Chapter 3 - The Mask Begins to Slip
At 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, I walked into the downtown coffee shop where Vanessa usually met her high-society friends.
She was sitting near the window, wearing a white silk blouse, perfectly styled hair, and designer sunglasses.
On her wrist, she wore a delicate gold bracelet that had belonged to my grandmother.
She looked calm, elegant, and completely unbothered by the fact that she had almost killed an old woman twelve hours prior.
When she saw me approach her table, her lips curved into that familiar, condescending smile.
"Claire," she said softly, sipping her green tea. "I heard you made quite a scene at the police station last night. You really shouldn't let your emotions cloud your legal judgment."
I sat down opposite her, keeping my hands folded on the table.
"You have twenty-four hours to vacate my mother's house," I said quietly.
Vanessa let out a soft, melodious laugh that made my stomach turn.
"Your mother's house? Oh, honey, check the county records. That house belongs to Vanguard Holdings now. And as for your mother... well, the police report clearly states she had a psychotic episode and attacked me. I have bruises on my shoulder to prove it."
"You hit yourself with the bat after you broke her arm," I said, leaning in. "Or maybe Daniel hit you lightly to create fake evidence. Which one was it?"
The smile faded from Vanessa's eyes, replaced by a cold, sharp glare.
"Careful, Claire. Defamation is a serious charge. Especially for someone in your position."
"Let's talk about positions, Vanessa," I said, dropping a thick folder onto the marble table between us.
The heavy sound made her flinch.
"What is this?" she demanded, looking at the navy-blue folder.
"That is a complete audit of Vanguard Holdings," I answered. "Including the $150,000 transfer to the account in the Cayman Islands, the forged signature on the deed transfer, and the testimony of three neighbors who saw you carrying a metallic baseball bat into my mother's house at midnight."
Vanessa’s hand trembled slightly as she touched the edge of the folder, but she quickly regained her composure.
"You can't use official DA resources for a personal family feud, Claire. That's abuse of power. I'll have your bar license revoked."
"I didn't use DA resources," I smiled thinly. "I hired a private investigator with my own money. Everything in that folder is civilly obtained and legally binding."
She stared at me, the polished mask finally showing deep cracks.
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"Daniel loves me," she hissed, her voice dropping to a vicious whisper. "He will stand in court and testify that Eleanor is insane. He will choose me over you and that miserable old woman every single time."
"I know he will," I said, rising from the chair. "And that's exactly how I'm going to destroy both of you."
