The sun had barely risen over the skyline when Samantha entered the penthouse. The air was cool, still, the kind of morning that carried no noise except the faint hum of the city below. Her heels clicked steadily against the marble floor as she walked in, her posture composed as always, though fatigue shadowed her eyes.
Jake was already there, sitting in the private study. The room was quiet, lined with shelves of books and files, the faint scent of coffee lingering in the air. A stack of folders sat before him, his sharp eyes focused on the data scrolling across his laptop screen.
When he heard her heels, he looked up. Relief washed across his face, though he quickly masked it with a smile.
"You're finally back," Jake said, closing the laptop halfway. "Do I even want to know why you never came home last night?"
Samantha set her handbag down on the edge of the desk, her movements slow, deliberate. She met his gaze with calm eyes, though her silence lingered long enough to make him lean forward.
"I didn't plan to stay," she said at last, her voice smooth, carrying no trace of apology. "But the storm left me with no choice. The Carters insisted."
Jake's brows furrowed. "So, you spent the night under their roof?"
"Yes." She untied the silk scarf from her neck and draped it across the arm of the chair before sitting opposite him. "Don't look so alarmed, Jake. I'm still here, in one piece."
He leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly. "Forgive me if I don't find that comforting. Those people have hurt you once before. Staying overnight in their home… it doesn't sit right."
A faint smile tugged at her lips, not of amusement but of calculation. "You're not wrong. But sometimes, Jake, the best way to understand an enemy is to sit at their table, drink their wine, and watch how they move when they think you're not looking."
Jake studied her carefully, his eyes sharp with concern. "And what did you see?"
Samantha paused, her mind flashing back to Sophia's innocent voice crying out the name Ally, Kate's trembling hands over her phone, Chloe's sharp questions, Nick's conflicted eyes when he looked at her.
She chose her words carefully. "I saw a family too polished, too eager to perform unity. Which means something is cracking beneath the surface. Chloe hides greed. Naomi hides control. Nick hides regret. And Kate…" Her voice dropped slightly. "Kate is hiding something bigger than all of them."
Jake tilted his head. "Kate? What makes you think that?"
Samantha crossed her legs elegantly, resting her elbow on the chair's arm. "Her voice betrayed her. Her hands trembled when she thought no one was watching. I don't have proof yet, but I've learned to trust my instincts. And mine tell me Kate Carter has a secret that could burn that entire house down."
He let out a low whistle. "That's… interesting. Because I already have Chloe's embezzlement trail halfway mapped out. If Kate's hiding something too, then this family is more fragile than we thought."
Samantha's eyes sharpened. "Fragile, Jake, but dangerous. That's why I need more than suspicion. I need evidence. I want you to dig into Kate. Everything — her finances, her calls, her movements in the last seven years. Leave no stone unturned."
Jake nodded, his expression serious. "Consider it done. But Sam…" He hesitated. "Why do I feel like this isn't just about business?"
Her lips curved in the faintest smirk. "Because it isn't. Business is the battlefield, Jake. But revenge…" She leaned closer, her eyes gleaming. "Revenge is the war."
The room grew heavier with her words. Jake didn't speak, but his gaze lingered on her face, on the cold fire that always sparked when she spoke of the Carters.
He finally broke the silence. "You've changed, Sam. Seven years ago, you would've walked away. Now…"
"Now," she cut in smoothly, "I know better. They took everything from me once. This time, I'm not the victim. I'm the storm they never saw coming."
Jake leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk. "And what about Nick?"
Her expression didn't flicker, though something unreadable passed through her eyes. "Nick Carter is still part of the family. That makes him a target by association. His weakness is no longer mine to protect."
Jake studied her a moment longer, then slowly nodded. "Understood."
---
Samantha rose from her seat, picking up the scarf she had discarded. She tied it back neatly, her movements precise, controlled.
As she walked toward the window, sunlight caught her profile, painting her in a glow that seemed both angelic and dangerous. Her eyes scanned the city skyline, but her thoughts were far from it.
Kate, what truth are you hiding? And how much will it cost you when I tear it out into the open?
Jake's voice broke the silence once more. "I'll start the dig today. First Chloe, then Kate. I'll get you everything you need."
Samantha turned back to him, her expression calm but her words sharp. "Good. Because when the truth surfaces, I intend to use it. And when I do, Jake…" She let the sentence hang, unfinished, heavy with meaning.
Jake swallowed, his eyes locked on hers. "When you do, Sam, it won't just shake their house. It will bury them."
Samantha's silence was her answer.
The morning light spilled across the study, gilding the two of them in a quiet, electric tension. Outside, the city moved as if nothing was amiss. But inside, the first pieces of the Carters' downfall had already been set in motion.
And Samantha Bradley — once Ally Miller — was holding every card.