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.

The gold-embossed invitation lay discarded in a trash can back on the Long Island estate, but Carli smirked as she looked out the window. She didn't need their permission. The Gutierrez family would welcome Edna Huffman's heir with open arms. The black Maybach pulled up to the glowing entrance of the Plaza Hotel.

The valet rushed forward and opened the door. A silver Jimmy Choo stiletto stepped onto the pavement.

Carli stepped out of the car. She was wearing Edna's vintage emerald velvet gown. The fabric hugged her waist and hips perfectly. The deep V-cut in the back exposed her bare skin to the cool night air.

Camera flashes exploded around her. The paparazzi shouted her name, desperate for a shot of the woman whose engagement had just publicly imploded.

Carli kept her chin high. She walked up the steps to the entrance.

Two massive security guards blocked the door. "Invitation, please."

Carli didn't have one. She reached into her clutch and pulled out the legal document her lawyer had just finalized. She handed it to the head of security.

"I am the sole executor of the Edna Huffman Trust," Carli said. "A primary donor to the Gutierrez Foundation."

The guard read the paper. His posture immediately changed. He handed it back and stepped aside. "Welcome, Ms. Bass."

Carli pushed open the heavy doors. The sound of a live symphony orchestra washed over her. The ballroom was blindingly bright, filled with massive crystal chandeliers and thousands of white roses.

She walked into the room. Heads turned immediately.

Skylar and Meredith, two socialites who had always hated her, leaned their heads together.

"Did you hear Vaughn dumped her?" Skylar whispered loudly. "She looks desperate."

Carli didn't even look at them. She walked straight past them, her posture perfect. She took a glass of champagne from a passing waiter. She walked to the edge of the room and stood by the massive windows, watching the crowd.

Suddenly, the orchestra stopped playing.

The crowd parted like the Red Sea. A heavy silence fell over the room.

Fletcher Gutierrez walked through the main entrance.

He was surrounded by bodyguards. He wore a custom-tailored black suit. He didn't wear a tie. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone, exposing his collarbone. He radiated absolute, terrifying power.

Carli watched him from across the room. Her breath hitched.

As Fletcher walked down the center aisle, he passed within ten feet of her. A wave of cold cedar mixed with tobacco hit Carli's nose.

Her fingers tightened around the stem of her champagne flute. Her heart skipped a beat. The mask. The smell was exactly the same.

She shook her head slightly. No. It was impossible. The king of Wall Street didn't hang out in underground sex clubs.

Fletcher's dark eyes scanned the room. For half a second, his gaze locked onto Carli.

A shiver ran down her spine. It felt like a predator had just marked her.

Fletcher looked away and kept walking toward the head table.

Carli took a deep breath to steady her racing heart. She turned away and started talking to a group of older investors, focusing on networking.

A loud, obnoxious laugh echoed from the entrance.

Carli turned her head. Her eyes turned to ice.

Vaughn walked into the ballroom wearing a white tuxedo. Clinging to his arm was Isla. Isla was wearing a massive, gaudy diamond necklace that looked ridiculous against her cheap dress.

Vaughn scanned the room. He saw Carli. He smirked, grabbed Isla's hand, and walked straight toward her.

Vaughn stopped right in front of Carli. He puffed out his chest, trying to look intimidating.

Isla leaned against him. She reached up and touched the massive diamonds on her neck, making sure everyone saw them.

"Carli," Isla said. Her voice was high-pitched and sickeningly sweet. "Are you here all alone? That must be so sad for you."

A group of wealthy women gathered around them, holding their drinks, eager to watch the drama unfold.

Carli took a slow sip of her champagne. She looked Isla up and down, her eyes full of bored disgust.

Carli switched to flawless, Parisian-accented French. "Your dress is a cheap knockoff from last season. The stitching on the bodice is uneven. It makes you look wide."

Isla blinked. She didn't speak a word of French. She looked around, confused.

The old-money women in the crowd understood perfectly. Several of them let out sharp, mocking laughs.

Vaughn's face flushed red. He stepped closer to Carli. "Stop making a scene," he hissed. "You're embarrassing yourself."

"I'm not the one who brought a cheap escort to a Gutierrez event," Carli said in English. Her voice was loud enough for the whole circle to hear.

Vaughn's jaw dropped. He took a furious step forward.

Before he could speak, a blur of pink silk rushed out from the crowd. It was Lilah.

Lilah's cheek was covered in heavy foundation, but the swelling from Carli's slap was still visible. She was holding a massive glass of red wine.

Lilah pretended to trip over her own heels. She lunged forward, aiming the glass of dark red wine directly at Carli's emerald gown.

Carli saw her coming. Her reflexes were instant.

Carli took one smooth, elegant step to the right.

Lilah hit empty air. Her momentum carried her forward. Her high heels slipped on the polished marble floor.

Lilah crashed hard onto the ground. The glass shattered. The entire glass of red wine splashed back onto her own face and ruined her pink silk dress.

The sound of shattering glass made the entire ballroom turn and look.

Lilah lay on the floor, covered in wine and glass, looking like a bleeding pig. She burst into loud, ugly tears.

Vaughn dropped Isla's hand and rushed to Lilah. He pulled her up.

Lilah buried her face in Vaughn's chest. "She tripped me!" Lilah sobbed, pointing a shaking finger at Carli. "Carli pushed me!"

The crowd groaned in disgust. Everyone had seen Carli step out of the way. The lie was pathetic.

Carli looked down at them. "Idiots," she muttered. She turned to walk away.

"Security!" Vaughn screamed at the top of his lungs. "Get this crazy bitch out of here!"

His loud, crude voice echoed through the elegant room.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The heavy, rhythmic sound of a wooden cane hitting the floor came from the grand staircase.

The entire ballroom went dead silent. People quickly stepped back, bowing their heads in respect.

Isadora Gutierrez, the matriarch of the family, walked down the stairs. She was eighty years old, with stark white hair and eyes like a hawk. She held a black onyx cane.

Isadora walked straight toward the mess. She looked at Lilah crying and Vaughn yelling. Her face twisted in deep displeasure.

Then, Isadora's sharp eyes moved past them. Her gaze landed squarely on Carli.