Introduction

I'm Ava Sterling, and my stepfather Richard had commandeered the Sterling ballroom for my stepsister Chloe' s lavish birthday.

She was just a scholarship student, but he doted on her, while I watched her expertly play the sweet, overwhelmed girl.

Mid-party, Richard tapped his champagne flute, and the mood shifted. My stepbrother Ethan put a proprietary arm around Chloe, and Richard announced she'd been viciously cyberbullied.

Then, Ethan turned and glared, fixing his gaze directly on me. Richard, in a disappointed tone, demanded I apologize to Chloe publicly, "Now."

The crowd murmured, their judgment palpable, instantly believing the underdog narrative.

Later, as I tried to slip away, Ethan cornered me, still seething. He grabbed my phone, then my arm, his grip tightening. In the struggle, he shoved me with brutal force.

I stumbled, then crashed, landing in the dessert table amidst shattered pastries, cake, and frosting, a sharp pain shooting through my wrist. Laughter erupted.

Lying there, humiliated and sticky with cake, a cut on my arm bleeding, I watched Chloe feign horror and Ethan look down with cold satisfaction.

How could my own family do this? How could they orchestrate such a public disgrace for a lie? The betrayal was absolute, the injustice a burning inferno.

Desperate, I was escorted out, but I knew what I had to do. With unwavering resolve, I called my mother, Victoria Sterling, across oceans.

Her voice, usually calm, turned to chilled steel, promising a "clean house" upon her return. My era of quiet endurance was over.