Gina descended the grand staircase with the grace of a queen approaching the guillotine.

In the main living room, Elberta sat on the brocade sofa. But she wasn't alone.

Sitting next to her, pouring tea, was a young woman with platinum blonde hair and a dress that was too tight for a Tuesday afternoon.

Delisa Park. Hansford's mistress.

Elberta slammed her teacup down. "You fired Higgins! Who gave you the right?"

Gina walked over and sat on the opposite sofa. She crossed her legs. "She was a criminal, Mother. I saved the family from a lawsuit."

Elberta sputtered. "Nonsense! Well, since we are short-staffed, Delisa here has graciously offered to stay in the main house and assist Hansford with his... late-night campaign work."

It was a slap in the face. A mistress living under the same roof.

Delisa smirked at Gina. "I hope I won't be in your way, Mrs. Burris. I know you need your rest."

Gina didn't get angry. She smiled. It was a bright, terrifying smile.

She reached out to Vesper, who handed her a blue folder.

"That's lovely, Delisa," Gina said. She opened the folder. "However, according to the Prenuptial Agreement between Hansford and myself, specifically Clause 14, Section B of the revised agreement-the one Hansford signed last year when he needed my family's trust to bail out his 'charity' foundation: 'The cohabitation of any non-familial female in the primary residence for more than three consecutive nights constitutes Malicious Emotional Infliction.'"

Elberta froze. She knew the original contract. But she had forgotten the addendum she'd dismissed as a desperate wife's foolishness.

"This clause," Gina continued, tapping the paper, "triggers the 'At-Fault Divorce' provision. If Delisa stays, I file for divorce tomorrow. And I take 50% of Hansford's voting shares in the Burris Group."

The room went dead silent.

Elberta loved money more than she hated Gina. Her eyes darted between the girl and the document.

"You wouldn't dare," Elberta whispered.

"Try me," Gina said. "Imagine the headlines. 'Senator Burris Loses Family Fortune to Mistress Scandal.'"

Elberta turned on Delisa with the speed of a viper. "Get out."

Delisa's jaw dropped. "What? But Hansford said..."

"I said get out!" Elberta shrieked. "Go to a hotel! You are not staying here!"

Delisa stood up, her face flushed with humiliation. She grabbed her purse and stomped toward the door. As she passed Gina, she hissed, "You think you've won?"

Gina leaned in, sniffing the air. "Your perfume is cheap, Delisa. Hansford hates vanilla. He'll get bored of you in a month."

Delisa gasped and fled the room.

Elberta was shaking with rage. "You are a snake, Gina. You think you can control this house?"

"I'm just looking out for the family assets, Mother," Gina said soothingly. She stood up and walked to the tea service. "Here, let me pour you a fresh cup. You look flushed."

Gina turned her back to Elberta. With a practiced flick of her wrist, she uncorked the vial in her sleeve and let three drops of the caffeine concentrate fall into Elberta's Earl Grey.

She turned back, her face a mask of dutiful concern.

"Drink this," Gina said, handing over the porcelain cup. "It will settle your nerves."

Elberta snatched the cup, glaring at her. She took a long, angry sip.

Gina watched the liquid disappear. Checkmate.

The effects took twelve hours to manifest fully.

By the next afternoon, the Burris estate was buzzing. Elberta was hosting the D.C. Ladies' Charity Tea in the garden. It was the social event of the season, a pit of vipers in silk hats.

Gina circulated among the guests, wearing a modest grey dress, playing the role of the submissive daughter-in-law.

Elberta sat at the head table, looking pale. Her hand trembled as she reached for her water glass. The caffeine concentrate was interacting with her blood pressure medication, causing palpitations and heightened anxiety.

Clink.

Elberta's hand spasmed. The glass tipped over, soaking the tablecloth.

"Dammit!" Elberta shouted. The profanity was shocking coming from the matriarch.

Heads turned.

"Mother?" Gina rushed over, grabbing a napkin. "Are you alright?"

"Get away from me!" Elberta swatted at Gina. "You pushed the glass! I saw you!"

Gina was three feet away. Everyone had seen that.

"I didn't touch it, Mother," Gina said gently, loud enough for the table to hear. "You're shaking."

"I am not shaking!" Elberta held up her hand. It was vibrating visibly. "Stop doing this to me!"

Dr. Sayer, the family physician who was attending as a guest, stepped forward. "Elberta, calm down. Your heart rate is elevated."

"She's trying to poison me!" Elberta screamed, pointing a shaking finger at Gina. "She's a witch!"

