That day, the internet's most infamous truth-exposing livestreamer, Vanessa Rook, announced that she would publicly release a memory extraction video—mine.

The internet exploded.

Vanessa began a live call with my parents—Oscar Kingsley, Sophia Thorn, and Hugo Kingsley.

Each of them mocked me with a few sharp words before abruptly ending the call.

Meanwhile, the comment section was going wild.

“Wow, even Leona’s own family hates her. She must be absolutely vile.”

“I’m really curious—what did Leona do that was so unforgivable?”

“Isn’t it obvious? She bullied Selene Slater relentlessly.”

“Do any of you even have proof of that?”

A heated argument broke out in the chat.

Vanessa smiled, her expression unreadable.

“I’m curious too,” she said lightly, her lips curving. “What exactly did Leona do?”

Then she continued with her calls.

Without exception, anyone she contacted avoided talking about me as though my name were toxic.

Vanessa seemed a little disappointed.

Until the screen lit up with a familiar, strikingly handsome face—Kenneth Pruitt.

For the first time that day, Vanessa’s smile turned genuinely bright.

“Mr. Pruitt, I can’t believe you actually agreed to join us!”

On screen, Kenneth’s face was expressionless. One hand tapped the table rhythmically, over and over.

Had I seen him then, I would’ve known instantly—he was agitated.

Sure enough, his voice was sharp the moment he spoke.

“Bring Leona out. Enough of this attention-seeking bullshit.”

“Mr. Pruitt, are you saying you don’t believe Leona is dead?”

“Of course I don’t. Evil like that doesn’t die easy. A woman like her wouldn’t give up that easily.”

His eyes were filled with scorn and contempt.

The comment section flooded with accusations and blame.

Vanessa leaned in, voice soft with curiosity.

“You two used to be so in love. You almost got married. What happened?”

Kenneth clenched his jaw.

“Leona deliberately pushed me into the water just so she could 'save' me afterward and manipulate me with gratitude. That’s how she got close.”

Vanessa simply nodded, saying nothing more.

But the comment section flared back to life.

“So that’s what really happened? All this time we thought Leona was the hero who saved the Pruitt heir.”

“She’s disgusting. She was only twelve and already that manipulative? Damn.”

“Good thing Mr. Pruitt figured it out. Otherwise she would’ve emotionally blackmailed him forever.”

Vanessa still wore that faint smile.

Then, amidst the public outcry, she turned and tapped the screen behind her.

The memory extraction footage from when I was twelve began to play.

It started with the sound of a massive splash.

The camera shook violently.

Leona was running—frantic.

She reached the poolside, clearly panicked.

Then, the image of Kenneth flailing, struggling to stay afloat.

I didn’t hesitate. I dove straight in and dragged him to shore.

But a twelve-year-old girl has little strength. By the time I reached the edge, I was exhausted.

I barely managed to push Kenneth up onto dry land before collapsing back into the water myself.

Luckily, a passing housekeeper saw what happened and pulled me out.

The video ended just after I was rescued.

The comment section fell eerily silent.

Then the question marks began pouring in.

“???”

“Wait, is this real? The memory extraction doesn’t lie… It wasn’t Leona who pushed Mr. Pruitt at all?”

Kenneth’s eyes widened in disbelief.

So this… was the truth?

But his expression didn’t soften. The hatred in his eyes never faded.

“Even if Leona did save me, I’ll never thank her.”

“For years, she’s used that ‘life-saving debt’ to do whatever the hell she wanted. She’s hurt Selene multiple times, and she even—almost sold her to traffickers.”

The moment those words left his mouth, the chat exploded.

Even Vanessa looked genuinely surprised.

But she said nothing.

She had always lived by one rule:

Never judge what you don’t fully understand.

Vanessa clicked on the second memory fragment.

The screen trembled violently, accompanied by the sound of my desperate, gut-wrenching screams.

“Let her go! Help! Somebody help!”

Rounding a corner, the camera captured a group of vicious-looking men trying to shove a little girl into a van. The child was sobbing so hard she could barely breathe.

As she struggled, her tear-streaked face came into view.

It was unmistakably a young Selene Slater.

The scene rushed forward. Just before the van door slammed shut, I wedged my leg in the gap.

“You’re not taking my little sister!”

My voice—clear and youthful—trembled with fear.

The men snarled, trying to drag me into the van as well. But I fought back with everything I had, slashing at them with a knife. Blood was drawn. They couldn’t get near me, and the van couldn’t drive off.

“You fucking bitch! Mind your own business!” one of them spat. “The Slaters owe us money. We’re selling his daughter to get it back. Debts of the father—paid by the daughter!”

“What her father did has nothing to do with her!” I shouted, my voice thick with tears. “She’s just a child. She’s innocent!”

Terror surged through me, but I didn’t back down.

Eventually, though, I lost.

The furious men pinned me to the ground, kicking me over and over.

Inside the van, Selene curled into herself, trembling.

The commotion finally drew a crowd. Then—sirens.

As the wail of the police approached, the men slammed my head into the pavement and fled.

Selene burst into sobs, while I—bruised and broken—still tried to comfort her.

“Don’t… don’t be scared. The police… they’re here now. They’ll… they’ll protect us…”

The video ended.

Kenneth, who had been rhythmically tapping the table, froze. His hand stopped midair, and he sat still as stone.

