The Unscripted Heiress
They wanted me to be the train wreck, the backwoods cautionary tale that would make their perfectly harmonious family look even better.
The first time around, I endured it. The result? A nationwide hate campaign that ended with me taking a long step off a short rooftop.
This time, on the first day of filming, things would be different.
Audrey, the girl who had stolen my life, cooed at me in that syrupy-sweet voice of hers. Sloane, darling, you just got here from wherever, so you might not know how things work. Daddy prefers a fresh pour-over in the morning. Why dont you go get that started?
In front of the live-streaming cameras, I slapped her across the face.
Youre a cuckoo in the nest, an imposter. Who the hell do you think you are, giving me orders?
I looked down at her, my voice dropping to ice. And dont you dare call me sister. My mother only had one daughter.
The entire crew went silent. The internet, however, exploded.
1
The crack of the slap was sharp and clean, echoing through the cavernous living room.
Audrey cupped her cheek, tears instantly welling in her wide, innocent eyes. She stared at me, a perfect portrait of disbelief.
Sloane why did you hit me? Her voice trembled, as if shed just been dealt the cruelest blow imaginable.
I gave a cold laugh and shook the sting from my hand.
Consider that a lesson in knowing your place.
In the Sinclair family, Im the root, and youre the weed. And no matter how lush a weed grows, it always gets pulled for the root.
The camera was pointed right at us, capturing every raw, unfiltered second.
The live-stream comments went into a frenzy.
[HOLY S**T! The show just started and were already here? Is the real daughter always this intense?]
[GOOD. I cant stand that two-faced type. Sister to your face, knife in your back.]
[Um, what? Audrey was just trying to be helpful. That girl from the sticks is seriously unhinged.]
[Get out of here with your high-and-mighty act. Did you not see the way she was ordering her around? Like she was the damn queen.]
A dead silence had fallen over the living room.
Behind the monitors, I could see the director rubbing his hands together, his eyes gleaming with delight.
My dear mother, Catherine, was the first to snap out of it.
She lunged forward, pulling Audrey behind her as she glared at me.
Sloane! What is wrong with you!
You apologize to Audrey this instant!
I looked at her perfectly preserved, Botox-smooth face. It was the exact same expression shed worn in my last life when shed forced me to my knees to beg for forgiveness.
Back then, I was terrified of herterrified this mother who had abandoned me and then summoned me back would cast me out all over again.
So I knelt. I apologized.
All I got for it was more humiliation, more abuse, and an endless torrent of online vitriol.
Now, all I felt was a hollow, bitter amusement.
Apologize?
I met her gaze, speaking each word with deliberate calm.
Could she even handle it?
Catherine, you dumped me in the middle of nowhere and didn't give me a second thought for eighteen years. You really think you have the right to teach me anything now?
Go on, ask her. Ask the imposter who built her life on my mothers pity why I, the actual daughter, should apologize to her.
The color drained from Catherines face.
She never imagined I would air our dirty laundry on a live broadcast.
You What are you talking about! she stammered, her voice shrill with panic.
When did I ever abandon you! It was
It was what? I stepped toward her, refusing to back down.
Was it the nanny who conveniently lost me? Or did you spend eighteen agonizing years searching for me? Spare me the soap opera script. You don't even believe your own lies.
My father, Richard Sinclair, shot to his feet, his face a thundercloud.
Thats enough, Sloane! he boomed, his voice layered with the authority he was so used to wielding.
Dont air our dirty laundry in public! Do you have to make a scene for the whole world to see?
Go to your room! Now! And think about what youve done!
I laughed as if hed just told the funniest joke in the world.
Dirty laundry?
Forcing me onto this pathetic show to be a prop for your fake daughterthats not dirty laundry?
But the moment I fight back, its a family disgrace?
Richard, is your hypocrisy really that shameless?
Richard was trembling with rage, pointing a finger at me, speechless.
My brother, Ethan, who had been silent until now, walked over, his brow furrowed in disapproval.
He grabbed my arm. Sloane, stop it. His tone was laced with reprimand.
Audrey is part of this family now. You just got here. You cant be so hostile.
I ripped my arm from his grasp, staring at the brother I had once trusted more than anyone.
This was the same brother who, while I was being torn apart by the entire internet, had posted a single, devastating tweet.
I only have one sister. Audrey.
That tweet was the final straw that broke me.
Hostile? I smiled at him, a smile that didn't reach my eyes.
Ethan, lets get something straight. I am your sister. Your actual, biological sister.
