not prey. He’s another predator.

After what felt like a century, Liam pulled out his phone.

“QR Code,” he said.

Two words. No name request. No number.

The crowd gasped again. Adding Liam Lucas on socials? That was harder than winning the lottery.

I raised an eyebrow. Interesting.

I pulled out my phone and presented my code. Liam scanned it instantly. Five seconds. Done.

He pocketed his phone and walked past us, dropping a single sentence as he passed Bella.

“Try not to get injured for real next time.“

Was that a warning to her? Or a warning to me?

Before I could analyze it, he was gone. The crowd dispersed, disappointed the show was over. I let go of Bella’s arm.

“Let’s go. Back to the dorm,” I said, my voice dropping the sickly-sweet act.

Bella violently slapped my hand away. She stumbled back, the fragile victim mask vanishing instantly. In its place was a twisted expression of pure loathing.

“Luna,” she hissed, her voice trembling with hate.

“What the hell do you want?“

“Oh? Dropping the act already?” I dusted off my jacket.

“I don’t want anything. I just noticed some plot holes in your script. As a roommate, I was giving you notes.“

“You ruined everything!“

“Ruined?” I laughed.

“Bella, do you think Liam is an idiot? Those cheap tricks work on freshmen frat boys. For someone like him, your little performance was more obvious than a bad reality TV show.“

Her face twisted. I had hit the bullseye.

“What do you know?” she spat.

“Don’t act superior. You’re just jealous. You saw a guy paying attention to me and you couldn’t handle it.“

Analysis: Defensive projection. Turning herself into the victim. Boring.

I shook my head, looking at her with genuine pity.

“Bella, is that the best you’ve got? Ad hominem attacks? How basic.”

I turned and walked away, leaving her seething on the sidewalk.

But I knew this wasn’t over. The real war had just begun.

PART 2: THE COUNTER-ATTACK

Chapter 3: The War Room

As soon as I got back to the dorm, I locked the door (Bella hadn’t returned yet) and flipped open my laptop. I initiated a secure group video call.

“Report. The Audit is in session,” I said, my voice serious.

Three faces popped up on my screen.

On the left: My dad, Frank, sitting in his office, spinning a fountain pen.

“Talk to me.”

On the right: My mom, Eleanor, wearing a cucumber face mask. Her voice was muffled but sharp.

“How’s the hunt, honey?”

In the center: My brother, Leo, surrounded by monitors, his fingers flying across a mechanical keyboard.

“Make it quick. I’m in the middle of tracking a crypto scammer.”

I briefed them on everything: The fake fall, the pressure point test, the confrontation, and Liam’s unexpected reaction.

My dad hummed, leaning back.

“Liam Lucas… The kid isn’t simple. His reaction—asking for your QR code instead of getting angry or helping her—shows he’s not driven by emotion. He’s analytical. You might not be a player in his game, Luna; you might be a variable he didn’t account for. Be careful. He could be looking for a partner, or a scapegoat.”

My mom peeled off a cucumber slice.

“I agree with Frank. But the immediate threat is Bella. Psychological profile: Narcissistic traits, high need for validation. You humiliated her publicly. She won’t retreat; she’ll escalate. She’s going to weaponize the audience.”

“She’s already doing it,” Leo interrupted. He swiveled one of his monitors toward the camera.

“Campus Blind App. Posted five minutes ago. Trending #1.”

The headline screamed: “Foreign Language Beauty humiliated and physically grabbed by jealous roommate in front of Student Body President.”

I read the post. It was a masterpiece of fiction. Written from the perspective of a “concerned bystander,” it painted Bella as a fragile angel who just wanted to say hi to Liam, and me as the bitter, aggressive roommate who assaulted her out of jealousy.

They even had a photo. It was taken from a distance, at the exact moment I hauled Bella up by her arm. From that angle, it didn’t look like I was helping her; it looked like I was bullying her.

The comments were flooding in.

“Who is that girl? She looks psycho.”

“Justice for Bella!”

“I know her roommate. She’s always weirdly quiet. Definitely the jealous type.”

“Case File 404 Update,” I murmured.

“Target has initiated a smear campaign. Threat level escalated to public shaming.”

“Do you want me to nuke the thread?” Leo asked, his hand hovering over the delete key.

“I can crash the server in thirty seconds.”

“No,” I said, staring at the screen.

