Chapter 6 - The Uninvited Guest
I froze, my hand hovering over the desk. The deputies stationed outside the study door called out, followed by the heavy thud of boots on hardwood flooring.
"Mrs. Sterling?" a familiar deputy’s voice called. "You're safe. But you have a visitor in the foyer who managed to bypass the initial perimeter before we stopped them."
I stood up, adjusting my jacket, and walked out into the grand hallway. Standing by the sweeping staircase was a woman wrapped in an expensive designer trench coat, her sunglasses shielding her eyes. It was Victoria Sterling—Richard’s sister, who lived out of state and had conveniently missed all family gatherings, yet shared the exact same ruthless, elitist DNA.
Victoria pulled off her sunglasses, her eyes narrowing as she looked at me with open disgust.
"So," Victoria hissed, stepping forward past the deputy until a warning hand from the officer stopped her. "You’re the little parasite who managed to tear my family apart because you couldn't handle a basic domestic disagreement."
"Domestic disagreement?" I echoed, my voice ringing clear and cold through the empty foyer. "Your brother held me face-down on a wooden bench while your mother beat me with a rattan cane with an unborn child in my womb. That isn't a disagreement, Victoria. That's attempted murder."
Victoria sneered, crossing her arms. "Please. Everyone knows you're unstable. Mother and Richard only tried to correct your defiant behavior. You've always been ungrateful, leeching off the Sterling name, playing the perpetual victim."
"You might want to check the news updates before you finish that sentence," I replied, stepping closer, towering over her with newfound dignity. "The dashcam audio has already been distributed to major news outlets. The financial freeze is active. And every single hidden ledger in Richard’s study is currently being copied onto a federal server."
Victoria’s confident smirk faltered for a fraction of a second. A tremor touched her lips as she realized the sheer scale of the exposure. "You... you won't get away with this. The family has connections. Judges, politicians—"
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"None of them can save your brother or your mother from a federal recording of them committing a violent felony," I interrupted, my voice dropping to a sharp whisper. "And if you don't walk out those front gates right now, I’ll add obstruction of justice and harassment to the pile of charges your family is already facing."
The deputies stepped in, closing the distance between Victoria and me. Recognizing the checkmate, Victoria grabbed her bag, spat a venomous curse under her breath, and turned on her heel, storming out of the estate.
