The Unbreakable Heiress Strikes Back

Light spilled from every window of the Wright family estate, illuminating a glittering procession of designer gowns and jewel-draped guests.

The occasion was Hugh Wright's eightieth birthday celebration, an event grand enough to draw nearly every prominent figure in the city.

"Ahh! Somebody help!"

Without warning, a woman's shriek ripped through the rear garden. The orchestra was instantly drowned out, and startled guests whipped toward the sound.

"Something happened back there!" someone yelled.

Alarm swept through the Wright family. They hurried for the garden, with the rest of the guests pouring after them in a restless wave.

At the center of the commotion, the sprawling heated outdoor pool had erupted into chaos, water splashing wildly over its surface.

Two women struggled desperately in the deep end. One was Arabella Wright, Greyson Wright's wife. The other was Corinne Wright, widow of Greyson's deceased older brother.

"Out of my way!" The command ripped through the commotion as a tall, lean man shoved his way past the stunned onlookers.

Greyson didn't even bother taking off his jacket. He plunged straight into the pool.

Cutting through the water at full speed, he swam right past Arabella and made straight for Corinne. He locked an arm around her waist, bracing her securely against him as he pulled her toward the edge.

"Greyson..." Corinne gasped, drenched from head to toe. Her face had gone frighteningly white. "My stomach... It hurts so much..."

"Don't be scared. I won't let anything happen to you or the baby!" Eyes blazing red, Greyson swept Corinne into his arms and carried her out of the pool. Then he turned sharply toward the bodyguards standing nearby and bellowed, "What the hell are you staring at? Bring the car around! We're going to the hospital. Now!"

Not once did Greyson look back at Arabella, even as she continued fighting to keep her head above water.

It wasn't until he'd disappeared into the night with Corinne that the bodyguards finally came to their senses. By then, Arabella had already begun sinking beneath the surface. They rushed in and dragged her out.

The icy night air sliced straight through her.

Drenched from head to toe, Arabella stood shivering as streams of water ran from her tangled hair and soaked clothes.

Chaos had swallowed the sprawling Wright estate. Every member of the family had followed Corinne to the hospital, abandoning Arabella without a second thought.

Alone, she made her way back toward the mansion, each step slower and heavier than the last.

As she passed the servants, their whispers carried openly through the night. No one even tried to keep their voices down.

"How can anyone be that cruel? Mrs. Wright is pregnant, and she still shoved her into the pool."

"That child is the only thing Mr. Wright left behind. She'd even go after an innocent baby..."

Cruel?

Arabella's lips curved as a hollow, bitter laugh slipped out.

The whole thing had been Corinne's setup. She'd called Arabella over, and then pulled her straight into the pool.

By the time Arabella finally stumbled back to her bedroom, chills wracked her body and her head swam with dizziness.

She forced herself through a steaming shower, changed into fresh clothes, and then crawled beneath the blankets. She had barely settled in when scorching heat suddenly swept through her.

The fever hit her all at once, turning her thoughts hazy and dragging her toward unconsciousness.

Without warning, the bedroom door flew inward beneath a savage kick.

Greyson stormed inside, his entire presence sharpened by a cold, barely contained rage.

"Get up!" he snarled.

With that, he tore the blankets off her. His fingers locked around her slender wrist, and with no concern for her condition, he wrenched her out of bed.

"Greyson, what the hell are you doing?"

Fever had already drained the strength from her body. Caught completely unprepared, Arabella lost her balance and slammed onto the floor.

"You want to know what I'm doing?" Greyson huffed derisively. He loomed over her, anger twisting his handsome features into something vicious. "Arabella, you're a goddamn snake. What the hell did Corinne ever do to you? Why were you so determined to kill her?"

Arabella fought through the dizzy haze and lifted her face to him. Her jaw clenched, but there was no trace of yielding in her eyes. "How many times do I have to say it? I never pushed her. She went into that pool on her own."

A humorless laugh cut from Greyson's throat. "On her own? You seriously expect me to buy that bullshit? That Corinne would endanger herself-and her own baby-just to set you up?"

His fingers clamped around Arabella's chin, digging in hard enough to hurt. "Enough with your filthy lies, Arabella! She lost the baby! My brother's child is dead because of you!"

Corinne had miscarried?

Arabella's eyes widened in shock. "How..." The word barely escaped her lips.

None of it made sense. Why would Corinne go so far as to sacrifice her own unborn child simply to ruin her?

"Shut up!" Greyson's face remained cold. "You're coming with me."

Before Arabella could get another word out, he clamped a hand around her arm and hauled her toward the door.

"Where the hell are you taking me?" she demanded, struggling against his grip. "Get your hands off me!"

"The family chapel."

The mention of the chapel sent Arabella's entire body stiff with terror, cold seeping straight into her bones.

Aside from its religious purposes, that place also served as the Wright family's private court, where punishment was handed down behind closed doors.

Rumor had it that even strong, full-grown men barely made it back out alive.

"No! I'm not going!" Arabella fought against Greyson's grip with everything she had. "I didn't do anything! Why should I be punished?"

Greyson gave her no response, simply hauling her through the corridor without slowing.

She had no shoes on, and the fever left her stumbling helplessly behind him. The rough gravel path tore at her bare soles until they were scraped open and bleeding, yet he never so much as glanced over his shoulder.

Light flooded every corner of the family chapel.

Two rigid lines of Wright family's elders filled the hall, each wearing the same grim expression. They had gathered for her-and judging by their faces, her guilt had already been decided long before she arrived.

Hugh occupied the chair in the center, his posture rigid.

As soon as Greyson dragged Arabella into view, fury twisted the old man's features. His hand shot toward the cup beside him, and without a word, he seized it and flung it straight at her.

With a violent crash, porcelain burst apart at Arabella's feet, sending hot coffee splattering everywhere.

One jagged fragment caught her ankle, carving through the skin. Fresh blood immediately beaded along the cut.

"You rotten bitch!" Hugh's bellow shook the chapel. "Get on your damn knees!"

Every face in the hall seemed to accuse her. The Wright family's collective rage pressed in from all sides, but Arabella refused to shrink beneath it.

Every second on her injured ankle hurt, and the fever left her lightheaded, yet she drew herself upright and held her ground in the middle of the room.

"I never pushed Corinne." Her bloodless lips moved faintly as she swept her gaze over the people surrounding her. "I haven't done anything wrong, so I'm not kneeling."

"You've got some nerve!" an outraged voice snapped.

"Not even a shred of remorse!" someone else snapped.

Hostility poured in from every direction, the entire hall erupting in insults.

Greyson pushed through the uproar and closed in on her. Her defiance only hardened his expression. Clamping both hands around her shoulders, he drove her downward, straight into the puddle of coffee and jagged porcelain scattered across the floor.

Arabella's knees gave way beneath the force. She hit the floor hard, landing directly among the jagged fragments.

Agony tore through her, so deep and vicious it seemed to pierce straight to the bone. A muffled groan slipped from her lips as cold sweat broke across her forehead.

Greyson towered over her, his voice stripped of all warmth. "You're getting two choices tonight, Arabella. Stay right there on your knees until you admit what you did..."

He let the silence drag out before lowering his voice, every word dripping with malice. "Or sign the divorce papers. Now."