Chapter 1

My parents, behind my back, took out a three-million-dollar accidental death insurance policy in my name.

That weekend, my dad took me fishing for the first time, out in the secluded area by the reservoir. He even bought me a hotdog, something usually only Chloe got.

He knelt down, his voice heavy with emotion, as he adjusted my collar.

"My little girl, don't blame your dad."

"Your sister needs to study abroad, and we just can't come up with that kind of money."

"Just help the family one last time, okay? Just go to sleep, and all the pain will be gone…"

The words barely left his lips before he kicked me, hard, right into the reservoir behind us.

1

The icy, bone-chilling water instantly filled my nose and mouth.

I couldn't swim.

Pure survival instinct made me thrash wildly, my arms and legs flailing without purpose.

On the shore, my dad watched me with cold indifference, like he was looking at a dying insect.

Beside him, my mom pulled out her phone, seemingly checking the time.

Chloe, my sister, took out a compact mirror, meticulously touching up her lipstick, her voice laced with impatience.

"Dad, why is she flailing for so long? What if someone sees?"

Mom calmly reassured her. "Don't worry, no one's around at this hour. I checked. Adults drown in three to five minutes. She's just a kid, it'll be even quicker."

Dad nodded, his voice devoid of any warmth.

"Just wait a little longer. Once she sinks, we'll call 911 and say she accidentally fell in."

My strength was draining away, bit by bit. My consciousness started to fade.

Why?

All because Chloe wanted to go to an exclusive boarding school in the UK, which cost a million dollars a year.

And the beneficiary of that three-million-dollar accidental death policy? My mom and dad.

So, that hotdog I'd never been allowed to eat? It was my last supper.

And my dad, calling me "my little girl" so gently for the first time? It was to send me to my grave.

I hated them.

A tearing pain ripped through my lungs, and I choked on several gulps of water.

Just as I was about to lose consciousness completely, my body slowly sinking, a blinding light suddenly shone from not far away.

Then, a man's furious roar.

"What the *f*?! Who's out there?! Crew! Where's the freaking crew?!"

"Is someone in the water over there?! Get help, now!"

I heard my parents and Chloe scream in panic on the shore.

"Run! Someone's coming!"

In the chaos, something plunged into the water with a splash.

I felt strong hands pulling me up to the surface.

The last thing I saw was the anxious face of a young man in a black T-shirt.

2

When I woke up again, I found myself lying in a customized production van.

A dry jacket, smelling faintly of tobacco, was draped over me.

A gorgeous, super stylish woman with flawless makeup was gently drying my hair with a towel.

"Awake? How do you feel?"

I tried to speak, but my throat was burning, and no words came out.

The stylish woman handed me a cup of warm water. "Drink slowly. You choked on a lot of water; your throat's all scratched up."

I took small sips, looking around.

Besides the beautiful woman, there was a man with silver hair, even more handsome than a movie star, leaning against the window, playing on his phone.

And a burly guy with a buzz cut sat in the driver's seat, his brows furrowed tightly.

I remembered it was him who jumped in and saved me.

The van door suddenly slid open, and a grizzled, middle-aged director with a scruffy beard and a wrinkled vest poked his head in.

"She's awake?"

His voice was the same furious one I'd heard before I passed out.

He sized me up, his tone impatient. "Hey, kid! Where are your parents? What are you doing by the reservoir in the middle of the night? If you're having suicidal thoughts, don't do it near our set! This is *so* freaking unlucky!"

The stylish woman glared at him. "Director Jensen! She's just a child!"

The man, Director Jensen, grunted. He reached into his pocket for a pack of cigarettes, started to light one, then glanced at me and irritably shoved them back.

"Alright, alright, Ava. Ask her for her family's number. Get her folks to pick her up, so she doesn't delay our shoot."

Family's number…

My body started to tremble uncontrollably.

I couldn't go home.

If I went back, they'd push me into the water again, or find another way to kill me.

Seeing me shake, Ava thought I was cold and wrapped the jacket tighter around me. She asked softly,

"Skylar, right? Your student ID was in your pocket. Can you tell me your parents' number?"

