When our house caught fire, my father shoved me back into the burning room and pulled my brother to safety. My mother said they could not lose their son and abandoned me in the flames. They thought I was gone, but they never knew I escaped...

I decided it was time to deliver the final blow.

As Nora Vance, I called David Miller and offered him a lifeline. I told him my "client" was willing to buy out his share of the downtown redevelopment project immediately, in cash, for a fraction of its worth. It was a terrible deal for him, but it was enough money to pay off his immediate debts and stop the bankruptcy.

He was so desperate he didn't even consult his lawyers. He agreed to meet me at the site of their old, burned-down house at midnight to sign the paperwork privately, avoiding the media's eyes.

"Why the old house, Miss Vance?" David had asked over the phone, his voice trembling.

"My client believes in the symbolism of rebirth, Mr. Miller," I replied smoothly. "Out with the old, in with the new."

At 11:45 PM, I arrived at the blackened, charred remains of my childhood home. The structure was half-demolished, surrounded by chain-link fencing. The smell of charcoal and wet ash still lingered in the air, a permanent reminder of my betrayal.

I slipped through a tear in the fence and stood in what used to be the hallway.

A few minutes later, headlights illuminated the ruins. A car pulled up. But it wasn't just David.

David, Carol, and Tyler all got out of the car. They were desperate, clinging to each other like drowning rats, hoping this cash infusion would save their pathetic lives.

They walked into the ruins with flashlights, their beams cutting through the darkness.

"Miss Vance?" David called out, his voice echoing through the hollow structure. "We're here. We have the documents."

I stepped out from behind a blackened wall, into the moonlight. I wasn't wearing my glasses. My platinum blonde hair was pulled back. I stood tall, staring at them.

Carol raised her flashlight, aiming the beam directly into my face.

She froze. The flashlight trembled in her hand.

"David..." Carol gasped, her breath catching in her throat. "David, look at her..."