THE GILDED SNARE

Victoria was handcuffed on her own front porch, the cold steel clicking shut over her diamond bracelets. She didn't scream again. Instead, she stared at Clara with a terrifying, venomous stillness as officers guided her into the back of a squad car.

"You will burn with me, Clara," Victoria whispered as she passed. "You think Julian will forgive you for tearing down his name?"

Clara watched the tail lights disappear down the dark drive.

An hour later, the mansion was sealed behind yellow police tape. Clara sat in the passenger seat of Alvarez's vehicle, drinking lukewarm coffee from a paper cup. Her ribs ached, and the metallic taste of adrenaline lingered in her mouth.

"You took a massive risk going back inside alone," Alvarez said, gripping the steering wheel. "If she had realized the livestream was active before she talked, her security team could have buried you in the woods behind the estate."

"She was too proud to notice," Clara replied, looking out at the passing streetlights. "Pride makes people blind. She believed she owned every soul under that roof."

"Julian is landing at JFK in two hours," Alvarez noted quietly. "His private charter from Zurich was notified by federal agents mid-flight. He knows his mother is in custody."

Clara closed her eyes against the sting of impending heartbreak. Julian was the only variable she hadn't wanted to break. He was gentle, artistic, and utterly detached from the corporate bloodbath his parents had orchestrated. Yet, to bring Victoria down, Clara had knowingly weaponized his love.