I bit down hard on my lip, shaking my head desperately.

The tears just wouldn't stop.

"I… I don't want to go home…"

Director Jensen got even more annoyed. "Hey, are you going to freeload off us now? If you don't go home, are we supposed to feed you? I'm telling you, our crew is flat broke, we can't afford any freeloaders!"

The silver-haired man, Liam Hayes, put down his phone and spoke lazily. "Jensen, why bother getting upset with a child?"

He walked over to me, knelt down, bringing his eyes level with mine.

"Hey, kiddo, did you run away from home after an argument? Running away won't solve anything. How about I take you home?"

I cried, shrinking back and burying my face in Ava's arms.

"I didn't run away… I just fell in by accident…"

"My parents… they don't know I'm here…"

I didn't dare tell them the truth.

They were strangers. Why would they believe that my own parents tried to kill me?

If they sent me back, it would be a death sentence.

I had to lie.

3

Director Jensen looked at me, puzzled. "You fell in by yourself? What about your parents?"

I clutched at the hem of my shirt, lowering my head and whispering, "They… they're always very busy with work. I'm usually home alone."

"Then why were you out at such a secluded reservoir?"

"I… I heard the scenery here was nice, so I wanted to come see…"

My lies were full of holes.

How could a teenage girl be out alone at a secluded reservoir in the middle of the night?

Liam Hayes smiled faintly, saying nothing.

Leo Stone, the guy with the buzz cut in the driver's seat, looked back at me, his voice low.

"Director, maybe we should call 911? Let the police find her family."

Call 911!

The police would definitely contact my parents!

I shuddered, grabbing Ava's arm suddenly, pleading.

"No! Please, don't call 911!"

My reaction was too intense.

The three men in the van froze, all staring at me.

Ava patted my back, soothing me gently. "Okay, okay, no 911, don't get so worked up."

She looked up at Director Jensen.

"Director, look how scared she is… How about we let her stay here for tonight? We can figure it out tomorrow?"

Director Jensen's brow furrowed so deeply it looked like he was trying to crush something between them.

"This is a film set! Not a welfare center!"

Though he said that, he still waved his hand, then turned and got out of the van.

"Fine, fine! Just one night! But she has to be gone by tomorrow!"

The door closed, shutting out the cold wind.

Ava found me a clean set of clothes to change into and poured a bowl of hot porridge from an electric cooker.

"Eat up. It'll warm you."

The millet porridge was fragrant and soft. I held the bowl, and tears started to fall again.

Ever since my grandma passed away, no one had made me hot porridge.

Mom said cooking wasted time and interfered with her career.

Meals at home were always made by the cleaning lady.

The cleaning lady only knew how to make two dishes: plain steamed veggies and boiled plain veggies.

Because Chloe had to watch her figure, Mom said plain veggies were best.

And I just had to eat whatever they ate.

Ava saw me only drinking the porridge and not speaking, and thought I didn't like it. She dug a bag of teddy bear cookies out of her bag.

"Not to your taste? Want some cookies instead?"

I quickly shook my head, drinking the porridge clean, even licking the edges of the bowl.

"It's delicious! Thank you, Ava!"

Ava smiled, stroking my head. "Silly girl."

That night, I slept on the long bench in the production van.

Though it was narrow, I slept incredibly peacefully.

But that peace was utterly shattered the next morning.

I woke up to a commotion. Opening my eyes,

I saw my parents and Chloe standing outside the van.

Mom was holding Director Jensen's hand, looking distraught and crying dramatically.

"Director, thank you so much for saving our Skylar! We looked for her all night!"

Dad's eyes were red too, as he thanked them repeatedly.

Chloe stood by, and when she saw I was awake, she immediately yelled at me.

"Skylar! How could you be so thoughtless?! Threatening Mom and Dad by jumping in the water just because you don't want me to go abroad! Do you know how worried everyone was about you?!"

4

Chloe's words exploded like a thunderclap among the crew.

Everyone looked at me with strange eyes.

Turns out, I was the malicious sister who, out of jealousy for her sibling, jumped into the water to threaten her parents.

Director Jensen's face instantly darkened.

