"I should have never come here," Annabelle confessed, tears streaming down her innocent face. She looked every bit the part of Cinderella in her elegant blue gown, her petite frame trembling under Evelyn's cold gaze.

"I'm sorry, Evelyn. This is all my fault," Annabelle continued, lowering her head. Her sniffles grew louder, drawing curious glances from the guests downstairs.

Evelyn clenched her jaw, feeling a familiar surge of irritation. "Oh, not again," she muttered under her breath.

Their father had thrown a grand party tonight to celebrate his deal with Reign Constructions, the country's richest conglomerate. Yet, amidst the clinking glasses and murmured congratulations, everyone seemed more interested in the scandalous rumors about Evelyn—the alleged fake daughter. Seeking solace, she decided to go upstairs, only to be followed by her supposedly sweet sister, ready to stir up a scene again.

"Trust me, Evelyn. Vincent and I… we're just friends. He feels sorry for me. Sorry for how I was tortured by your real mother all these years," Annabelle continued, her voice shaky. "There is nothing romantic going on between us. Please, don't be angry at me," she pleaded, her cries growing louder with each word.

Evelyn's fingers curled into fists at her sides, her patience wearing thin. If this had been months ago, she might have embraced and comforted this true daughter of the Wright family—the one switched at birth with her. But now, she had grown tired of this white lotus and her constant dramas, each one ployed to paint her as the evil, salty bitch! The urge to scratch Annabelle's face and feel a twisted sense of satisfaction grew within her, but she forced herself to stay calm.

"I'm not, Annabelle. Go enjoy the party," Evelyn replied coolly, turning to leave. But Annabelle grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly, sending a jolt of irritation up her arm.

"Tell me what to do! How can I gain your trust and be a good sister to you, Evelyn? I swear I will do anything—"

"Would you really do anything?" Evelyn cut her off, her tone icy. Her piercing gaze bore into Annabelle's, crumbling her earlier bravado and forcing her to look away.

"Answer me, Annabelle!" Evelyn demanded, taking a step forward. Her intimidating presence overwhelmed Annabelle for a brief second, and she retreated a step back.

"Yes!" To Evelyn's surprise, Annabelle nodded with a smile, one that didn't quite reach her eyes. Casting a quick glance downstairs, she released Evelyn's hand and stumbled backward. Her heel slipped off the stairs' edge, and she flailed her arms for balance before tumbling down, her scream piercing the hall.

"Anna!" Their mother, Sophia Wright, shrieked, silencing the chatter and music. Gasps and murmurs filled the room as Annabelle rolled down the stairs, landing with a sickening thud at the bottom, blood trickling from a gash on her forehead.

Evelyn froze, her heart pounding in her chest. Fear and confusion clouded her mind as guests rushed to the scene. Vincent, her fiancé, was the first to scoop Annabelle into his arms, his eyes glowering at Evelyn before focusing on Annabelle's pale face.

"You evil wench! How could you push her?!" Felicia Blake, her future mother-in-law, accused, her voice filled with disdain. Turning to Sophia, she continued, "I warned you, Mrs. Wright. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Look, she turned out to be worse than her mother!"

"This isn't Evelyn's fault," Annabelle murmured, her voice barely audible. Tears streamed down her cheeks, drawing pity from the crowd. Clinging closer to Vincent's chest, she added, "Please, don't blame my sister. I should have been more careful around her."

Evelyn scoffed aloud, shaking her head. More careful? This woman was a pro at playing the victim card!

"Why do you hate her so much?" Her father, William Wright, demanded, his voice filled with contempt. "Is this how you repay us for still treating you as our daughter?"

Evelyn's throat tightened, but she had long abandoned the need to defend herself. Who would believe her anyway? Yet, it puzzled her how everyone overlooked the fact that Annabelle, despite her dramatic fall down the grand staircase, had suffered only a minor injury. If someone were truly pushed from such a height, they would likely have broken some bones or worse, unless they were an experienced stunt artist.

But of course, who would care about logic when there was juicy gossip?

"I've tolerated enough, Evelyn!" Vincent finally spoke up, his stern voice cutting through the murmurs. He looked up at Evelyn, his gaze filled with disgust. "I'm calling off our engagement."

A pang of pain gripped Evelyn, but she forced out a bitter laugh. Fools! They were all so blinded by Annabelle's innocence. Glancing down at Vincent, her once-charming fiancé, she replied with a smile, "Thank you, darling. I've been dying to hear this."

Her calm demeanor not only surprised Vincent, who was expecting her to cry and protest, but it also stunned everyone in the room, including Sophia.

"What a psycho! The revelations must have really driven her mad," someone commented as Evelyn turned around and walked upstairs, not even sparing a glance at her 'injured' sister.

As Evelyn vanished into the corridor, Annabelle let out a quiet sigh of relief. She glanced at Sophia and, at her nod, collapsed into Vincent's arms, feigning unconsciousness.

"Anna!" Vincent's frantic voice echoed through the hall, snapping everyone's attention back to Annabelle. He patted her cheeks tenderly, his eyes wide with panic.

"We need to get her to a hospital!" William exclaimed urgently, his normally stoic demeanor replaced by concern. Vincent nodded and scooping Annabelle into his arms, he swiftly made his way out.

Sophia, her eyes brimming with tears, turned to address the shocked crowd. "I apologize for Evelyn's actions," she said, her voice trembling. "Please, continue enjoying the evening."

Guests exchanged sympathetic glances as Sophia bowed, before hurrying outside the hall. She was the kindest stepmother they had ever met, enduring Evelyn's tantrums for over two decades and treating her like a princess. But her efforts only got blindsided by the revelation that Evelyn wasn't even her husband's biological daughter.

As if the gossip wasn't enough, a flood of phone notifications echoed in the room, adding more intrigue to the drama. Gasps and murmurs filled the room once again as everyone read the latest articles flooding the internet:

[Breaking News: The fake daughter of the Wright family is yet again caught in another scandal. She was spotted entering a hotel room with her fiancé's uncle.]