Chapter 3

Cassie lifted her foot and stepped onto the stone stairs. Her high heels struck the granite with a sharp, heavy rhythm.

She reached the top and pressed her finger hard against the brass doorbell.

The loud, melodic chime echoed through the thick wooden door. A few seconds later, the door swung open.

A young maid stood in the doorway. The maid's eyes landed on Cassie's scarred face. The girl gasped loudly, stumbling backward, her hands flying up to cover her mouth.

Cassie didn't even blink. She walked straight past the terrified girl, stepping into the grand foyer.

Her heels sank into the expensive Persian rug, muting her footsteps. She turned her head, her eyes locking onto the center of the living room.

Kathleen Gilmore sat on the plush sofa, elegantly sipping from a porcelain teacup.

Kathleen lowered the cup and looked up. When she saw Cassie standing there, wearing a custom designer dress and looking entirely unbroken, her eyes widened in shock. The teacup slammed down onto the saucer with a loud clatter.

Kailee, Cassie's adoptive sister, came running down the curved staircase. She stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes darted over Cassie's expensive clothes. Kailee's face twisted into an ugly mask of pure jealousy.

Kathleen quickly recovered. She forced a sickeningly sweet smile onto her face and stood up.

"Cassie, darling!" Kathleen cooed, walking forward with her arms outstretched, aiming to grab Cassie's hands.

Cassie shifted her weight and turned her shoulder, smoothly dodging the touch.

Kathleen's hands grasped empty air. Her smile faltered. She quickly masked her annoyance with a look of fake concern.

"Did Mr. Frederick hurt you?" Kathleen asked, her voice dripping with venomous hope. "We heard he has... violent tendencies."

Cassie let out a short, cold laugh. "Disappointed I'm not dead?"

Cassie walked past Kathleen and sat down in the single leather armchair. She crossed her legs, her posture relaxed but dominant. She had completely taken control of the room.

Kathleen's fake smile vanished. Her face hardened into a scowl.

"I want my trust fund," Cassie stated. Her voice was flat, hard, and left absolutely no room for negotiation.

The heavy silence in the living room stretched, thick with an unspoken, suffocating tension.

Kailee shrieked. She stomped across the room, stopping right in front of Cassie, pointing a manicured finger at Cassie's face.

"You ugly freak! You don't get a dime!" Kailee screamed, her face turning red.

Cassie looked up at Kailee's trembling finger. Her eyes were dead and cold.

"Screaming won't change the law, Kailee. It just makes you look desperate," Cassie said softly, hitting the exact nerve she aimed for.

Kailee's entire body began to shake with rage.

Kathleen stepped forward, pressing a hand to her chest, her eyes filling with fake tears. "Cassie, how can you do this? After everything we've done for you? We raised you!"

Cassie's stomach churned with nausea. She unclasped her designer handbag.

She pulled out a thick stack of documents and tossed them onto the glass coffee table. The heavy paper slapped against the glass. Thank god her mentor at the sanatorium had granted her a few hours of encrypted internet access before she left; it had been more than enough time to dig up their filthy secrets.

"Evidence of the Gilmore family embezzling from my biological parents' estate," Cassie said.

Kathleen looked down at the papers. All the blood drained from her face. Her skin turned a sickly, pale gray.

Kailee lunged forward. She grabbed the stack of papers and ripped them apart. She tore them again and again, throwing the shredded pieces into the air. The white confetti rained down over the coffee table.

Cassie sat perfectly still. She watched Kailee's frantic movements as if watching a pathetic circus animal.

"The digital backups are already with my lawyers," Cassie said, her voice cutting through the sound of tearing paper.

Kathleen's knees buckled. She collapsed heavily onto the sofa, her breathing shallow.

The heavy oak doors of the study suddenly burst open. Josephus Gilmore marched out.

He took one look at the shredded paper and Kathleen's pale face, and his chest puffed out with fury. He hated having his authority challenged in his own house.

He stomped toward Cassie, his heavy footsteps shaking the floorboards.

"Get out of my house and go back to the asylum!" Josephus roared. Spittle flew from his lips.

Cassie's hands gripped the armrests of the chair. She pushed herself up to a standing position.

She stared directly into her adoptive father's eyes. The raw, unfiltered hatred in her gaze was so intense that Josephus actually stopped walking.

Kailee saw her father hesitate and immediately stepped to his side.

"Dad, she's trying to steal our money! She threatened Mom!" Kailee whined, twisting the narrative with practiced ease.

The hesitation in Josephus's eyes vanished, replaced by a blinding rage.

He pointed a thick finger at Cassie's scarred cheek. "You are a disgrace to this family! A deformed, ungrateful parasite!"

The vicious words hit Cassie's ears, but her heart remained completely numb. She had heard worse.

"Transfer the funds by noon, or I will see you in federal court," Cassie said, her tone icy and resolute.

Josephus's face turned a dangerous shade of purple. The veins on his neck bulged against his collar.

Kathleen sat on the sofa, dabbing her dry eyes with a tissue, watching the chaos unfold. Cassie saw the calculated gleam in her stepmother's eyes and felt a fresh wave of disgust.

"You think Frederick cares about you?" Kailee sneered, stepping closer. "He'll throw you out the second he gets bored of your ugly face! You have no one!"

Cassie didn't waste another word. She reached into her bag, pulled out her phone, and tapped the screen to dial 911.

Kailee saw the numbers on the screen. Her eyes widened in panic. Her last shred of sanity snapped.

Kailee lunged forward like a rabid dog.

Cassie's muscles instantly coiled. She dropped her center of gravity, preparing for the impact.

Kailee raised her right hand high into the air. The massive diamond engagement ring on her finger caught the light. She swung her hand down, aiming directly for Cassie's scarred cheek.

The air whistled as the heavy hand came down.

Cassie's eyes narrowed into sharp slits. Her left hand shot up.

Her fingers clamped down hard around Kailee's wrist, stopping the slap dead in mid-air. The sudden halt jerked Kailee's shoulder forward. Kailee struggled, but Cassie's grip was like a steel vice.

Cassie pulled her right arm back.

She swung her hand forward with brutal force. Her palm connected with Kailee's cheek.

The sharp, explosive crack of the slap echoed off the high ceiling of the living room.

The sheer force of the blow spun Kailee around. Her high heels twisted under her weight. She crashed hard onto the hardwood floor.

Kailee clutched her rapidly swelling red cheek. A high-pitched, agonizing scream ripped from her throat.