Ava frowned too, a hint of disappointment in her eyes.

I was ice cold, unable to speak.

Mom rushed into the van and hugged me tight, but her hand viciously pinched my lower back.

"Skylar, you scared your mother half to death! Come home with Mom, we can talk about anything there, don't bother these nice people here!"

The sharp pain made me gasp, and tears welled up involuntarily.

To everyone else, it looked like a touching scene of mother-daughter reunion.

Chloe also got into the van. She affectionately linked her arm through mine, but her nails dug into my flesh.

She leaned close to my ear, whispering in a voice only we could hear,

"Skylar, you got lucky. But it doesn't matter, we have plenty of ways to deal with you at home."

"You'd better be a good girl, or next time, it won't be as simple as pushing you into a reservoir."

I was so scared I stiffened, my legs completely unable to move.

Dad walked over, a 'kindly' smile on his face, and said to the director,

"I'm truly sorry, children can be so naughty and cause trouble. We'll take her away now."

He reached out, trying to grab my arm.

I flinched back in terror, screaming,

"No! I'm not going with you!"

Mom's face hardened, her voice laced with threat.

"Skylar! Stop acting up! Do you want me to discipline you in front of strangers?"

Dad also lost his patience. He reached out directly, roughly dragging me out of the van.

"Come on! Just wait till we get home, you ungrateful little monster!"

The crew watched, but no one stepped forward to help.

In their eyes, this was just a typical family dispute, parents disciplining a disobedient child.

Despair instantly swallowed me.

I was doomed.

Just as my feet were dragged out of the van, and I was about to be shoved into my family's car, a cool, clear voice suddenly spoke up.

"Wait."

It was the silver-haired man, Liam Hayes.

He leaned against the van door, slowly dangling something in his hand, a half-smile playing on his lips as he looked at my dad.

"Mr. Miller, before you go, shouldn't you explain this first?"

My dad followed his gaze, and his face instantly turned chalk-white.

In Liam's hand was my dad's car key, which he'd dropped by the reservoir yesterday.

Attached to the key was a customized metal keychain.

Engraved on it were the words:

"Wishing Chloe success in her studies abroad and a bright future."

Liam jingled the key, smiling like a fox.

"Your daughter 'accidentally' fell into the water in the middle of the night, and you, her parents, searched for her all night, yet you didn't even realize your car key dropped at the scene of the incident?"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over my parents, finally settling on my sister, Chloe. He spoke meaningfully,

"And these words… wishing your esteemed daughter success in her studies abroad?"

"Also, that three-million-dollar accidental death insurance policy, that must be for her tuition, right?"

The words "accidental death insurance" dropped, and my parents and Chloe's faces completely changed.

5

Mom shrieked,

"What are you talking about?! What accidental death insurance?! We don't know anything about it!"

Dad also blustered, "Who are you? How dare you slander us! I'll sue you for defamation!"

Liam raised an eyebrow, ignoring their shouts, and turned his gaze to Director Jensen.

Director Jensen understood. He cleared his throat and yelled to the surrounding crew members,

"What are you all staring at?! Set up the cameras! It'd be a shame not to record such a brilliant scene as footage!"

"Lights! Point the lights at their faces! Yes! I want that interrogation room effect!"

The production assistants and lighting technicians immediately sprang into action. Several powerful lights instantly focused on my parents' and Chloe's faces.

Leo, the cameraman, lugging his heavy camera, pointed it directly at my dad.

"Mr. Miller, how do you manage to maintain your perfectly styled hair and spotless shoes after searching for your daughter all night? Could you share your grooming secrets?"

Another PA held a boom mic right up to my mom's mouth.

"Madam, you just said you searched for your daughter all night, but your makeup is exquisite, and you don't look like you've been up all night. Could you recommend the brand of foundation you use to our actresses?"

My parents were stunned by this setup and couldn't utter a single word.

Chloe, being younger, couldn't keep her composure. She pointed at Liam and shrieked, "You… you're invading our privacy and infringing on our image rights! I'll call 911!"

"Call 911? Fine." Liam smiled. He took out his phone and, right in front of them, dialed 91