Unmasking Falsehoods

My grandpa, Dylan Campbell, was a successor of intangible cultural heritage.

Today, I was supposed to attend an intangible cultural heritage ceremony as his rightful successor. But when I arrived, I was surprised to find Dad's adopted daughter, Madison Lloyd, was already standing on stage.

Draped in a designer dress and holding a trophy, she was giving a teary-eyed acceptance speech.

The old me might have quietly walked away without stirring up trouble.

But now?

I smirked coldly. Before anyone could process what was happening, I marched up the stage, snatched the trophy out of her hands, and slapped her so hard she stumbled two steps back.

The entire room froze.

Madison was the first to recover. Clutching her cheek, she shrieked, "Phoebe Campbell! What the heck are you doing?

"You laze around at home like it's your full-time job, and now you've got the nerve to embarrass yourself at a public event? Do you even care about the Lloyd family's reputation?"

She was shouting accusations at me, but her hands weren't idle either. She lunged forward, desperate to grab the trophy back.

I dodged her easily. She lost her balance and face-planted onto the stage.

Watching her flop around like that, I couldn't help but chuckle as I taunted her, "You're here parading around with my trophy, and I'm the embarrassment? Madison, be honest with yourself. Do you really deserve this award?"

For a brief moment, guilt flickered across her face, but she quickly lifted her chin and replaced it with a pitiful look.

"Phoebe, I know you've always been jealous that Grandpa chose me to be his successor. But you also know that traditional pottery is a family craft we've kept secret for generations.

"You're just an adopted daughter. Of course Grandpa didn't choose you. I never expected you to hold such a grudge and cause a scene at such an important ceremony!"

Her words sounded so convincing that the audience, who had been quietly watching, began to murmur their disapproval.

"So she's just an adopted daughter? Who does she think she is? How could they ever pass down such a valuable craft to someone like her?"

"Right, the Lloyd family raised her, and now she's acting entitled? Trying to steal Ms. Lloyd's spot? That's unbelievable!"

"You ingrate, return the trophy to Ms. Lloyd right now! How much longer do you plan to stay on stage?"

The crowd's discontent grew louder. Madison took full advantage, pretending to be concerned for me. "Phoebe, please stop. Don't make a scene. Once we get home, I'll ask Grandpa to let you learn traditional pottery with me.

"But this award ceremony is crucial. If you keep this up, Grandpa might actually have a heart attack from the stress."

Her pathetic act only fueled the crowd's anger. The entire venue—along with millions of viewers watching the live stream—began shouting for me to leave.

But I didn't hear any of it. My anger was consuming me.

Because in my past life, Grandpa did die from stress.

Not because of me, but because of Madison and my dad, Tyler Lloyd. They pushed him to his death.

I couldn't hold back anymore. Without thinking, I slapped Madison twice. The sharp sound of my hand connecting with her face rang through the microphone, echoing across the hall.

The entire audience froze in shock. Even the live chat went silent for a moment.

Madison screamed in pain as she fell to the floor again.

I rubbed my sore wrist and looked down at her coldly. "Who do you think you are, calling him Grandpa? I'm his true successor. I don't need an imposter like you to help me plead with him.

"You've been impersonating me for so long that you actually believe your own lies? You're nothing but a heartless, opportunistic illegitimate daughter, trying to take what isn't yours. What gives you the right to shout at me like this?"