Maria did not back down. She carefully helped Clara slide into a sitting position against the base of the heavy mahogany bookcase, making sure her injured back was properly supported. Clara clutched Maria’s arm tightly, her hands still cold and shaking from the shock of the forced liquid and the sudden fall. She looked up at Eleanor, seeing the monster behind the fake smile her stepmother had worn for the past three years since marrying her father. The illusion of family was completely shattered into pieces.
Clara: You tried to kill me... didn't you, Eleanor?
Eleanor: Do not be dramatic, Clara. You had a terrible car accident because you were careless.
Clara: The brakes failed instantly! I tried to stop and nothing happened!
Eleanor: Mechanical parts break all the time. That has nothing to do with me.
Clara: You wanted me dead so you could take my mother's inheritance!
Eleanor: That fortune belongs to this family, not a weak little girl like you!
Eleanor pointed her finger sharply at Clara, her voice cold and cutting. She walked toward the grand mahogany desk and picked up the heavy brass house phone, dialing a short number with quick, aggressive movements. She was calling the family doctor, a corrupt man who had been receiving generous financial payments from Eleanor’s private fund for over a year. She needed him to arrive immediately to handle Clara and clear Maria out of the mansion before the real police could be involved in the matter.
While Eleanor spoke hushed words into the receiver, Maria leaned close to Clara’s ear. She pulled a small silver USB flash drive from her deep apron pocket and slipped it quietly into Clara’s cold hand. Maria had spent the last three days searching Eleanor’s locked desk drawers while the stepmother was out shopping in downtown Dallas. She had discovered recorded audio files, fake bank receipts, and text messages exchanged between Eleanor and an auto mechanic who had worked on Clara's car hours before the crash.
Maria: Keep this hidden in your pocket right now, Miss Clara.
Clara: What is this, Maria? What did you find?
Maria: It is proof of everything. Every single lie she told your father.
Clara: Does my father know about any of this yet?
Maria: He is on his private jet flying back from London right now.
Eleanor: What are you two whispering about over there?
Eleanor slammed the heavy phone handle down onto the base, turning around quickly to stare at the two women by the bookcase. Her sharp eyes darted down toward Clara’s hands, noticing the sudden motion near her pocket. Suspicion instantly flared on Eleanor’s tense face. She realized that Maria had been acting strange for days, sneaking around the study during late hours. Eleanor marched across the white room, her face twisted in anger as she reached out to grab Clara’s arm once again.
Eleanor: Give me whatever she just handed you right now!
Maria: Do not lay a single hand on her again!
Eleanor: Move out of my way, you miserable servant!
Maria: Touch her and I will break every bone in your hands!
Maria stepped up, standing tall and strong despite her age. She grabbed Eleanor’s wrist before the cruel stepmother could touch Clara. The two women locked eyes in a fierce battle of wills inside the brightly lit room. Clara squeezed the tiny silver drive tightly inside her fist, feeling a sudden surge of strength return to her heart. She was no longer just a helpless victim sitting in a broken chair. She had the key to destroying her enemy's carefully constructed life.