You wag your tail for a stranger while you bare your teeth at your own blood. What the hell does that make you?
Youre not just blind, youre a goddamn traitor.
Ethans face went from red to a blotchy purple.
My entire family, silenced by one person.
In the live stream, the comments were a waterfall.
[My god, shes the internets patron saint of clapbacks! She says EVERYTHING!]
[YES! This is what Im talking about! I live for watching these fake, sweet girls get what they deserve!]
[This family is disgusting. Theyre the ones who wronged her, but they act like she owes them something.]
[Im officially a fan. Sloane, destroy them all!]
Audrey, hiding behind Catherine, was a sobbing, trembling mess.
She peered at me with a look of pure venom, as if I were her mortal enemy.
I knew this was just the beginning.
The trial, broadcast live to the nation, had only just begun.
2
At dinner, the long table was laden with an immaculate spread.
The Sinclairs all wore thunderous expressions, the silence so thick you could drown in it.
I was the only one with an appetite.
I methodically cracked open a lobster claw, completely ignoring the murderous glares being shot my way.
In my past life, I wouldnt have even dared to sit at this table.
They told me I chewed with my mouth open, that I had no manners, that I should go back to my room and eat instant noodles.
And I actually believed them, hiding in my room, crying with an empty stomach.
Looking back, my own stupidity was pitiful.
Audrey, her eyes red and puffy, picked at her rice, the very image of a heartbroken waif.
Catherine placed a piece of abalone on her plate with a pained expression.
Audrey, darling, eat up. Dont let irrelevant people ruin your appetite. Its not worth making yourself sick.
The jab was obvious, her eyes flicking pointedly in my direction.
I picked up a piece of sea bass, not even bothering to look up.
Shes right. Its never worth getting angry over irrelevant people.
Take me, for example. I never waste my energy on imposters who steal other peoples lives. Or on family members who are both blind and heartless.
After all, you cant reason with animals.
Pfft
Ethan choked, spraying a mouthful of soup.
Sloane! Can you not be so vile!
I set down my chopsticks and dabbed my lips with a napkin.
No.
I was raised in the sticks, remember? No manners. Not like you high-society types who have to bury every sentence under three layers of subtext. Isnt that exhausting?
Speaking your mind. Thats what good kids do.
Richard slammed his hand on the table. Insolent! he roared. Have you no respect for the rules of this house!
I picked up the crystal fruit bowl from the center of the table. It was filled with freshly washed cherries, glistening like dark jewels.
I walked over to Catherine and tipped the entire bowl over her perfectly coiffed hair.
Rules?
You want to talk to me about rules?
What rules were you following when you threw me away?
Cold juice and sticky cherries trickled down Catherines hair and neck, staining her silk blouse. Red fruit rolled across the marble floor.
She froze, a statue of desecrated dignity.
Audrey shrieked. Mom!
Ethan and Richard shot to their feet, their faces masks of stunned horror.
Sloane, youre insane! Ethan lunged for me.
I sidestepped him easily, a cold satisfaction spreading through my chest as I took in Catherines wretched state.
If you want fruit, wash it yourself. Are your hands broken?
Oh, right. Those hands were busy abandoning your own daughter, and now theyre busy waiting on a fake one. I guess you are pretty busy.
The shock finally wore off. Catherine began to tremble violently, pointing a shaking finger at me, her lips quivering.
You You monster!
I dont have a daughter like you!
Good, I said with a brilliant smile.
In that case, lets quit this ridiculous show and go cut ties officially.
You can pay me the eighteen years of child support you owe, plus damages for pain and suffering, and of course, the shares of the Sinclair company that are rightfully mine. Settle it all in one lump sum.
Then we can go our separate ways and never see each other again.
Do you dare?
Catherine was trapped, speechless.
Richard, apoplectic, pointed at the door.
Get out! Get out of this house right now!
This show is over! Were not filming anymore!
I crossed my arms, watching him with detached amusement.
Fine by me.
The contract is crystal clear. Unilateral termination comes with a penalty of one hundred million dollars.
So, Richard are you writing the check?
One hundred million.
It wouldnt bankrupt them, but it would cripple them.
More importantly, pulling out now would be a public admission of guilt.
Richards face cycled through an impressive spectrum of red, purple, and finally, a mottled gray.
He looked like he wanted to swallow me whole.
All I did was offer him an innocent smile.
You want me to leave?
Its not going to be that easy.
I havent seen nearly enough of this show yet.
