The Last Smile
Two men in black suits gripped my arms, their strength enough to crush bones.
They were sent by my father, Zion Lincoln, claiming they were bringing me back to the Lincolns for a welcome banquet.
I watched the streets blur past the car window, that same cold chill I felt when abandoned at the orphanage gate ten years ago crawling back down my spine.
The gates of the Lincoln mansion stood wide open, the crystal chandeliers glaring so brightly they stung my eyes.
The living room held a long dining table, set with silverware so polished it mirrored the reflections of those nearby.
Just as I was about to walk over to the empty seat, a white poodle blocked my path.
It clutched a bone, sprawled across the chair, its tail wagging with a smug pride.
"Well, well, who's back? Oh, it's my sister Jasmine."
Scarlett Lincoln descended the stairs, dressed in a pink dress, leash in hand.
She bent down to stroke the poodle's head, her voice laced with mockery.
"Kiki's quite fond of this spot. I think you won't mind standing for a while, will you?"
I didn't say a word, just fixed my gaze on her.
The venom in her eyes was exactly the same as it had been ten years ago.
Once the banquet started, Scarlett approached me, glass of wine in hand.
"Since you are just back; let's spice things up with a game."
She swirled the wine in her glass, the liquid tracing lazy arcs along the rim.
"Let's play Truth or Dare. I ask, you answer. If you can't, you drink this glass."
Before I could say a word, she cut me off with her first question.
"Why were you standing outside the orphanage when you were six?"
I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms.
I've waited ten years to hear that question.
Scarlett didn't even wait for my answer—she just started laughing to herself.
"Oh, it's me! I tricked you into coming out."
"And I told you there were rabbits in the backyard, so you followed me running—and before you knew it, we were near the orphanage."
"I watched you cry, searching for Mom. It made me so damn happy."
Her words stabbed into my heart like needles.
Everyone around kept their heads down—no one dared to speak.
My father, Zion Lincoln, held his wine glass, pretending not to hear a thing.
And my mother, Sherry Fox, clutched a handkerchief, dabbing away tears that didn't exist.
Scarlett lifted another glass of wine and slid it across to me.
"Second question: why did your grades suddenly plummet in high school, and why were you always getting cornered in alleys?"
I raised my head, locking eyes with her.
Those pitch-black days of high school—I'll never forget them for as long as I live.
Every day after class, I was ambushed in alleys, beaten up, my textbooks shredded, my homework tossed into the trash.
I thought it was just bad luck, until today—when the truth finally came to light.
"I hired them."
Scarlett smiled even more smugly.
"Because you always ace every exam, get all the praise from the teachers, and have mom and dad constantly talking about you."
"I just want to make your life miserable, to make sure you never catch up to me."
I felt blood rush straight to my head.
But I held back—I knew the time wasn't right yet.
Scarlett poured herself another glass of wine; this time, her eyes gleamed with venom.
"Third question: last year on the Christmas Eve, who arranged the car accident that hit your adoptive parents?"
That sentence struck me like a thunderclap, making my head buzz.
My adoptive parents are the closest people I have in this world.
They took me from the orphanage, bought me new clothes, and cooked my favorite dishes.
They said I was their own child.
But last Christmas Eve, they drove me out for a trip and were hit by a big truck on the road.
The police said it was an accident, but I never believed it.
Now, Scarlett has finally revealed the truth.
"It was me who hired someone to do it."
Her voice was soft, yet it pierced my heart like a knife.
"Oh, the reason is I don't like them treating you like a treasure. And don't forget that you're one of the Lincolns!"
"They're dead, and now you have no choice but to come back to the Lincolns—where you'll only be at my mercy."
I stared at Scarlett's twisted face, then glanced at my parents standing beside her, utterly indifferent.
A cold shiver crawled up from the soles of my feet.
At that moment, Macaulay Cosby, sitting next to me, suddenly clutched his stomach, his face draining of color.
He was the nephew of my adoptive parents, and also my adoptive brother.
This time, he had accompanied me to the Lincolns; he said he was here to protect me.
"Macaulay, what's wrong?"
I caught him, my hand brushing against his clothes, drenched in cold sweat.
