Pulling the heavy security door shut, he entirely drowned out Emma’s hysterical shrieking. He threw a sharp glance at Mack and Lanny standing guard. “Keep a tight leash on her,” he ordered, before striding away.

Once he was gone, Emma completely broke down. She never imagined her own son could be so ruthlessly calculating. Not only was she practically under house arrest, but her financial veins had been totally severed. How was she supposed to survive?

Desperate, she called Liliana, sobbing out the entire disaster. Liliana rushed over immediately.

Holding Emma’s hand, Liliana patiently coaxed the full story out of her before offering her sweetest reassurances to soothe the older woman’s ego.

Liliana was nothing if not meticulous. Having anchored herself to Emma’s side, she knew she had to keep the matriarch completely charmed and loyal. Neglecting her was not an option.

Internally, however, Liliana was in a state of sheer panic. How had Emma botched things this severely? It was glaringly obvious that Emma was entirely useless for the foreseeable future. Liliana would have to orchestrate her own plans from now on.

The next day, Amara didn’t arrive at the set until noon.

The three scenes scheduled for the morning were minor, and after the trauma of the previous night, she had stayed home to rest. Sleeping in until late morning, she grabbed a quick brunch before driving to the studio.

Stepping onto the set, she immediately scanned the area. Keith and Yolanda were running lines for their scene, and the other actors were getting into position. Antonia was nowhere to be seen.

Asking around, she learned that Antonia was prepping in the private lounge. Amara marched straight over and banged on the door.

“Come in,” a muffled voice called out. Amara pushed the door open to find Antonia lounging at the vanity, scrolling through her phone.

Seeing who it was, Antonia practically leaped out of her chair. “Amara!”

Aunt Emma had called her the previous morning, ordering her to set Amara up. She had executed the plan flawlessly, but she heard the ultimate ambush had failed. She had no idea if Amara had traced the tracker back to her.

Her eyes darted nervously as she tried to project confidence. “What do you want? Is there something you need?”

Amara stared her down, easily seeing right through the pathetic facade of false bravado masking Antonia’s glaring guilt.

Closing the distance in a few quick strides, Amara didn’t waste a single breath on small talk. She raised her hand and delivered a vicious, ringing slap across Antonia’s face.

Smack! The sharp crack echoed loudly in the quiet lounge. A burning sting exploded across Antonia’s cheek, leaving her totally stunned.

When her brain finally processed what had just happened, her eyes went wide with absolute shock. “Amara! You hit me?!”

Never in her wildest dreams did she expect Amara to storm in and physically assault her without saying a single word.

Amara just glared at her coldly. Since they were completely alone, and Antonia was significantly shorter and lacked any real physical strength, Amara knew she wouldn’t face any immediate retaliation.

Taking two more steps forward, Amara grabbed Antonia by the collar, dropping her voice into a lethal whisper. “I hit you, and you know exactly why.”

“Let this be a warning. If you try to pull another dirty trick on me again, it won’t just be a slap next time.”

Antonia was the spoiled darling of the Everly family, making her one of the most powerful socialites in Wy Vye, second only to the Hawke and main Everly branches. Realistically, Amara didn’t have the leverage to wage a full-blown war against her

But she wasn’t about to show weakness. She needed to strike the fear of God into Antonia right here and now if the intimidation worked, she gained the upper hand; if it didn’t, she hadn’t lost anything she hadn’t already risked.