Chapter 5 - The Confrontation
The night of the fall, Julian was out of town at a logistics summit in Chicago. Evelyn was hosting a small tea for two high-society board members in the garden parlor on the ground floor.
Elena chose 6:15 PM.
She walked to the top of the grand staircase, holding a thick manila folder filled with fabricated bank statements showing Vanessa embezzling over two million dollars from Julian’s personal logistics accounts. She knew Vanessa was watching her reflection in the hallway mirror.
"Vanessa," Elena called out, her voice loud enough to echo down to the foyer where Evelyn had just walked out of the parlor. "Explain this."
Vanessa marched over, her heels clicking aggressively on the polished hardwood. "What garbage are you waving around now, Elena?"
"You've been stealing from Julian," Elena said clearly, taking three measured steps down the staircase, luring Vanessa onto the incline. "Every single business deal you brought him was a front for a shell company owned by your bankrupt father."
Vanessa’s eyes flashed with pure venom. She lunged forward, grabbing Elena’s wrist with claw-like nails. "Give me that file!"
"Get your hands off me!" Elena shouted, ensuring Evelyn, who had just stepped onto the bottom landing, had a full, unobstructed view.
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"You stupid, pathetic little bitch," Vanessa hissed, dropping all pretenses as she shoved Elena hard in the chest with both hands. "You’re leaving this house tonight, one way or another!"
Elena braced her core, allowed the momentum to carry her backward, twisted her hips to take the brunt of the impact on her armored left thigh and shoulder, and tumbled down the final four steps, crashing onto the padded rug with a heavy, sickening thud.