Macaulay parted his lips, trying to speak, but coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The blood dropped onto the white tablecloth like a dark, vivid flower.
"Macaulay!"
I screamed, but he was already lifeless.
Chaos erupted instantly in the living room.
Scarlett recoiled in terror, the wine glass slipping from her hand and shattering on the floor.
Zion stood up, trembling as he pointed at me.
"It's you. You killed him!"
Sherry screamed, "You curse, are you trying to kill our entire family?"
I slowly stood up, wiping the tears from my face.
I stared at the panicked Lincoln family of three, a cold smile curling at the corner of my lips.
"It wasn't me who killed him."
"It was you."
"I poisoned every dish on this table tonight."
"Macaulay was only the first."
The living room plunged into deadly silence.
Zion and Sherry's faces turned as pale as Macaulay's.
Scarlett collapsed to the floor, her eyes wide with sheer terror.
I looked at them with not a flicker of pity in my heart.
This is only the beginning. I'll make them pay dearly for what they've done.
The police sirens blared outside the villa while Zion and Sherry still screamed.
Scarlett huddled in the corner, trembling all over.
The police stepped inside, saw the bodies on the floor and our panic, and immediately launched their investigation.
I approached the officer and said calmly, "I want to report a crime."
"I'm pressing charges against Zion Lincoln, Sherry Fox, and Scarlett Lincoln. They're guilty of crimes."
Zion snapped back, "You're talking nonsense! You were the one who poisoned him, the one who killed him!"
"Whether it's nonsense or not, we'll prove it with facts."
I pulled a black box from my bag and flipped it open.
Inside was a professional-grade lie detector I'd had imported from abroad.
"I demand this be livestreamed to the entire network."
"I want everyone to know the dirty secrets the Lincolns have been hiding."
After a brief discussion, the police agreed to my request.
The livestream setup was finished quickly.
The camera locked on us, and the viewer count on screen started to soar.
"First question."
I stared at my father Zion, my gaze ice-cold.
"Dad, during your time running the company, did you ever commit tax evasion? If so, how much?"
Zion's expression flickered. He looked at the camera, forcing a calm facade.
"No, I have never committed tax evasion."
I flipped the switch on the lie detector.
The device's needle began to spike erratically, shrieking a piercing alarm.
"Lying."
I said coldly.
"I'll give you one last chance. Tell the truth."
Cold sweat beaded on Zion's forehead.
He glanced at Sherry, then at the camera, before finally bowing his head.
"Yes..."
"I evaded taxes... the amount... eighty million dollars."
The moment those words spilled out, the chat window blew up instantly.
"Oh my god! Eighty million dollars! That's an enormous sum!"
"So this is what Zion is really like—shiny on the surface, but a tax evader behind closed doors!"
"Jasmine Lincoln is insanely brave, daring to ask that question straight up!"
I ignored the comments and kept my gaze fixed on Sherry.
"Second question, mom."
"Three years ago, did you kill a woman named Coco and her son?"
Coco is Zion's lover, and I only found out by pure accident.
Sherry's body shook violently at the mention of that name.
She lifted her head, her eyes wide with terror.
"No! I didn't! Don't talk nonsense!"
I pressed the switch on the lie detector again.
The alarm blared again, even sharper and more piercing than before.
"Lying."
I looked at her, my tone cold and steady.
"Mom, do you really think you pulled off the perfect crime?"
"Coco's neighbor saw you at her place, and the surveillance footage caught your car too."
"You buried Coco and her son in the woods on the outskirts, didn't you?"
Sherry's mental defenses completely shattered.
She sank to the floor, sobbing, "Yes! I killed them!"
"How dare she go after my husband and get pregnant with his child!"
"I couldn't let her destroy my family!"
The live chat exploded once again.
"So Sherry Fox could be this cold-blooded! She actually killed a mother and her child!"
"What a tragic for Jasmine to live in a family like this!"
"We thought Jasmine was the killer before; now the truth is she's the real victim!"
I watched Scarlett; her face had gone ghostly pale.
"The third question, Scarlett Lincoln."
"Did you plan the car accident that happened to my adoptive parents last Christmas?"
