study. She pulled a black leather notebook fr

untain pen. Her fi

Wexler at the top of the page and

he estate was a famous oil painting called Autumn. Everyone in the inner circle knew the dark truth about that painting. It was the exact pie

nto the elite social circle.

e paper. She wrote the word Autumn and

painting above all else. She wrote that praising Autumn as a symbol of pure, untainted love and lo

ok open in the dead

stle of fabric brushing against the wood pane

was li

led the voicemail of an old classmat

pitched her voice higher, making it

. "Yes, I'm preparing for the Astor-Wexler gala. I finally figured out ho

ing the silence

e painting represents pure love and loyalty. If you use those exact words, s

d talking.

creaked softly. Rapid, light foo

. She walked to the do

niform disappear around the corne

ped back into the study and closed the door,

ed the blinds with two fingers. S

ity cameras. She was holding her phone, her thumbs flying acro

n. The poison was

to the crystal decanters on the side table. She pou

toward the empty ro

the liquor. The alcohol burned a hot tr

p the notebook, ripped the page out, and

d's frantic, baseless testimony would hold absolutely zero weight in Devontae's eyes once the damage was done. By destroying the pa

. Her eyes hardened. It was