Chapter 152 Kill Two Birds with One Stone

Chapter 152 Kill Two Birds with One Stone
Carmen POV

The little girl's face went ghost white, her entire body trembling as she tried to wrench herself free from my grip. "Let go of me! Let go, you crazy lady!"

But I tightened my hold on her small arm. After spending over a month rotting in that concrete cell, getting my hands on anything connected to Sarah felt like winning the lottery.

"Calm down, sweetheart." I forced my voice into something resembling gentleness. "I know where your mother, Sarah, is. I can take you to her." I studied her face more carefully. "What's your name, honey?"

The struggling stopped. Those deep blue eyes widened with relief and excitement as her small body relaxed in my grip.

"I'm Ashley," she said, her voice brightening with hope. She looked up at me with desperate joy. "Do you really know my mommy?"

"Oh, I know her very well." Know her well enough to want to destroy her completely. 

Ashley's eyes lit up like Christmas morning. "Take me to her! Right now!" Her tone shifted, becoming demanding and imperious in a way that reminded me of every spoiled rich kid I'd ever encountered. "She'll give you money. Lots of money. My mommy's really rich!"

The arrogance in her voice made my skin crawl. This brat was already acting like she owned the world. "What makes you so sure Sarah's your mother?"

Ashley lifted her chin with the kind of superiority that only came from someone who'd never been told 'no.' "Yesterday, she took me for a DNA test. She's definitely my real mom! She said she'd come back in a couple of days to get me, but I couldn't wait anymore. I wanted to surprise her."

Oh, this gets better and better.

I had to bite back a laugh. This woman just kept collecting other people's children like they were designer handbags. First, she'd stolen Lily from me—my little cash cow. Now she'd somehow acquired this older brat who was already counting Sarah's money before the ink was dry on whatever fake paperwork had convinced her she'd found her meal ticket.

But real or fake, this girl could be my weapon. A perfect tool to get to both Sarah and Lily.

My mind drifted back to the hellish weeks that had led me here. The sentencing had been swift and brutal: two years behind bars for child endangerment and fraud. I had to share a cell with women who'd committed far worse crimes, listen to guards bark orders, and eat food that barely qualified as edible.

Rico never came. Not once. My own husband couldn't be bothered to visit the mother of his child, even though everything I'd done had been for our family. The betrayal cut deeper than the conviction.

Luckily, I'd only endured five weeks of this nightmare.

Two days ago, a man in an expensive suit had appeared in the visitor's room, claiming to be my lawyer. He'd delivered the news that destroyed what remained of my world: the judge had awarded full custody of my son to Rico, and Rico had already left the state with him. Then came the divorce papers.

"I'm not signing anything," I'd told him, my hands shaking with rage.

He studied my face intently before leaning forward. "You seem upset about more than just the divorce."

I'd laughed bitterly. "Upset? My whole life fell apart because of that manipulative witch Sarah and her rich husband. They turned Lily against me, got me thrown in here, and now—"

"Sarah..." Something shifted in his expression. "Tell me more about her."

The intensity in his voice had caught me off guard, but the anger burning in my chest made me keep talking. I'd told him everything: how Sarah had stolen Lily from me, how she and Michael had destroyed my family, and how they'd painted me as the villain when all I'd done was try to provide for my child.

When I finished, he was quiet for a long time. Then he said, "I'm here because Sarah and her husband destroyed my life too, and I think we can help each other."

The conversation that followed had opened up possibilities I'd never imagined. This mysterious lawyer had a plan: kidnap Sarah's "precious daughter" Lily, demand ransom money, then split the profits. He couldn't do it himself, he'd explained, too recognizable, and too much at stake. But someone like me, someone with legitimate grievances and intimate knowledge of the target...

"What's in it for me?" I'd asked.

"Half the ransom money, however much you can squeeze out of them. Plus, I'll help you fight for custody of your son once this is over."

The promise of money had sealed it. Michael clearly had deep pockets. He'd paid for Lily's expensive preschool, sent us monthly checks. For his "daughter," he'd pay anything. And once I had cash, I could give my son the life he deserved, prove to the courts that I was the better parent.

Twenty-four hours later, I'd walked out of prison without a single question asked. The guards had simply processed my release paperwork like it was routine, even though I still had nearly two years left on my sentence. Whoever this lawyer was, he had serious pull. The kind that made paperwork disappear and doors open without explanations.

I'd spent the last day staking out Sarah's neighborhood, looking for the perfect opportunity. I'd expected to find Lily eventually, maybe grab her during a playground visit. Instead, Ashley had literally fallen into my lap—a bonus I'd never seen coming.

"You know what, Ashley?" I stepped back, releasing her arm and putting on my most sympathetic expression. "I should introduce myself first. I'm Carmen. Your mommy and I go way back. We had a little falling out recently, but that's what friends do sometimes, right?"

Ashley nodded eagerly, clearly desperate to believe anything that would get her closer to her supposed mother.

I started walking along the sidewalk that wound through the complex, gesturing for her to follow. "Come on, I'll take you to her building." As she hurried to keep up with my longer strides, I continued, "The thing is, Sarah already has a daughter. A little girl named Lily, whom she adopted."

Ashley's face darkened immediately. "What? But I'm her real daughter! I have the DNA test!"

"Oh, I'm sure you are, sweetie. But Lily's been living with Sarah for a while now. She thinks she's the only daughter." I watched Ashley's expression carefully, feeding her jealousy like kindling to a fire. "Sarah might not have room for both of you, you know? Lily's gotten used to having all of Sarah's attention..."

"That's not fair!" Ashley's voice rose to a near-shriek. "I'm her real daughter! That other girl needs to go away!"

"Now, now. I'm sure we can work something out." I placed what I hoped looked like a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Tell you what, I could take care of Lily for a while. Give you and Sarah some time to bond, just the two of you."

Ashley's eyes lit up with malicious glee. "Yes! I'll tell Sarah to give Lily to you!"

"Well, like I said, Sarah and I are having that little disagreement. You probably shouldn't tell her that I brought you here, or mention my name at all." I leaned down to her level, making my voice conspiratorial. "It'll be our little secret, okay? Just focus on being the perfect daughter for Sarah. Be nice to Lily, too. You don't want Sarah to think you're mean."

Ashley nodded solemnly, her reluctance clear in her eyes.

"I live here in Skyline Heights, too, you know." I gestured casually toward a nearby building. "Apartment 3B over there. Maybe once you and Sarah are settled, you could bring Lily over for a playdate?" The lie rolled off my tongue easily. "I love having little girls visit."

The psychological seeds were planted. This spoiled brat would do half my work for me, and she didn't even know it.

A few minutes later, we stepped out of the elevator and I pointed toward Sarah's door. "There it is. Just knock and tell her you wanted to surprise her."

Ashley turned to look at me, her small face scrunched with confusion. "You're not coming?"

I started backing away, making my voice sound regretful. "I wish I could, but Sarah and I... well, like I said, we had that falling out. It's probably better if I'm not here when she opens the door."

Ashley practically bounced with excitement as she headed toward the door. I melted back into the shadows of a nearby stairwell, pulling out my phone to record whatever happened next.

If Sarah actually let this girl into her home, it would prove Ashley was telling the truth about being her daughter. Then maybe I could even kill two birds with one stone...