Vincent drew a deep breath, then slowly reached out toward Claire.
His movements appeared gentle, but there was a ruthless finality in the way he moved.
Scarlet stood off to the side, her eyes wide and shining with feverish excitement. She could barely contain herself as she whipped out her phone, switched it to video mode, and aimed it straight at Claire. She was determined to capture every humiliating moment.
Just picturing the pain on Sean and Mandy’s faces when they saw this footage filled Scarlet with a twisted sense of glee.
But just as the tension in the room reached its breaking point, a sharp knock at the door shattered the charged silence.
The sudden noise startled both Scarlet and Vincent.
Like a pair of thieves caught red-handed, their greatest fear was that Sean’s people had tracked them down.
Vincent’s hand, which had been reaching for Claire, froze midair. He glanced anxiously at the door.
Scarlet gripped her switchblade and edged cautiously toward the entrance. “Who is it?” she called out.
A moment later, Sophia’s voice rang from the other side. “It’s me. You called earlier, remember? Said that bitch Claire was here.”
Scarlet’s nerves finally settled. She quickly opened the door, and sure enough, Sophia stood outside with Garnett Brown and Hank Brown—her husband and son.
The trio filed in, their eyes immediately landing on Claire, sprawled on the floor like a corpse.
The moment Sophia saw Claire, a wave of hatred flashed in her eyes. She strode over, barely able to contain her fury, and without a word, viciously kicked Claire in the back.
“You little bitch! You finally got what’s coming to you. You killed my daughter—this is your payback.”
Sophia just smirked. “Go ahead, son, but don’t be too rough. If she dies too quickly, that’s letting her off easy. After what she did to your sister, she deserves a thousand times worse.”
“Relax, Mom. When it comes to girls, I know exactly what I’m doing.” Back when he was overseas, he’d had plenty of experience.
Off to the side, Scarlet waved her phone, practically bouncing with excitement. “Come on, show her what happens to people who cross us!”
Hank Brown reached out to grab Claire—only for Vincent to step in and block him.
“No. Claire is my woman. You’re not touching her.”
At that, Hank’s temper snapped. With a curse, he slapped Vincent across the face—a blow so hard it sent Vincent sprawling to the floor.
“Who the hell do you think you are, telling me what to do?”
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