Chapter 1

My brother-in-law, Bernard Gilbert, was caught cheating with the actress Freya Fox. My sister walked in on them.

Humiliated and furious, he tampered with the safety harness she used for stunts, and she fell six meters from the steel rigging.

Then he strolled into her hospital room with Freya on his arm.

"You never thought Freya could act. You just had to fight her for that role."

"Serves you right, ending up like this. That part was always meant for Freya."

My sister had just come out of surgery, tubes running all over her body. She couldn't speak.

All she could do was lift a trembling hand and press her fingerprint onto the role-release agreement.

After that, Bernard poured tens of millions into that film, forced Freya into the spotlight, and it exploded.

Everyone online praised the two of them for recognizing each other's talent.

And that same night, the doctor told me my sister's spine was damaged. Permanent paralysis.

I threw myself over her hospital bed and couldn't stop sobbing.

Bernard just rolled his eyes.

"You're a cripple now. Can't shoot anything. Per the contract, you pay three million in penalties and get lost."

"And the divorce papers. I'll have someone bring them over in a couple of days."

I lost it and rushed at him to shove him off, but he threw me aside with one arm. My forehead cracked against the bed rail and my vision went white.

There was no light left in my sister's eyes. I understood. She couldn't go on living.

But what Bernard didn't know was that I had studied a kind of dark magic, one that could send a person who dies full of hatred onto the path of the vengeful spirit.

I would make sure he never died a peaceful death.

...

I went to fetch water for my sister, and I heard Bernard's two assistants whispering in the hall.

"Did you hear? Sophie Coleman's harness, she loosened it herself because she thought it was strapped too tight."

"What was she even thinking? How can anyone be that careless on set?"

"Who'd have thought being unprofessional would land her like this. She brought it on herself."

I stood outside the door and bit down on my lip until I stopped myself from charging in.

Bernard was the one who tampered with it, and I couldn't produce a shred of proof.

I choked back my tears and pushed open the door, and I heard my sister whimpering.

Her spine was injured. She couldn't even turn over.

I went to help her, and the moment my hand reached out I felt warmth.

The sheet was wet.

I froze for a second, then pulled back the blanket.

A large patch of the bedding was soaked through. She couldn't control it. She'd lost her bladder.

I crouched by the bed, biting my lips to keep silent, tears dropping over and over onto the back of my hand.

Then the door opened.

Bernard walked in, Freya's arm looped through his.

The second she stepped inside she lifted a hand to cover her nose, her face twisting. "What is that awful smell?"

Bernard swept a glance over my sister, disgust plain on his face.

"Look at the state of you. Just seeing you makes me sick."

"Sign the divorce papers already, so I don't have to keep coming to this hospital every day."

I shot to my feet and lunged at him, and from somewhere my sister found the strength to grab my wrist.

Her lips were bloodless, her voice so hoarse I could barely hear it.

"My accident was a safety failure on the production's part. The company owes me compensation, not the other way around."

Bernard stared for a second, then burst out laughing.

He clutched his stomach in an exaggerated way. "Listen to what everyone out there is saying about you. Unprofessional, and you brought it on yourself!"

"And you still want to squeeze the company for money? You've got the nerve?"

The company's interests were always on his lips.

But how Starglow Media got established in this industry, Bernard knew perfectly well.

In the two years my sister was at her biggest, he didn't even hold a real position. He trailed after her all day, carrying her bags and handing her water.

Outsiders all called him "Sophie's assistant."

She was the one who pulled him into this world, and even the money to register the company came out of her paychecks.

Later, when Freya got signed to the company, Bernard changed completely.

The brand endorsements my sister worked so hard to land, Bernard handed to Freya with a single word.

Even the night scenes my sister shot running a fever, the final cut was all Freya's best moments.

No one remembered whose those opportunities had been to begin with. All anyone knew was that the one who came out shining was always Freya.