Chapter 2
Hearing my cold voice, Nancy's eyes immediately filled with tears.
She said, "This is our first time meeting. Why are you trying to humiliate me?
"Even if you have issues with me, please don't disrupt the filming."
Seeing Nancy looking so wronged, the live chat was tearing me apart.
A person wrote: [Who does this woman think she is, talking to Nancy like that?]
Another person wrote: [There's definitely something shady going on. Nancy said she's got connections, maybe she's just some homewrecker.]
A third wrote: [She's probably just a newbie. Let's all go roast her on Twitter. If she manages to survive in showbiz, we'd be letting Nancy down as her fans.]
Someone else wrote: [Yeah, let's do it. Didn't we totally destroy Tracy last time she messed with Nancy? Wait, this girl's called Elena Sims. Is she related to Tracy?]
I just pulled up a chair and sat down, flashing a smile at the camera.
"Yep, I'm Elena Sims, Tracy's little sister," I said, sounding totally unfazed.
The whole place went dead silent, and even the live chat froze.
Everyone instantly thought of my sister, Tracy, just as she was stepping into the spotlight, her light was snuffed out in an instant.
Tracy was scouted thanks to her stunning looks and irresistible charm, and she caused quite a stir the moment she entered showbiz.
As Tracy's star kept rising, Nancy, another up-and-coming actress in the same scene, started getting restless.
Both of them had that soft, vulnerable vibe, so people were always putting them side by side. To grab more attention, Nancy crafted a sweet, innocent persona for herself in the industry.
She made a big show of rescuing animals and donating money to charity. Even though she knew Tracy was being exploited by her agency and barely scraping by, Nancy still forced her to donate everything she owned on live TV.
Back then, I was studying finance overseas, and Tracy was covering all my bills.
That day was the deadline for my new semester's tuition.
To keep me in school, Tracy refused to donate everything she had, even though she knew it was exactly what Nancy wanted.
Tracy knew it was all a setup by Nancy.
Nancy latched onto that and deliberately stirred up her fans, unleashing a near-uncontrollable storm of cyberbullying against Tracy.
Even when Tracy later posted proof that she'd donated part of her savings, her desperate, tear-stained words were completely drowned out by the overwhelming flood of hate and blame.
Later, on a bright, sunny morning, Tracy ended her young life.
In her final moments, she sent me a message. [Elena, don't blame me. I just can't go on anymore.]
By the time I made it back home, the sister I depended on for everything was already gone, her whole life reduced to a small urn of ashes.
At the funeral home, Nancy threw herself onto the coffin, crying her heart out in a scene so dramatic it could've won an award.
She sobbed, "I was just trying to help you by asking you to donate, Tracy. Why did you have to be so stubborn?
"If everyone acted as selfish as you, refusing to give anything back to society, how are we supposed to be role models?"
Meanwhile, the cameras, already set up, made sure to catch Nancy's most flattering angle.
Not only did Nancy drive my sister to her death, but she also shamelessly turned Tracy's funeral into her own publicity stunt, riding the wave of online hype for all it was worth.
I stood there, off to the side, staring hard at Nancy, full makeup, red high heels. I etched her image into my mind, determined never to let myself forget.
From then on, Nancy's career took off like a rocket, and she was hailed as the ultimate paragon of boundless love and compassion.
People described Nancy as selfless, kind, and generous, while no one ever mentioned Tracy again.
Riding high on her saintly persona, Nancy became a force to be reckoned with in showbiz. Anyone who dared to go against her was instantly labeled an enemy of positivity.
After that, Nancy leaned even harder into her saintly persona, pouring herself into charity and acts of kindness. This show, "All Creatures Have Souls," was funded by her sponsor. It was her last step before going full A-list.
If nothing unexpected happened today, Nancy would finally hit the big time.
Too bad for her, I was back.
I was not there to interrupt Nancy's career.
I was there to end her.