Chapter 3

David's focus was glued to Brenda, so he was unaware of what I was doing.

The second he saw her "unconscious" act, he stormed over and slapped me so hard my head snapped to the side. "You ungrateful brat! Brenda's always treated you like a sister, and this is how you repay her?

"Just wait. When I get back, you'll regret this!"

Without another word, he and Miranda scooped Brenda up, carried her to the car, and sped off in dramatic fashion.

I rubbed my stinging cheek, smiling bitterly. Turning to Robert and the gawking servants, I didn't miss a beat.

"Time's up. The trash isn't burned, so congrats—you're all fired."

Robert crossed his arms, unfazed, and shot back with a smug grin. "Maybe worry about yourself first. Who knows? You might be the first one tossed out of this house."

Snickers rippled through the group, their mocking intent obvious.

I smiled faintly, calm but sharp, and unclipped Rambo's leash. That was all it took. Rambo tore into action, barking ferociously as he charged toward Robert.

"Ahhh! She's crazy!" Robert shrieked, scrambling up the stairs. He practically flew to the third floor, pounding on a door. "Help! Claire's lost it! She's siccing the dog on me!"

The door creaked open, and out stepped my grandma, leaning heavily on her cane.

"Claire!" she snapped, "If you let that dog run wild one more time, you'll regret it!"

Rambo, ever the smart one, immediately froze. It tilted its head toward me, letting out a soft, pitiful whine.

Grandma's smirk screamed victory as Rambo froze, her wrinkled face oozing smugness. "Kill that dog! Turn it into stew and send it to Brenda as an apology. Got it?"

I shook my head, flicking a glance at Rambo. "What's this old hag even talking about?"

Right on cue, Rambo sprang into action. The house exploded into chaos—screams, frantic yelling, and his deep, furious barking echoing off the walls. Pure mayhem.

While everyone panicked, I got to work, tossing all of Brenda's and Miranda's stuff outside. Designer clothes, gold bars—seriously? These so-called victims of circumstance had been living like royalty.

Tsk, tsk. Guess this haul's heading straight to the cops.

I pulled out my phone, ready to make the call, when the front door slammed open. David.

His face went beet-red as he took in the wreckage. "Claire, you little brat!" he snarled, voice cracking. "I'll kill you today!"

Before he could even raise a hand, Rambo launched itself from the second floor, taking David down hard.

Grandma, who'd managed to escape earlier, let loose another scream. "David! Are you okay? That monster of a girl—I'll skin her alive myself!"

Gripping her cane, she half-ran, half-stumbled down the stairs, looking like she was about to combust.

No way was I about to stand there and take it. Been there, done that—never again. Clutching my head, I bolted for the door, yelling like my life depended on it.

"Help! My dad and grandma are trying to kill me—for the maid's daughter! What kind of witchcraft is this? Someone call the cops!"

Behind me, David's footsteps thundered. "Claire! Keep running your mouth, and I'll rip your tongue out!"

I didn't stop until I reached the gates of the villa complex, throwing myself into my mom's arms.

"Mom! Help! Dad and Grandma said they'd skin me alive and rip out my tongue!"

Mom steadied me, her expression shifting from shock to ice-cold fury as David stumbled toward us, panting.

"David Sinclair," she said, her voice sharp enough to cut glass, "is this how you treat my daughter when I'm not around? Forget your CEO position. You and your mother can pack your things and head straight back to the countryside!"

David, still catching his breath, flailed to defend himself. "It's not what you think! Let me explain! Claire's completely out of control—arrogant, violent—she even sicced her dog on people!"

Mom's sharp eyes flicked from David to Grandma, who had ditched her cane in her frantic rush to catch up.

Mom smiled bitterly.

"Oh, so you two pushed my daughter so far she had to unleash her dog? Impressive.

"Claire is always gentle and kind. For her to go to such extremes? She must've been wronged beyond belief."