Chapter 5
603words
A hawk-faced maid sneered, her lip curling with disdain:
"Well, well. Look who crawled back. Wasn't the former Mrs. Grant just kicked to the curb?"
"Can't live without your cushy lifestyle, huh? Coming back to beg for scraps?"
"You couldn't get out fast enough before. What, was that just for show?"
I cut through their chatter with an icy stare. "Where is Eve?"
They squirmed under my gaze before remembering I no longer held any power here.
One rolled her eyes dramatically. "And who exactly are you? The young miss doesn't receive just anyone these days."
I closed the distance in two strides, seized her face between my fingers, and repeated with deadly calm:
"Where. Is. Eve."
Her entire body trembled as she caught the murderous glint in my eyes. She stammered:
"I-I don't know! After you left, the old madam had her taken somewhere!"
I released her with a shove that sent her sprawling. Her eyes bulged as she finally noticed the wall of security personnel and police officers filling the doorway behind me.
The other servants froze like statues, barely daring to breathe.
I gestured lazily toward one of the trembling servants.
"You. Get Jessica Miller down here. Now."
The man scrambled toward the stairs on all fours, his voice cracking as he shouted:
"Ma'am! Ma'am, please come down right away!"
I surveyed the pathetic collection of staff with a frown of disgust.
Just hours away, and the entire mansion had transformed into a circus.
Soon, the sharp click of stilettos echoed from the stairwell.
Jessica Miller sauntered into view wearing my custom mink coat, her hair loosely pinned, fingers toying with my diamond necklace.
She paused dramatically at the landing, peering down at me like a queen addressing peasants.
Her eyes flickered briefly to the officers behind me before she covered her mouth with a theatrical laugh.
"Oh, Sylvia. Isn't this a bit much, even for you?"
"Got kicked out and hired some costume cops for revenge? How pathetic."
She leaned forward with mock concern. "Can you even afford this little stunt?"
The servants, emboldened by her confidence, began to smirk.
Someone whispered loudly enough to be heard: "Right? Since when do cops handle divorce drama? They're obviously fake."
I had no time for her theatrics.
"Where is my daughter? What have you done with her?"
Jessica arched a perfectly plucked eyebrow and descended the stairs with exaggerated leisure.
"Why don't you take a wild guess?"
"Eve Grant is a member of the Grant family. What business does she have with you, Sylvia Woods?"
"The old lady's taken a shine to her—wanted to treat her to lunch. Since when does she need your permission?"
A meal?
I laughed bitterly. Since the moment Victoria learned I'd given birth to a girl, she hadn't touched Eve once.
She'd only ever looked at my daughter with disgust, constantly mocking her for the crime of being female.
"Jessica Miller!"
My assistant stepped forward, her voice sharp as a blade.
"Do these officers look like actors to you?"
"Impersonating law enforcement is a felony, by the way."
Jessica's smile faltered for a split second before she recovered her mask of indifference.
"I haven't broken any laws. Even if they're real cops, they can't touch me."
I smiled and moved closer, locking eyes with her as I enunciated each word:
"You and Felix Grant are suspects in a corporate fraud investigation involving the illegal transfer of assets from a bankrupt company. You'll need to cooperate with the authorities."
