I still couldn't wrap my head around why they thought I was such a spendthrift.

Sure, my family was loaded, but I never really cared for designer labels or luxury goods. Nothing I ever bought had cost more than a couple of grand.

Compared to the other trust-fund brats in Seaville, I was practically a saint.

Priscilla's expression stiffened. "Why would you ask that? You're so much better now."

"What do you mean 'now'?" I pushed, refusing to let it go. "What about before?"

She furrowed her brow. "Back when Mom and Dad were still around, you had no concept of the value of a dollar. They built everything from the ground up. They started as farmers. Even I had to account for every cent I spent."

She sighed, her eyes searching mine. "But you? You'd pester them for birthday presents that cost thousands. Don't you think that's a bit much?"

I took two steps toward her, getting worked up. "We can easily afford it! Is spending over a grand on a phone really such a crime? What's the point of making money if I can't even have that?"

Her face clouded over. "Listen to yourself. It's just a phone. Any cheaper model would have worked just fine, but you were vain, always trying to keep up with the Joneses. That's why you were always asking for this and that."

She gestured to our cramped surroundings. "You've had nothing for the last five years, and look at you. Haven't you gotten by just fine?"

I stared at her in disbelief. The blood in my veins felt like it had turned to ice.

Fine? In her eyes, had these past five years really been "fine" for me?

I'd spent every day playing a corpse, begging directors for more scenes just to scrape together an extra 50 bucks. Sometimes I was sprawled in the mud; sometimes I was face-down in foul drainage ditches. I'd lie there, motionless, for ten hours at a stretch.

My old archenemy, Matthew Logan, had seen how far I'd fallen and seized every chance to mess with me, but I had no way to fight back.

Just so Priscilla and I could have a decent New Year, I'd even signed up for a clinical trial. I still had no idea what those experimental chemicals were doing to my body.

Did she really think I'd been getting by just fine?

A twisting pain seized my stomach again, and Matthew's words came back to me.

"You're a moron, Perry. You brought all of this on yourself. I'm going to follow you wherever you go. Whatever set you're on, I'll be there. My family has enough money to buy my way onto any production I want. For the next five years, I'm going to make your life a living hell."

A sudden chill shot through me, making my hair stand on end.

Five years. Why did he say exactly five years? Did Matthew know something too?

My gut told me that Priscilla was hiding even more than she was letting on.

I balled my fists, suppressing the urge to confront her right then and there. "Fine. I'll change."

Priscilla set the dishes down and patted my head, looking relieved. "That's more like it. Eat dinner on your own. I have to head to work."

I just nodded.

After dinner, Priscilla left for work.

Once she left, I waited a few minutes before putting on a mask and cap. I slipped out the door, following her at a distance.

As soon as she cleared the run-down neighborhood, she stepped to the curb and made a quick call. Less than five minutes later, a sleek black Maybach pulled up right in front of her.

Once she got in the car, I quickly hailed a cab to tail her.

…

Half an hour later, she walked into an upscale restaurant.

I waited five minutes before slipping inside and finding a table directly behind hers.

Nerves got the better of me. I kept my head down, not daring to look at who was sitting across from her. But the moment I heard the voice from the other side of the table, I froze.

"Priscilla, I've been messing with Perry just like you asked. He's been a real good boy lately, hasn't he?"

It was Matthew!

"Exactly. Only by suffering out there will Perry finally realize that money doesn't grow on trees," Priscilla said, her voice flat, as if she were discussing the most ordinary thing in the world.

"And as a thank you," she continued, "I'll look after your family's business interests. But we can't let Perry find out yet. Once my parents are back from abroad after the New Year, I'll fill them in."

Her words hit me like a punch. My breath hitched, and my heart nearly stopped.

A waitress came by to take my order, but I didn't dare make a sound. I just pointed randomly at the menu, my hand trembling, and gestured for her to leave quickly before Priscilla noticed me.

Matthew's voice was dripping with artificial sweetness. "Priscilla, isn't it exhausting? Telling Perry you're off doing haunted-house sleep tests when you're actually just taking the long way home every night? Why didn't you just go abroad with your parents in the first place?" he asked.

Another wave of shock crashed over me.

So the haunted-house gig Priscilla told me about was a lie too. While I was struggling, she was hiding from me and retreating to the comfort of our home every night.

Had I been the only one suffering through this hell for the last five years?

Priscilla sighed. "Perry is my brother. I couldn't bear to leave him alone in the country. Besides, even though the company moved overseas, we'll be bringing it back eventually."

She added, her voice tinged with a touch of melancholy, "The five-year punishment we set back then has flown by in the blink of an eye. Time really flies."

Did time really fly? I gave a bitter, silent chuckle.

For me, every single day of those five years had been torture.

Playing a corpse wasn't as easy as it sounded. At Matthew's instigation, I was always assigned to the filthiest, most grueling spots. Whether the wind howled or the rain poured, I had to remain perfectly still.

Over time, I'd developed a chronic chill in my bones. Back and leg pain had become part of my daily routine.

And to them, all of this was just a "punishment". How ridiculous!

