My heart hammered against my ribs. Here it was. The moment I'd been both dreading and preparing for.
"The gold?" I echoed, pitching my voice to sound small and confused. `[Deceive (D-Rank)]` engaged, shields up. "What... what gold, Mother?"
Clarisse didn't raise her voice. She didn't look angry. She just... watched me. Her sharp green eyes seemed to pierce right through my carefully constructed facade.
"The gold, Silvie," she repeated, her voice dangerously soft. "The gold Thomas has been using to pay off Theodore's gambling markers. The gold that paid the staff's wages. The gold that is suddenly repairing my house."
She took a step closer. "There is no 'emergency fund' from my mother. I know my family's finances. So, I ask you again. Where did it come from?"
My mind raced. This was the moment. The lie had to be perfect. Plausible. Something rooted in a truth Clarisse would recognize, twisted just enough.
