Chapter 3
The AI said, "The trial is now commencing.
"This trial would be based on three separate statements provided by the plaintiffs. Finally, the truth extractor would comprehensively get to the bottom of things and determine whether the defendant had truly bullied Nina.
"The plaintiffs were now directed to present their first statement."
The moment the AI finished speaking, Lucas jumped the gun and started talking right away.
As he spoke, the scene unfolded simultaneously on the large screen.
It was the first time I had been brought back to the Lane Villa, right after I found out I was the Lanes' biological daughter at age 16.
Wearing threadbare, old clothes, I was sitting awkwardly in the living room.
Nina, in her princess dress, sat down next to me with a cheerful face and chatted my ear off. "Sophie, your eyes are so pretty. You look exactly like Mom. Unlike me, I only have single eyelids."
She playfully stuck out her tongue, then gently took my hand, a look of sympathy in her eyes.
She said, "Sophie, you're so skinny. You must have had a rough time in the countryside. Now that you're back, I'm going to make sure you get nice and plump."
My parents watched the exchange from across the room, beaming with pride.
Lucas sat beside me and held out a glass of orange juice.
Nina seemed to smooth over my shame and awkwardness without even trying.
I offered her a grateful smile, and Nina smiled back.
Then, as if she suddenly remembered something important, she dashed to the kitchen and brought out a small cake.
She said, "Sophie, this is my favorite chocolate cake. I made it for you myself this morning to welcome you home. You absolutely have to try it."
Seeing this, Helen was even more touched. "That's right, Sophie. Nina made this herself. She almost burned her hand for it."
Edward stroked Nina's head and said, "What a good girl. Watching you two get along really puts my mind at ease."
Nina replied cheekily, "Mom, Dad, what are you even talking about? Of course, I'm going to get along with Sophie. She's your daughter."
Hearing that, my parents and Lucas got misty-eyed again.
Edward said, "Nina, you are our daughter, too. Our family will stick together forever."
The living room was simply overflowing with love, and my heart felt full to bursting with a bittersweet ache.
So this was what a wonderful family was truly like.
I took the cake and, under Nina's expectant gaze, I ate every last crumb of it.
It was delicious.
It was a sweetness I hadn't tasted once in my previous 16 years.
After I finished, Lucas excitedly took my hand and said he wanted to show me my new bedroom.
Nina and Lucas already occupied the largest and best rooms in the house.
To ensure I was comfortable, Lucas gave up his own room for me.
He said, "You are both my sisters. Since Sophie is home now, we can't make Nina move, but we can't have Sophie living in a bad spot either. So, I guess I'll just take one for the team."
Looking at the room Lucas had specially redecorated for me, my eyes stung with tears as I thanked him.
This felt so wonderful.
I had a brother now.
He was so good to me. Surely he would have my back.
But out of nowhere, my stomach started cramping up like crazy.
It felt like a giant hand was squeezing my insides. The pain was utterly unbearable.
Realizing something was terribly wrong, my face went white, and I frantically looked toward the bathroom. "I need to..."
I didn't even get the words out before Nina, who was standing right next to me, suddenly lost her footing.
She fell straight into me.
I caught her purely out of instinct, but her arm jammed right into my gut.
The next second, my whole body went into a shake that I couldn't control.
Then, a horrible smell flooded the entire room.
A dirty liquid ran down my legs, staining the carpet Lucas had lovingly chosen for me.
Nina gasped, covering her mouth. "Sophie, you..."
In that instant, all eyes were glued to me.
My parents looked utterly uncomfortable, staring at me without saying a single word.
Lucas looked from the ruined carpet back to me, his face a picture of uneasy embarrassment.
I covered my face, dying of shame and indignation.
A tidal wave of despair washed over me. I truly was a piece of trash.
I couldn't do anything right.
I wondered if my parents and brother were going to kick me to the curb again, send me back to that hellhole.
Just as I was about to faint from fear, Nina burst onto the scene like a little ray of sunshine.
She threw her arms around me, shielding me. "Mom, Dad, Lucas, please don't blame Sophie. She was just really nervous.
"Please leave us alone. I'll take care of her. She just needs a little rest."
Nina ushered Edward, Helen, and Lucas out.
She called the maid to take the soiled carpet and then took me to the bathroom to clean up.
Up to this point, Nina and I were still in perfect harmony.
She had protected my fragile dignity, and I was eternally grateful to her.
But the moment the bedroom door opened again, Nina ran out, her eyes red and streaming with tears.
My parents and Lucas, in the living room, heard the commotion and rushed toward Nina in a panic. "Nina, what's wrong?"
Clutching her bruised arm, Nina sobbed. "Mom, Dad, I was wrong. I shouldn't have made the cake for Sophie. If I hadn't, she wouldn't have had a stomachache and been so humiliated.
"She was right to hit and yell at me. Please don't be angry with her."
The screen froze on Nina's bruised arm.
Seeing this, Lucas was still seething with rage. "Your Honor, please find her guilty. Nina was so good to her, and she actually repaid that kindness by bullying her."
The moment Lucas stopped speaking, the comment section blew up.
[Sophie is seriously evil. Honestly, they never should've brought her back.]
[If I had a sister like Nina, I'd spoil her rotten. How could anyone ever bully her? Sophie's just plain wicked. Someone like her should be erased from existence.]
[Exactly. Your Honor, just convict her already.]
The comments and my family's attitude made me feel like I had been plunged into an icy abyss.
I truly might be erased.
No one wanted to hear what I had to say.
No one cared about the truth.
They only believed what they saw.
Maybe just dying right here wouldn't be so bad.
But just as I hit rock bottom with despair, the AI's electronic voice rang out again. "After a comprehensive comparison of the truth, the defendant Sophie Lane was found not guilty of bullying."
Lucas was furious. "Your Honor, are you hearing yourself? How could Sophie, that despicable wench, get off scot-free from the bullying charge?"
The live chat was equally gobsmacked.
[What? Sophie isn't guilty of bullying?]
[How? Sophie clearly hit Nina. How can she be innocent? Did the AI malfunction?]
[Shut up. The AI doesn't glitch. There has to be a hidden story. Haven't you seen enough of the AI flipping the script on us?]
[Exactly, just wait. Let's see what the AI has to say now.]
At this moment, the big screen lit up again.