Riley's gaze collided with Cleo's rebellious stare. Under that blazing look, fury simmered, white-hot and ready to ignite.
Cleo watched Riley stumble back, then smoothed the skirts of her Victorian-style dress with a smirk. "Can't handle a little competition? Well, honey, the show's just getting started..."
Meanwhile, a new scheme was taking shape.
Late that night, Cleo slipped barefoot into Riley's room. She lifted the blue diamond necklace from its velvet box, her lips curling as she tucked it into the bottom drawer.
Just as she was about to creep away, a sliver of light sliced through the doorway.
"What the hell are you doing?" Liam squinted at her, suspicion hardening his eyes.
Cleo froze for a beat, then put on her best innocent mask. "Liam, Riley stole my necklace... I was just sneaking it back. You won't tell Mom and Dad, right? Promise me."
Tears glistened in her eyes as she grabbed his sleeve. "If they throw her out, you're the only family I'll have left..."
Liam shot a nervous glance at the blue diamond in the drawer, unease crawling up his spine. "What if they figure it out? Then what?"
"Maybe we should just come clean?" he mumbled, barely above a whisper.
Cleo's eyes lit up, locking onto his. That was exactly what she'd been waiting for. Her brother hadn't let her down.
The memory faded to pitch black.
The scene flipped to the next morning.
BAM! The door flew open so hard it slammed against the wall. Sean Walker stormed in, and before Riley could even put down her book, he yanked her by the hair and dragged her into the living room.
The blue diamond necklace was pulled from her drawer, and her mother's eyes blazed with pure rage.
She couldn't believe it—Riley had actually stooped to stealing!
Seething, her mother grabbed a vase and hurled it, the porcelain smashing against Riley's arm. "You ungrateful little brat! How dare you steal from Cleo!"
"It wasn't me..." Riley whispered, wincing at the pain, inching backward only to feel Liam blocking her way.
Liam sneered down at her. "Playing the victim again? The necklace was in your room. Or are you still gonna stand there and deny it?"
A hush fell over the courtroom as comments exploded online.
"OMG, Cleo planted the necklace herself!"
"Why is Liam backing her up? He knows the truth!"
"Blood really is thicker than water, huh. Even if Cleo came later, Liam still sides with his 'real' sister."
"This family has zero common sense."
In the courtroom, Cleo lunged toward the screen, shrieking, "Lies! That memory was tampered with!"
"That's not the truth! You've all been played by her!"
The judge stared at Cleo, his voice ice-cold. "Objection overruled."
"The memory trial uses the most advanced technology, Miss Walker. I advise you to keep it together in my courtroom."
Riley's mother gripped the railing, her voice shaking. "Riley... I had no idea about the necklace. Why didn't you just explain?"
"Explain?" A dry laugh escaped Riley's lips.
"When did you ever give me a chance to explain? You threw me in the basement, starved me, and banned me from every single event..."
The memory rolled on.
Riley stood at the door, trembling with panic, pleading so desperately her voice cracked.
But all she heard from the other side was her father's roar.
"Sit in there and think about what you've done! I'm ashamed to call you my daughter!"
"Don't bother showing your face—you're an embarrassment!"
Cleo's syrupy voice dripped through the crack under the door. "Liam, do you think she'll starve to death?"
"Who cares? She's a pain. Sick of her fake act all the time."
Cleo's laugh slithered in.
The livestream erupted again.
"This is straight-up abuse! Childhood trauma 101."
"Oh my God, this family is insane. They just jumped to conclusions without getting the facts!"
"Everyone who dragged Riley owes her a freaking apology!"
The sharp crack of the gavel cut through the chaos, just as Liam shot to his feet in the gallery.
With the whole room staring at him and Riley, a hot wave of anger rolled through him.
If Riley hadn't stirred up all this drama, none of this would be happening.
Now all eyes locked on Liam, waiting to hear what he could possibly say with such damning evidence against him.
Frustrated, he loosened his tie, his eyes swirling with a twisted scorn.
He regretted not letting Riley rot in that basement when he had the chance!
Then he jabbed a finger toward Riley, who looked ready to collapse in the defendant's chair. "Your Honor! I have another accusation to make."
A collective gasp rippled through the room.
And the livestream lit up with chatter.
"Another twist? I'm here for it."
"This is just plot twist after plot twist. How is this even gonna end?"
"One of these accusations has to be true, right?"
Amid the noise, Liam waved his phone with a smug grin, fixing Riley with a dead-serious stare.
"This woman even went after my friend!"
He whipped out a stack of photos and slapped them onto the table.
In the picture, Riley was on the beach next to Hudson Greene, the image blurry from a distance.
"She seduced Hudson, playing Miss Innocent while reeling in men with that face!"
Instantly, those photos were broadcast to every viewer watching the live feed.
This looked like irrefutable proof!
Online, Riley's supporters flipped on her in a heartbeat.
"Wow! Pictures don't lie—these can't be faked."
"No wonder the family can't stand her. She's a homewrecker at heart!"
"All that sweet act before, and now it turns out she's been sleeping her way around!"
"I was starting to feel bad for her, but I guess I was way too naive."
As the flood of insults poured in, Riley's pale fingers clutched the edge of the table.
Every ugly word felt like a knife to the chest, the whole world ready to convict her without a single chance to defend herself.
She lowered her eyes, catching the blurry outline of Hudson's profile in the photo, and suddenly, a wave of memories crashed over her.
"So hungry... so damn hungry..."
The basement air was thick with must and decay. Riley curled into a ball in the corner, desperately rifling through the drawers.
Three whole days had passed.
Apart from water, she hadn't eaten a thing.
Her stomach cramped, a gnawing ache that made cold sweat bead on her forehead.
In the faint light seeping through the skylight, she groped blindly around the basement.
She knew there was nothing edible down there—knew it—but she had no choice. Her mind was fading, and she had to find something. Anything.
