I had one card left to play. A card my adopted parents never knew existed.
My biological grandfather wasn't just a memory; he was a kingpin. When he died, his underground empire had passed to his ruthless protégé, Samuel Russo.
Samuel had offered me a private number years ago, telling me to use it if the world ever turned its back on me.
I found my old burner phone hidden in the floorboards of my closet. I dialed the number.
"It's Harriet," I said when the line clicked open.
"Where are you?" Samuel’s voice was like grinding stone—cold, dangerous, and exactly what I needed.
"Trapped. I need extraction. And I need to burn some people to the ground."
"Give me two hours. Be ready."
I needed to gather the last piece of my soul before I left this house forever.
In the nursery—a room that now felt like a sterile graveyard—there was a cedar chest. Inside it was supposed to be a tiny, hand-knitted baby sweater.
My biological mother had made it before she died. It was spun from soft, ivory yarn, stitched with delicate, intricate vines. It was the only physical piece of her I had left in this world. I had placed it in the crib, waiting for the daughter who would never get to wear it.
I opened the chest. It was empty.
A sharp, cold panic spiked in my chest. I tore through the drawers. Nothing.
My hands shaking, I opened Layla’s Instagram on the burner phone.
There it was. A new post, uploaded twenty minutes ago.
“New exclusive collection dropping at Paws & Pearls! Hand-crafted vintage knits for your fur babies!”
The photo showed three purebred teacup poodles. They were wearing tiny, ivory sweaters stitched with delicate vines.
My breath stopped. She had stolen the sacred heirloom meant to warm my dead child’s body, and she had cut it to pieces with scissors to dress up dogs.
I didn't wait for Samuel. I couldn't.
I slipped out the back service door, bypassing Inigo’s rented guards, and hailed a cab on the main road.
Every bump in the road tore at my fresh surgical stitches, but the physical agony was nothing compared to the cold rage anchoring my spine.
The bell above the glass door of Paws & Pearls chimed cheerfully as I walked in. The boutique smelled of lavender and expensive leather, funded entirely by my stolen inheritance.
Layla was standing by the display counter, posing for a photographer with one of the poodles in her arms.
She looked up. Her perfectly manicured smile faltered for a fraction of a second before twisting into a cruel smirk.
"Harriet," she cooed, her voice dripping with fake pity. "What are you doing out of bed? Inigo said you were resting. You know, after the... tragedy."
I didn't look at her face. I looked at the dog in her arms.
The ivory yarn was fraying at the edges where she had carelessly hacked it apart. My mother’s final act of love, butchered for a viral social media post.
"Take it off," I said. My voice was eerily calm.
Layla blinked, feigning confusion. "Excuse me?"
"Take my mother’s sweater off that dog, Layla."
She let out a sharp, mocking laugh. She handed the dog to her assistant and crossed her arms, her diamond bracelets catching the light.
"Oh, Harriet. Don't be so dramatic. It was just sitting in a dusty box. Since your baby didn't make it, I figured someone should get some use out of it. It’s doing wonders for my engagement."
My nails dug into my palms until the skin broke. "You cut up my dead mother's heirloom. The heirloom meant for the baby you murdered."
The photographer gasped and stepped back. Layla’s eyes flashed with venom, dropping the sweet sister act instantly.
"Murdered?" Layla sneered, stepping into my space. "You're delusional. Your baby died because your body is useless. You're a barren, crazy housewife who couldn't even give her husband a healthy child. Don't project your pathetic failures onto me."
She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a vicious whisper meant only for me. "My baby is thriving. Inigo’s true child is thriving. You're nothing but a spare part we discarded."
I raised my hand. I was going to wipe that smirk off her face with everything I had left.
But before my palm could connect, the boutique door swung open.
"Harriet. Enough."
The voice was a whip crack.
Inigo strode into the shop. He walked straight past me and stood protectively in front of Layla.
"I told you to stay in the house," he said coldly. "Are you really going to embarrass me in public over some cheap yarn?"
