Chapter 8 - The Crimson Viper Strikes
Victoria stood at the edge of the shallow pool steps, looking down like a predator whose kill had been stolen.
Her face was twisted into a grotesque mask of unadulterated fury and unhinged desperation.
The realization of her imminent exposure and criminal ruin had stripped away every shred of calculated poise.
Water splashed onto the hem of her crimson gown, but she seemed completely blind to her surroundings.
Her eyes were bloodshot, locked onto Clara’s surviving form with venomous, manic hatred.
She could not allow Clara to walk away from this rooftop and speak Julian’s name to the police.
Victoria took a vicious step forward, lifting her sharp black stiletto above the shallow water where Maya rested.
With a feral hiss, she lashed out with a brutal kick aimed directly at Maya’s exposed temple.
Maya saw the pointed heel descending and threw her left arm up in an instinctive, defensive block.
The impact of the shoe cracked painfully against Maya’s forearm, forcing her to grimace in sharp agony.
Maya tightened her right grip around Clara, twisting her body to shield the pregnant woman from the assault.
Victoria raised her leg again, preparing a heavier, fatal strike intended to shove both women back into the deep.
She screamed that Clara was a parasite who had ruined their family and destroyed her rightful inheritance.
The venom in Victoria’s voice echoed off the rooftop glass, manic and entirely detached from sanity.
Clara curled inward, shielding her swollen belly with both arms as she cowered against the stone riser.
Victoria’s stiletto poised at the apex of its arc, ready to crash down on Maya’s defenseless neck.
The rooftop wind whipped the blonde hair across Victoria’s contorted face like writhing serpents.
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Maya braced herself to absorb the blow, tightening her muscles to protect the mother and child at all costs.
Before the fatal kick could land, a deafening crash obliterated the rooftop's hostile air.
