Camilla stood inside the massive walk-in closet. She mechanically pulled her clothes off the velvet hangers.
She folded them and placed them into her suitcase. Her movements were slow and careful. It felt like a funeral. She was burying the last four years of her life.
Heavy footsteps echoed from the living room. Then, a familiar, high-pitched laugh pierced the quiet air.
Camilla's hands stopped moving. Her stomach knotted. Her eyes turned instantly cold. She dropped the sweater she was holding and walked out of the bedroom.
Billie was sitting right in the middle of the living room sofa. Her legs were crossed. In her hands, she was tossing a small, delicate wooden music box.
It was the only thing Camilla had left from her dead mother.
Diane stood near the kitchen island. She held a glass of red wine she had poured for herself. She looked around the apartment with a smug, entertained smile. "Don't look at us like that," Diane said, taking a leisurely sip of her wine. "Carlisle sent us to supervise your packing. We are here to ensure you don't walk away with any Stark family heirlooms you have absolutely no right to."
Billie saw Camilla walk in. She held the music box up high in the air. Her smile was pure poison.
"Look what I found!" Billie laughed. "A cheap little toy. Fits you perfectly, doesn't it?"
Camilla's voice was low. Her chest vibrated with suppressed rage.
"Put that down, Billie. It's not yours."
Billie stood up. She walked closer to Camilla. She shook the music box right in front of Camilla's face.
"Or what?" Billie taunted. "You'll cry? You're nothing but a discarded, useless piece of-"
Before Billie even finished her sentence, she opened her fingers.
The music box dropped toward the hardwood floor.
Camilla's pupils dilated. Her heart slammed against her ribs. Her body moved completely on instinct. She dove forward and shoved her hands out.
She caught the wooden box just inches from the floor.
The sharp metal hinge on the bottom sliced deep into the palm of her hand. Bright red blood instantly welled up and dripped onto the floor.
Camilla pulled the box tight against her chest. She looked up at Billie. The fire in her eyes was lethal.
Billie just laughed harder.
"Oops! My bad," Billie sneered. "But really, it's just trash, like you."
Diane took a sip of her wine and added fuel to the fire.
"Billie, don't waste time with her," Diane said. "Carlisle wants her gone. Why don't you help her pack... by throwing her things out the window?"
Billie's eyes lit up. She spun around and grabbed a heavy crystal vase off the coffee table. Camilla had picked that vase out herself in Italy. Billie raised it above her head, ready to smash it.
Camilla's patience snapped.
She lunged forward. She ripped the heavy vase right out of Billie's hands. She slammed it back down onto the glass table. The loud bang shook the room.
Billie jumped back, clearly startled by the aggression. Then, her face twisted into pure fury. She raised her hand, her sharp acrylic nails aiming straight for Camilla's face.
"You bitch! How dare you-"
Camilla didn't flinch. She didn't back away.
Before Billie's nails could even touch her skin, Camilla raised her own hand.
Smack.
Camilla slapped Billie across the face with everything she had.
The sharp, cracking sound echoed off the high ceilings. Billie stumbled back. She grabbed her red cheek. Her eyes were wide with absolute shock. The room went dead silent.
Diane screamed.
"You hit her? ! You low-class-"
Camilla ignored Diane completely. She pointed a bloody finger straight at the front door. Her voice was freezing.
"I said, get out. And if you ever touch my things again, I'll do more than slap you."
Billie finally snapped out of her shock. She lunged at Camilla, screaming at the top of her lungs.
"I'll kill you!"
Right at that exact second, the front door swung open.
Carlisle stood in the doorway. The cold air from the hallway rushed in with him. His dark eyes swept over the chaotic living room.
Billie's entire demeanor changed instantly. She burst into fake, heavy tears. She ran to Carlisle and grabbed his arm.
"Carlisle! She hit me! That crazy woman hit me!"
Diane rushed over, pointing an accusing finger at Camilla.
"Carlisle, you see? She's violent! Unhinged! You need to call the police!"
Carlisle's gaze moved past his mother and sister. He looked at Camilla. He saw her clutching the music box to her chest. He saw the fresh blood dripping from her hand onto the floor.
A tiny, almost invisible flicker of emotion crossed his eyes. But he blinked, and it was gone. Replaced by the same empty coldness.
He walked slowly toward Camilla. His gaze flicked to her bleeding hand, then back to her face, completely indifferent to her injury. He didn't ask what happened. He didn't care. "I don't care who started this," his voice held zero warmth. "There will be no physical violence in my property. Apologize to her and end this farce."
Camilla tilted her head up. She stared straight into his dark eyes. A bitter, sarcastic smile pulled at her lips.
"Apologize? For defending myself and my property?"
Carlisle's jaw clenched tight. His voice dropped an octave.
"I won't repeat myself. Apologize, now. De-escalate this."
A wave of sickening anger washed over Camilla. Her chest heaved. She refused to look down. She took one step closer to him.
"She tried to smash my mother's music box," Camilla said, her voice shaking with rage. "She attacked me first. I will not apologize."
Billie hid behind Carlisle's broad back. She sobbed loudly.
"She's lying! I just touched it!"
Diane pressed harder. "Carlisle, this is unacceptable. Your sister is the victim here."
Before Carlisle could speak, his cell phone buzzed loudly in his pocket.
He pulled it out. He looked at the screen. His jaw tightened even more. He answered it.
"Celine," he said simply.
He turned his back on the room and walked out onto the balcony, leaving the heavy, suffocating tension hanging in the air.
