Chapter 10 - The Altar of Deceit
Sophia stood under her wide black umbrella, looking completely transformed. Gone was the delicate lace wedding dress, replaced by a tailored charcoal cashmere trench coat and leather gloves. Her wavy blonde hair was tied back in a severe ponytail, and her face held none of the grief she had displayed in the ballroom.
""Running barefoot in the rain, Clara?"" Sophia called out, her voice calm, almost sympathetic. ""You always had more pride than sense.""
Clara backed away toward the wall of a closed bakery, clutching Lily tighter. ""Stay back, Sophia. The police already have the ballroom footage. You can't bury this.""
Sophia let out a short, musical laugh that sounded hideous against the rain. ""The ballroom footage? Julian's little display? Clara, darling, that was a sideshow. A distraction to keep Marcus and Internal Affairs looking at petty family drama while thirty million dollars cleared the clearinghouse in Frankfurt at midnight.""
""I have the drive,"" Clara warned, her voice steady despite the freezing rain soaking through her clothes. ""I saw the Cayman accounts. I saw your signature next to Julian's and Eleanor's.""
Sophia’s smile vanished, replaced by an expression of cold, predatory annoyance. ""Then you know why you can't be allowed to walk into a federal courthouse. That drive contains the destruction of three prominent families. Do you really think some third-rate assistant DA will protect you against the people who fund their campaigns?""
""I don't need a DA,"" Clara said. ""I need the press. I need the internet. One click, and every financial blog from here to London will have your ledger.""
Sophia tilted her head, signaling the two uniformed officers standing near the cruisers. They weren't moving to arrest Sophia; they were taking their cues from her. They drew their batons and began stepping across the street, cutting off Clara’s only route of escape.
""Give me the coat, Clara,"" Sophia said, extending a gloved hand. ""Give me the girl, and I'll let you take a one-way ticket to Vancouver. Refuse, and you won't survive the night. And trust me, Lily will grow up in a Vance private academy, completely forgetting you ever existed.""
Lily whimpered, sensing the lethal danger. ""Mommy... I want to go home...""
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""You are never touching my daughter,"" Clara snarled.
Just as the officers lunged to tackle her, a deafening horn blared down the cross street. A battered green delivery truck blew through the red light at full speed, slamming directly into the side of the lead police cruiser.
