“Emily… how did you…?” Richard stammered, his voice a strangled whisper. He looked like a man who had just realized he’d built his castle on sand, and the tide was rolling in.

Emily drew a steadying breath, feeling a surge of strength she hadn’t felt in years. “When my grandmother passed, she left this villa to me. I didn’t think it mattered who owned it—I thought we were building a life together, a partnership. But clearly, you had other plans.”

Vanessa’s smirk vanished, replaced by a look of uncertainty. She shifted uncomfortably, glancing between Emily and Richard, as if trying to decide whose side to take now that the power dynamics had shifted.