At the same time, I forged an offshore insurance policy in Grandfather's name, valued at a staggering fifty million.
I sent it to Gerard's computer as an encrypted email.
The moment he clicked it open, the trojan tucked inside would slip in instantly.
That night, I sat in front of my computer myself, watching the data the trojan fed back to me.
It took no effort at all to pull every transaction screenshot between Olivia, Gerard, and my mother over the past few days.
A week later came Olivia's college send-off party.
Gerard and Olivia had anonymously planted rumors online, leaking that the elder daughter of a certain wealthy family had been abusing her younger sister for years.
A few blurry photos of Olivia covered in bruises even made the rounds on social media.
The smear war didn't just fester online. It reached all the way to my company.
I'd barely stepped into the office when my boss slammed a termination letter onto my desk, his face dark.
"Amanda, a woman as vicious as you is a disgrace to this company! Pack your things and get out!"
The coworkers around me shoved their phones right up in my face, recording.
"Acted so high and mighty all this time, and she's nothing but a whore who forced her own little sister to sell her body."
"Harms her own sister. Disgusting. Just go die already."
I didn't argue. I watched their ugly little performance with cold eyes, then turned and walked out of the company.
Things at home were worse.
Every day the front door got splashed with red paint, the glaring word "DIE" smeared across it.
In the middle of the night, came the thunderous "bang, bang, bang" of someone pounding on the door.
A pack of young girls in face masks were holding selfie sticks, livestreaming.
"Drop a like, everybody. Today we're camping out at this evil woman's door. Every time she comes out, we beat her!"
Soon the internet and power were cut off.
I was trapped in a pitch-black room. Outside were the rabid mob; inside the door were my own family.
"Bang! "
My mother and Gerard kicked my bedroom door open, several people in white coats behind them.
In Gerard's hand was a "severe schizophrenia" evaluation, written up by a doctor they'd paid off.
"Mandy, you're far too sick. You need to be committed."
Gerard sneered as he directed the burly men to take out the restraint straps.
My mother watched coldly from the side, the way you'd watch a dying dog.
"Just sign this 'Guardianship Agreement for the Property of a Mentally Ill Person.'"
Gerard tossed a stack of papers and a pen down in front of me.
"Once this blows over, I'll handle everything. Otherwise, you'll spend the rest of your life in a psychiatric ward."
Under the weight of their menacing stares, I pretended to tremble with despair as I took the pen.
What they didn't know was that it was a special fading pen. The writing would vanish in two hours.
I signed my mother's name as the guardian.
Watching the elation they couldn't hold back in their eyes, I lowered my lashes.
I obediently changed into the gown and let them escort me away, off to this grand college send-off party.
The party was set at the most luxurious place in the city, The Summit Hotel, in The Sky Garden on the top floor.
In my last life, this was the very place where Olivia, in front of all the relatives and friends, threw herself off the edge.
My parents forced me to attend.
The wound on Olivia's head had already healed, but she'd deliberately left a square of gauze taped to her temple, making her look pitiful and fragile.
She wore a pure white dress, like a delicate little flower that couldn't withstand the wind and rain.
She clung to my mother's arm, soaking up everyone's blessings and praise.
My father moved among the guests with a flushed, beaming face, as if he weren't the same man who'd pointed at me days ago and screamed that I was a curse.
I sat alone in a corner, quietly eating.
Gerard came over carrying two glasses of champagne and handed me one.
"Mandy, still angry with me?"
I didn't take it. I only looked at him.