“That makes us look guilty. Let the anger build. The higher the pedestal she climbs on, the harder she falls when we kick it out from under her.”

I stood up and went to my closet. I picked out a plain black tee, jeans, and a bomber jacket. Practical. Ready for anything.

“Where are you going?” Mom asked.

“To meet the other player in this game,” I said.

“Liam just texted me. Rooftop of the Science Building. Alone.”

“Check for wires,” Dad warned.

“Don’t eat anything he gives you,” Mom added.

“And turn on your GPS,” Leo commanded.

“Roger that.”

Chapter 4: The Devil on the Rooftop

The wind on the roof of the Science Building was whipping around like a hurricane. Liam was already there, standing at the edge, looking out at the city skyline.

He didn’t turn around.

“You’re 1 minute and 37 seconds late.”

“I had to make sure I wasn’t being followed,” I replied, stepping into the light but keeping a safe distance.

He finally turned. Under the moonlight, he looked less like a college student and more like a young Bond villain. He studied me, his gaze stripping away pretense.

“You aren’t scared of me,” he stated. It wasn’t a question.

“Why should I be?” I shrugged.

“If you wanted to hurt me, you wouldn’t have picked a spot with a security camera directly covering the stairwell access.”

Liam’s lip quirked upward. A ghost of a smile.

“Smart. So, tell me. How long do you plan on letting this little soap opera with Bella run?”

“That depends,” I countered.

“How long do you plan on using her as bait?”

He raised an eyebrow.

“You knew she was faking,” I continued.

“You let her play her game because you were bored. Or maybe… you were waiting for something?”

“She’s not just a random girl,” Liam said, walking closer. The air pressure between us dropped.

“And you’re not just a jealous roommate. A tiger attacks its prey directly. You? You’re a viper. You wait in the grass.”

“Snakes strike when provoked,” I said, holding his gaze.

“Why am I here, Liam?”

“I want to propose a trade.”

“A trade?”

“You want to expose Bella. I want a show. Our goals align.” He pulled out his phone and swiped through a few images, then turned the screen to me.

“Bella—real name Isabella Jiang—isn’t the poor scholarship student she pretends to be. Her father is Jiang Hung, a real estate developer from the West Coast. He’s notorious for dirty deals and cutting corners. He’s desperate to break into this city’s market, and he wants a partnership with my father’s company, Lucas Corp.”

The puzzle pieces clicked into place. Bella wasn’t just hunting a boyfriend. She was a corporate asset. This was a merger attempt disguised as a romance.

“And,” Liam added, swiping to the next photo, “She has a fiancé back home. The son of one of her dad’s investors. They’re practically engaged.”

“High-level Green Tea,” I whispered.

“She’s casting nets in every direction.”

“So?” Liam asked, his voice low and smooth.

“Do we have a deal? I give you the intel, you execute the takedown. I want her off my campus, and I want her gone in the most humiliating way possible.”

“You really hate being played, don’t you?” I asked.

“I hate wasted time,” he corrected. “And I hate bad acting.”

“Deal.”

My phone buzzed. A text from Leo. Phase 1 Complete. Check the forums.

I smiled at Liam.

“Well, Mr. President, grab your popcorn. The show is starting.”

I opened the campus app. A new thread had appeared, pinned to the top by a “mysterious” admin (thanks, Leo).

Title: EXPOSED: The “Poor” Transfer Student is Actually a Millionaire Heiress Hunting for Clout.

The post didn’t mention me. It focused entirely on Bella. Attached were screenshots from an old, deleted Instagram account Leo had recovered. The account name was Princess_Bella.

The photos showed Bella posing with Hermès bags, checking into 5-star resorts, and—the smoking gun—a photo from two months ago. She was draped over a guy in a suit, kissing his cheek.

Caption: “Counting down the days until our engagement party. Love you, baby.”

Below the photos, Leo had deployed his bot army to steer the conversation.

Comment 1: “Wait, isn’t that the guy from the Wang Group? She’s engaged?!” Comment 2: “She told me she couldn’t afford lunch yesterday so I bought her a sandwich. Is she laughing at us?” Comment 3: “So Luna wasn’t bullying her? She was calling her out?”

In five minutes, the public opinion shifted 180 degrees. The “victim” narrative crumbled.

Liam checked his own phone and let out a genuine chuckle. “Your brother is fast. I might need to hire him.”

“He’s expensive,” I said.

“I’m going back to the dorm. The finale is happening tonight.”

