Chapter 02

"Morana? Why are you buying all these psycho weapons?"

I turned around. Eris stood in the doorway of the shop with her nose wrinkled. Devlin was right behind her, still holding his phone.

"So creepy," Eris said, looking at the guns on the wall.

"None of your damn business." I turned back to the counter.

Devlin walked up and put a hand on my shoulder. "Babe, is the paranoia acting up again?" He looked at the dealer and gave a sad little smile. "Sorry. She's been under a lot of stress lately."

I looked at his hand on my shoulder. In my first life, that hand pushed me out into the snow.

Still putting on a show? I thought. Fine. Let these two clowns dance a little longer.

Eris grabbed Devlin's arm and pulled him away. "Forget her, babe. Ignore the psycho. Come on, I saw something I want next door."

...

The ski shop next door was all glass and white lights. Eris walked straight to a silver ski suit in the window and tapped the glass.

"This one," she told the cashier. "Ring it up."

The cashier blinked. "Ma'am, that's one hundred thousand dollars."

"Did I ask for the price?" Eris tossed my supplemental card onto the counter. "Ring it up."

I leaned against the doorway and watched.

The card machine beeped. Then it beeped again.

"Transaction failed," the cashier said. "The account is frozen."

Eris's smile dropped. "That's impossible. It must be a glitch. Run it again."

The cashier ran it again. Same sound.

"Sir," she said, turning to Devlin, "the system shows that all access on this card was frozen by the main account holder. Yesterday."

Both of them turned to look at me.

Eris's face went red. "Then use another card, Devlin. Or I'm moving out tonight. Let's see how you explain that to Mom."

Devlin walked over to me, his voice low and hurt. "Did you do this, babe?" He sighed like I was a child. "It's just money. Why are you competing with your little sister?"

I almost laughed.

In my last life, I fell for this exact face. This sad voice. This cheap little act. How stupid was I?

"Your extra card," I said calmly. "Your engagement. Your future." I pulled the ring off my finger and dropped it into his hand. "Starting today, it all ends."

Devlin stared at the ring. Eris gasped.

I walked out without looking back.

...

By that evening, I was standing in front of my mother's estate with a man in a hard hat. He was flipping through the long list I gave him.

"Steel blast doors," I said. "Electric fence. Automatic turrets. Thermal cameras. Backup power. I want the best defense system money can buy. And I want all of it working tonight."

He chuckled and shook his head. "Sweetheart, you clearly know nothing about construction. A job like this takes a week. Minimum."

"Five times the pay," I said. "Start now, or I call the next company."

His mouth closed. He looked at the list again, then at me.

"Understood," he said, pulling out his radio. "One hour. I'll lead the crew myself."

...

The work went fast. Trucks came in and out all night. By midnight, the walls were up and the new steel door was locked.

Then someone pounded on it.

I checked the camera screen. Devlin stood outside the gate. Two men in white uniforms stood beside him, and a police officer stood behind them.

"You'd better go," I told the builders. "He found me already."

I almost had to give Devlin credit. He moved faster than I expected.

"Morana!" Devlin shouted into the camera. He held up a piece of paper. "You have severe paranoid delusions. A judge made me your legal guardian. As of today, this estate is mine."

One of the men in white stepped forward. "Under the judge's emergency guardianship order, we can take you in for a mental evaluation without your consent. Please open the door now."

When I didn't answer, Devlin's face twisted. "Break this door down!"

I pressed the speaker button. "A scrap of paper for my billion-dollar fortress?" I laughed. "Screw you."

"Open the door, Morana!"

"Sorry, Devlin." I leaned closer to the microphone. "Yesterday, I cut you and Eris out of the family trust. You don't control a single dollar of my mother's money. That guardianship order of yours is worthless."

The officer took the paper from Devlin and read it again. The two men in white looked at each other.

Devlin's face turned purple. "You witch! Then pay me a fifty-million-dollar breakup settlement, or I leak everything about you to the press. I'll ruin you!"

Eris stepped out from behind him. Her designer bag hung from her arm.

"And I want a public apology," she shouted. "On your knees. Or I'll destroy your reputation myself."

I opened the side hatch in the gate. Eris looked confused. Then I reached through, grabbed the bag off her arm, and threw it straight into the muddy snow by the road. A builder's truck rolled right over it.

Eris screamed. "My limited-edition bag! You wouldn't dare!"

I tilted my head. "Weren't you just demanding that I apologize?"