Throw Punches, Then Point Fingers

The sharp cracks of the slaps still hung in the heavy air when Declan lunged. He grabbed Serena’s injured arm, his grip crushing into her flesh like a vice. With a ruthless yank, he threw her backward. Her waist crashed hard into the solid edge of the heavy mahogany cabinet. Wood bit right into the deep, purpling bruise she had earned the night before.

A sharp hiss tore through her teeth. The agony radiated up her spine, hot and blinding. Yet, the sound of her suffering vanished beneath the dramatic chorus of gasps erupting from the rest of the room.

Not a single pair of eyes drifted her way.

Every gaze in the opulent grand foyer remained glued to Camilla. The adopted golden child was physically reeling, pressing trembling fingers to her burning cheeks. Silas shot Serena a glare cold enough to freeze water before he sprinted toward the hallway to fetch the medical kit. Damian and Corinne hovered inches from Camilla, their hands fluttering as if the girl were made of spun sugar ready to shatter.

Beneath the pristine facade, Camilla fumed. Her mind raced with shock. She had never taken a hit like this. In every past dispute, Serena had always been all bark and no bite, leaving Camilla to walk away holding the high ground. But right now, her face throbbed with undeniable fire. Masking her internal fury, Camilla blinked rapidly, forcing thick tears to pool in her eyes.

"Serena," Camilla sobbed out, her voice trembling with practiced perfection. "I know you hate me, but what did I do to deserve this?"

Arthur erupted. The patriarch’s face turned an ugly shade of crimson. "Why the hell did you strike your sister?" he roared, his voice echoing off the marble floors.

Unfazed by the towering mountain of rage standing before her, Serena pushed herself off the cabinet. She let out a dry, mocking smirk. "Why did you strike me first?" she countered, her voice eerily calm against his shouting. "Swing first, ask questions later. Isn't that the Vance family tradition? I learned from the best."

Arthur’s chest heaved. "I hit you because you paid some street scum to ram Camilla’s car last night! Are you going to stand there and play the innocent victim? Is this what I raised? A criminal who attacks her own blood and feels zero remorse?"

"Paid someone?" Serena’s brow arched. Her mind flashed to the wreck they kept talking about. She let out a sharp, cutting laugh. "Where is your proof?"

Arthur jabbed a thick finger in her direction. "Proof? The driver they caught already spilled his guts. He said you paid him off. If Camilla were not so damn forgiving, you would be wearing handcuffs right now!"

"Ah. So you have the unverified word of a shady driver. No real evidence at all," Serena replied, her tone dripping with ice.

Sensing the shift in momentum, Camilla stepped into the spotlight. Her voice dropped to a soft, heartbroken whisper, designed to squeeze every ounce of sympathy from the room. "Serena, I had no idea you despised me this much. If I am the source of all your anger, I will leave. I will pack my things and vanish. Just please... stop fighting with Mom and Dad. Stop tearing this family apart over me."

Serena let out a loud snort. "Real cute. If you actually wanted to bounce, you would have packed your bags years ago."

That unapologetic defiance hit a raw nerve. The room’s atmosphere snapped.

"How dare you?" Arthur bellowed, taking a menacing step forward. "Camilla is only living under this roof because her mother died because of you! You have some nerve trying to push her out!"

The words slammed into Serena heavier than any physical blow. Her jaw clenched shut. The ultimate, crushing childhood trauma was laid out on the marble floor for everyone to trample on. That guilt had been a suffocating weight around her neck for years, the very reason she had accepted her role as the family villain.

Silas stormed back into the room, slamming the first-aid kit onto the coffee table. "If anyone needs to leave, it is you, Serena," he spat, glaring at her pale face. "You are an embarrassment. You were always a toxic mess, but orchestrating a car crash? You are out of your mind."

Declan stepped up, his expression carved from stone. "Get on your knees and apologize to Camilla. Now."

Serena lifted her chin, taking a slow, deep breath. "I am not taking the fall for something I did not do."

Blind with fury, Arthur raised his heavy hand to strike her cheek again. This time, Serena anticipated the movement. She ducked smoothly, letting his palm cut through empty air.

Standing her ground, Serena scanned the faces of her so-called family. Her eyes landed on Corinne and Damian. Both of them stood silent, their expressions painting her as a violent, guilty monster. No one stepped up for her. No one questioned the narrative.

A bitter chuckle escaped her lips. "Figures."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. Under the scrutinizing glares of her parents and brothers, she tapped three digits. She lifted the device to her ear.

"Yes, I need police dispatch," Serena spoke clearly into the receiver, making sure her voice carried across the silent room. "I need officers at the Vance estate. I am the prime suspect in an ongoing investigation regarding a vehicular assault, and I wish to turn myself in for formal questioning."

She hung up, dropping the phone back into her pocket. "If I am guilty, let the cops figure it out. I refuse to let this family pin fabricated garbage on me without a shred of proof."

The entire room froze. Jaws dropped. Her family stared at her as if she had grown a second head. They were stunned that she would invite a real investigation upon herself, yet the disdain in their eyes did not waver.

Arthur slumped against the back of the sofa, his chest heaving with exertion. "You want to make a humiliating scene? Fine," he snapped, his voice thick with disgust. "Clean up your own mess."

Declan crossed his arms, shooting her a warning glare. "When they lock you up, do not expect us to bail you out. We are done."

Damian broke away from Camilla’s side. He marched over to Serena, wrapping his fingers tightly around her slender wrist. "Serena, stop this," he pleaded, his voice urgent. "Just swallow your pride and say you are sorry. If she drops the issue, this scandalous mess will blow over."

Silas echoed the demand from the sofa. "You assaulted her for no reason! Apologize and fix this!"

Serena yanked her arm out of Damian’s grip. Her subsequent laugh was harsh and laced with toxic sarcasm. "No reason?" she asked, her eyes sweeping over the room. "Let me break it down for you. The first slap was payback for Dad hitting me over her. The second slap was direct retribution for Camilla sending a gang of thugs to attack me in an alley last night."

She stared straight into Camilla’s wide, panicked eyes. "My reasons are clear as day. Why should I ever grovel to her?"

Corinne stepped forward, her face twisted in a harsh scowl. "Listen to yourself! Making wild, baseless accusations to cover your tracks! You owe her your life, Serena. You do not have to love her, but staging an attack and then blaming her for hired goons? You have lost your mind!"

Not a single person asked about the thugs. No one questioned where she was all night. The fresh bruises on her arms meant nothing. To the Vance family, she was just a hopelessly jealous screw-up desperate for attention.

Damian stepped into her line of sight, his face a mask of frustration. "If this is about us, I swear there is nothing romantic going on between Camilla and me. Please, Serena. Do not torch your bright future over a petty, jealous misunderstanding."

Serena looked deeply at the man she had loved for years. The man who used to shield her from every storm was now standing on the opposite side of the battlefield, automatically defending the sister who played them all. The death of their relationship finalized right there in the grand foyer.

Her voice hardened, transforming into something resembling forged steel. "I refuse to take a massive fall for hiring a hitman. My life would be ruined, and I am not letting her win."

She turned her back on the sprawling mansion and the people inside it. Just a day after walking out of the local police station, Serena deliberately dragged the wealthy Vance family right back into the fire. She was stirring up a massive storm, ensuring the ugly truth would be ripped open for everyone to see.