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.

Howard stared at Carli. The vein in his forehead throbbed violently.

"You are insane," Howard roared. "You would destroy your own family?"

Carli sat perfectly still. She looked up at the man who had ignored her for twenty-five years. She felt nothing but pity.

Keri panicked. She lunged forward to grab the new stack of papers. Carli slapped her hand away hard.

Lilah saw her chance. She ran forward and grabbed Howard's arm. "Daddy, don't be mad! Carli is just acting crazy because Vaughn dumped her!"

It was the wrong thing to say. The mention of public humiliation pushed Howard over the edge. He ripped his arm away from Lilah.

He swung his thick arm back. He put all his weight into it.

His open palm cracked against the left side of Carli's face.

The sound of the slap echoed like a gunshot. The force of the hit snapped Carli's head to the side. Her cheek burned like fire. Her teeth cut into the inside of her lip. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth.

The room went dead silent. Keri covered her mouth in shock. Lilah couldn't hide the massive smile spreading across her face.

Carli slowly turned her head back. She raised her thumb and wiped a drop of blood from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes were completely dead.

She didn't cry. She didn't scream.

She stood up. She looked down at Lilah, who was standing right next to her.

Before anyone could breathe, Carli swung her arm. She slapped Lilah across the face with every ounce of strength she had.

Lilah screamed. The force of the blow knocked her off her feet. She crashed onto the expensive Persian rug.

Lilah grabbed her rapidly swelling cheek and burst into loud, hysterical sobs.

"My baby!" Keri shrieked, dropping to her knees next to Lilah.

Howard raised his fist again, his face twisted in rage.

The front doors of the living room burst open. Vaughn stumbled inside. His eyes were red and puffy from the pepper spray, his face a blotchy, tear-stained mess. His chest heaved with ragged breaths. He must have driven like a madman, breaking every speed limit on the highway to track her down here so quickly. He had come to beg for forgiveness.

He stopped dead when he saw Lilah crying on the floor.

Vaughn's hero complex kicked in. He ran over and pulled Lilah into his chest. He glared at Carli with pure disgust. "What is wrong with you? Why are you so evil?"

Carli looked at her ex-fiancé holding her stepsister. The absurdity of it all hit her. She let out a loud, sharp laugh.

The sound of her laughter made everyone freeze.

Carli picked up a heavy gold pen from the table. She slammed it down on top of the trust papers. She pointed at the front door.

"Five," Carli said, staring right at Howard. "Four. Three."

Howard's hands shook. The threat of the IRS audit terrified him more than anything else in the world.

"Two," Carli said.

Howard snatched the pen. He pressed down so hard the nib almost tore through the paper. He signed his name at the bottom of the page.

Carli pulled the signed page out from under his hand. She checked the signature. It was perfect. She slid it into her bag.

She turned around. She ignored Keri's screaming. She ignored Vaughn's glares. She ignored Lilah's crying.

She walked to the front door. She picked up the gold-embossed gala invitation from the floor and dropped it into the trash can.

She walked out into the cold wind, leaving the monsters behind.