Chapter 14

Fury surged through her veins, hot and thick. In a swift movement, Elodie snatched the necklace from Vivienne’s neck, the force almost throwing Vivienne off balance. Vivienne yelped in pain, clutching her throat. ‘What the hell are you doing?’ she cried. Elodie’s eyes blazed with rage. ‘You’re lucky I didn’t snap your neck,’ she hissed, flinging the necklace onto the table. ‘Listen carefully, cuz. You have two options. Slink out of here quietly, never return, and give back every trinket you’ve pilfered from my parents’ safe, or I hand over all the evidence I have to the cops. Your choice.’ Vivienne’s eyes widened, fear replacing defiance. ‘I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ she rasped. ‘Don’t play dumb,’ Elodie snarled. ‘That attack in the alley three years ago - that was strike one. This necklace you stole from my mother - strike two.’ Vivienne flinched, her bravado crumbling under the weight of Elodie’s words. ‘But…but you’re my cousin,’ she whimpered. ‘Blood doesn’t mean any