“My father didn’t flinch when he pushed me out of the sanctuary gates to die. While I was being torn apart by monsters in the frozen wasteland, the imposter who stole my life was wearing my diamond tiara. But death gave me a second chance—and a “”Truth System”” that forces my enemies to speak their darkest secrets. Suddenly, I was back on the day I first returned to the Ridge. Madison, the girl who had been raised in my place, greeted me with a fake, sweet smile. She tried to say, “”Welcome home, sister,”” but the system kicked in. “”God, why did they drag this trash back?”” she blurted out instead, her eyes widening in horror. “”I need to get her killed as soon as possible!”” The room went dead silent. Good luck acting your way out of this one, Madison. 1. My parents—Richard and Eleanor, the Governors of the Ridge—stared at her in stunned silence. “”Madison! What on earth has gotten into you? You don’t speak like that!”” “”We raised you to be a lady of the Ridge,”” Richard barked. “”How can you curse like a common scavenger?”” My chest tightened. The core of what she’d said was a confession of her intent to manipulate them into abandoning me. Yet, they completely ignored the malice. They didn’t care that she wanted me gone, or that she’d called me trash. They only cared that their “”perfect daughter”” had slipped up on her etiquette. Looking back at my past life, at how easily they’d swallowed every lie she ever told… I realized something. They weren’t just blind. They simply didn’t care about me at all. Madison pivoted instantly, donning her signature “”wounded fawn”” expression. “”I… I don’t know what happened…”” “”It was like I couldn’t control my mouth. Those aren’t my thoughts…”” “”Dad, Mom… I don’t know if I should say this, but the moment Sienna stepped inside, I felt this dark, heavy energy…”” My parents turned to me, their gazes sharpening into immediate disgust. “”Sienna, what kind of dark-zone witchcraft did you pick up out there? You dare use it on your sister?”” “”Listen to me. If you’re going to live in the Ridge, you follow our rules. Throw those low-life tricks in the gutter where they belong!”” “”We brought you back to keep the peace, not to have you embarrass this family!”” My older brother, Grant, the Captain of the Guard, rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “”Madison started acting out the second Sienna arrived. She must have brought something tainted into the compound.”” “”We need a cleansing ritual. Otherwise, I won’t feel safe sleeping under the same roof.”” I shook my head frantically. “”I didn’t bring anything! Madison just accidentally said what she was thinking!”” They ignored me. Richard immediately called for the family’s “”spiritual advisor,”” a man named Brother Thomas. Thomas was a seasoned grifter who knew exactly who signed his checks. He exchanged a subtle, knowing look with Madison before assuming a mask of solemnity. “”Miss Sienna is indeed carrying a dark attachment. This kind of filth cannot be purged by prayer alone. It requires a physical rejection.”” “”Since this force is targeting Miss Madison, she must be the one to wield the instrument of purification. She must strike Miss Sienna eighty-one times with a sanctified leather strap to drive the evil out.”” Richard and Eleanor didn’t hesitate. They ordered the guards to bind my hands. Madison picked up the strap. Her eyes shimmered with a sadistic heat. “”I’m so sorry, Sienna. I’m doing this for your own good.”” She let out a soft giggle—the sound of a victor—and swung her arm back, bringing the leather down with a crack. But as the blow landed, her mouth betrayed her again: “”Look at this. Mom and Dad are always on my side. All I have to do is say you’re cursed, and they let me beat you. In this house, you’re nothing but a dog to me!”” Hearing this, my parents merely frowned. “”Madison, hit harder! Drive the devil out of her!”” Madison put her entire weight into it. The leather tore through my old clothes, biting deep into my skin. When the eighty-one strokes finally ended, they cut the ropes. I slumped to the floor, my body a map of fire, unable to move. I expected a servant to help me upstairs, but Brother Thomas raised a hand. “”Wait. Miss Sienna should not stay in a comfortable room. Dark energy thrives on comfort; it will only return. A narrow, sunless space is most appropriate.”” My parents considered this for a moment. “”The supply closet on the first floor is small and windowless. There isn’t even room for a bed…”” Thomas nodded sagely. “”Perfect. If Miss Sienna suffers a