Chapter 2: The Mask of the Heiress
The silence that followed was louder than any scream. Beatrice stood frozen, her hands still trembling from the push. The "surrogate" on the floor stood up. Clara didn't look injured anymore; she looked like a soldier preparing for a breach.
"The surveillance in this house," Clara said, her voice crisp and professional, "has been broadcasting to a DOJ server for the last six months. Every bribe, every shell company transfer, and every threat you’ve made—it’s all archived."
Beatrice’s composure, built over decades of high-society dominance, finally shattered. "You… you set me up? You married my son to get inside?"
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Julian stood beside Clara, taking her hand. "She didn't set you up, Mother. You built the trap yourself with your greed. I spent the last three years watching you destroy this family, stealing from the employees, and intimidating anyone who spoke the truth. Clara was the only person with the courage to bring you down."
Beatrice lunged for the phone on the console table, desperate to call her "fixers," but the line was dead. The mansion’s security system, usually her pride and joy, had been overridden.
