Chapter 7

Clara pressed play.

A sharp beep echoed through the foyer. She didn't rely on a convenient, pre-existing Bluetooth connection. Clara walked smoothly to the wall-mounted smart home control panel. She paused for a microsecond, the cold glass under her fingertips grounding her. Her mind pulled up the master passcode she had memorized years ago-a code meant only for the family patriarch. Her fingers flew across the screen. In two seconds, she bypassed the internal security protocols, directly overriding the network, and forced her phone's audio to cast directly to the mansion's massive Bang & Olufsen sound system.

The audio blasted from the hidden speakers in the ceiling. First came the hiss of the greenhouse sprinklers. Then, Bria's shrill, arrogant voice filled the room.

"Because you stole eighteen years of my life. I'm going to make sure you leave here with absolutely nothing."

Bria's face turned the color of ash. Her eyes bulged. She lunged forward, desperately clawing at Clara's phone.

Clara simply stepped to the left. Bria grabbed empty air and face-planted hard onto the Persian rug.

The recording continued. Clara's fake, trembling voice asked the question.

"Is that why you put the pearl earring in my closet?"

"Yes. I paid the cleaner for the spare key. I shoved it behind your trashy shoes myself."

The air in the room evaporated. The bodyguards froze.

Eleanor's jaw dropped. The heavy wooden cane slipped from her grip and crashed onto the marble floor. She stared at her biological granddaughter writhing on the rug.

Preston jerked backward like he had been burned. He stared at Bria with absolute disgust.

Helen closed her eyes. Tears spilled over her cheeks. Her last shred of hope for her daughter shattered.

The audio hit the final insult. "You're just an unwanted orphan."

On the stairs, the temperature around Felix plummeted. His eyes were pitch black, radiating a murderous intent.

The recording ended. A suffocating silence choked the room. The only sound was Bria's ragged, panicked breathing.

Clara slipped the phone back into her pocket. She looked down at Bria like she was looking at toxic waste.

"It's fake!" Bria screamed, her voice cracking. "It's AI! She faked it!"

Helen couldn't take it anymore. She pulled her hand out of her pocket and hurled the pearl earring onto the floor.

The pearl bounced twice and rolled to a stop inches from Bria's face.

"Stop lying!" Helen sobbed, her voice breaking.

Bria stared at the pearl. The physical evidence crushed her. She collapsed in on herself, unable to speak.

Eleanor's face was rigid with humiliation. She looked at Felix, mortified that he had witnessed this.

"Apologize to her. Now," Eleanor barked at Bria.

Bria bit her lip so hard it bled. She tasted copper. "Sorry," she forced out through her teeth.

Clara didn't accept it. She didn't care. She bent down and picked up her black bag.

"Keep your mess," Clara said to the room.

She turned and walked toward the door. The bodyguards quickly stepped out of her way, keeping their heads down.

Felix watched her walk away. A dark, genuine smirk touched his lips. She was ruthless. He liked it.

Clara pushed open the heavy brass doors and walked down the steps into the glaring sunlight.

Inside, Bria watched Clara leave. The humiliation mutated into pure, venomous hatred. She pulled her phone from her pocket.

Her hands shook violently as she pulled up her contacts. The humiliation burned in her chest like battery acid, clouding any rational thought. She dialed a burner number she had acquired weeks ago. As soon as the line connected, she didn't wait for a greeting. "I don't care how you do it or what it costs!" she hissed, her fingernails digging into the leather of her phone case, her voice trembling with manic, unrestrained rage. "I want her gone! Do not let her leave this street alive!"

Outside, the cold wind whipped Clara's hair. She opened the Uber app and requested a ride.

A massive, black Chevy Suburban rolled out from the corner. It crept forward like a predator and stopped right in front of her.