Chapter 12 - Blood in the Water
I arrived at the estate's courtyard just as the front gates were secured behind her. Evelyn Moreau stepped out of her white Range Rover, wearing oversized sunglasses, a designer trench coat, and four-inch stilettos that crunched aggressively on the pristine gravel.
Behind her, a cameraman with a shoulder-mounted television rig stepped onto our grass, filming every inch of the Bradford mansion.
Two of our security guards stood in front of them with arms crossed, refusing to let them advance an inch toward the main house.
"Cut the cameras, or I will have you arrested for criminal trespassing and confiscate your equipment," Frank Callahan boomed, his hand resting casually near his service weapon.
"Go ahead and try, officer!" Evelyn sneered, pulling down her designer shades to reveal eyes filled with venomous amusement. "We are on public easements right now, and I am serving legal notice as a certified representative of Vance Global Logistics!"
She spotted me walking down the wide stone steps, and her mouth curved into a sickening smile.
"Well, look who finally crawled out of her ivory tower," Evelyn called out, raising her voice so the microphone could catch every syllable. "Hello, Claire. Still hiding behind your daddy’s money and armed thugs?"
I stopped five paces from her, folding my arms across my chest. The sight of her—the woman who had held the phone, laughing, while my husband shoved my face into Cooper's cake—ignited a cold, calculating fury inside me. But I didn't yell. I didn't lose my temper. That was what they wanted: footage of the "unhinged, hysterical Bradford heiress."
"You breached private property, Evelyn," I said calmly, my voice steady and icy. "You have thirty seconds to turn around before the county sheriff arrives."
"The sheriff won't touch me, sweetie," she purred, pulling a crisp legal document from her leather purse. "This is a court order compelling an unannounced welfare check on Cooper Vance. Given the toxic environment and allegations of psychological abuse by the Bradford family, a family court judge granted Carter an emergency protective evaluation."
"Cooper is six years old," I said, stepping closer, my eyes locking onto hers with such intensity that her smirk faltered for a fraction of a second. "His last name is Bradford. And the only psychological trauma he ever suffered was watching you and Carter treat cruelty like entertainment."
Evelyn chuckled, leaning in so only I could hear her whisper. "Enjoy your little kingdom while it lasts, Claire. Carter didn't lose everything at that gala; he just shed dead weight. Mr. Kane bought our company’s debt. By the end of this month, Carter will be the majority shareholder of the Bradford rail network, and Cooper will be living with us in Miami. How does it feel knowing you gave him everything he needed to destroy you?"
My heart pounded against my ribs, but my face remained an emotionless mask. "Tell Marcus Kane that if he wants a war with George Bradford, he shouldn't send his lapdogs to do the barking."
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I turned to Frank. "Remove them. Press full charges for property destruction and harassment."
"You're a dead woman walking, Claire!" Evelyn shrieked as Frank took her arm and began escorting her back toward her car. "The whole world is watching you now!"