3
In the end, the Sinclairs didnt dare to break the contract.
Faced with a one-hundred-million-dollar penalty or becoming a national laughingstock, they chose the latter.
Perhaps they thought that with the right PR spin, they could salvage their reputation.
Unfortunately for them, I wasn't going to give them the chance.
The producers, smelling blood in the water, arranged a Heartwarming Family Moment segment. Each family was to present an item of profound personal significance.
The Sinclairs brought out a diamond necklace, so brilliant it seemed to radiate its own light.
Audrey wore it as she sat beside Catherine, her smile a perfect blend of sweetness and shy pride.
The host began, his voice dripping with emotion. This is the Angels Tear, a necklace Mrs. Sinclair acquired at auction for Audreys eighteenth birthday. It represents a mothers purest love for her daughter.
Catherine lovingly stroked Audreys hair.
Audrey is my little angel. This necklace was simply destined for her.
The performance of mother-daughter devotion was truly touching.
In the live comments, Audreys fans went wild.
[Im crying, this is so beautiful. The love between Audrey and her mom is so real.]
[This is what a real high-society family looks like. Some people could learn a thing or two.]
[The Angels Tear for an angel like Audrey. Perfect!]
I stared at the necklace on the screen, a familiar ache tightening in my chest.
What a coincidence.
I had one too.
As all eyes were on me, I slowly reached into my shirt and pulled out another necklace.
It was an exact replica of Audreys, except the brilliant diamond was replaced with a cheap rhinestone, and the chain was a tarnished alloy that had long since lost its shine.
Under the bright studio lights, it looked pathetic and laughable.
The host paused, clearly thrown by this unexpected turn.
Sloane, that necklace?
I rubbed the fake diamond between my fingers, my voice quiet but captured perfectly by the microphone.
Oh, this?
It was the only thing I had on me when my mother left me behind.
I was only three. I dont remember anything else, but I remember clutching this necklace so tightly, thinking that it was my mother.
It wasnt until I was much older that I realized it was worthless. You can buy them at a street stall for five dollars.
I lifted my head, my gaze falling on the ashen faces of Catherine and Audrey.
I never imagined my mother would turn around and buy an identical one for my sister. A real one, this time.
I guess there are different kinds of motherly love.
One worth five dollars, one worth millions.
I smiled, but there was no warmth in it.
Truly a mothers love is a powerful thing.
The entire studio was silent.
The camera operator, a true professional, zoomed in on the blood draining from Catherines and Audreys faces.
Beneath the table, Richards hands were clenched into white-knuckled fists.
The live chat, after three seconds of stunned silence, absolutely erupted.
[OH. MY. GOD. What is this plot twist?!]
[Im going to be sick. That whole mother-daughter act was so touching a second ago, now it just feels disgusting and fake.]
[My heart breaks for Sloane. She held onto that cheap necklace for eighteen years thinking it was a symbol of her mothers love, and it was all just a joke.]
[Catherine is not human! And Audrey is no better! How could she wear that, knowing its history? Doesnt it feel like a noose?]
Audrey began to tremble, her hand instinctively going to the necklace at her throat.
Catherine grabbed her wrist, forcing a serene, composed expression onto her face as she addressed the camera.
No, no, everyone has misunderstood!
I I just missed Sloane so much, so I I had a replica made. To remember her by
She didnt even sound like she believed her own lie.
I let out a short, sharp laugh.
To remember me by?
Then when you saw the real thingmestanding right in front of you, why wasnt there a flicker of affection? Is it more satisfying to cry over a fake?
Catherine, you might be able to fool them, but you cant fool me.
Eighteen years. Was there a single phone call? A single letter?
No.
You were just contentedly living your life with your daughter, while I was left to fend for myself in a place youd rather forget.
Richard finally snapped. He shot to his feet, pointing at me.
Sloane! Shut your mouth!
Dont disrupt the show with these lies!
I met his furious gaze without flinching.
Lies?
Then why dont you explain this, Richard? Why is it that on the official records for your lost biological daughter, the legal designation isn't missing, but abandoned?
That word, abandoned. You signed the papers yourself, didnt you?
Richards pupils contracted.
He never thought Id know about that.
Thats right. The first thing I did after being brought back to the Sinclair fold was get a copy of my own records.
There it was, in black and white.
I, Sloane Sinclair, was officially abandoned.
Not the poor, unfortunate soul who was accidentally lost.
That truth hit the live broadcast like a bomb.
The entire internet was in an uproar.
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