Chapter 4
The interior of Claire’s sleek, black SUV was cool and completely silent, a stark contrast to the chaotic violence they had just left behind on the Bennett estate’s bright, sunny driveway.
Claire secured Evan into his car seat, her hands moving with practiced, gentle precision. She took a soft, damp wipe from the console and carefully cleaned the dirt and tears from his fair, rosy cheek. The red handprint left by Diane was already beginning to swell, a dark reminder of the cruelty that had been tolerated for far too long.
"Does it hurt much, baby?" Claire asked, her voice soft, masking the volcanic rage boiling beneath her surface.
"A little bit," Evan sniffled, looking down at his small hands. "Are we in trouble, Mommy? Grandma looked really mad."
"No, Evan," Claire said, leaning in to press a tender kiss to his uninjured cheek. "Grandma is the one in trouble. We are going to get you a massive burger with extra fries right now. How does that sound?"
Evan’s bright blue eyes lit up, a small, hesitant smile breaking through his sadness. "With a milkshake?"
"The biggest chocolate milkshake they have," Claire promised.
She closed his door and climbed into the driver's seat. As the heavy doors sealed them inside, shutting out the world, Claire’s movie-star facade hardened into something entirely unrecognizable to the Bennett family. She pulled down the sun visor, tapped the integrated screen, and dialed a highly encrypted number.
The phone rang exactly twice before a deep, professional male voice answered.
"Status, Ms. Bennett?" the voice asked, crisp and alert.
"The waiting period is over, Marcus," Claire said, her American accent shedding the polite, submissive tone she had used for the past four years. "Execute Protocol Omega."
"Are you certain, ma'am?" Marcus asked. "That will completely liquidate the Bennett holding company. They won't have a dime left to their name."
"I am certain," Claire stated, gripping the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white. "Diane laid a hand on my son. I want their accounts frozen by dinner. I want the estate's mortgage called in by tomorrow morning. I want every board member on their payroll notified that the true owner of the trust is pulling her capital."
"It will be a bloodbath, Claire," Marcus noted, though there was a hint of dark amusement in his tone. "They still think you're just the helpless widow living off their generosity."
"Let them think it," Claire said, a cold, devastating smile touching her lips. "By the time they figure out I own the bank that holds their debt, they'll be living on the street. Burn them down, Marcus. Leave nothing but ashes."
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"With pleasure, Boss," Marcus replied.
Claire ended the call. She put the SUV in drive and accelerated away from the iron gates. The Bennetts thought they had been feeding a stray dog. They had no idea they had been housing a wolf.
