THE DEVIL'S BRIDE

When the police burst through the door, I was still in my livestream, animatedly bragging.

"Yes, that’s right. I swindled the entire family fortune—every last cent."

The lead officer’s expression darkened as he clenched his fists.

"Claire Bowden, you’ve been reported by viewers in your livestream for fraud. Come with us."

I yawned lazily and draped the limited-edition fur coat my sister-in-law bought me two months ago over my shoulders. It was a one-of-a-kind piece, now a collector’s item worth a fortune.

My sister-in-law adored high fashion, but as long as I cast a lingering glance at something, she would give it to me without hesitation.

The viewers in the livestream had sharp eyes, and the chat exploded with comments.

"Isn’t this the same coat Mrs. Bowden bought at that charity gala? When Mrs. Bowden was rescued from that club, she was covered in bruises, her clothes torn to shreds, and now this ungrateful Claire has the audacity to wear her things?"

"That’s not all! The Bowden family’s former CEO and his son are both homeless, begging on the streets, while Claire lives in luxury. Does it make your blood boil?"

"The Bowdens have spent years dedicated to charity, helping underprivileged kids in rural areas. And this woman preys on good people like them. She’s worse than an animal!"

Hearing this, I casually picked up a stack of property deeds from the table, waving them at the camera with a wicked grin.

"Officer, it’s the middle of the night. Isn’t this technically trespassing? Do you even have a warrant?"

The lead officer smirked coldly and slapped a warrant onto the table.

"We came prepared. Cooperate and come quietly! We're taking fraud cases seriously. Confess, and you might get leniency. Resist, and you’ll face severe consequences!"

I raised my hands in mock surrender and followed them to the squad car without fuss, exuding a calmness far beyond my years.

When we arrived at the station, my brother came rushing out to meet us.

He looked haggard—skin and bones, with a scruffy beard. Despite the freezing winter night, he was wearing a wrinkled, threadbare T-shirt.

His eyes brimmed with disbelief.

"Claire, tell me this is a joke. You’re my little sister. You wouldn’t really do something like this, would you?"

I curled my lips into a smirk, the malice in my smile growing sharper.

"Of course, it’s true, you idiot. I was never chosen to inherit anything, was I? If the money wasn’t going to go to me, why let that useless son of yours, Daniel, have it? Better for me to take it all and spend it on myself!"

I laughed, a sharp and bitter sound that echoed in the room. "Since I couldn’t have everything, I decided to destroy it all instead!"

My brother’s eyes grew dim, the hope in them extinguished bit by bit. Disappointment etched itself onto his face, too heavy to conceal.

A tremor passed through my chest, but I ignored it and kept speaking.

"Oh, did you not know, dear brother? Daniel racked up quite a bit of online debt. The interest kept piling up, and now, the loan sharks have already taken one of his legs as payment!

"And I heard that your dear wife has completely lost her mind. She bites anyone who gets too close to her. Well, after everything she went through in a place like that... If this were the old days, wouldn’t they call her a fallen woman?"

Before I could say more, a female officer snatched the phone from my hand. She didn’t stop the livestream, leaving the enraged viewers to vent their fury in the comments.

"How can someone be so ungrateful? This is disgusting! Claire had mental health issues before the Bowdens struck it rich. They sold everything they had to pay for her treatment, even skipping meals themselves!"

"She has no reason to act like this. Their actual heir, Daniel Bowden, doesn’t even own a single house, while Claire has five properties, all gifted to her by her brother!"

"The Bowdens were fools! That ungrateful witch should’ve stayed in the psychiatric hospital. Letting her out only endangers society!"

The officers escorting me were visibly furious, their faces set in grim. Without a word, they shoved me into the interrogation room.

The livestream was finally cut off, leaving the room in tense silence. The officer assigned to question me exhaled deeply, struggling to contain his anger.

"Tell me, why did you do it?"