The comment stream exploded.

“Holy shit, it was all a misunderstanding again?”

“That poor kid… I’m crying. Little Leona was so brave.”

“It’s tragic. The dragon slayer became the dragon. Leona was a hero as a child, but she grew up cruel and venomous.”

Vanessa finally seemed to breathe again. Her eyes glistened, and she murmured to herself,

“I wasn’t wrong about her. Leona used to be my idol.”

“Justice means this—if she did wrong, she has to pay. But if she didn’t, then she shouldn’t bear the blame.”

Kenneth broke his long silence with a mocking snort.

“That doesn’t excuse what she did later.”

“What if it was all a misunderstanding?” Vanessa asked softly.

Kenneth’s eyes flickered.

Then he spoke firmly. “No. What happened after… I saw it all with my own eyes.”

The comment section split into two camps.

Some believed I had truly gone bad.

Others said a girl willing to risk her life to save someone couldn’t be all evil.

Kenneth’s voice was cold.

“She spread rumors online over and over again. She drove Selene into depression. She nearly destroyed her.”

“Is that true?” Vanessa challenged. “Was it really all slander? I don’t buy it.”

Kenneth slammed his hand on the table.

“Selene and I were innocent. We never did anything. But the second Leona saw us talking—just talking—she’d lose her damn mind!”

Vanessa laughed softly, shaking her head.

“Innocent? Are you really so sure?”

Then, she tapped on the next file.

The screen lit up.

Through the crack of a barely open door, Selene was seen playfully covering Kenneth’s eyes from behind, giggling sweetly.

“Kenneth, guess who?” she whispered, her voice sugary and coy.

Kenneth's lips curled slightly, playing along with a chuckle.

"I’m guessing it’s the kindest and most beautiful little princess—Selene, of course."

“Hmph, caught again!”

Selene turned her back, feigning annoyance.

Kenneth, ever patient and indulgent, gently comforted her as though coaxing a fragile treasure.

“Don’t be mad, alright? I promise I won’t expose you next time.”

At that, Selene finally broke into a smile through her pretend pout.

The two of them began teasing and playing around in the study.

In the middle of their laughter, Selene stumbled accidentally—and fell right into Kenneth’s arms.

He caught her tightly.

Their breaths mingled. Neither of them made a move to let go.

I stood behind the door, breath quickening.

Then I bolted—fleeing in panic.

Kenneth sprang to his feet, his expression darkening with embarrassment.

Selene was my cousin.

Being caught in such an intimate moment with his fiancée’s cousin, under the public eye no less, left him both humiliated and furious.

But he couldn’t deny it.

Because the truth was, after enduring disappointment from me day after day, he had gradually grown infatuated with Selene—who, inconveniently, looked a lot like me. And the more he saw her, the more he favored her.

Once the heart begins to wander, it rarely returns.

Vanessa turned her head toward him.

“Well, so much for being ‘pure and innocent.’”

The livestream comments exploded, the words “pure” and “innocent” flooding the screen.

Kenneth’s face turned even uglier.

More people started flooding into the stream.

But this time, the tide wasn’t all against me.

Doubt had started to creep in.

“So many misunderstandings? How many of those accusations against Leona were actually real?”

“I always thought Selene was truly sweet and innocent… but she’s getting cozy with her cousin’s fiancé?”

“Selene used to hint that Leona was obsessed with competing against other women, but now? It kind of makes sense why Leona lost her mind.”

#Selene #Leona #Kenneth

#DidLeonaGetBackstabbed?

#InnocentKenneth #PoorPureSelene

The stream continued, but trending topics started climbing one after another on the charts.

Kenneth’s expression turned cold.

“Vanessa, that’s enough. Let’s end the stream here.”

He had a feeling that if things went on like this, something terrible was bound to happen.

Vanessa, however, showed no fear.

“I’m not afraid. But are you, Mr. Pruitt? Are you scared of the truth?”

Kenneth had been ready to walk away, but now he was stuck.

If he left, wouldn’t that only confirm he was guilty?

So he stayed.

Just then, more people requested to join the live chat.

Vanessa accepted.

To the public’s surprise, the faces that popped up were my parents—Oscar Kingsley, Sophia Thorn—and my brother, Hugo Kingsley.

The three of them looked clearly distressed.

My mother Sophia was the first to speak, and her words were nothing short of scolding.

“Leona, you truly never learn. Even now, you’re trying to push Selene to the edge!”

“Everyone, don’t be misled—Leona is the real homewrecker here.”

My father Oscar nodded solemnly beside her.

My brother Hugo, on the other hand, looked furious.

“Leona’s mother swapped her with Selene at birth, just so Leona could live a rich life.”

“Selene is actually my biological sister.”

The bombshell dropped. Even Vanessa’s eyes widened in shock.

Hugo pressed on.

“We were afraid Leona couldn’t handle the truth, so we kept it hidden. We never even revealed Selene’s true identity.”

“To make up for everything, we’ve done our best to treat Selene well.”

“But Leona… she’s greedy. The moment we showed any kindness to Selene, she would target her.”

Oscar and Sophia’s eyes were red with emotion.

Tears spilled from Oscar’s eyes as he choked out,

“The engagement with the Pruitt family was originally for my daughter. Selene is Kenneth’s rightful fiancée.”