The audience was silent.
Only the sound of cameras filled the air.
The video was short.
By the time the technicians rushed to fix it, the
screen was blank.
Delilah trembled.
The tiara fell from her head with a clatter.
Mom and Dad looked shocked.
Carter looked away from the cameras.
I was enjoying every second.
Delilah, it gets worse.
<
11:41
The organizers stopped the broadcast.
They tried to escort Delilah backstage.
But then, the cops showed up.
The lead cop walked up to Delilah.
“Ms. Smith, we believe you’re connected to a
murder. Please come with us.”
His voice was loud and clear.
Everyone heard him.
“What the hell?”
“Isn’t Delilah super rich? How’s she involved in
murder?”
“This is the craziest awards show I’ve ever been
to.”
く
“I wonder what her parents are thinking. If I
were them, I’d find a hole and hide.”
Gossip spread through the room.
Dad’s face was dark. He and Mom got up and
left.
Carter followed.
Delilah was on the verge of a breakdown.
She cried: “I don’t know what’s happening! Please help me!”
“Don’t leave me here alone!”
But no one listened.
They hurried away.
The investigation went smoothly.
<
The bones were my foster dad, Hank.
Delilah had known she wasn’t the real deal.
To shut him up, she gave him money.
Until Mom and Dad found out and brought me
home.
Delilah thought she was done with Hank.
But he started demanding more, saying he’d tell
everyone everything.
Delilah didn’t have that much money.
So, she lured him to the old building and
pushed him off.
Then she buried him.
That day was my birthday dinner.
11:41
Hank had no one to miss him.
No one reported him missing.
Plus, the building was abandoned.
So, it stayed a secret.
464
I knew something was up and checked Delilah’s
dashcam footage.
I understood why she’d almost died on my
birthday.
She was so freaked out.
Dad was furious when he heard.
Mom hissed: “We should have left her where
she was. We would have been fine!”
But then they realized that Delilah’s arrest
wasn’t just embarrassing.
<
The social media mob turned on them.
The bad press caused a chain reaction for their
business.
Mom and Dad released a statement saying I
was the real daughter and Delilah was an
imposter.
But it backfired.
“Delilah’s the real snake.”
“Genesis has been through hell. The family just used her for publicity.”
“The family is trash! Genesis deserves better.”
“I’ll never go to their restaurants or hotels
again!”