little, the darkness won’t want to come back.”” 2. I was tossed into the damp, cold storage room. I curled into a ball in the corner, my body trembling with pain, a bitter despair clawing at my throat. I thought having the “”Truth System”” would make life easier. I hadn’t realized this life would start even harder than the last. The door creaked open. Madison walked in, looking down at me as if I were a roach she’d missed under her heel. “”You did something, didn’t you? Made me say the truth.”” “”You’re so naive, Sienna. Even if I say it out loud, so what? Mom and Dad will always choose me.”” “”Who cares about DNA? You’re just a piece of waste-bin scrap. You really think you can compete with me?”” “”Do yourself a favor and crawl back to whatever mud hole you came from…”” Footsteps echoed in the hallway. Madison’s face transformed instantly into a mask of terror. “”Sister, what are you doing? Please, don’t hurt me!”” She grabbed a letter opener from a nearby shelf and plunged it into her own arm. At her scream, my parents burst in, pushing me aside to catch her. “”Sienna! What have you done to Madison?!”” I looked at them coldly. “”I didn’t do anything. I just watched her put on a one-woman show.”” “”You think we’d believe Madison would hurt herself? Are you insane?”” Madison gasped weakly, leaning into Eleanor’s arms. “”I only… I only came to ask her if she was scared to sleep alone, if she wanted me to stay with her… and then she… she stabbed me…”” Richard and Grant stared at me with pure loathing. “”Sienna, how can you be this vicious? How did the Harrison bloodline produce something so heartless?”” My father raised his hand, ready to strike me. But Madison’s voice rang out again. “”I came in here to provoke this bitch, to tell her there’s no place for her here, and then I stabbed myself to frame her!”” She clapped her hand over her mouth. My father’s hand froze mid-air. The room went deathly quiet. I looked at my parents. “”Did you hear that? That was the truth.”” Grant let out a scoff, breaking the tension. “”Clearly, the cleansing wasn’t thorough enough. The devil is still manipulating her, forcing her to say crazy things to frame Madison.”” My parents didn’t argue. They let Grant take Madison away to get bandaged. They gave me one last, indifferent look before turning to leave. “”Why?”” I asked the question to their retreating backs. “”You know she’s telling the truth. You know she did it to herself. Why do you still take her side?”” Eleanor turned around, her lip curling in a sneer. “”Sienna, love is built over time. It doesn’t just appear because of a lab result.”” “”For over a decade, Madison has been our daughter. We poured everything into her.”” “”Emotions aside—look at her. Her grace, her speech, her elite education. That is what a daughter of the Ridge looks like.”” “”You? You’re just a stray from the wastes. You can’t even compare.”” “”A daughter represents the family’s face to the world. Look at yourself. You’re an embarrassment.”” “”Then why bring me back?”” “”You think we wanted to? The Security Bureau made a spectacle out of finding you!”” “”If we didn’t bring you back, the media would have torn us apart. The Harrison family won’t let you starve, but don’t you dare think you’ll ever replace Madison.”” They walked away. In that moment, my heart went completely cold. I remembered the secret the Arbiter had told me about Madison. I smiled. I no longer wanted their cheap charity. I was going to make them see the truth. And then, I was going to make them lose everything they actually cared about. 3. I went to see Dominic Blackwood. The Harrisons and the Blackwood Compound had arranged a marriage years ago. Dominic hated the arrangement, but he couldn’t defy his family’s strategic interests. When I was brought back, my face was all over the regional news. Dominic recognized me immediately. He looked at me with a dull, icy indifference. “”What? Are the Harrisons looking to swap brides at the last minute?”” I shook my head. “”I’m here to talk business.”” Dominic arched an eyebrow. “”What kind of business?”” “”I know you don’t want to marry that woman. It’s just pressure for resource exchange.”” “”If the Ridge were to suddenly go bankrupt, your parents wouldn’t force you to honor the contract, would they?”” “”I have a way to make their assets evaporate overnight.”” Dominic sat up straighter. He laughed—a sharp, cynical sound. “”It seems the long-lost daughter has realized that blood isn’t worth much around here.”” “”So? Do we have a deal, Commander Blackwood?”” “”If your family falls, you