Chapter 6 6

Claire walked into the lobby of Avila Corp at two o'clock sharp, looking pale and contrite. The power suit was gone, replaced by a soft cashmere dress in a demure cream color. She looked exactly like a woman who had just had a minor breakdown and was now ready to be compliant.

The receptionist gasped. Claire Avila never came to the office.

"I need to see my cousin, Kaia," Claire said softly, her voice just loud enough for the nearby security guard to hear. "I said some things this morning... I need to apologize."

She didn't take the executive elevator. She walked to the main bank and rode up with a crowd of junior analysts, keeping her eyes downcast.

She found Kaia in the 14th floor intern pit, ostentatiously sorting mail.

Kaia spotted Claire. She put down a stack of envelopes and rushed over, her eyes wide and feigning innocence.

"Claire! Oh my gosh, what are you doing here?" Kaia chirped. "Are you okay?"

Claire looked at her. She remembered how Kaia had smiled at her funeral in the last life. She remembered Kaia sleeping with Derrick in her bed.

"Can we talk?" Claire asked, gesturing to a small, empty conference room. "In private?"

Kaia's eyes flickered with suspicion, but she couldn't refuse without making a scene. "Of course."

Once the glass door was closed, Claire's entire demeanor shifted. The fragile penitent vanished. Her spine straightened, and her eyes turned to ice.

"Sit down, Kaia."

Kaia hesitated, then sat. The smile on her face wavered.

Claire didn't say a word. She pulled out her burner phone and placed it on the table between them. She hit play on an audio file.

It was grainy, but the voices were clear. It was Kaia and Heber talking in a car.

Voice of Kaia: "She's so stupid, Dad. She doesn't even read the financial reports. Once she marries Derrick, we can push her out in six months."

Voice of Heber: "Just keep playing the victim, sweetie. She buys it every time."

Claire stopped the recording.

The conference room was dead silent.

Kaia's face went white. Her eyes turned venomous.

"What do you want?" Kaia hissed, her sweet-girl act disintegrating.

"You're not fired," Claire said calmly. "You're promoted. You are now my personal informant. You will tell me everything Heber and Derrick are planning. Every meeting, every phone call. You will forward me every email."

"And why would I do that?" Kaia sneered. "You'll expose me anyway!"

"Because if you don't," Claire said, leaning forward, "I won't just send this recording to the board of directors. I'll send it to the SEC, along with a detailed tip about your father's insider trading. You'll still be disowned, but you'll have to visit him in federal prison."

Kaia stared at her, shaking with rage. She was trapped.

"You're a bitch," Kaia spat.

Claire smiled, a thin, cold curve of her lips. "I'm learning from the best. My first instruction: go back to your desk and tell everyone I came here to apologize for my pre-wedding jitters and that we're closer than ever. I expect your first report by midnight."

Claire stood up and walked to the door. She paused with her hand on the handle, turning back to look at her cousin.

"And Kaia? Cry a little when you tell them. Make it believable."

She walked out of the conference room, leaving Kaia stewing in a prison of her own making.