Chapter 3: Fractured Glass
The sharp sound of shattered glass echoed off the high vaulted ceilings, drawing every eye toward the dark-haired woman. She stared down at the broken frame on the Persian rug, her hands trembling as she smoothed the front of her cream satin blouse. The photograph inside the shattered glass showed a younger Benjamin standing beside a woman who bore a striking resemblance to Madeline, an uncomfortable truth that instantly silenced the room.
Roni crossed her arms, her gold bracelet jingling softly against her wrist as she glared at the wreckage. "Drop the theatrics," Roni commanded, her tone glacial. "Breaking glass doesn't change the deeds, and it certainly doesn't erase the fact that this girl tried to rob us blind."
Madeline pushed herself up from the floor, her platform-less, bruised feet finding purchase on the cold wood outside the rug. She adjusted the pearl straps of her cream silk slip dress, standing tall despite her exhaustion. "I didn't steal anything that wasn't rightfully owed to the people you locked out of this estate thirty years ago," Madeline said, her voice steady and clear, carrying a ring of undeniable authority that shocked even Benjamin.
The blonde woman in red stepped forward, her cream skirt whispering against her ankles. She looked between Benjamin and Madeline, her expression softening into something resembling pity. "She has your eyes, Benjamin," the blonde woman noted softly, addressing the tall man directly. "You can pretend the resemblance is an accident all you want, but the board meets tonight, and they will want answers about the eastern trust."
Benjamin pocketed the key from the mysterious envelope, his face an impenetrable mask of calm. He looked down at the shattered glass before looking directly at Madeline. "The eastern trust was dissolved legally a decade ago," Benjamin replied, though a slight twitch in his neatly trimmed grey mustache betrayed his inner tension.
"Legally on paper, perhaps," the dark-haired woman whispered, finally finding her voice as she bent down to collect the scattered pieces of her own photograph. "But morality isn't dictated by corporate law, Benjamin. And Madeline isn't going away quietly."
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Roni stepped forward, positioning herself directly between Benjamin and Madeline, her high-heeled platform sandals clicking aggressively. "She goes away tonight, or I ensure everything you’ve built turns to ash."
***
