Chapter 4

Dad remembered that Alice wouldn't touch cilantro and that she loved half-baked cheesecake. Yet, somehow, he never remembered that I was allergic to chocolate.

The moment he stepped off the helicopter, a swarm of reporters and streamers surrounded him. The camera flashes that exploded stabbed at my eyes until they hurt.

"Mr. Locke, what was your original intention in designing this segment?"

"Mr. Locke, any comments on the people online saying this kind of 'death education' is way too extreme?"

Dad straightened his suit. There was a perfectly practiced smile on his face. "Today's young people just can't handle pressure. I did this so Emma would understand that a person's potential only explodes when you're pushed to the edge.

"Look at her—she ended up doing great, didn't she? She overcame her fear to protect her family. That's what growth looks like."

Thunderous applause broke out around him. Meanwhile, the livestream comments went wild.

[Mr. Locke is absolutely right! Sheltered girls like her need to be toughened up like this!]

[I'm actually crying. That final look in Emma's eyes was so determined. She's a true daughter of the Locke family!]

[This is what a father's love is like. Mr. Locke went all in just to teach his daughter a valuable lesson.]

I floated in front of the screen, reading the comments like they were some kind of sick joke.

A father's love? If that was what it was, then it had been heavy enough to crush and kill.

After working the crowd for a while, Dad finally took his seat at the head of the table. He cut off a piece of rare steak and slowly chewed it. Red juice ran down the corner of his mouth, exactly like the blood that splashed when my head hit the rocks.

"Why isn't Emma back yet?" He checked his watch and frowned. "It's been half an hour. Even if she walked back up, she should be here by now."

The director was next to him, gnawing on a drumstick as he mumbled, "She's probably still down there throwing a tantrum. Girls her age… She was bound to feel embarrassed after realizing she's been tricked. Throwing a little fit is normal."

Alice chimed in, "He's right. Emma has always been proud too. She's probably hiding in some corner right now, crying her eyes out and waiting for you to comfort her."

Dad gave a cold snort and slammed his cutlery down on the table. "Comfort her? The more she's babied, the more spoiled she gets! She's been coddled rotten and has no sense of the bigger picture at all. This is a celebration banquet, and so many of her elders are watching. How dare she give me attitude?"

He pulled out his phone and dialed my number. His screen was still mirrored on the giant display, so everyone in the hall held their breath, waiting to witness this touching father-daughter reunion.

The phone rang a few times.

"Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently unavailable…" The mechanical female voice echoed through the banquet hall.

Dad's expression darkened. "Fantastic. She even dared to turn her phone off."

He stood up and yelled at the director, "Send people down to find her! Tell her that if she's not standing in front of me in ten minutes, I'm cutting off her allowance next month. She can go get a job and pay her own tuition!"

I drifted in front of him, watching him lose his temper.

I wanted to tell him that he could stop threatening me. The dead didn't need an allowance, after all.

…

The director didn't dare drag his feet. He immediately grabbed his walkie-talkie and contacted the search and rescue team near the bottom of the cliff where I'd jumped.

"John, John? Quit messing around and get Ms. Locke back up here! Mr. Locke is pissed!"

All he got in response was a burst of static.

After a long moment, a broken, choppy voice finally came through. "Mr. Smith, we've searched all around down here… Ms. Locke is nowhere to be found."

"What do you mean, she's nowhere to be found?" The director panicked. "Weren't there three safety air cushions down there? What, did she suddenly sprout wings and fly away?"