I turned to leave, but Liam called out.

“Luna.”

I paused.

“You looked cute when you were angry earlier.”

I walked away without looking back, but I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks. Focus, Luna. Don’t let the billionaire distract you.

Chapter 5: The Snake in the Grass

The hallway to my dorm room was quiet, but I could hear sobbing through the door of Room 404.

I unlocked it and stepped in.

Bella was sitting on her bed, face buried in her hands. My other roommates, Chloe and Sarah, were hovering around her, offering water and tissues.

When they saw me, the atmosphere turned ice cold.

“Luna,” Chloe said, standing up. She looked furious.

“How could you? The forum post? Doxing her? That is so low. Bella is traumatized!”

Sarah pushed her glasses up, looking disappointed.

“We know you did it, Luna. Bella told us you threatened her.”

Bella looked up, her eyes red and puffy.

“Luna… why do you hate me so much? Is it because Liam talked to me? I can’t help it if—”

Click. I locked the door behind me.

I didn’t yell. I didn’t defend myself. I pulled a chair to the center of the room, spun it around, and sat down backwards, crossing my arms.

“Traumatized?” I laughed softly.

“Bella, your performance is getting repetitive.”

“Stop it!” Chloe yelled.

“She’s poor! She doesn’t have—”

“Chloe, shut up and look at the photos,” I said, my voice cutting like a whip.

“Look at the bag in the photo. That is a Himalayan Birkin with diamond hardware. Market value: $200,000. Fakes don’t get the stitching right on the handle. That one is real.”

I turned to Sarah.

“Sarah, you’re a bio major. Logic is your thing. Does it make sense for a ‘poor transfer student’ to have a limited edition Patek Philippe watch in a photo from three weeks ago? Or for her ‘sprained ankle’ to heal miraculously enough for her to run back to the dorm just now?”

Sarah blinked. The gears were turning. She looked at Bella, then at the phone screen.

Bella’s tears stopped. The sadness evaporated, replaced by panic.

“It… it’s a high-quality replica!” Bella stammered. “I bought it to fit in! Luna is framing me!”

“Is she?” I pulled out my phone.

“Because my brother, who happens to be a certified luxury goods appraiser, just ran the serial number visible in your selfie. It’s registered to… Jiang Hung. Your father.”

I leaned forward.

“So, do you want to keep playing the poor little match girl? Or should I call your fiancé and ask him why his future wife is throwing herself at Liam Lucas?”

The word “fiancé” was the final blow.

Bella’s face went from pale to purple. The “fragile flower” mask shattered completely.

She stood up, her fists clenched, her face twisting into a snarl.

“You bitch!”

She lunged at me. No grace, no acting—just pure, animalistic rage. Her nails aimed for my face.

Chloe screamed. Sarah froze.

I didn’t move until the last second. I caught her wrist in mid-air, used her momentum, and twisted her arm behind her back in a simple law-enforcement lock.

“Ah!” Bella shrieked, dropping to her knees.

I leaned down, whispering into her ear.

“Game over, Bella. You have two choices. One: You pack your bags and leave this school tonight. Two: I release the security footage of you attacking me right now, plus the audio recording of you admitting your dad is bribing the dean to get you into this program.”

Bella went rigid.

“You… you wouldn’t.”

“Try me. I’m a professional.”

I shoved her away. She stumbled, clutching her wrist. She looked at me with pure terror. She finally realized she wasn’t dealing with a college student. She was dealing with a cleaner.

“I’ll kill you for this,” she hissed. She grabbed her purse and ran out of the room, slamming the door so hard the walls shook.

Silence descended on Room 404.

Chloe sat down on her bed, looking shell-shocked.

“I… I defended her. I thought…”

“She played you,” I said simply, standing up to grab a water bottle. “Don’t feel bad. She’s a pro.”

My phone buzzed. A text from Leo.

Leo: Heads up. She just called her dad. Audio intercept confirms she’s crying wolf. She told him you ruined the merger plan.

Leo: Target update: Her dad, Jiang Hung, is involved. He’s calling the Dean. And… he just put a trace on your phone number.

I smirked. Case File 404 Update: The minion has been defeated. The Boss Level has just unlocked.

“Dad,” I said into my headset.

“Get ready. Mr. Jiang is coming to play.”

Dad’s voice came back, calm and dangerous.

“Let him come. I haven’t had a challenge in years.”