Chapter 1

Three years after I had left home, a reality show about a wealthy family suddenly blew up.

During the live broadcast, someone brought me up.

My mother had her arm around the fake heiress and accused me of being a compulsive liar.

My brother, William Summers, said coldly, "She is nothing but an embarrassment."

My childhood friend, Andrew Shaw, frowned, his tone sharp. "She's a total backstabber."

The fake heiress, Chloe Summers, chimed in softly, playing the peacemaker. "Mom, William, and Andrew, please don't talk about Emily like that. Why don't we invite her to join us? I'm sure she's already repented."

They all went quiet.

But the comment feed went wild, spamming for them to bring the real daughter on.

Everyone was eager to see what the real daughter was like—the girl everyone loved to hate.

At last, William lifted his eyes slightly. "Whatever."

So they set off in a grand procession, the whole crew in tow, to look for me.

I drifted along with them, floating in the air.

I was curious. I wondered, where exactly did they think they could find me now?

*****

In front of the rundown old building, a crowd had already gathered. Trash was piled high in the corners, with flies and bugs swarming everywhere. Even the production crew couldn't help covering their noses.

I drifted through the air, grateful I couldn't smell a thing.

That was when my mother and William got out of the car. Dressed head to toe in limited-edition couture, they looked painfully out of place here.

The live comments erupted in confusion.

[Is this really where the real heiress of the top-tier Summers family lives?]

[The dress Chloe's wearing could probably buy this whole building.]

Someone chimed in with an explanation: [Didn't you see the news? Three years ago, Emily got her dad killed and then ran away from home.]

[Damn, she's that bad? The Summers family never should've taken her back.]

[Word is, nobody can stand her. She's nothing like Chloe, who has Mr. Summers and Andrew wrapped around her finger.]

The comments spiraled into a full-blown frenzy.

My mother took out a handkerchief and held it in front of Chloe, shielding her from the stench. Then she turned to William and said, "Tell Emily to open the door."

William had just stepped onto the first stair when he froze. He realized he didn't know which unit I lived in.

I had told him before. But at the time, he was way too busy comforting Chloe, who was putting on her sad little act. It never even registered with him.

But I heard Andrew murmur, "201." I wasn't surprised. If anyone here knew me best, it'd be Andrew.

William shot him a startled glance before continuing up to the second floor.

There was no doorbell. A dignified business tycoon had no choice but to lower himself and knock.

He knocked. And knocked. A long time passed. Still, no one answered.

I tilted my head and glanced at William. His expression darkened. "William, you are really slow," I muttered near his ear. "It's obvious—no one's home."

But he couldn't hear me. He just kept stubbornly knocking, over and over.

I watched him, amused. In the past, he would've lost his temper, turned on his heel, and left by now—not without tossing out a final insult, "What a rude brat."

William had never had much patience for me.

The viewers in the livestream slowly grew impatient.

[She's not home? Why don't the Summers family just call her?]

[Hard to say if there's even a number. Judging by how Mr. Summers acted just now, he probably doesn't even know her apartment number.]

[I heard Andrew grew up with Emily in the orphanage. He's a medical prodigy now with a spotless reputation. If even he talked about his childhood friend like that, things must be really bad.]

[I was hoping to see Emily join too. Having the real and fake heiresses in the same frame would've been a blast.]

Someone else added: [This place looks sketchy as hell. Isn't anyone worried something might've happened to her?]

This was a live variety show. Everyone present could see the comments in real time.

"Maybe Emily saw the show and left early." Chloe lowered her head, looking heartbroken. "She doesn't want to see us. When she left back then, she blocked all of us. It's all my fault. If it weren't for me—"

William cut her off, snapping, "What does this have to do with you? She's just an ungrateful snake." He stopped knocking. His voice turned icy, thick with hatred. "She'd better stay hidden for the rest of her life."

I'd heard words like that too many times when I was alive. I didn't want to hear them again. So I drifted away from them.

By the time they discussed with the crew, gave up on inviting me, and moved on to the next segment, only then did I float back.