"What? Why would you need the footage?!" Daisy demanded, her voice sharp. A stark contrast to Aysel, who stood there with a relaxed smile on her lips.
"Why are you overreacting, little sister? I'm not asking for your head, am I?" Aysel raised an eyebrow in question, observing Daisy's flushed face.
Daisy's nostrils flared with anger, but she quickly noticed her parents' questioning gazes. She tried to control her emotions, but couldn't help wondering—why was this bitch acting like this?
Since when was she capable of retorting so eloquently?!
The old Aysel would have buckled under pressure, admitting to things she didn't even do, and then run off, hiding her tears. But this one… Daisy narrowed her eyes, struggling to find an explanation for Aysel's sudden transformation.
"Why do you want to check the footage? Did something happen while we were away?" Master Swift — Vaughn, asked. Despite being middle-aged, he looked younger than his age, a testament to how well he took care of himself.
Like everyone in the family, his pride lay in Daisy and her older brother, Aaron. They were the ones he boasted about at parties. Aysel, on the other hand, brought him nothing but embarrassment. So of course, he would side with Daisy.
Aysel knew this well and wasted no time getting to the point. "I'm not the one who pushed my younger sister down the stairs just to marry Mr. Grant. I won't take the blame for that. So, naturally, we need to see the footage to clear my name."
Daisy's face went pale. She hadn't deleted the footage, never imagining that Aysel would have the guts to stand up for herself. Panic crept in at the thought of her secret being exposed.
"What? Are you accusing your sister of lying? Do you really think she pushed herself down the stairs to avoid marrying Mr. Grant when she had a concert to perform?" Vaughn shook his head, his expression clouded with disappointment. "I can't believe you would do this to your sister when she's done nothing to wrong you!"
Aysel bit back her frustration, feeling a familiar pang of pity for the original Aysel. Vaughn wasn't stupid—he had to notice Daisy squirming. But, as always, he chose to protect her.
For the sake of those ten points, Aysel wouldn't be intimidated by him.
She looked her father straight in the eyes, her expression firm. "Father, I understand you'll side with Younger sis on this, but I won't be wronged. This is simple. If we check the footage and I'm guilty, I'll do whatever you want. I'll even publicly apologize to the whole world for being an evil sister, jealous of her younger sister's success. But if..."
She turned and smiled sweetly at Daisy. "If it turns out she's the liar, she'll do the same. How does that sound?"
The Swift couple exchanged glances, seriously considering Aysel's proposal. Daisy, meanwhile, felt the panic rising again. She jumped in before her parents could respond. "Why should I apologize to the whole world?"
Aysel's smile didn't falter. "What? Are you admitting you pushed yourself down the stairs?"
Daisy took a deep breath, her eyes flickering with uncertainty as she avoided Aysel's gaze. "As Father said, I wouldn't push myself down the stairs. For what? And think about it—I have a reputation to maintain, fans to charm. Any stain on my name could haunt me forever. But you, Aysel…"
Daisy's lips curled into a mocking smile, finding her confidence back. "You have no fans, and your infamousness is on the same level as Dracula's. Something like this wouldn't harm your already negative reputation. You're a regular offender, after all."
Aysel didn't flinch and retorted calmly. "True, I'm infamous. I don't have fans to shield me from rumors. But you are different, dear little sis. You have plenty of fans who will rush to defend you no matter what. Think about it—if there's any negative news about you, it will become popular, meaning, you will become even more well known. And if you reveal to your fans that you were lying, that I wasn't the one that hurt you and I've been wronged all this while, your fans wouldn't believe you and will claim you're standing up for your sister. Their fighting spirit will be ignited, and they will come to deal with me. At the same time, they will love you even more."
Daisy fell silent, exchanging meaningful glances with her parents.
After a while, Vaughn gave her a nod, then turned to Aysel, raising his chin slightly. "Finally, you're getting smart. That's how a Swift family's child should be, very good. Anyway, your sister is the one keeping this family afloat, so the more successful she is, the better for all of us. Remember that."
Aysel's smile widened, masking the scheme brewing in her head. "I'm glad I could help my little sister for once. After all, it's the job of the big sister to take the blame for the younger one—even if they're only older by a few seconds. I understand completely, Father."
The trio nodded, though they couldn't help but find Aysel's earlier words sarcastic. Still, they didn't dwell on it or care at all. After all, Aysel had always been the dumb one, right? What kind of scheme could she possibly have in her mind?
"Well, I guess we're done here," Jolie said, stifling a yawn. She was already getting sleepy as she wasn't a late sleeper like the others.
"No, Mom," Aysel suddenly cut in sharply, stopping her from leaving.
"What? What else?" Jolie asked, annoyed.
"There's still one more thing." Aysel turned to Daisy, her expression shifting from calm to firm. "Do you admit that you fell down the stairs yourself, Daisy?"
Daisy was a bit taken aback by the sternness in Aysel's voice, and she felt both intimidated and humiliated. This bitch already knew she was guilty. Why insist on hearing it out loud?
"Don't make this harder for your sister, Aysel," Jolie intervened, frowning with displeasure.
"But I need her to admit it!" Aysel suddenly shouted, surprising everyone.
Daisy's anger flared as she finally broke. "YES, I DID! SO WHAT?!"
Aysel took a deep breath, her composure returning. She smiled faintly, turned to her parents, and calmly bid them goodnight before walking away to her room, a satisfied smile on her lips.
The system chimed in her head as she closed the door.
[Congratulations on successfully completing your first mission within minutes! The system is proud of you. You've earned ten points. Keep up the hard work, Host, and you will survive till tomorrow.]