Guy's expression darkened instantly. He didn't speak, but the silent pressure radiating off him was more suffocating than any threat.
He lifted a hand. Bodyguards moved in immediately, forcing me into the car and dragging me to the party.
The moment I was shoved through the doors of the banquet hall, Mabel swept toward me in a gown, all smiles, and placed a party hat on my head.
She played the part of the doting little sister to perfection, pressing a beautifully wrapped box into my hands, her voice honeyed and sweet. "Happy birthday, sis. I've been working on this gift for a long time. You're going to love it."
Every pair of eyes in the room settled on my hands, silently urging me to open it.
I lifted my gaze, cold and indifferent, and tore the wrapping apart.
Inside lay a single sheet of paper.
My mother's death certificate.
My vision went black. The report crumpled in my grip and slipped to the floor.
Tears spilled down my face, but no sound came out. I was a fish with a hand around its throat, gasping for air that wouldn't come.
My daughter was gone.
Now my mother was gone too.
The last person on this earth who loved me, and Mabel had killed her.