Chapter 4 - Digital Poison
Adrian flicked the speaker button on the dashboard. The screen lit up with Julian’s smirking face, framed by the opulent decor of the family mansion’s dining room. In the background, Victoria sat at the head of the long table, sipping iced tea as though it were a sunny afternoon tea party rather than two in the morning.
""Hey, big brother,"" Julian sneered, his voice dripping with condescension. ""Hope you’re enjoying the cheap motel sheets. Oh wait, the deputies told Mom you ran like a coward out the back window.""
Adrian kept his eyes pinned to the winding country road, his tone arctic. ""Say what you called to say, Julian. Then delete my number.""
""Delete your number? After the gift I just posted online?"" Julian chuckled, spinning his camera around to show a laptop screen. On the screen was the video Julian had recorded earlier—the clip of Clara kneeling by the foot basin. But it was heavily edited, spliced with distorted audio and a bold, slanderous caption: Gold-digging wife caught attempting to assault elderly matriarch before military husband threatens family with violence.
Clara let out a stifled sob, burying her face in her hands. The video already showed thousands of shares across local social media groups.
""Mom sent the raw footage to the base public affairs office, too,"" Julian continued smugly. ""By sunrise, Sergeant Vance, you won't even have a uniform to hide behind. Come home, sign the waiver relinquishing your claim to Dad’s estate, and maybe Mom won't press felony extortion charges against your little stray.""
Victoria’s voice floated smoothly from the background. ""Adrian, darling. You have until eight o'clock this morning. Bring the girl back, let her formally apologize on camera to restore our family name, and I will allow you to live in the carriage house until the child arrives. Defy me, and I will destroy you both.""
Adrian’s breath remained slow, disciplined, and terrifyingly cold. ""Mother,"" he said quietly, ""you made one mistake tonight.""
""And what is that, my arrogant boy?""
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""You forgot that Dad taught me how to read his logs before he died.""
Adrian hung up the call before Victoria could answer. On the seat beside him, Clara gasped as a sharp, sudden cramp doubled her over.