go down with them. You’re willing to lose everything?”” “”I told you. This is a business deal.”” “”I help you dismantle the Harrison legacy. In return, you give me ten million credits. And when the bank auctions off the central Ridge compound, you buy it and transfer it to me.”” “”That’s it?”” “”That’s it.”” Ten million was enough for a comfortable life. As for that compound… In my last life, they threw me out to die. In this one, I was going to throw them out. Dominic nodded slowly. “”Taking down the Ridge isn’t a small task. What do you need from me?”” “”First, the credits. Now. I don’t trust you not to back out.”” Dominic took the slip of paper with my account details and handed it to his secretary. Five minutes later, the funds arrived. I smiled. “”You’re not worried I’m scamming you?”” “”It’s only ten million. I can afford the gamble. Besides, in this world, no one is stupid enough to scam Dominic Blackwood.”” “”What’s the second part?”” “”Next week, the Blackwood Compound is hosting its anniversary gala. I need you to add a segment to the program…”” When I finished explaining, Dominic looked confused. “”That’s it? That’ll do it?”” I nodded. “”Just watch. You’ll see the Harrison empire collapse in real-time.”” A week later, the most elite social event in the region—the anniversary gala—arrived. When the invitation reached the Ridge, Madison noticed the new addition to the schedule. “”All heirs will take the stage to share a story of their upbringing.”” Madison squealed with delight. “”This must be Dominic’s idea! He wants to know me better but he’s too shy to ask, so he set this up.”” “”It’s so romantic! It’s like ‘I embraced the whole world just to find you’ vibes!”” “”I have to write the perfect speech!”” She glanced at me, her eyes narrowing. “”Dad, Mom… is Sienna going to speak too?”” “”I’m so curious what a waste-girl could share. Scavenging for mutated rats in trash heaps? Is that what you did all day, sister?”” 4. My parents looked at me with unconcealed loathing. “”This is a high-society gala. What could she possibly share that wouldn’t make us vomit on the spot?”” “”Sienna, listen. Everyone knows you’re back, so we have to take you. But you are to keep your mouth shut.”” “”Smile a lot, talk a little. Don’t show off your lack of breeding. We can’t afford the embarrassment.”” “”Also, I heard you met Dominic privately the other day? You think being the biological daughter means you can steal Madison’s fiancé?”” “”Look in the mirror. Even if Dominic lost his mind, he wouldn’t look at you.”” “”From now on, you don’t see anyone without permission. Don’t shame us again.”” Madison glowed with triumph, savoring my humiliation. “”I’m going to go work on my speech. Don’t worry, Mom and Dad. I’ll make the Harrison name shine tonight!”” Watching her skip away, a cold smile crept onto my face. Yes, Madison. Prepare that speech. Make it perfect. Weigh every word. It’s all a waste of time anyway. Because when you open your mouth, not a single one of those hypocritical words will come out. Dad, Mom… I can’t wait to see your faces when the truth finally comes out. The night of the gala arrived. The Blackwood ballroom was a sea of crystal chandeliers and pre-collapse style gowns. Madison walked in on Grant’s arm, my parents following proudly behind. I followed at the very end like an unwanted shadow. Guests recognized me as the returned daughter, their eyes scanning me with judgment. Eleanor gave the hem of my dress a sharp tug, pulling me forward rudely. “”Yes, she’s the one from the wastes. She has no worldliness. If she acts awkward, please forgive her.”” “”We give her food and clothes, we try to teach her, but she’s just… hopelessly unrefined.”” The guests offered polite, empty platitudes. “”It’s good she’s back. Don’t push her too hard. You already have such a wonderful daughter in Madison.”” Not far off, Madison was batting her eyelashes at Dominic. “”Dominic, you have to listen closely when I give my speech later.”” The event began. Heirs took to the stage one by one. Soon, it was Madison’s turn. She glided to the microphone, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear and picking up her speech cards. “”Good evening, everyone. I am Madison Harrison. As you know, I was once an orphan taken in by my wonderful parents.”” “”They gave me the best of everything…”” She didn’t finish the sentence. Her tongue twisted violently. Then, the bombshell dropped. “”In fact, I wasn’t an orphan at all. My entry into the Harrison family was…”””
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