I found out who my husband's lover was and showed up at her family party. In front of all the guests, I handed her back the red lingerie I had found in my husband's car. But the game had only just begun...

The Moretti family was not going down without a fight. Carlo Moretti was a man who believed in "old-world solutions," and he wasn't about to let a woman like Claire dismantle his legacy.

While Daniel was flailing, Elena Moretti was plotting. She had lost her status, her boyfriend, and her family’s prestige. She blamed Claire for every ounce of it.

Claire began to notice the black sedan following her everywhere. She saw the same man at the coffee shop, the same face in the reflection of shop windows. They were trying to track her to her "source"—the person they assumed was helping her. They couldn't conceive of the idea that Claire had done this entirely on her own.

One evening, while walking to her car in a parking garage, Claire felt the presence behind her. She didn't panic. She kept walking, her hand resting firmly on the handle of her handbag.

"Claire!" Elena’s voice cut through the darkness. She stepped out from behind a concrete pillar, holding a small, silver pistol. Her pale gold dress was ruined, her hair disheveled, and her eyes were wild with desperation. "You think you’re so smart, don't you? You think you’ve won?"

Claire stopped and turned, looking at the gun as if it were a common household object. "I don't think I’ve won, Elena. I know I have. Even if you pull that trigger, the files are already set to trigger automatically if I don't provide a daily digital handshake. You kill me, and you ensure your entire family spends the rest of their lives in federal prison."

Elena’s hand trembled. "I don't care! You took everything from me!"

"I took what was never yours," Claire said, taking a step forward. "You built your life on the misery of others. You thought Daniel was a prize, but he was a parasite. And your father? He’s a man who would sell his own daughter to keep his stock prices up. You’re not a victim, Elena. You’re just another part of the mess."