Chapter 12 - The Vultures Gather
Carol and Vanessa looked at the screen, confused.
“Daniel, what is this?” Carol asked, annoyed that the money transfer was being delayed.
“It’s a security upgrade I forgot to mention,” I said, my voice completely changing from frail victim to the sharp, authoritative tone of a forensic accountant.
I picked up the remote and pressed play.
The hidden camera footage began to play on the 65-inch screen.
The color instantly drained from Vanessa’s face. She dropped her wine glass. It shattered on the floor—a poetic echo of the damage she had caused.
Carol stood up so fast her chair tipped over backward.
“Turn this off!” Carol shrieked, panic finally cracking her perfectly manicured facade.
On the screen, Vanessa was violently slapping the phone out of my hand.
“You forged the withdrawal form,” I said loudly over the video. “You assaulted me. You tried to force my biometric signature. And then…”
The video continued playing. Carol’s voice filled the dining room.
“We weren't here, Vanessa... If she loses the babies, Daniel’s ties to her are severed.”
Daniel sat at the head of the table, staring at the two women he had loved his entire life, looking at them as if they were monsters.
“Daniel, this is… this is a deep fake! It’s AI!” Vanessa stammered, backing toward the door. “She hates us! She manufactured this!”
“Stop lying, Vanessa!” Daniel roared, slamming his fist onto the table so hard the wood groaned. “You tried to kill my wife. You tried to kill my children. For what? A boutique?”
“She pushed me to do it!” Vanessa screamed, pointing a trembling finger at her mother. “Mom needed the money to cover her loans! We were going to lose the house!”
Carol slapped Vanessa across the face, a vicious, echoing smack.
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“Shut your mouth, you stupid girl!” Carol hissed.
The masks had completely fallen off. They were turning on each other like cornered rats.
