The house was too quiet for a mansion that held so many secrets. The air always felt thick here, as if the walls themselves were tired of listening to lies.
My heels clicked softly on the marble floor as I made my way down the hall, each step echoing louder than I wanted.
I had made up my mind. No more hiding. No more pretending to be the obedient daughter who smiled at dinner while my world slipped from my hands.
The chandelier above me threw golden light across the living room, a room that looked perfect from the outside but smelled faintly of deceit.
My father sat in his usual spot, legs crossed, a glass of whiskey resting carelessly in his hand.
He didn't look up immediately. He never did. Making people wait was his way of reminding them who held the power.
Ann, my step mother, sat beside him, her fingers brushing against his arm like she owned him. Her red lips curved into a satisfied smile the moment her eyes caught mine.
She leaned closer to whisper something to him, but I didn't care what it was. I knew her whispers were poison.
And then there was Patricia. She was sprawled across the couch like a queen in her own palace, scrolling through her phone with that same smugness that had always made me want to slap her.
She was my half-sister to the world, but in this house, she was the chosen one. The one Ann used to remind me that I didn't belong anymore.
"Look who finally decided to come down," Patricia said without looking up. Her tone was dripping with amusement. "I thought maybe you'd locked yourself away again. Crying over that poor excuse of a legacy your mother left you?"
I ignored her. I had promised myself not to let her words touch me today.
I walked straight to my father, stopping in front of him. My heartbeat was loud in my ears, but my voice came out steady.
"I want what's mine," I said.
He finally looked up. His eyes, the same shade of steel as mine, studied me for a long, uncomfortable moment.
Then he smiled. It wasn't a kind smile. It was the kind that made people wonder if they'd just made the biggest mistake of their lives.
"What's yours?" he repeated quietly, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. "You speak as if you built any of this, Elena."
"I didn't build it," I replied. "But my mother did. You know that. Her name is still on half of the documents you keep locked away in your safe. You were supposed to protect it until I was old enough."
Ann chuckled softly. "Oh, sweetheart. Still clinging to your mother's promises, are we? You really haven't grown up at all."
I turned to her, forcing myself to smile. "At least my mother didn't have to sleep her way into power."
The sound of her sharp intake of breath filled the room.
Patricia looked up this time, her lips curling in delight. She loved drama, as long as it wasn't about her.
My father's glass hit the table with a soft thud. His expression didn't change, but the silence that followed was thick enough to choke on.
"That's enough," he said, his voice low and heavy. "You came here because you wanted something. So stop wasting my time."
I stood straighter. "I want my mother's company back. I want control of what belongs to her."
Ann laughed again, but there was a tremor in it now.
"Oh darling, you think the world is waiting for you to take over a company you barely understand? You can't even stand up to your own sister."
Patricia smiled sweetly. "She's not my sister."
I turned to her. "No, you're right. You're not. You're just a stain on this family's name."
Her smile faltered for a second before returning, colder this time.
"Careful, Elena. You don't know who you're talking to."
"Oh, I do," I whispered. "I'm talking to a fraud. Just like your mother."
My father stood up slowly. "Enough!" His voice sliced through the tension like a whip. "Both of you."
I froze. Every time he raised his voice, I was reminded of how dangerous he could be.
He wasn't a man people argued with. He was a man people obeyed.
He walked toward me until he was close enough for me to smell the faint hint of whiskey and mint on his breath.
"You want to claim something in this house, Elena? Then prove you deserve it."
My chest tightened. "How?"
His smile returned, crueler this time.
"By doing something useful. Something that shows you have the guts to lead. Otherwise, don't ever bring up your mother's name in my presence again."
Behind him, Ann's smirk grew wider. Patricia's eyes gleamed.
They knew what was coming, and whatever it was, it wasn't going to be good.