Chapter 4 No.4

The morning sun hit the Vance Manor, but it brought no light to the mood inside.

Vivian was on her knees, scrubbing the carpet. The stain had turned a rusted brown, looking disturbingly like dried blood. She was muttering to herself.

"Ungrateful. Wicked. After everything..."

Robert was on the phone in his study, his voice booming. "Freeze it all! The accounts, the cards, the trust! I want her to starve!"

Cassandra sat on the sofa, scrolling through her phone. She was checking the society blogs. No news yet. Good. She needed to control the narrative.

The family doctor, Dr. Aris, stood nervously by the fireplace.

"Why didn't she swell up?" Robert demanded, storming into the room. "You diagnosed her with that allergy yourself!"

Dr. Aris sweated. He dabbed his forehead. "Well, allergies can... evolve. Sometimes exposure therapy..."

"She had sauce on her face for a minute!" Robert yelled. "That's not therapy!"

"She probably switched it!" Cassandra jumped in, her eyes wide and innocent. "She's fast. Like a magician. She swapped the spoon. She wanted to make me look like a liar!"

Vivian stopped scrubbing. She looked up, desperate for an explanation that didn't involve her being a bad mother. "Yes. Yes! That evil girl played a trick. She gaslit us!"

Robert exhaled. He chose to believe the lie. It was easier than admitting he had raised a sociopath. "She will come crawling back," he sneered. "Give it two days. When she runs out of cash for hotels, she'll be on her knees."

Cut to: The Sterling Penthouse.

Eleanor sat at a table made of reclaimed obsidian. The view of the Manhattan skyline was breathtaking. A chef had just placed a plate of eggs benedict in front of her.

Her phone buzzed.

Notification: Bank of America. Alert: Account Frozen. Please contact branch.

She smirked. Predictable.

She swiped the notification away. She reached into the lining of her purse, pulled out a small sewing kit, ripped a seam, and extracted a thin, matte black card.

It had no bank logo. Just two letters embossed in silver: MY.

This was the corporate expense account for "MY Capital," the mysterious business consultancy entity she had built over the last four years. It had an infinite limit.

Julian wheeled into the kitchen. He was wearing a fresh shirt, his hair damp from a shower.

"Trouble in paradise?" he asked, eyeing her phone.

"Just taking out the trash," Eleanor said. "My father thinks he controls my oxygen."

"Suffocation is a favorite tactic of the weak," Julian noted. He signaled the chef for coffee.

"I need to go shopping," Eleanor said. "I left my wardrobe behind."

"Use the black card on the counter," Julian said, pointing to a Sterling Amex.

"I have my own," Eleanor said, holding up her card.

Julian's eyes narrowed on the card. He didn't recognize the bank. Interesting.

"Tonight is the Fashion Design Gala," Julian said, changing the subject. He slid an invitation across the table. Heavy cardstock. Gold leaf.

"Your sister is the star," he noted. "The 'Swan' collection."

Eleanor picked up the invite. She ran her thumb over Cassandra's name.

"Not for long," Eleanor said. Her voice dropped an octave.

"Are you going?" Julian asked.

"I wouldn't miss it."

"I'll arrange a car," Julian said. "But I'll be arriving separately. I have board members to terrorize first."

"Suit yourself."

Eleanor retreated to the guest suite. It was larger than the entire ground floor of the Vance Manor. She went into the bathroom, closing the door but leaving it slightly ajar to hear the news on the TV in the bedroom.

She pulled out her burner phone.

She dialed a number in New York.

"Chelsea Vaults," a voice answered.

"Access code 7-Alpha-9," Eleanor said. "Deliver package 'Midnight' to the Sterling Penthouse. Immediately."

"Understood, Ma'am. It's on the way."

Back at Vance Manor, Cassandra was trying on a dress. It was white, feathery, and derivative. It was a design she had stolen from Eleanor's sketchbook three years ago-a sketch Eleanor had discarded because it was "too basic."

"I will be the queen of the night," Cassandra gloats, spinning in the mirror.

"You are the true talent," Vivian cooed, adjusting the hem. "Eleanor could never design something this elegant."

In the Sterling Penthouse, Eleanor stood before a floor-to-ceiling mirror in the living area, holding the dress that had just arrived.

Julian rolled past the open archway. He stopped.

Through the gap in her robe as she adjusted the dress, he saw her back.

Running down her spine was a scar. Thin, jagged, old. But intersecting it was a tattoo. A series of numbers. Coordinates? Or a medical ID?

Eleanor sensed him. She pulled the robe up instantly. She met his eyes in the reflection.

"Do you usually spy on women, Mr. Sterling?"

"Only the mysterious ones," he replied, wheeling away. But his mind was racing. That scar... that wasn't from a suburban upbringing. And that card... MY. Who exactly had he married?