The bright Texas sun beat down heavily on the marble courtyard of the grand Dallas mansion. Hannah adjusted her dark suit coat as she stood on the second-floor balcony, staring directly into the cold eyes of her stepbrother Arthur. Her heart pounded against her ribs like a trapped bird, but she refused to show any fear in front of the people who had ruined her life. Beside Arthur stood Victoria, her stepmother, wearing a beige designer dress and an icy smirk that cut deeper than knife blades.
Arthur: You should have taken the tiny settlement we offered you, Hannah.
Hannah: My father wanted me to inherit his life insurance and his real estate business, not you two thieves.
Victoria: Your father is dead, my dear, and his final will leaves every single dollar to Arthur and me.
Hannah: That will is a complete fake, and you both know it.
Arthur stepped forward, his jaw clenched in pure fury under the hot morning light. He lunged suddenly, grabbing Hannah by the lapels of her jacket before she could step back. Hannah gasped as he shoved her backward over the low stone railing of the mansion balcony.
Hannah: AHHH!
She plunged dramatically through the air, tumbling over the courtyard fountain under the bright blue sky. Her body hit the hard stone pavement near the edge of the patio with a terrible crash, sliding several feet across the rough tiles. Pain exploded through her ribs and shoulder, leaving her breathless on the ground. Her smartphone flew from her grip, skidding away and shattering against the marble edge of the water feature.
Hannah lay face down on the warm stone, coughing softly as blood mixed with dirt on her bruised cheek. Scratches ran down her arms, and her left eye was already swelling shut from the brutal impact. Up above, Arthur calmly adjusted his dark suit jacket and buttoned the front button, looking down without a shred of remorse.
Arthur: She deserved it.
Victoria: Good riddance to that pathetic brat.
Hannah struggled to breathe, her fingers twitching near the broken glass of her phone as she pretended to faint under the harsh glare of the afternoon sun.