Chapter 1 The Condemned sister
The Chat feed erupted with comments as viewers waited for the live stream to begin
Why is the screen will dark I thought this was supposed to be a memory
livestream.
[These special glasses are meant to show us someone elseâs perspective-imagine how immersive thatâll be: I
[Wouldnât mind a peek into some rich personâs life, if you know what I mean I
A rich, baritone voice filled the silence.
âWelcome to Memory Livestream, where youâll experience every sight, sound, and sensation exactly as our memory owner once didâ
stream-no scripts, no
Stellan Rookwood, the host, continued, his tone carrying absolute conviction, âI stake my life on the authenticity of this live streamâno s editing, no fabricationâ
He paused for dramatic effect.
âAnd todayâs memory contributor is.
.
Elysia
ia Drayton.
The chat feed froze.
Three seconds of absolute vilence stretched into eternity before exploding into chaos.
[A criminalâs memoriest Iâm out of here]
Are they serious? This monster doesnât deserve airtime!
Wait-youâre missing the point.
Sheâs the first test subject for Memory Viewer.
Think about the pain involved.
This is her punishment.
]
[Exactly! After what she did to her sister, life in prison was too good for her.
Let her suffer as a lab rat)
Meanwhile, in the penthouse studio above the city, three men sat bound to chairs-each a striking figure in his own right, capable of sending fans indo a frenzy with a single glance.
âStellan, whatâs your
ar game?â Carllan Drayton, red-haired, exploded as he realized heâd been kidnapped.
âWe wonât let this sliderâ
Disgust flashed in his eyes at the mere mention of Elysia, Stellan had invented some contraption called the Memory Viewer and was now forcing them to watch her crimes.
A cold laugh escaped Caellanâs throat as he continued.
âHow many nights did she spend in your bed to earn this kind of devotion? Breaking off the engagement with my sister, getting Elysia out of prison, now kidnapping us whatâs your endgamet Speak up!â
He thrashed against his restraints, the specialized VR R glasses wobbling precariously on his head.
The other two men remained silent as their half-brother shouted abuse at Stellar.
In the past, both Torin and Fenwick Drayton, the eldest and second sons of the family, might have stopped Caellan for the sake of the business alliance between the two families.
Today, their eyes held the same revulsion-all directed at their shared sister.
Elysia
Stellanâs brow furrowed at Callanâs crude implications.
His finger tapped the microphone once before he responded, voice level.
âYouâre here to watch the live, nothing more.
Ell release you after dark.
Whether you continue watching afterward is your choiceâ
M
With that final warning, he initiated the stream
(OMG! The stream is on.
Look, that mansion is huge.
[Ugh, how does that witch get to live in such a sweet paid!]
The viewersâ cynicism faded momentarily as the darkness gave way to a gentle, swaying motion-a childâs perspective from a swing set.
âTime to wrap up.
Letâs wash hands and get you ready for dinner, a boyish voice said.
âOkay!â came
came the cheerful reply.
seven or eight years old
The view shifted, revealing a cherubie face, perhaps seven or eight
âHut you donât have to carry me,â Elysia said, her voice filled with concer.
âI donât want to tire you out.
â
âYou weigh nothingâ her brother assured her, st
scoping her up with practiced rase.
The cut exploded again
[That boy has to be Torint]
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Chapter 1
[Those gorgeous looks? Gotta be Fenwickâmy manâs literally a famous actor! No way thatâs either of his brothers.
]
[Trust me, I work at Drayton Group.
Thatâs definitely our boss, if you can believe it.
Who knew Mr.
Stern-and-Serious used to be such a softie?]
A younger boy bounded into view, barely six years old.
âElysia, sit with me.
I learned so many cool things at school today.
âSheâs sitting with me, the older noy countered.
âI can feed her properlyâ
âNo, not Elysia protested.
âYou guys need to eat well to grow strong, Lean take care of myself now?
The scene widened to include their parents, every face glowing with contentment.
[Hard to believe this monster had such a perfect childhood.
I thought trauma might explain her actions)
[She was born evil.
Sign my petiti
i my petition for life imprisonment! Stop her from hunting my idol.
)
But doesnât she seem really thoughtful here?]
In the studio, all eyes turned to Torin and Fenwick.
Fenwick snorted.
I was blind back then.
Donât look at me.
After a long pause, Torin spoke, his voice distant.
âI once thought Elysia Chapter 1
The chat feed erwas kind, innocent, lovable.
A flicker of tenderness crossed his face, gone so quickly it might have been imagined.
His expression hardened, lips twisting into a biner smile.
He continued, âThen we were kidnapped, trapped in a truck.
I managed to force the door open and got hurt in the process.
She pushed me aside and ran-saved herself without a second thoughtâ
The studio fell into a heavy silence, broken only by the soft hum of broadcasting equipment.