“Don’t worry,” one of them assured me. “We’ll make sure everything’s by the book.”
Brenda went ballistic, screaming like a banshee, but her tantrum only earned her cold stares from the police and snickers from the crowd.
The chaos finally died down as the police car pulled away, taking her and Robert with it.
Mr. Moore shuffled up to me, looking awkward.
“Claire, if you’d told us earlier that you were the Sinclair family heiress, all this trouble could’ve been avoided. About the donation for the new school building…”
I didn’t even bother acknowledging him. Without a word, I turned and walked away.
Earlier, pretending to be Brenda, I’d coaxed David’s location out of him over the phone. Now, I needed to deal with whatever he had planned.
Behind me,
the gossip flared up again.
“Yikes. Claire looks pissed.”
+25 BONUS
Chapter 8
“I always thought Claire had a different vibe. She’s legit.”
“Brenda? Total fake. Makes sense, though–she’s just the maid’s kid. Disgusting how she pretended to be Claire.”
“Think it’s too late to suck up to Claire?”
***
I rushed home, scaling the villa’s fence with ease, and crouched low, peeking inside.
David and Miranda were sprawled out in the garden, sipping tea like they owned the place. Their PDA was nauseating, shamelessly flaunted even with the staff nearby. They acted like the Sinclair estate was already signed over to them.
I sighed, staying hidden as I leaned closer to catch their conversation.
David’s phone buzzed, and after a brief, heated call, he slammed his teacup to the ground, shards scattering everywhere.
That little brat Claire! She called the cops!”
Miranda looked horrified. “Have we been found out?”
David shook his head, scowling. “Not about that. No one knows about Elena except us. It’s just Claire reporting Brenda for theft. If I’d known she’d grow a spine, I’d have taken care of her and Elena a long time ago.”
Miranda’s face drained of all color when he mentioned Brenda’s arrest.
“You need to get her out of there! She can’t have a record–she’s supposed to be the Sinclair heiress!”
David rubbed his temples, exhaling sharply.
“I’ll handle it. The charges will disappear. As for Elena, she’s still locked in the basement at the countryside villa. Keep an eye on her–this is not the time for mistakes.”
Miranda nodded and helped David put on his coat. The two shared a lingering kiss goodbye.
The sight nearly made me lose my grip on the wall. Swallowing the bile rising in my throat, I slipped away as quietly as I’d come.
***
The next day, Brenda returned.
