Maya stood outside her old house, staring at the door as if it were a barrier she had to break. Her hands trembled, but she quickly steadied them. This was it—the moment she had been planning for weeks. No one was home. Her father was away on business, and Jackie… well, she was alone, vulnerable. Maya could almost taste the victory that was just beyond her grasp.
She stepped inside quietly, the familiar creak of the floorboards beneath her feet almost mocking her. The memories of this place haunted her—some good, but mostly bad. Jackie and her mother had twisted everything until Maya was the one cast aside, abandoned in favor of their manipulations. But Maya wasn't going to let that happen anymore. No. Tonight, she was taking control.
The house felt colder now, emptier. She crept down the hallway to Jackie's room. The door was slightly ajar, and Maya could hear Jackie on the phone, her voice muffled and frantic. Maya paused, her breath caught in her chest. She wasn't here for small talk. She wasn't here for confrontation. She was here for the truth. The truth Jackie thought she could bury.
Maya pushed the door open, stepping inside and startling Jackie. Her stepsister whipped around, eyes wide with a mixture of fear and anger.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Jackie snapped, her voice rising.
Maya didn't flinch. She closed the door behind her, locking them in together. Jackie took a step back, eyes narrowing, but Maya's gaze never wavered.
"I think it's time for you to explain a few things," Maya said, her voice calm but laced with an intensity that was impossible to ignore. "Starting with Vic. How he ended up in this house, in your room, locked in there with me. You remember, right?"
Jackie's face turned pale for a moment before her lips curled into a smirk, attempting to hide her unease. "What are you talking about?"
Maya stepped closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. You and your mother thought I would never figure it out, huh? But I did." She let the words hang in the air. "You're not as smart as you think you are, Jackie."
Jackie clenched her fists, her jaw tight. "Don't be ridiculous. It's not like—"
Maya cut her off. "It's not like you and your mother orchestrated everything to ruin my reputation? Not like you let Vic into the house, locked me in that room, and watched it all unfold? Don't play dumb. You were in on it from the beginning." Maya leaned in, her voice barely above a whisper. "You set me up."
Jackie's face reddened with fury, her eyes flashing with a dangerous glint. "You have no idea what you're talking about. You're insane."
Maya smirked, pulling out her phone. "I think you'll find it hard to lie your way out of this." She opened a livestream on her phone, tapping a few buttons to ensure the camera was running. "You're on air, Jackie. I'm live right now. The world is listening. And I want you to say it. I want you to admit it."
Jackie froze, eyes widening as she realized what was happening. Her breath caught in her throat. "You're insane. You can't—"
"Oh, I can. And I will," Maya interrupted, voice sharp. She stared Jackie down, her gaze unwavering. "You wanted to destroy me, didn't you? You wanted to get rid of me so you could have everything—Vic, the money, the house. You wanted to replace me, Jackie."
Jackie's anger flared, but this time there was fear behind it. "What are you talking about? I didn't—"
"Admit it!" Maya's voice cracked like a whip. "You let Vic in here. You locked me in that room with him. You did it all. You set me up to take the fall. And you thought no one would ever find out. You thought you could ruin me and walk away with everything."
Jackie's face twisted in rage, but Maya saw the cracks beginning to show. "I didn't—I didn't mean for any of it to happen like that. It was just supposed to be a way to get him out of here. He—he wasn't supposed to hurt you."
Maya's smile was cold. "Oh, but it didn't stop there, did it? The drugs, the photos with that businessman. You planted those drugs in my purse. You faked those photos of me, trying to make it look like I was hooking up with someone. And you did it all because you wanted my life. You wanted my father's life. You wanted everything that was mine."
Jackie's defiance melted away, her anger turning to panic. "No, you don't understand! I had to do it—I had no choice! My mother needed the money. You think she was going to let me have everything? I had to do it!"
Maya leaned in, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "It doesn't matter anymore. I have proof." She hit the play button on her phone, and Jackie's voice echoed through the room, clear and unmistakable, for everyone to hear: "I don't care about her anymore. I don't care about Maya. She was always in the way. My mother's right; we had to get rid of her. All of it—the drugs in her purse, the photos with that businessman—everything was to destroy her. I don't regret any of it."
Jackie's face went white. She gasped, her hands trembling as she tried to reach for Maya's phone. "You can't! You can't do this!"
But Maya just watched her, emotionless. "You've already done it, Jackie. You've already done the damage. And now everyone knows. Your confession is live. There's no taking it back."
Before Jackie could speak, the door to the room swung open. Her mother entered, her face immediately going pale when she saw what was happening.
Jackie's eyes were wild, her voice frantic. "Turn it off! Turn it off, Maya!"
Maya didn't flinch. "The damage is done. The world knows what you did, and I'm about to make sure it sticks." She leaned forward and hit another button on her phone, and suddenly, the confession wasn't just live—it was everywhere. The video was being shared, downloaded, and commented on. Maya had just gone viral.
Jackie's mother rushed forward, her face flushed with rage. "What the hell is this, Maya? You think you can ruin us like this? You think your father will believe you?"
Maya stood tall, a smirk curling on her lips. "No, he'll see you for who you really are. You and Jackie both. You thought you could destroy me? Now you're the ones exposed."
Jackie's mother's face contorted with fury. "You think you've won? You think a video can change everything?"
Maya stepped back, pulling out a flash drive. "Actually, it can. And this will be the nail in the coffin." She tossed the drive onto the table, watching as it slid to a stop in front of Jackie's mother. "This contains everything. Emails, bank transfers, secret meetings—proof that you've been selling Sinclair Group secrets to your ex-husband, your partner in crime. That's how deep you've gone."
Jackie's mother stumbled back, eyes wide in disbelief. "You—you don't know what you're doing."
Maya smiled darkly. "No. I know exactly what I'm doing."
She turned to leave, her heart pounding as she walked out the door. "And one more thing," she called over her shoulder, her voice sharp and commanding. "I'm Maya Sinclair. The only Sinclair daughter. And I'll inherit everything. Not you."