Page 14 of Legacy

“For Juno and Eudora,” Vik said.

I nodded at him once, then exited the car without giving him any other response.

I needed to go. I had to do this. Now that I was here, hidden in street clothes to disguise my identity from any street cameras, I flipped the hood of my jacket up and walked to her door.

I could have had my men do this. Letting them handle it would have kept my hands clean.

Vik had volunteered to handle the situation.

Laya had even offered to take care of this step.

Still, it had to be me.

It was my plan and my responsibility to do it.

This was about justice, looking her in the face and making her understand the depth of her betrayal of the family.

A leader never told others to complete their dirty work.As the eldest sister, the mastermind behind this plan for revenge, I had no choice but to do so.

I am the Vitalis. I will not fail the family.

The door opened, and at first, Theia Cloe kept the wood panel cracked. She peered at me, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. “I’m not interested. No solicitors.”

Before she could shut the door, I stuck my foot forward and flipped my hood back.

She squinted more, then opened her eyes wider in recognition.

“Eudora…” She gasped. “Avra?”

Blinking rapidly, she lowered her guard. I’d surprised her, all right. Her mouth dropped open as she gawked at me with wide-open eyes.

“You look just like your mother.” She’d uttered it as a whisper of awe, of stunned shock, and so thrown off by my appearance. She released the door.

It swung open, and I waited for no invitation, striding right in. I slowed only to shut the door behind me.

“I—I just can’t believe it. You’ve grown. You— My goodness, Avra. Look at you.”

I stood back, hands on my hips, as she stared. “And look at you. Still, the traitorous bitch who helped kill my parents.”

“What?” She snapped her brows together and scowled immediately.

But I saw it. I caught that fleeting, instant sweep of fear in her eyes.

“You were involved with Papa’s and Mama’s deaths.” I wasn’t there to ask.

I had no doubt that she had helped Ozias ruin my family. My sources in America had no incentive to lie, and they’d spent years seeking evidence to back up this accusation.

Tonight was nothing more than a confrontation—a final one, long past due.

“You’re insane.” She shook her head. “I never…I would never?—”

“No?” I didn’t budge, glaring at her without a break, waiting for her to fess up.

“No! I wouldn’t have ever gotten involved with something like that.”

“I don’t believe you.”

She huffed, shaking her head at me as she walked around the sofa, placing more distance between us. That was all she’d wanted back then. She’d ordered me to go with my sisters. Reinstating a buffer between us now would do her no good. I was onto her, and I refused to be swayed by her pleas.