“A contract you breached the moment you participated in a felony on video,” my father replied coldly. “The properties will be seized, liquidated, and the Cross family name will be thoroughly wiped from the hospitality industry by the end of the fiscal quarter.”

Vivian looked at me, her eyes wide with terror as the reality of her total ruin began to settle in. She took a step toward me, her hands trembling. “Olivia… please. It was a misunderstanding. I was stressed about the wedding. We’re family now.”

I pulled the bandages down slightly, looking at her through bloodshot, watering eyes that were finally beginning to see her clearly. “A filthy, penniless woman like me doesn’t belong in this family,” I repeated her own words back to her, my voice steady and cold. “And luckily for me, after today, this family won’t even have a house to belong to.”

The sirens began to wail in the distance, growing louder as they turned down the long, private driveway.