"Matthew, you've worked hard these past five years too. Take this as a token of my appreciation."

The conversation at the table across from me continued as Priscilla handed Matthew an exquisite gift box.

He opened it and let out a delighted gasp. "Whoa, this watch is incredible!"

My heart plummeted to the depths of despair. That was the exact watch I had asked Mom and Dad to buy me five years ago.

They had refused at the time, telling me it was far too expensive. I hadn't been obsessed with it, so I eventually just let it go.

But looking back now, that watch was likely the catalyst for my five-year sentence.

But why? With a family fortune worth billions, why was I subjected to five years of misery just for wanting a watch?

Why could Matthew, whose family wasn't nearly as well-off as mine, get whatever he wanted with ease?

Was I spoiled? Was I disobedient?

I had been a well-behaved child my whole life, never once defying them. Why did I have to suffer like this?

My emotions finally broke loose, and I couldn't hold back anymore. I slammed my hand onto the table and shot to my feet.

Every head in the restaurant snapped toward me—including Priscilla's. She turned around, the color draining from her face instantly.

"Perry? What are you doing here?" she blurted.

"Did you have fun? Was lying to me for five years just some kind of sick amusement for you?" I shouted, my voice thick with despair.

I ripped off my cap and mask, lunging forward to grab her sleeve. "What did I do that was so extravagant? Why did you have to torture me like this?"

Panic flickered in Priscilla's eyes. She glanced around at the staring patrons, then gripped my arm, her expression stiff and awkward.

"People are watching," she whispered. "Let's take this outside."

"You're the one with something to hide!"

My eyes burned as I wrenched my hand from her grip and screamed at the top of my lungs. "You, Mom, and Dad—you all conspired to lie to me! You lied about us being bankrupt, lied about the debt, lied about those 'haunted-house sleep tests' you were supposedly doing!"

I choked on a sob. "But what's the actual truth? They're traveling the world, and you're going home to a warm bed every night. I was the only one truly suffering this whole damn time!"

I broke down completely, tears finally spilling over. "Priscilla, just tell me why. Please. Why does spending a grand on a phone matter so much when our family is worth billions?"

Priscilla's face darkened. "No wonder you asked me that earlier today. You overheard my call with Mom and Dad."

As she spoke, she reached for my wrist again. This time, she gripped me with bruising force, trying to drag me out of the restaurant.

Suddenly, a waiter hurried over and caught my other arm. "Sir, you haven't paid yet! The total is 5,000 dollars!"

Priscilla froze, her brow furrowing into a deep scowl. "How could you order such an expensive meal? Have you learned nothing about how hard it is to earn a living?"

Every diner in the room had their eyes pinned on me. Priscilla intentionally let the silence hang, letting the judgment of the crowd sink in. Only after my face had paled with embarrassment did she finally pull out her card and pay.

Once we were outside, Matthew piped up from behind us, stoking the fire. "Perry, your parents and sister only did this for your own good. It was to teach you a lesson. Don't be so ungrateful!"

"Stay the hell out of this!" I shouted. Blinded by searing, white-hot rage, I wrenched my arm free from Priscilla and slammed my fist into Matthew's face.

He let out a sharp cry, clutching his cheek.

The next instant, Priscilla's hand whipped across my face.

"Perry, enough!" she snapped. "Do you think we would have resorted to this if you weren't so vain and superficial?"

She loomed over me, her voice turning cold. "You think these five years have been hard on you? Do you have any idea what we've had to go through? And now you have the nerve to throw a punch at Matthew? Clearly, you haven't learned your lesson yet!"

I froze. Listening to her detached voice, I felt the last spark of life inside me finally flicker out.

After a long silence, I looked up at her, a mocking, hollow smile tugging at my lips. "So this isn't enough for you? Would it be enough if I just paid you all back with my life? Would that finally be enough?"

"Even now, you're just talking out of spite!"

Annoyance flashed through Priscilla's eyes. She signaled her driver and shoved me into the back seat.

I let out a hollow laugh. "Are we going home now? Which home, exactly?"

She didn't even spare me a glance. Instead, she pulled out her phone and called our parents.

"You can come back now. Yeah, Perry found out. No, I didn't tell him! He overheard it himself."

A loud thud echoed as Priscilla hurled her phone onto the floorboard in frustration. When she turned to me, her eyes were filled with nothing but raw irritation.

"You actually have the nerve to cry? I've had to suffer right alongside you for five years, and I'm the one getting blamed for it in the end."

She snapped, "What exactly are you crying about? Stop acting like you're some kind of victim!"

I couldn't find the words. I just sat there and let her berate me the whole way until we pulled up to our old estate.

I hadn't set foot in this house for five years. As she shoved me through the doors, all I felt was a sense of crushing unfamiliarity.

The excruciating, twisting pain in my stomach surged again. Unable to hold it back, I doubled over and coughed up a mouthful of black blood.

As I frantically tried to wipe it away, Priscilla caught sight of it. She just let out a cold snort.

"Nice touch with the props. You really think that's going to make me feel guilty? Save the performance for Mom and Dad. Those cheap tricks don't work on me."