Chapter 3 - Echoes of Betrayal
The speaker on my phone crackled to life, filling the spacious living room with crystal-clear audio.
(“...Parker is such a fool for marrying her. Once we pull this off, the country house will be in your name, Mom, and Parker can easily manipulate city apartment too...”)
Ellie’s voice rang out, sharp and mocking, followed immediately by Alana’s raspy, calculating chuckle.
(“...By the end of the summer, Parker’s lawyers will have him convinced that the boy belongs in a boarding school upstate—far away from our family estate. Your uncle Parker’s wealth will belong to us, not some stray kid she brought into this marriage...”)
The color drained from Parker’s face instantly. He staggered back a step, colliding against the edge of the fireplace mantel. The triumphant smirk vanished from Ellie’s face as if she had been slapped by an invisible hand. Her jaw dropped, and her eyes bulged in absolute terror as she stared at my phone.
Alana stopped faking her tears, her wrinkled face hardening into a mask of pure panic.
“Where… where did you get that?” Ellie stammered, her voice pitching up in a frantic shriek. “That’s… that’s a deepfake! She used AI to fake our voices! Parker, don't believe her! She’s trying to destroy our family!”
“AI?” I let out a cold, humorless laugh. “Is that your best defense, Ellie? You left your phone recording on the shared tablet system while you sat here plotting how to steal my house, swindle my husband, and ship my son off to a boarding school like an unwanted piece of luggage.”
Parker slowly turned his head to look at his sister, then at his mother, his voice trembling with disbelief. “Mom… Ellie… is this true? Did you say that?”
“Of course not!” Alana shrieked, marching toward Parker with her hands outstretched. “Parker, darling, look at me! Would your own mother lie to you? That woman has been poisoning your mind since day one! She hates us! She recorded a fake conversation just to tear us apart!”
Parker looked torn, his eyes darting between his mother’s desperate face and my cold, unyielding gaze. He was a weak man—a man who had spent his entire life cowering under his mother’s thumb while letting her pull his strings.
“Parker,” I said quietly, stepping right into his line of sight. “Look at me. Look at your mother. Look at your sister. They didn't just insult my son. They plotted to steal everything I owned before I met you—everything I bought with my own blood, sweat, and tears five years before you even put a ring on my finger. And they planned to get rid of Dustin to make it easier.”
Parker swallowed hard, his voice barely a whisper. “Clarissa… let’s not do this here. Let’s talk about this privately in the city——”
“There is nothing to talk about,” I interrupted, pointing my finger toward the front door. “The train leaves at 3:10. At 2:30, the security system activates, and the doors lock automatically. If you don't pack your bags right now, you can explain to the police why you’re trespassing on my property.”
“You can’t do this!” Ellie screamed, losing all pretense of composure as she lunged toward the table. “Parker! Do something! She’s kicking us out like dogs!”
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Parker looked at me, desperation warping his features. “Clarissa, please. We can work this out. Don’t do something we’ll both regret. We’re a family.”
“We were never a family, Parker,” I replied, my voice chillingly calm. “And if you walk out that door with them right now, don't ever bother coming back.”
