Chapter 2

The party went on late into the night.

Champagne towers toppled, and blaring music filled the entire place.

No one spared a thought for me, forgotten and left at the bottom of the cliff.

The next morning, Donna, the maid, was preparing breakfast. She set out four place settings, then paused, and glanced toward the second floor. "Madeline didn't come home last night. Should we go look for her?" she asked hesitantly.

Charles took a sip of his black coffee without even looking up. "Why bother? She's a grown woman. She'll come home when she wants to."

Mom was cutting into her eggs, sounding annoyed. "She's such a disgrace. We just threw a party for Victoria yesterday, and she had to make a scene. Now she's even staying out all night."

Dad lowered his newspaper with a cold snort. "She's gotten used to running wild. Freeze her card and see how long she lasts."

Victoria sipped her milk and spoke up timidly, "I think I saw Madeline leave with some guy on a motorcycle yesterday."

Everyone paused.

Victoria looked completely innocent. "I saw her hanging around with a guy covered in tattoos. Then she got on his bike and left. Maybe she just felt uncomfortable at home and wanted some space."

Charles' face darkened. "Shameless," he spat. He slammed his fork down on the table.

"Running around with people like that just to get under our skin? From now on, no one mentions her. I don't have a daughter like her anymore," he said.

I hovered above the dining table, watching Victoria put on her performance.

If they had checked the security cameras or simply asked the gatekeeper, they would have known I never left the area. But they didn't. They would rather believe anything Victoria said than consider that something might have actually happened to me.

For the next three days, the Lane family's life remained calm, as if nothing had happened. Meanwhile, my body lay at the bottom of the cliff, slowly decaying.

Wild dogs caught the scent of blood and started prowling nearby.

The system blocked my view, but I could still sense how grim the scene was.

On the fourth day, Trent showed up. He had come to deliver the engagement invitations.

Next week was his engagement party with Victoria.

After what happened on the cliff, the Knox family completely changed their attitude toward Victoria. They would rather have their son marry a fake heiress than consider me, the real one no one wanted.

"Madeline still hasn't come back?" Trent asked, glancing around the living room.

"Why bring her up?" Charles said. He was busy helping Victoria pick out engagement jewelry, not even looking up. "She ran off with some nobody. She's probably too embarrassed to come back."

Trent frowned. "She used to follow me around, saying she'd only ever marry me. How did she suddenly run off with someone else?"

Victoria shrugged. She picked up a diamond necklace and held it against her neck, admiring herself in the mirror. "She's just trying to get your attention," she said sweetly. "Don't fall for it, Trent."

Just then, the phone in the living room rang.

Donna picked it up, listened for a moment, and her expression changed. "Mr. Lane, Mrs. Lane... It's the police," she said.

"They found a woman's body at the bottom of West Hill. She's wearing a white dress, and her build matches Madeline's. They want the family to come confirm her identity."

The living room went dead silent.

Mom's cup trembled in her hand. "Here we go again! She'll even fake something like this just to get us to go looking for her. Hang up. Tell the police that it's a prank," she snapped.

Dad's face was cold. "This is ridiculous. She's wasting police resources."

Donna didn't dare argue. "Sorry, officer. That must be a mistake. Madeline is safe," she said into the phone.

Then she hung up.

I watched them, so full of anger, and couldn't help but laugh. As I kept laughing, tears ran down my face.

So in their eyes, even my death would just be another act.

On the fifth day, a video suddenly went viral online. The headline read, "Rich family scandal, real heiress was pushed off a cliff by her own brother—dead or alive?"

It was a screen recording from that night's livestream.

The footage was dim, but everyone could clearly see Charles pushing me, hear Victoria laughing, and hear me say, "It's unstable. I could actually die."

The internet exploded. People flooded Lane Holdings' official account with comments.

Netizen: [Isn't this basically murder?]

Netizen: [The railing was clearly broken, and he still pushed her?]

Netizen: [That girl's laugh is seriously disturbing.]

When Charles saw the video, he smashed his tablet in rage. "Madeline hired people to attack me online?"

He was convinced I was behind it.

"Fine. You want attention? I'll give it to you. Let's see how this ends," he snapped.

Charles grabbed his car keys, pulled Victoria with him, and dragged Trent along.

"Let's go to the cliff. I want to see where she's hiding. I'll expose her in front of everyone watching," he said.

They all rushed out, furious.

I hovered above Charles' car, watching the anger on his face.

When they arrived at the cliff, the area around the broken railing had already been cordoned off. Police tape surrounded the scene, and several officers were investigating.

Charles walked over and tore down the tape. "Madeline! Get out here!" he shouted, his voice echoing down the cliff.

He leaned over and yelled into the darkness below. "You called the police? What is wrong with you? Stop hiding. I know you're down there!"

A middle-aged cop frowned and stepped in front of him, blocking his way. "Who are you? What do you think you're doing? Do you realize it's illegal to tamper with a crime scene?"

Charles sneered and pointed down. "Officer, don't let her fool you. I'm her brother. This whole thing is just a stunt she staged herself. There are cushions down there. She's just hiding."

The cop looked at him like he'd lost his mind. "Cushions? It's nothing but rocks and thorns down there. What are you talking about?"

Charles froze and then turned to Victoria.

Victoria's face went pale as she avoided his eyes. "I... I told someone to put them there... Maybe they were moved..."

The cop ignored them and waved over the forensics team. "Alright, if you're family, come take a look," he said.

A rescue team was hauling a heavy body bag up from the bottom of the cliff. The bag was soaked, water still dripping from it. A thick, putrid smell filled the air.

Charles pinched his nose, frowning in disgust. "Nice act, Madeline. Aren't you grossed out? Get out of that bag now, or I'll drag you out myself."

He strode over and grabbed the zipper on the body bag. "I'm counting to three. Get up yourself," he said coldly. "One. Two. Three."

I didn't move. Of course, I didn't. I was dead.

Charles snorted and then ripped the zipper open. "Let's see you fake it now."