Chapter 4

Elisa kicked the door.

Her heel struck the wood with explosive force. The door flew open, slamming against the interior wall with a deafening crash.

The sickeningly sweet atmosphere inside the room shattered instantly. Conrad and Cindy whipped their heads toward the entrance.

Cindy let out a high-pitched, theatrical shriek. She scrambled backward, pressing herself against Conrad's chest like a terrified animal.

Conrad's face darkened. He stood up immediately, using his broad shoulders to shield Cindy from view.

"Are you insane?" Conrad roared, his voice vibrating with rage. "Following me here like a deranged stalker? You make me sick."

Elisa let out a short, razor-sharp laugh. She didn't even blink at his anger.

She stepped into the room, her heels clicking aggressively against the hardwood floor. She walked straight to the edge of the bed, her posture straight, her chin held high.

She looked down at Cindy, who was peeking out from behind Conrad's arm. Elisa's eyes were dead, like looking at an insect.

She unzipped her tote bag. She pulled out the thick stack of financial records.

She raised her arm and slammed the papers onto the hospital bed, right over Cindy's legs. Pages slid out, scattering across the white sheets.

"Those are the transaction logs for the Johns family trust fund," Elisa said, her voice cutting through the room like a scalpel. "You and your mother forged my signature. You illegally transferred my father's equity."

Cindy's face lost all its color. Her lips trembled. She looked up at Conrad, her eyes wide with manufactured panic.

"I... I don't know what she's talking about!" Cindy sobbed, tears spilling over her cheeks. "Conrad, she's framing me!"

Conrad lunged forward. His hand shot out and clamped around Elisa's wrist. The veins on the back of his hand bulged as he squeezed.

"You are a monster," Conrad hissed, his face inches from hers. "To come into a hospital and terrorize a traumatized patient just to extort money?"

Elisa didn't wince. She yanked her arm back with sudden, violent force, breaking his grip.

She reached into her bag, pulled out an antibacterial wet wipe, and slowly, deliberately, scrubbed the skin on her wrist where he had just touched her.

Conrad froze. The sheer disgust in her action hit him like a physical blow to the stomach. His pride fractured.

Elisa threw the used wipe onto the floor. She looked straight into Conrad's eyes.

"You pride yourself on being a business genius," she sneered. "But a few fake tears have turned your brain to mush. You're an idiot, Conrad. A blind, pathetic idiot."

Conrad's jaw dropped slightly. The blood rushed to his face, turning his skin a dark, furious red. No one had ever spoken to him like that. His mind scrambled for a comeback, but he was paralyzed by her sheer audacity.

Elisa turned her cold gaze back to Cindy.

"You have exactly three days to return the thirty percent equity to my account," Elisa stated. Her tone left no room for negotiation. "If the money isn't there, I will file fraud charges in federal court. You can wear an orange jumpsuit to your wedding."

Cindy shook violently, her fingers digging into Conrad's suit sleeve.

Elisa didn't wait for an answer. Looking at them for one more second made her stomach turn.

She spun on her heel. She walked toward the door, her back perfectly straight.

Just as she reached the doorway, she paused. She turned her head slightly over her shoulder.

"I wish you both a long, miserable life together. A bitch and a dog make a perfect match."

Elisa walked out into the hallway.

Inside the room, Conrad stood frozen. His chest he heave up and down as he struggled to pull air into his burning lungs.