"I was shocked!" Mark defended himself, though his voice lacked conviction. "I walked in and saw hair everywhere and your mother crying!"
"Because of her," Vanessa said, pointing a trembling finger at Clara. "Clara cut Mom's hair. And Clara is going to tell me why right now, or I swear to God I'm calling the police."
Clara laughed—a dry, bitter sound that echoed off the high ceiling of the suite. "Call them, Vanessa. Go ahead. Let's get the police in here. Let's get the reporters in here too. Let's tell everyone why the great Evelyn Vance lost her precious hair today."
Evelyn finally raised her head. Her face was streaked with tear tracks, her gray hair jagged and ruined, but her eyes held a sudden, sharp plea. "Clara... please. Not today. It’s Vanessa’s wedding day."
"Your wedding day was ruined twenty-five years ago, Mom," Clara retorted, her voice dripping with venom. "And you spent the last twenty-five years making sure I paid for it while Vanessa got to play the golden child."
Vanessa looked between her mother and sister, her heart pounding against her ribs beneath the boning of her wedding gown. "What are you talking about? What happened twenty-five years ago?"
Clara stepped closer to Vanessa, her dark eyes flashing. "Ask our dear mother about the fire at the old estate. Ask her why Dad really left us. Ask her why Mark's family suddenly funded your college tuition, your apartment, and this multi-million dollar wedding."
Mark froze. His knuckles turned white around the diamond ring in his hand.
Chapter 3: Debt of Blood and Fire
"Clara, stop!" Mark commanded, his voice suddenly sharp with panic. "This isn't the place for this!"
Vanessa's eyes locked onto Mark. The sudden shift in his demeanor sent a chill down her spine. "Mark... what do you know about this?"
"He knows everything," Clara sneered. "His father paid off our mother twenty-five years ago to keep quiet about who actually started the fire that destroyed my father's business and left him bankrupt. Dad took his own life because he thought he failed us. But it wasn't his fault. It was Richard Sterling—Mark's father."