Gina looked at Dr. Sayer, her eyes wide with concern. "Doctor... she's been like this all morning. Extreme paranoia, tremors, moments of intense confusion where she seems to be hallucinating... Is it... could it be something neurological? Like Lewy Body dementia?"

She used the medical terms precisely, planting the seed.

Dr. Sayer frowned, looking at Elberta's dilated pupils and erratic behavior. To a doctor not looking for poison, it looked exactly like a neurological break.

"I'm not crazy!" Elberta tried to stand up but stumbled. She grabbed the tablecloth, pulling plates and tiered cake stands crashing to the ground.

The garden went silent.

"I think we need to get her inside," Dr. Sayer said gravely. "Gina, you might be right. These are classic symptoms of aggression associated with cognitive decline."

"No!" Elberta shrieked as two waiters helped her up. "Let me go!"

As they dragged the screaming woman away, the guests whispered behind their fans. Poor Gina. Dealing with a senile mother-in-law. How tragic.

Gina stood amidst the broken china. She watched Elberta disappear into the house.

Vesper appeared at her elbow. "That was ruthless."

Gina picked up a white rose from a centerpiece. She crushed the petals in her fist.

"She called me a barren mule when I miscarried in my last life," Gina said, her voice devoid of emotion. "A little public embarrassment is mercy."

"Hansford is on his way home," Vesper warned.

"Good," Gina said. "I need to comfort my grieving husband. After all, his mother is 'sick.' Someone needs to take over the family accounts."

Gina was in the study, reviewing the household ledger, when Vesper entered. She didn't knock. Her face was grim.

"Security has Chloe," Vesper said.

Gina dropped her pen. Chloe. The young assistant. The only person in this house who had shown Gina kindness in the past. Hansford had broken her leg last time for passing a note.

"Where?" Gina stood up.

"The basement holding room. Zoe accused her of theft."

Gina moved. She didn't walk; she ran.

She burst into the basement room. The air smelled of damp concrete and fear.

The head of security, a brute named Miller, was standing over a chair. Chloe was curled in it, sobbing. Her hand was cradled against her chest. Her index finger was bent at a sickening angle.

Zoe, a maid who slept with Hansford for extra cash, stood in the corner, smirking.

"Stop!" Gina shouted.

Miller stepped back. "Mrs. Burris. We caught this girl stealing the Senator's files."

Gina ignored him. She knelt beside Chloe. "Let me see."

Chloe whimpered, pulling away. "I didn't do it, ma'am. I swear."

Gina gently took Chloe's hand. The finger was dislocated, maybe fractured. Rage, hot and blinding, flooded Gina's vision. But she forced it down into cold calculation.

She stood up and turned to Zoe.

"You saw her steal?" Gina asked softly.

"Yes," Zoe said, crossing her arms. "She had the files in her apron."

"Which files?"

"The... confidential ones."

Gina laughed. It was a harsh sound. "The study door requires dual authentication, Zoe. My fingerprint and an authorized keycard. Chloe has neither."

She stepped closer to Zoe. "You're lying."

"I'm not!" Zoe insisted. "The Senator gave me..." She stopped, realizing she was about to admit she had access.

"Search her," Gina ordered Miller.

Miller hesitated. "Ma'am, Zoe is trusted by the Senator..."

"Search her, or I call the police and report an assault on a minor," Gina barked.

Miller sighed and patted Zoe down. He reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a plastic card.

It was Hansford's personal keycard.

Zoe's eyes went wide. "That's not mine! I didn't put that there!"

Gina looked at Vesper. Vesper gave a microscopic nod. She had planted it during the confusion.

"Grand larceny," Gina said. "Stealing a Senator's access card. That's a federal offense, Zoe."

"She planted it!" Zoe screamed, pointing at Vesper.

"Take her away," Gina said to Miller. "Lock her in the guest cottage until the police arrive. And Miller? If you touch Chloe again, I will have your license revoked."

Miller, realizing the power dynamic had shifted, grabbed Zoe by the arm. "Let's go."

As they dragged the screaming maid out, Gina turned back to Chloe.

"Vesper, get the first aid kit. The trauma one."

Gina set Chloe's finger right there in the basement. She worked with the precision of the surgeon she should have been.

"Why?" Chloe asked through her tears as Gina bandaged her hand. "Why did you save me?"

Gina wiped a tear from the girl's cheek. "Because you are the only one in this house who has a soul. And because I need you."

"For what?"

"War," Gina said.