Scarlett snapped her head up, eyes wide with terror and desperation.
"No! It wasn't me! Don't falsely accuse me!"
I flipped on the lie detector.
The alarm shrieked sharply, the lines on the device jittering uncontrollably.
"Lying."
I locked eyes with her and spoke deliberately, one word at a time.
"Scarlett, lie one more time, and this lie detector will reveal everything."
"You really thought you could fool everyone?"
Scarlett's whole body shook even more violently.
She parted her lips, trying to speak, but the lie detector's alarm kept ringing.
"It's... it's me..."
She finally broke down, tears streaming as she confessed.
"I was the one who arranged it... I just couldn't stand to see you happy..."
"I was jealous that you had the love of adoptive parents, jealous that you outshined me..."
The flood of comments on the screen had completely turned around.
"Scarlett is ruthless! How could a little girl kill someone else!"
"Jasmine has endured so much—bullied mercilessly by her own family!"
"Stand with Jasmine! The Lincoln family of three deserves to be punished!"
I stared at the three broken souls before me, feeling not a shred of satisfaction.
Only an overwhelming emptiness.
These were supposed to be my closest kin.
Yet time and again, they betrayed me, shoving me deeper into the abyss.
The livestream went on, the number of viewers already breaking half a million.
I stared at Zion, Sherry, and Scarlett—they all kept their heads down, refusing to meet the camera's gaze.
"The fourth question."
I spoke, my voice calm yet charged with authority.
"Which one of you is responsible for the death of my adoptive parents?"
No sooner had I spoken than Sherry suddenly lifted her head, eyes flooded with a desperate will to survive.
"It was Scarlett! Scarlett did everything!"
"I had no idea about this! She schemed it all herself!"
She pointed at Scarlett, her voice urgent.
"I admit I killed Coco and her son, but I truly had no knowledge of what happened to your adoptive parents!"
"Please, spare me! I'm willing to confess, willing to accept punishment!"
Scarlett instantly grew anxious when she heard Sherry's words.
"Mom! How can you say that? You clearly know what's going on!"
"You told me not to be afraid, saying that even if someone discovered it, you'd have my back and handle it!"
"How can you just dump all the blame on me now?"
Sherry shot back immediately, "I didn't! I never said that! You're the one who screwed up and now you want to drag me down with you!"
Then they burst into a bitter argument, hurling accusations at each other.
Zion sat silently nearby, his face deathly pale, but he didn't say a word.
I looked at their ugly faces, a wave of nausea rising in my chest.
"Enough."I stopped their argument.
"Now, I'll ask the final question."
"Zion, what is the combination to the Safe in the old Lincoln family home?"
Zion suddenly lifted his head, his eyes full of confusion.
"Why are you asking this?"
"Mind your own business."
I looked at him, my tone resolute.
"If you just tell me the combination, I can make you live a little longer."
"Otherwise, the poison on this table will slowly kill you."
Zion's expression changed.
He knew I was serious.
The food on this table was definitely poisoned—just in varying doses.
Macaulay was the first to go down because he ate the most.
The other three ate some too, but in smaller doses, so they haven't shown symptoms yet.
But if we don't neutralize the poison in time, they won't survive much longer.
"The password... the password is 932654."
Zion finally gave in; he looked at me with eyes full of bitterness.
"Don't forget what you said—give you the password, and I can buy a little more time."
I said nothing, just nodded to the police.
The police immediately dispatched someone to the old Lincoln family home to open the Safe.
Zion, Sherry, and Scarlett all let out a sigh of relief after hearing the password.
They believed that by giving up the password, they would live.
But what they didn't realize was that this was only part of my plan.
Just then, the police approached, holding a bottle of medicine.
"Miss Lincoln, this is the antidote you entrusted to us earlier."
I took the bottle and cast my gaze over the Lincoln family of three.
Their eyes shone with desperate longing.
"There's only one bottle of antidote."
I shook the bottle lightly, my voice cold and even.
"Who wants it?"
No sooner had I finished speaking than Zion, Sherry, and Scarlett lunged at me like rabid dogs.
"Give it to me! The antidote is mine!"
"I'm the head of the family; the antidote should go to me!"
