Felix threw his head back and drained the rest of the whiskey. The ice cubes clinked sharply against the crystal glass.
He turned and walked back into the study. He set the glass down on the mahogany desk. He snapped his fingers at Alex, who stood silently in the corner.
Alex stepped forward and bowed his head.
Felix's mind replayed the exact angle of Clara's wrist lock. His eyes darkened.
"Dig into Clara Crawford's background," Felix ordered, his voice a low gravel. "I want every medical record and orphanage file from before she was adopted."
Alex hesitated. "Sir, the standard background checks showed she was just a normal orphan."
Felix let out a cold, humorless laugh. He closed his eyes for a fraction of a second, replaying the precise pivot of her shoulder, the flawless transfer of kinetic energy. "Her movements... they were too precise, too lethal for a sheltered heiress. A normal civilian doesn't react with that kind of calculated brutality. Find out if she's had martial arts training, or if there's a hidden gap in her history. Dig deeper."
Felix tapped his fingers on the desk. "Use the Astor intelligence network. Do not alert anyone."
Alex's spine stiffened. He nodded sharply and left the room to execute the highest-level clearance order.
Downstairs, Clara walked out of the hallway holding her black duffel bag.
Her steps were steady. She looked like a guest checking out of a bad hotel.
As she reached the center of the foyer, Helen rushed forward, blocking her path.
Helen stared at the single, small bag. Her eyes filled with tears again.
"Are you really leaving like this?" Helen's voice cracked. "You're not taking any of your clothes? Your jewelry?"
"That was Price charity," Clara said, her face blank. "I don't want it."
Helen's chest tightened painfully. The image of the pearl earring burned in her mind. The guilt was suffocating.
Helen frantically unclasped her Birkin bag. Her hands shook as she dug inside.
She pulled out a heavy, matte black American Express Centurion card. She grabbed Clara's hand and shoved the card into her palm.
Clara frowned. She immediately tried to push it back. She didn't need their blood money.
Helen gripped Clara's fingers tight. "Please. It's my personal account. It has nothing to do with the family. It's just... a mother making sure her daughter doesn't starve."
Clara looked at the new wrinkles around Helen's eyes. She saw the raw, desperate pleading. A tiny crack formed in the cold, impenetrable armor Clara had built from the agonizing memories of her alternate life.
Clara closed her fingers. The metal card felt freezing against her skin.
"Thank you. Take care," Clara said softly. She stepped around Helen.
Just then, the study door clicked open. Felix walked slowly down the grand staircase.
His eyes locked onto Clara's back. It was an invasive, predatory stare.
Clara felt the weight of his gaze. She stopped walking. She turned her head and met his eyes.
They stared at each other across the massive room. The air grew heavy. Invisible sparks snapped between them.
Felix's lips curved into a slow, arrogant smirk. He was waiting to see what she would do next.
Clara broke the eye contact. She shoved the Black Amex into her trench coat pocket and turned toward the front door.
The side parlor doors violently slammed open.
Bria stormed into the foyer. She was covered in dried mud and shaking with rage. Her eyes instantly locked onto the pocket where Clara had just hidden the black card.
