Chapter 13 - THE SISTER-IN-LAW’S DEADLY SMILE
Elena was the first to reach the heavy velvet drapes of the library window. Peeling back the fabric just an inch, she peered down toward the southern wing of the estate, where the private garages and guest quarters were nestled against the manicured hedges.
Standing beside a sleek, blood-red sports car was Julianne Sterling.
She wasn't hiding. She wasn't cowering after Naomi’s video had exposed her cruel shove to millions of viewers online. Instead, Julianne wore a pristine white trench coat, oversized designer sunglasses perched on her head, and held a slim gold lighter in her gloved hand. She was smiling—a brilliant, predatory grin directed straight up at the library window, as if she knew precisely where Elena and Daniel were standing.
“She’s insane,” Daniel breathed, coming up behind Elena, his chest heaving with fury. “Her face is plastered across every tabloid in the country as a monster. Why is she here?”
“Because monsters don't hide when they know they own the cage,” Elena said, her voice dropping into a chilling register. “She wants us to come down. She wants an audience.”
“Stay here,” Daniel commanded, turning toward the door. “I will handle my sister.”
“No,” Elena seized his forearm with surprising strength. Her eyes burned with a dark, resolute fire. “Every time you try to handle them alone, they use your decency against you, Daniel. They treat your love for this family like a leash. If we go down there, we go together. As husband and wife.”
Three minutes later, the heavy iron side doors of the mansion groaned open. Elena and Daniel walked out into the cool evening breeze, Naomi trailing close behind, keeping her phone camera concealed within the fold of her jacket.
Julianne didn't even look up as they approached. She casually flicked her lighter open, watched the blue flame dance for a second, and snapped it shut.
“You really shouldn't have torn Vance’s papers, Elena,” Julianne drawled, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. “It was such an elegant exit. Victoria gave you a golden parachute, and you threw it into the pond like an insolent child.”
“The video of you pushing me into the fountain has over twelve million views, Julianne,” Elena said, stopping ten feet away. “The board of your luxury brand called an emergency meeting twenty minutes ago. Your sponsors are dropping you like radioactive waste. How does it feel to be the most hated woman in the country?”
Julianne laughed—a sharp, musical sound that held not a shred of genuine remorse. She took off her sunglasses, revealing eyes that were hollow, manic, and intensely dangerous.
“Do you really think public opinion matters in our world, you little peasant?” Julianne stepped forward, her heels clicking aggressively on the stone pavement. “Trolls on the internet don't vote on corporate boards. Money does. And while you were playing peasant hero in the courtyard, Mother signed over the voting rights of your architectural firm to me. I am now your majority shareholder, Daniel.”
Daniel went utterly still. “You forged my signature.”
“Prove it,” Julianne whispered, leaning in, her perfume heavy with the scent of bitter almonds and tuberose. “It will take your lawyers three years and two million dollars in forensic audits to prove it. And by then, your firm will be liquidated, your employees will be on the street, and Elena’s little charity boutique will be seized as part of the asset forfeiture.”
Julianne turned her venomous gaze back to Elena, her lips curling into that signature, deadly smile. “You thought getting wet was the worst thing that could happen to you, didn't you? Sweetheart, that fountain was just the baptism. The real funeral starts tonight.”
Julianne tossed a heavy brass key onto the stone between them.
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“What is this?” Daniel demanded.
“That,” Julianne whispered, turning on her heel toward her car, “is the key to grandfather’s old vault at the harbor warehouse. Mother left something inside for Elena. A little wedding present from thirty years ago. Go take a look… if you have the stomach for what Elena’s father actually did to this family.”