"Mom, give it to me! I'm still young!"
"Dad, you're so old already; you might as well give it to me!"
The three of them wrestled and clawed at each other like mad dogs.
The livestream chat exploded with mocking comments.
"Absolutely disgraceful! Fighting like this over an antidote!"
"Is this what an upper-class family looks like? Ridiculous!"
"They don't even deserve to be called human!"
I watched their struggle with not a flicker of emotion stirring inside me.
At that moment, the lead police officer stepped forward, blowing his whistle.
"Stop!"
The police officer's voice made the Lincoln family of three freeze in place.
"Zion Lincoln, Sherry Fox, Scarlett Lincoln, you are suspected of multiple crimes, including tax evasion and premeditated murder."
"We hereby officially place you under arrest."
"We will conduct a thorough investigation of all your crimes and will not overlook a single detail."
At the police's words, the Lincoln family of three collapsed to the ground instantly.
They stared at me, their eyes burning with hatred.
"Jasmine, you lied to us!"
"I hope you rot in hell!"
I met their gaze, a cold smirk tugging at the corner of my mouth.
"I told you before, this is only the beginning."
"What you owe me, what you owe my adoptive parents, what you owe Macaulay—I will reclaim it all, piece by piece."
By the end of the livestream, the online viewer count had already soared past one million.
That livestream became the day's most explosive news.
Every major media outlet was covering it, and netizens were ablaze with heated debate.
Everyone was rallying behind me, demanding harsh punishment for the three people in Lincoln family.
After they were arrested, they were immediately thrown into the Detention Center.
But they refused to plead guilty.
Instead, they flipped their story, claiming everything said during the livestream was a lie.
They insisted I forced them, threatened them with poison.
Zion even hired a lawyer, threatening to sue me for false accusations.
Sherry and Scarlett jumped on the bandwagon, accusing me of orchestrating the entire thing.
For a while, public opinion once again spiraled into chaos.
Some people began doubting whether the livestream was real.
Right then, an unexpected figure appeared.
That day, I was waiting outside the Detention Center for any news.
Suddenly, a familiar figure appeared before me.
"Jasmine."
Hearing that voice, I spun around sharply.
It was Macaulay!
He wore all black; though his face was still a little pale, he looked much better.
"Macaulay! You... you came!"
Macaulay smiled and grasped my hand.
Before coming to the Lincolns, I had already made plans with Macaulay.
I knew the Lincoln family wouldn't confess easily.
So, I needed a trigger, a moment that would make them crack completely.
Feigning death was the best option.
What I gave Macaulay wasn't poison—just a drug that puts someone into a temporary death-like state.
Once the effects wear off, he'll wake up.
"Where have you been these past few days?"
I asked him, my mind clouded with suspicion.
"I went to the old Lincoln family home."
Macaulay pulled a folder from his bag and handed it to me.
"I used the code you got to open the Safe."
"Inside, there was a lot of evidence of Zion's crimes."
I opened the folder to find thick stacks of ledgers.
Detailed records of Zion Lincoln's tax evasion—amounts and dates—are all here.
There are several notebooks filled with murder plans.
Some involve Coco and her son, others my adoptive parents, and even some business rivals.
Every page is soaked with blood and sin.
"This evidence will condemn them without a chance of escape."
Macaulay looked me in the eye, his voice unwavering.
"Jasmine, don't worry. This time, they won't slip through the cracks."
Clutching the folder, a wave of excitement crashed over me.
With this evidence, even if they try to backtrack, it won't do them any good.
I immediately handed the evidence over to the police.
The police took the evidence to the detention center.
The moment Zion saw the ledgers and notebooks, his face drained of color.
He slumped in his chair, his eyes vacant and hollow.
He finally realized that from the very beginning, he had fallen into the trap I had meticulously set.
"All is lost..."
Zion muttered, his voice thick with despair.
"I've completely lost..."
Sherry and Scarlett completely broke down when they saw the evidence.
They no longer had the strength to recant and could only obediently plead guilty.
Public opinion has flipped once again; everyone is cheering for justice.
Everyone says the Lincoln family got what they deserved. At last, I have reclaimed justice for my adoptive parents and myself.
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