Chapter 5

The dial tone echoed in the dead silence of the bedroom. Evert glared down at Clarine, looking at her as if she were a piece of rotting garbage.

"You will not get a single cent from the Lynch family," Evert sneered, adjusting his cuffs with sharp, jerky movements. "You violated the contract."

He waited for her to break. He waited for her to fall to her knees, to sob, to beg for his forgiveness.

Instead, Clarine slowly sat up. Her hands were shaking, so she dug her fingernails ruthlessly into her palms, using the sharp, grounding pain to force her features into stillness. She reached for the collar of her sweater and adjusted it with stiff, deliberate movements, hiding the bruises. By the time she looked up, her face was completely devoid of emotion, a carefully constructed mask of ice.

Her silence infuriated him. "Do you think this is a game?" Evert stepped closer, his shadow looming over her. "Without my money, you won't survive a day in New York. You'll be crawling back here like a dog."

Clarine tilted her head up. Her eyes met his, cold and unblinking. "This was a transaction, Evert. The transaction is over."

The utter indifference in her tone felt like a physical slap to his face. Evert's hand shot out. He grabbed her jaw, his fingers pressing brutally into her skin.

"Don't play tough with me," he hissed, his breath hot against her face. "My lawyers will make sure you can't even rent a closet in this city."

Clarine reached up and forcefully peeled his fingers off her face. She stood up, walked to the walk-in closet, and picked up a small, velvet box. It was the custom cufflinks she had designed for their anniversary.

She walked past him and dropped the box straight into the trash can.

Evert's chest tightened strangely at the sight, but the anger quickly swallowed it. He sneered, turned on his heel, and slammed the door behind him.

The next morning, Clarine sat in a quiet, dimly lit cafe in Manhattan.

Her best friend from college, Faye Mercer, sat across from her. Faye stared at the faint bruises peeking above Clarine's collar. Her coffee cup slipped from her hand, spilling brown liquid across the table.

"He did what?" Faye gasped, her face pale.

Clarine spoke in a flat, detached voice. She told Faye everything. The drugged wine, the dark room, the stranger, the receipt, and Evert's ruthless eviction.

Faye slammed her fist on the table. "That blind, arrogant bastard! We are going to the police. We have the recording of Marta!"

"No," Clarine said softly. "The Lynch family owns the police. They will bury it, and they will bury me. I need to cut the cord completely."

A sudden burst of camera flashes and loud cheering erupted outside the cafe window.

Clarine turned her head. Across the street, a new, ultra-luxury art gallery was hosting its grand opening. Cherie stood on the red carpet, wearing a sparkling designer gown, soaking up the paparazzi's attention.

A black Maybach pulled up to the curb. Evert stepped out. He looked immaculate in a tailored suit. In his hands, he held a massive bouquet of fresh Damascus roses.

Cora's favorite flowers.

He walked up to Cherie and handed her the bouquet. He smiled at her-a soft, genuine smile Clarine hadn't seen in three years.

Clarine watched them from across the street. The final, invisible chain around her heart snapped.

She picked up her cold black coffee and downed it in one gulp. The bitter liquid shocked her system awake.

"Faye, give me your laptop," Clarine demanded.

Faye quickly pushed her encrypted laptop across the table.

Clarine's fingers flew over the keys. She bypassed standard browsers, routing her connection through three different VPNs before opening a hidden dark web portal.

She logged into an email account she hadn't touched in thirty-six months.

The inbox showed 9,999+ unread messages. Frantic pleas from top European fashion houses, desperate offers from venture capitalists, all begging for one person: the legendary, anonymous designer known only as "Lan."

Clarine clicked on the most recent email from the CEO of Dreamscape Atelier, her own hidden company. It was marked URGENT.

Faye leaned over, her eyes widening in absolute shock as she saw the screen. "Clarine... you're Lan?"

Clarine didn't answer. She typed a single sentence in reply to the CEO.

Tell the board Lan is back.

She hit send. The glow of the screen illuminated the sharp, dangerous glint in her eyes.

She closed the laptop and looked at Faye. "I'm not just getting a divorce. I'm taking back my empire."