Chapter 3 - The Enemy Inside
Julian collapsed back into his wheelchair instantly, his face resuming the blank stare of a broken man.
I scrambled to my feet, pretending to be wiping the spilled water off the marble floor.
The bathroom door swung open to reveal Julian's beautiful, ruthless stepmother, Victoria.
Victoria wore a silk robe and a deeply suspicious glare as she surveyed the shattered glass.
"What on earth happened in here?" she demanded, stepping carefully over the debris.
"A stray bullet from the street, Mrs. Bennett," I lied smoothly, keeping my eyes submissively cast downward.
Victoria scoffed, clearly annoyed by the inconvenience rather than concerned for her stepson's life.
"This neighborhood is becoming utterly unbearable," she complained while dialing her security chief.
She looked at me with immense disgust, taking in my cheap, worn-out clothing.
"Make sure you clean up every single piece of glass before you leave tonight," she ordered sharply.
As she turned to leave, I noticed a unique diamond ring sparkling on her right hand.
It was the exact same custom diamond ring my mother had reported stolen the night she died.
A sickening realization washed over me like freezing water.
Victoria was not just a greedy stepmother trying to steal a corporate empire.
She was the woman who had murdered my mother twenty years ago to cover up her dark past.
I looked at Julian, and his grim expression confirmed that he already knew the horrific truth.
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"We are going to destroy her together, Claire," Julian whispered as soon as she was out of earshot.
Suddenly, my cell phone vibrated violently in my pocket with an emergency alert from Brandon's babysitter.
