00:00You little slut! How dare you try to get your claws into the young master?
00:03Guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
00:05Seeing my girl sobbing and trying to pull her torn clothes together, I lost it.
00:10I lunged forward, pulled her into my arms, and slapped Vanessa hard enough to turn her head.
00:16Vanessa staggered.
00:18Are you insane?
00:19When she touched her cheek, her eyes widened with disbelief.
00:22Do you have any idea who I am?
00:24Sophie went even wider.
00:26She grabbed my sleeve and whispered,
00:28Ma'am, you need to run.
00:30You hit one of my dad's people.
00:32She won't let you go.
00:33One of my dad's people.
00:34I looked at the red mark on my daughter's cheek, and my throat closed.
00:38She's an employee.
00:40Why would you kneel to her?
00:42I said, holding back the rage in my voice.
00:44Sophie's eyes filled, but she didn't explain.
00:46She only pushed weakly at my arm.
00:49Please, dad will be angry.
00:51Vanessa recovered and stood in my path,
00:53staring at me like I was trash that had blown into a private gala.
00:57In Boston, Adrian Shaw is the rule.
01:00You touched me, which means you touched Shaw Dynamics.
01:03You're not going anywhere.
01:04I took out the old phone I had kept from six years ago and called Adrian.
01:09It rang for too long.
01:11When he finally answered, his voice was cold enough to belong to a stranger.
01:15I don't know who you are or how you got my private number,
01:17but no one threatens me and walks away.
01:21My fingers tightened around the phone.
01:24Adrian, your chief of staff just told me you're untouchable in Boston.
01:28Today, I'm going to show this city how wrong she is.
01:31There was one beat of silence.
01:33That sentence alone is enough to ruin you.
01:35He hung up.
01:36He did it so fast I didn't get another word in.
01:39He hadn't recognized my voice.
01:41He hadn't recognized the number either.
01:43This was the number I had used before I left.
01:46On our wedding day, he had saved it as his emergency contact.
01:50Six years later, he hadn't kept so much as a note.
01:53Vanessa saw the call end and smiled.
01:55I thought you might actually be someone.
01:57Turns out you're just a crazy woman who wandered in off the street.
02:01I didn't answer her.
02:03I looked down at Sophie.
02:04When I left, she had been a bright little girl who ran into my arms every time I came home.
02:09Now she was thin enough for the wind to take,
02:11her wrists narrow in my hand, her eyes full of practiced fear.
02:16Adrian had promised he would take care of her.
02:18This was what he had done instead.
02:20Come on, I'm taking you home.
02:22You think you can leave?
02:23Vanessa blocked us again.
02:25The boy beside her looked down at the pavement.
02:28His eyes sharpened when he spotted a limited edition racing drone lying near his shoes.
02:33Sophie, you got my drone dirty.
02:35You want this woman to leave?
02:37Fine, clean it.
02:39Sophie immediately crouched and picked it up.
02:41The boy smiled.
02:43No water.
02:44Use your mouth.
02:45Sophie froze.
02:47Mason, I'm your sister.
02:49Mason Shaw's face twisted with the ugly comfort of a child who had never been told no.
02:53Don't flatter yourself.
02:55You're just the problem dad had with a dead woman.
02:57I'm mom and dad's only real kid.
02:59Clean it or don't.
03:01See what happens.
03:02Sophie looked at me.
03:04She was shaking, but she lowered her head anyway and brought the drone toward her mouth.
03:08Something inside me snapped.
03:10I ripped the drone out of her hands and smashed it against the pavement.
03:14Plastic and metal skittered across the plaza.
03:16You did this to her, and you still think you're the wronged ones?
03:20Mason stared for two seconds.
03:22Then he screamed.
03:23Vanessa!
03:23I want her to pay!
03:25Make her kneel!
03:26Vanessa's expression turned vicious.
03:28Security!
03:29Drag this woman out!
03:30She attacked the Shaw family!
03:32Private guards poured out of the lobby.
03:34I put myself in front of Sophie.
03:36I stopped the first two who rushed me, but the third caught me across the back with a baton.
03:41Pain cut through my ribs.
03:42I went down on one knee.
03:44They swarmed.
03:45The crowd thickened around us, but no one helped.
03:48She's got nerve.
03:49That's Adrian Shaw's son.
03:51Do you know how many defense contracts Shaw Dynamics has?
03:53Some people really do think being righteous makes them bulletproof.
03:58Sophie tried to throw herself over me, sobbing, but Vanessa yanked her away.
04:03Mason kicked the broken drone toward her.
04:05You want them to stop?
04:07Finish cleaning it.
04:08Sophie bit her lip until it went white.
04:10She picked up one of the cracked pieces, tears falling onto her hands.
04:14I rasped.
04:15Blood filled my mouth.
04:16Don't sift!
04:18Don't touch it!
04:19She went still when she heard the nickname.
04:21For a moment, confusion broke through the fear.
04:24Then the fear swallowed it again.
04:26She held the broken drone out to Mason.
04:29I cleaned it.
04:30Please make them stop.
04:32They'll kill her.
04:33Mason slapped the piece out of her hand.
04:36Gross!
04:36Now it has your spit on it.
04:38I don't want it anymore.
04:39Hope drained out of Sophie's face.
04:42Vanessa bet over me, triumphant, and kicked my shoulder.
04:45You heard him.
04:46Mason isn't satisfied.
04:48I waited until she came close enough.
04:50Then I rolled, caught her by the ankle, and dragged her down.
04:54This time, I didn't hold back.
04:56Her scream changed pitch under my fists.
04:59By the time the guards pulled me off, Vanessa's carefully sculpted face was swollen beyond recognition.
05:04Kill her! Put her down right here!
05:07A man's voice cut through the plaza.
05:10What the hell is going on?
05:11The crowd fell silent.
05:13Adrian Shaw strode toward us, flanked by executives and security.
05:17When he saw me, he stopped so adruply that one of his aides nearly ran into him.
05:22His eyes, once warm enough to make me believe in a life outside the lab, were full of shock now
05:26and distance.
05:28Evelyn Mercer? You're alive?
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