Carli sat at her desk, staring at the computer screen.

Ding.

An email from her lawyer in Los Angeles popped up. Attached was the final draft of the trust transfer agreement. Carli clicked download and sent it to her printer. The machine hummed, spitting out the thick stack of legal papers.

She slid the documents into a brown manila envelope.

Her phone rang. It was a FaceTime call from her best friend, Phoebe.

Carli took a deep breath. She forced her facial muscles to relax and answered the call.

Phoebe's face filled the screen. She was wearing a green clay face mask. Her eyes narrowed instantly.

"You have red veins in your eyes," Phoebe said. "What happened last night?"

Carli didn't try to lie. "I went to the garage. I caught Vaughn and Isla in his car."

Phoebe ripped the face mask off her skin. "That motherfucker!" she screamed. She unleashed a string of brutal curses that echoed through Carli's quiet apartment.

Carli let out a long breath. Her shoulders dropped. Hearing Phoebe yell made the knot in her chest loosen just a little.

"Where is the ring?" Phoebe demanded.

"I threw it at his face," Carli said.

"Good," Phoebe said fiercely. "Did it leave a mark?"

"I hope so," Carli said. She didn't mention the club. She didn't mention the masked man. "Keri called me this morning. She wants me to take Lilah to the Gutierrez gala tonight."

Phoebe scoffed. "She wants Lilah to hook up with Julian Gutierrez. It's so obvious."

"I know," Carli said. She held up the manila envelope to the camera. "But I'm using it. I told Keri I'd do it if she signs over Edna's trust fund today."

Phoebe nodded slowly. "Smart. But read every single word before she signs. Keri is a snake."

At the mention of Edna, Carli's chest tightened again. She opened her desk drawer and pulled out an old wooden cigar box. She opened the lid. Inside lay a few of Edna's design sketches, a worn copy of a French novel they used to read together during Edna's years in Paris, and a faded strawberry-shaped hairpin.

"I still don't believe the avalanche was an accident," Carli whispered. She ran her thumb over the plastic strawberry.

"I'll call my uncle in Geneva," Phoebe said softly. "He has some connections in the city. It's a long shot, and he might not be willing to dig into closed files, but I can ask him to pull some strings and see what he can find. Don't get your hopes up, but we will try to find out what happened to her, Carli."

"Thank you," Carli said.

They hung up. Carli felt a surge of adrenaline in her blood. She walked into her closet and pulled out a sharp, black tailored suit. She put it on. The stiff fabric made her feel like she was wearing armor.

She shoved the envelope into her leather tote bag, grabbed her car keys, and walked out of her apartment.

She walked down the narrow hallway and pressed the elevator button.

The metal doors slid open.

Carli stopped breathing.

Vaughn was standing inside the elevator. He looked terrible. His hair was messy, and he was holding a massive bouquet of red roses.

Carli's stomach churned. The smell of the roses mixed with the memory of the garage. She felt physically sick.

Vaughn saw her suit. His eyes widened slightly, then he put on a sad, desperate face. He stepped out of the elevator and reached for her hand.

Carli jerked her arm back. She pressed her back against the wall to get away from him.

"Carli, please," Vaughn begged. His voice was raspy. "Just give me five minutes. Let me explain."

Carli stared at the red roses. "I'm allergic to pollen, Vaughn. You dated me for seven years and you still don't know that."

Vaughn's face froze. He slowly lowered the flowers. "It was a mistake," he rushed out. "Isla means nothing. I was drunk. I was stressed about the merger-"

Carli looked at her watch. "I don't care. Move out of my way. I have somewhere to be."

Vaughn's face turned red. He threw the bouquet of roses onto the floor. The red petals scattered across the cheap hallway carpet.

"You never care!" Vaughn yelled. He stepped closer, using his height to tower over her. "For seven years, all you cared about was your work. You suffocated me, Carli!"

Carli let out a short, cold laugh. "I suffocated you? I spent the last three years using my contacts to save your company from bankruptcy. Three times, Vaughn."

Vaughn's jaw clenched. His mask of guilt fell away, replaced by pure anger. He took another step forward, trapping her between the wall and the elevator door.

"If you break off this engagement," Vaughn threatened, his voice dropping low, "the Bass and Adler family merger is dead. Your father will destroy you."

Carli didn't blink. She looked straight into his eyes. "That's between you and the old men. It has nothing to do with me."

Vaughn's breathing turned heavy. He suddenly changed his tone. "Carli, come on. Isla was just a cheap thrill. It meant nothing."

Carli reached into her coat pocket. She pulled out her phone and tapped the screen. She pressed play.

The sound of Isla's moans and Vaughn's heavy breathing blasted from the phone speaker. The noise filled the quiet hallway.

Vaughn's eyes widened in horror. "Give me that!"

He lunged forward and swiped at her phone.

Carli was faster. She shoved the phone deep into her pocket and stepped back.

Vaughn lost his mind. He lunged again. His large hand clamped down on Carli's left wrist. His grip was brutal. Pain shot up her arm.

