Security guards seized Vanessa’s arms. She thrashed wildly, the seam of her emerald gown tearing.
“You can’t do this!” she shrieked, spitting venom. “I own half this company! I know about the offshore accounts, Alexander! Throw me out, and I’ll burn your empire to the ground!”
Alexander didn’t flinch. He simply checked his watch.
“The accounts you tried to wire twenty million to this morning?” His voice was dead calm. “The FBI intercepted the transfer an hour ago. They’re waiting in the driveway.”
Vanessa froze. The remaining color drained from her face.
“You see, Vanessa,” Alexander whispered, stepping uncomfortably close. “I’ve suspected you since the car crash. But I needed absolute proof of what you did to my first wife.”
Outside, heavy sirens wailed, echoing through the marble halls.
“Proof of what?” she stammered, panic finally suffocating her rage. “I didn’t do anything!”
From the doorway, a small, chillingly calm voice broke the silence.
“Yes, you did.”
Vanessa spun around.
Lily wasn’t crying anymore. She wasn’t cowering behind Maria. The six-year-old stood perfectly straight. Slowly, her small hands reached up and untied the thick black blindfold. It dropped to the floor.
Lily’s bright blue eyes locked dead onto Vanessa’s horrified face.
“You… you’re blind!” Vanessa gasped, her legs finally giving out.
“The surgery worked three months ago,” Lily said, her stare piercing right through her stepmother. She lifted her ornate wooden cane. With a sharp twist, the gold and pearl handle popped open, revealing a blinking red microphone and a memory drive. “But I needed to hear you confess.”
Alexander adjusted his cuffs as armed detectives stormed up the stairs.
“Enjoy prison, Vanessa,” he said, turning his back on her. “I hear green really isn’t your color.”