"Let go of me!" Carli yelled. She tried to pull away, but he was too strong. Her shoes scraped against the floor.

"You are not leaving me!" Vaughn roared. He yanked her toward him, trying to drag her back toward her apartment door.

Carli's heart hammered against her ribs. She stopped pulling. She forced her brain to focus.

Her right hand was free. She reached into the side pocket of her tote bag. Her fingers wrapped around a small, cold metal cylinder. It was military-grade pepper spray.

Vaughn grabbed her shoulders. He leaned in, trying to force his mouth onto hers.

Carli pulled the safety pin. She raised her hand, aimed the nozzle directly at his eyes, and pressed down hard.

A thick stream of orange chemical spray hit Vaughn straight in the face.

Vaughn let out a blood-curdling scream.

He dropped Carli's wrist instantly. He brought both hands up to his face, clawing at his eyes. He collapsed onto his knees, screaming and coughing as the chemicals burned his skin and lungs.

Carli stepped back. She rubbed her throbbing wrist. A dark red bruise was already forming on her pale skin.

She looked down at the pathetic man crying on the floor.

"If you ever come within ten feet of me again," Carli said, her voice completely steady, "I will get a restraining order."

She stepped over the crushed red roses. She walked into the elevator and pressed the button for the basement garage.

The doors closed, cutting off Vaughn's screams.

Carli leaned against the metal wall. She took a deep breath. Her hands were shaking slightly from the adrenaline, but her mind was crystal clear.

She walked to her Mercedes G-Wagon. She unlocked it, climbed in, and locked the doors. She looked in the rearview mirror. Her hair was still perfect.

She started the engine. The heavy SUV roared to life. Carli slammed her foot on the gas. She drove out of the garage and merged onto the highway heading toward Long Island.

She turned up the heavy metal music on the radio. She was ready for war.

The tires of the G-Wagon crunched over the white gravel driveway of the Bass Estate.

Carli parked the car next to the massive stone fountain. She took a deep breath, grabbed the manila envelope, and stepped out.

The front door opened before she reached the steps. The butler stood there, his face completely blank. He didn't say a word as she walked past him.

Carli stepped into the grand living room. The giant crystal chandelier cast a cold, harsh light over the marble floors.

Lilah was sitting on the velvet sofa. She was holding a hand mirror, admiring a heavy diamond necklace around her neck.

When Lilah saw Carli, she immediately put on a fake, sweet smile. "Carli! You're here!" She stood up and reached out to hug her.

Carli ignored her arms. She walked past Lilah and sat down on the opposite sofa. Her eyes locked onto the diamonds. It was Edna's necklace. Her chest tightened with anger.

Keri walked into the room carrying a cup of coffee. She looked at Carli's black suit and sneered.

Keri tossed a thick, gold-embossed invitation onto the glass coffee table. "Keep that safe. You are not leaving Lilah's side tonight. You will introduce her to the Gutierrez board members."

Carli didn't look at the invitation. She slowly unwound the string on the manila envelope. She pulled out the thick stack of trust transfer papers.

She slapped the papers down onto the glass table. The sound was sharp.

"Sign the papers giving up your management rights," Carli said. "Or Lilah doesn't get past the front door tonight."

Keri's face turned red. "How dare you speak to me like that! You are embarrassing this family over pennies!"

"Pennies?" Carli's voice was like ice. "You've been illegally skimming ten percent of the trust dividends for the last three years."

Keri gasped. Panic flashed in her eyes, quickly replaced by rage. She slammed her coffee cup down. "You ungrateful little bitch!"

Lilah immediately hid behind Keri's arm. She squeezed out two fake tears. "Mom, why does she hate me so much? I just want to go to the party."

Carli rolled her eyes. She tapped her knuckles against the glass table. "Sign it."

The heavy oak doors of the second-floor study suddenly swung open. Howard, Carli's father, walked out. His face was dark with fury.

His heavy footsteps echoed through the room as he walked down the stairs. He radiated absolute, suffocating authority.

He walked up to the sofa. He didn't look at the papers. He pointed a thick finger at Carli. "Apologize to your mother. Right now."

Carli tilted her head up. She looked her father in the eye. "No."

Howard's eyes widened. No one ever told him no. He snatched the papers off the table. He read the first page. He saw the demand for full control.

He let out a cruel laugh. He grabbed the thick stack of papers and ripped them in half. The sound of tearing paper filled the room.

Keri and Lilah smiled.

Howard threw the torn pieces at Carli's chest. The papers fluttered to the floor. "If you don't do exactly as you're told tonight, I will freeze every credit card in your name."

Carli didn't move. She didn't blink.

She reached into her bag. She pulled out three identical copies of the agreement. She set them on the table.

"If I don't get a signature right now," Carli said, her voice dead calm, "the IRS gets an anonymous email tomorrow morning detailing exactly how Bass Corporation hides its offshore accounts."

The air in the room vanished. Howard's face turned purple. The war had officially begun.